If it were up to me to send tourists to Italy, Abruzzo would be a must-see. Or maybe better not, because it would be full of people and trampled. And unfortunately, it seems that it is slowly becoming that way.
Nevertheless, there are still places where meeting a living soul, especially out of season, can be not so obvious.

Why it is worth going to Abruzzo

First of all, because this is one of the most mountainous regions of Italy — and it’s absolutely beautiful. In fact, it’s Italy in a nutshell: charming towns, amazing hills and sea with nice beaches.

Of course, the backbone of Italy, i.e. the Apennines, are not as giant as the Alps, but in my opinion it doesn’t matter; actually, hiking the not-so-high hills is a great alternative if you don’t want to bake on the beach.
The Apennines, and so Abruzzo’s highlands, are in places covered with grass and colourfully flowering plants and in places rocky — just what hills should be like. Its wild nature, strange greenery, beautiful views, people, fresh air, the possibility of meeting a bear… in my opinion, not many regions in Italy can compete with it.

And thanks to this amazing diversity, more or less experienced hikers will surely find a trekking trail for themselves. For example, the Orta River, which is just great if you don’t want anything long or too complicated, but still not overeasy.

Where to stay in Abruzzo

This time we stopped in Musellaro, a small, sleepy town with a few houses and one bar, where locals gossip about every car that passes. Besides joining in the conversation, you can grab a coffee or a croissant in this central spot of the village, but for shopping, you’ll have to head to the surrounding larger towns. In Bolognano, Torre De’ Passeri, or Caramanico Terme, you can pop into a market or have a meal in a restaurant.

What can be a bit of a hassle when trying to drive to nearby towns is the poor road markings and the internet. Generally, the internet in Italy isn’t the best, and in Abruzzo it’s rather poor. The GPS often freezes, leaving you going in circles. It’s quite annoying… or funny, depending on how you look at it. Fortunately, you can always ask the locals for directions… if you only meet any.

The Orta River trail and Cascata Bolognano

The not-very-complicated Orta River (Cisterna del Fiume Orta) and Cascata Bolognano trail starts in the centre of Bolognano. Find a small square opposite the church of St. Antonio Abate, and take the street down to Via Fonte Orcina and then to the dirt road.

After walking for about 100 m, the trail turns left and goes downhill. Then, about 3–4 km further down, you will reach the picturesque Orta River.

The trail runs through the forest — it means walking in the shade, which I welcomed, as we were there in the summer. The euphoria was short-lived, because it turned out that even in the forest it was hot and humid, so the conditions in which I’m always ready to die.
On the way, you can turn to a panoramic point from which you can see the river and the waterfall, but this part of the path was closed. Someone took a deadly selfie, i.e. fell down, so Punto Panoramico was inaccessible. I don’t know if they have re-opened it, but probably not.

So we went directly to the river. The trail technically is not difficult, I just don’t like muggy weather — covered in sweat and terribly humid air, I was dreaming of bathing in cold mountain water. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the Orta River is home to microscopic creatures and unique plants, so swimming and wading are prohibited to protect the tiny river from trampling by people splashing in the water.

I agree, because this tendency to think that everything is for everyone and everything should be accessible to everyone is irritating. There’s nothing sillier than getting anywhere just to go in and take a selfie, or whatever, for the sake of doing something “cool.” So, even though the water sparkled temptingly, not a single creature perished in the river beneath my feet.
Of course, not everyone follows this rule.

Orta is a picturesque river surrounded by forest and hills. We walked a few meters along the stones on the shore and decided to head back to town; there’s no path along the Orta River. Climbing uphill was a thankless task because of the heat: some sections of the path were surprisingly slippery, and sweat from the weather was pouring down my face. So after climbing the hill, I drank maybe ten litres of cold mountain water from the fountain.

Practical tips

– It takes 1–1.3 hours to get to the river and back.
– The route is generally very easy, but it is worth wearing hiking shoes.
– Some parts closer to the river were slippery, but not dangerously — your leg may slide when going up a hill.
– Take water with you. The only fountain on the route is on the beaten track, before going down to the river.