Pescara



Pescara is a province capital in the region of Abruzzo, central Italy. With a population of 122,404 inhabitants (beginning of the 2007) Pescara is the biggest city of the region and one of the most important towns of on the Adriatic sea. The city is 15 km far away from Chieti, another province capital: the whole urban area of Pescara and Chieti has a population of about 350.000 people.

A brief introduction
Pescara was completely destroyed during the second world war by several heavy bombings carried on by US air force. At the moment there are very few signs of the city past.

The main street of the city is Corso Umberto I, which starts from Piazza Salotto and reaches the coast at Piazza Primo Maggio. Corso Manthonè, the main street of the old town, has been being the centre of the nightlife of the city for many years now. The City Hall and the administration of the province are in Piazza Italia, near by the river.

The harbour is located in the final part of the river. Beside the southern part of the harbour docks there is a modern marine that is one of the biggest in the Adriatic sea.

Pescara, together with Chieti, is the seat of the “G.d'Annunzio” univeristy: about 17.000 students attend the faculties of Economics, Architecture, Foreign Languages and Literature in city. The university is located in the southern part of town, near by the business district built up in the recent years.

The city shore is 16 km long and it is a sand beach divided in two "riviera": the one in the north side of the river and the one in the southern side. The northern part of the riviera is very lively during summer because many restaurants, bars, gelaterias and disco clubs are located all over its length.

Generally, compared to other Italian towns of the similar size, Pescara is a quite different place: it looks modern and not old but it is also a lively place, both from the point of views of night life and cultural acitivities. In an article on the newspaper Repubblica Pescara (together with Salerno) was considered as a model for a new "dolce vita" Italain style.

CS in Pescara
The CS community has grown up considerably from the second half of 2007 and the first months of 2008. This was due by the presence of some active members who have started to involve some other people in the cs mission. The Pescara group has been existing since early 2008.

Couchsurfers
There are currently about 140 Couchsurfers in Pescara (november 2010). The community is growing consistently (24 members in october 2007) and it is pretty active since there are several members ready to welcome travelers by meeting or hosting them and who organise events and happenings around. Some of the local members have also been very active with the organization of regional CS meetings, held in the town. Moreover, Pescara has two city ambassadors.

CS Meetings
Pescara local meetings are usually held informally once or more times a month in presence of guests and local members. Moreover, some of the local members have organised the first three regional meetings which have taken places in the city. The local community has also decided to have monthly meetings from the end of october 2009: you can get updates following the Pescara group.

Italian Adriatic Surfing Network
Pescara is included in Italian Adriatic surfing network that is a network of cs members who live on the eastern cost of Italy with the aim to help and host those travellers who want to discover the eastern part of Italy.

How to get there
It is possible to reach Pescara with a comprehensive transport system

By train
There are four train stations in Pescara. Two of them are devoted to the local transport. The main station is Pescara Centrale that is located in the very central heart of the city: the station, which is the largest in Abruzzo, and one of the largest in the whole of Italy, is located in adriatic rail line and it is connected also to Rome. Pescara Porta Nuova (in the central part of the city but closer to the old town and to the university) is devoted to the local transport but some trains to and from Rome stop there.
 * Trenitalia- national rail company
 * Sangritana- local rail transport (the site is not complete

By bus
There is a direct bus line from Roma Tiburtina station (Rome) to Pescara Centrale (13 daily, about a two and a half hours ride, between 11 and 15 €uro). There are also buses to Naples (3 daily, about a four hours ride) and other italian cities. Have a look at the following links (only in Italian):
 * Arpa Autolinee
 * Di Febo-Capuani
 * Prontobus (they are cheaper: if you subscribe you can get tickets for only 1 or 5 euro)

You can also reach Pescara with a direct bus connection from Rome airports:
 * Prontobus

For daily direct buses) to Perugia, Siena, Florence, Montecatini, Pisa, Bologna, Venice, Foggia, Bari, Taranto, have a look at the following link:
 * Baltour
 * Gruppo Satam (only to Bologna)

For daily direct buses to Naples and Salerno:
 * Arpa Autolinee Arpa Autolinee
 * Gruppo Satam

For daily direct buses to Genova and San Remo have a look at the following linl:
 * Gruppo Satam

Flying there
Pescara Airport (also known as Abruzzo International Airport) is connected to several european cities with season and regular flights. Ryanair operates there. There is a bus (number 38) that operates the transport service from the airport terminal to the city centre (it stops 150mt from the central station) every 15 minutes. (1€ for a single fare). Taxis are available outside the Arrivals area: a trip to central rail station costs around 15€. The main air carrier operators are:
 * Ryanair
 * Airone
 * OnAir- season flights

By ferry
In summer there are ferries and hydrofoils to Croatia run primarily by Jadrolinija (but from September 2008 they have interrupted the service) and Snav to Split and islands in central Dalmatia. Have a look at the following link:
 * SNAV

For information, you can also contact Agenzia Sanmar

How to get the ferry
It's hard to get to the seaport because there are not buses to get straight there. The ferries depart from the southern bank ("molo sud") and you need to get there. Here you have some suggestions.

ARRIVING BY BUS FROM ROME
 * If you arrive by bus from Rome, you can ask them to stop at the city hall square (Piazza Italia) and then you can walk to the dock (it takes 10-15 minutes): that's the route to get there

ARRIVING BY TRAIN TO THE CENTRAL STATION OR BY BUS TO THE BUS TERMINAL
 * If you arrive at the central station by train you have to reach Piazza della Repubblica (get out of the main entrance of the station and follow the red path, which starts from there: it's 150 mt walk): Piazza della Repubblica is also the place where buses arrive from other cities (it's the bus terminal). You can decide to take a bus and to walk, just to walk or to take a taxi.
 * -The bus&walk solution (about 30-40 minutes). In piazza della Repubblica or from the bus terminal you can get the bus nr. 10 (there are buses every 20 minutes). You need to buy the ticket in the ticket machines close by the bus stops: it's 1 euro. Ask the bus driver to stop close by the ferry dock ("molo sud"): the bus will stop in via Bardet and from there you can walk for 5-10 minutes (follow this route)
 * -The walk solution (30 minutes): it's a kind of long way, but it's an easy route
 * -By taxi (5 minutes): you can get a taxi just in front of the central station. If you arrive at the bus terminal you cannot miss the central station which is the huge glass building you see around. This is the most easy solution: it should cost about 7-8 euro.

ARRIVING BY TRAIN TO PORTA NUOVA STATION
 * If you arrive by train at Porta Nuova Station you can walk for about 25 minutes using this path

By car
The city is crossed by two highways (autostrade), the A14 (Bologna- Taranto) and the A25 (Rome-Pescara) which are part of the pan-European roads (respectivley the E55 and the E80). Moreover, it is possible to reach Pescara by using several main and secondary roads: the main ones are the Tiburtina (SS 5, Rome- Pescara) and the Adriatic national road (SS 16, Padova- Otranto)

By carpooling
One of the most convenient ways to arrive in Pescara is by carpooling: you can split the costs and make the journey cheaper. You can find several lifts to get to Pescara on the website. Carpooling per Pescara.

Tips to get there
The best way to go to or to move from Pescara up north or down the south is by train.

The rail line track between Pescara and Rome is very old: therefore trains are slow and take a long time (around 4 hours, for about €12), but the scenarios you can enjoy during the trip are amazing. Travellers to and from Rome are recommended to use the bus connection (2 and a half hours, between 11 and 15 €uro).

How to get around
To get around Pescara (to visit the area or the whole region) is less easy than to reach it.

By train
There are four train stations in Pescara. Two of them are devoted to the urban transport (Pescara San Marca and Pescara Tribuanale). The main stations for the local transport are Pescara Centrale and Pescara Porta Nuova.
 * Trenitalia- national rail company
 * Sangritana- local rail transport (the site is not complete

By bus
It is possibile to reach many villages in the province and in the region by bus from Pescara. Depending on the direction you take you might find different bus stops where to get local buses but all buses stop or depart from Piazza delal Repubblica, in the centre of Pescara. Have a look at the regional bus company site:
 * Arpa Autolinee
 * to plan your trip
 * To get timetables for the main connections

By car (highly recommended)
It is quite easy to get around by car and it is highly recommendable to get around by car. Maybe you can hire a car or you can ask your hosts to organize a trip or you can find local cs people to travel with around (you can post something the Pescara group). It is for sure the best way to discover the province of Pescara and the region.

Hospitality
If for some reasons you cannot find a host in Pescara here you find a list of B&B where you can stay for reasonable prices: please, check out where they are located on the map. [This one http://www.bed-and-breakfast.it/citta_zona.cfm?citta=Pescara&zona=Aeroporto&IDregione=1] is located very close by the airport. This must be considered a suggestion in case of troubles and not a commercial for those activities.

What to do
This section is meant to provide just some ideas of what to do in Pescara and how to meet other CS local members.

In Pescara
Generally Pescara is a lively place. There are a few events (also internationally renowned) which take place in the city and it offers some chances to enjoy night life. In the year 2009, Pescara has been also the venue of the Mediterranean games.

Summer
In summer the life in the city changes a lot. A lot of bars move to the beach side and the riviera gets very lively with bars, restauratns and some clubs. In Pescara and around it there are a lot of things to do: festivals, concerts, food gatherings. The old town is still lively: there you can have drinks and where you can find many restaurants.

Events

 * First months of the year- Carnival (occurs immediately before Lent): the city is crossed by a parade that attracts thousands of people.
 * April- Etno music festival: a festival about world music.
 * First Sunday of June- Seven Pains Holy Mary celebration: it's an ancient celebration from the XVII and it involves decades thousand people every year entertained by an amusement park.
 * June/July- International Flaiano Festival: it's a movie, theater and literature festival with an international reputation.
 * July- Opera Festival: an annual event that in 2008 offered a great programm.
 * July- modern circus international festival: Funambolika
 * July- Summer Jazz Festival (Pescara Jazz): it's the oldest Italian summer jazz festival.
 * July- Gonfaloni Boat Race on the river: it's a boat race that involves teams from several nations invited for the occasion.
 * Last Sunday of July- Festa di Sant'Andrea: the sailors celebration of St.Andrew, it attracts decade thousand people with an amusement park and a fireworks show
 * July/August- Summer Cultural Season: the Ente Manifestazioni Pescaresi organizes concerts of opera, classical music, cabaret, acrobats and clown shows.
 * July or August- Indierocket summer festival: indie rock festival with international bands.
 * October- Jazz'n'Fall Ente Manifestazioni Pescaresi: international jazz festival.
 * Winter: Pescara Electronic Art Meeting: it's a meeting about digital art.
 * November- Literature Festival: it's a literature that gives the chance to readers to meet some of the most famous national authors.
 * December- winter Indierocket festival: indie-rock festival oriented to electronic music.

Around Pescara

 * Spring- The Holy Friday Parade in Chieti (15 km from Pescara): friday before Easter (at 18:00) the old part of the town is crossed by a choir of about 1000 hooded men. The parade is quite impressive and it takes place since the XIX century.
 * May (first thursday)- The St.Dominick's parade (processione di San Domenico) in Cocullo (70 km west Pescara), also renowned as "la festa dei serpari" (the snakes hunters fest). The parade takes its origin from the pagan snakes belief: even though in the centuries the parade was devoted to a Christian belief, it's a unique example in the whole european continent of a snake cult. A St. Dominick's statue all covered with living snakes is holded through the borough of Cocullo. The faithfull people approach the statue, they touch it and they pray; some hang banknotes over a colored ribbon fixed to the pedestal of the statue: they believe that as more the snakes cover the face of the Saint as worse the year after will be. During the day a lot of people go all around the village with snakes in their hands (also childreen). It's a very famous tradition that attracts about 20.000 attenders every year from all around the world. Here you can see some pics taken by Giovanni Rinaldi.
 * July and August- Castelbasso Fesival: Castelbasso is a small middle age village about 60 km north-west Pescara where every summer takes place a cultural festival in which the odience can visit exhibitions, theatre performances, concerts of italian and international bands. The festival is crowded and very much appreciated by local people.
 * June till the end of August- the Reportage festival in Atri which is the main reportage festival of Italy. During the last week of June they have a lot of conferences, meetings and exhbitions about reportage and journalism. At the same time they have a huge number of art exhibitions which last for several weeks till the end of August.
 * Beginnin' of Augusut- microbrewed beer festival of Castellalto (Festival delle birre artigianali). It is one of the best beer festivals of Italy and the only one where all the village is set up to host beer lovers. They serve a huge variety of draft beers and there are a lot of events about beer and you can eat good local food and you can listen good live music. It's also possible to sleep there for free (they provide a free camping) but there are also some local cs people.
 * November- The San Valentino Wine Fest: the 11th of November or the week-end after a wine fest takes place in San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore. San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore is a small and ancient village made of stone located just beside the Maiella National Park, on the top of a hill. It is a typical village of the inner part of the region, about 40 km west Pescara. The wine fest takes place in the the narrow streets of the old village: it is a packed street party flood by wine and music. Local people will open to visitors their private cellars where people can buy wine and food: old women will cook traditional dishes while the young people will care to sell food and wine. The whole local community is involved in the organization of the event. The wine and food will cost some money: but prices are really fair. As for the 2008 edition, the Pescara Group organizes a CS Bus. Here we have pics about the 2008 meeting].

What to see
Pescara itself looks like a modern town. But in the area around (within 100 km of distance) there are many interesting places to visit in terms of art and nature.

Museums

 * Museo delle Genti d'Abruzzo
 * Gabriele D'Annunzio's house
 * Basilio Cascella Art Gallery
 * Vittoria Colonna Modern Art Museum
 * Villa Urania Castelli Pottery Museum

Around Pescara

 * Castello di Salle is an old castle, made in the 10th Century. There's a small museum inside. The Castle's restaurant prepares medieval's style dinner (booking is required). Bus charter from Pescara or other cities on demand. 1hr far from Pescara.
 * Spoltore, a small town 5km far from Pescara, with a nice medieval center, you can reach in 15 minutes by bus.
 * Chieti, a town just beside Pescara that you can reach in 20 minutes by bus.
 * Lanciano, a small medieval town that you can reach in 30 minutes by train.
 * Sulmona, a small ancient town of Roman origin that you can reach in 40 minutes by train.

What to do
This section of the voice must be intended as a serial of suggestions for travelers, to spend time in town. We don't advirtise the following places but we intend only to provide some tips.

Bars and Cafes
During the day, the best thing to do is to wall around the pedestrian area in the commercial central part of town (around Piazza Salotto. You will find some nice cafes and also places to have good aperitifs. It's also plenty of bars where you can have a typical coffee just standing up: but you can also sit down in one of the bars where they have a terrace.

In summer, the beach clubs work as bars. Some of them look cosy and cool. Just walk around and find the one you like more.

Night bars to have a beer

 * Post-Bar: it's an easy going bar, with a terrace in the old town: it's very easy to meet local cs people there and there are often local meetings. They have a little but nice selection of draft beers.
 * Jayson's Irish Pub: it's a pretty popular Irish pub located in the universitary area in (in Viale Marconi, 283). In summer the bar is quite empty- beacuse people prefer to go to the beach- but in winter is a good place to stay: happy hour ends at 21.30 and till that time the bar is a quiet place to have a few pints. Later in the night the pub, specially on week-ends, gets crowded of universitary students. It looks like a very nice bar with a bug beer garden. They don't serve food but only some snacks. They serve irish, german and real ales (only on week-ends) draft beers and other bottled beers from England and Belgium.
 * The Temple Bar is the oldest Irish pub in Pescara, quite close the commercial central part. It's a nice place to have a few pints and to eat some food.
 * Brewpub Birra Bottega: it's a recent bar located in Montesilvano riviera. It's the only bar in the urban area to serve a wide selection of microbrewed beers, also made around Pescara. A must for beer lovers. On fridays they usually have concerts of cover bands.
 * La briganteria: it's a bar where it's possible to eat good food with a wide variety of belgian beers.

WIne bars
There are several wine bars and you can enjoy a glass of wine in many places. The old town is plenty of bars where they have fair prices. You can also try enoteca "|Visaggio" which is not cheap but it has a variety of local and national wines.

Late bars
Due to a recent Law reform, if you want to be sure to have some alcohol after 2 o'clock you can find it in places where they don't provide any entertainment activity. You can try at the following bars:
 * Post-Bar: it's an easy going bar, with a terrace in the old town: it's very easy to meet local cs people there and there are often local meetings. They have a little but nice selection of draft beers.
 * Mono Spazio Bar: it's a late bar focused on indie-rock music. They offer a very intense programm of concerts including both italian and international bands.
 * Suka Bar: it's just an ordinay small bar where you can drink also late in the night in a friendly atmosphere.
 * Club45: located in the old town, at Via Ennio Flaiano n.10.

Live music clubs
In Pescara there are a few bars and clubs where they have live music. The following list is a selection of places and slowly we will try to add all clubs where they have live music. Please, for the adresses of the following place, look at their websites or map links.

Rock/Electro rock/Alternative

 * Mono Spazio Bar: it's a late bar focused on indie-rock music. They offer a very intense programma of concerts including both italian and international bands.
 * Wake up: this club it crowded during week-ends by a mixture of very different people. They have dj sets from local artists who play indie-rock, raggae and alternative music. They also have an intense programm of of concerts from bands from all over the world with a special focus on american indie-rock.
 * Lalla Wahalla: it's a small club where they have a lot of events (many concerts, dj sets, movie contests)
 * Baba Club which is just beside the old town. Some times, they do require a membership card.

Hard Rock/Punk/Metal/Death Metal etc...

 * Rock House Club: they offer a programm of rock bands from all over the world.
 * Orange rock cafe: they have concerts of local and national bands.

Blues/Funky and other styles

 * Grand Canyon: the place looks like an american bar and it is easy to reach. Concerts are usually for free otherwise they charge a little fee entrance. In the place it is possible to eat hot meals until around midnight. Beers are pretty cheap.
 * Sanacore Bar: it is a new bar, pretty small but lively when they have concerts. It is located close by the old town They have a various program generally based on local bands: you can listen cover bands and bands playing blues, funky, rock and more. Usually, concerts are for free.

Jazz
Some time ago Pescara had a few jazz clubs. Now there are a few places where to enjoy live jazz music and drinking at the same time.
 * Discoteca Marni: Via delle Caserme, 44: this disco located in the old town provides a programm of jazz concerts, generally italian musicians. Usually they have concerts every Thursday.
 * La casa del Jazz: it is a program of concerts organized by a local association in February, March and April: the program includes some of the best local and national jazz musicians and singers. It is a small hall in the main boulevard of the city, Corso Umberto I, nr.83. Concerts start at 18:30 every Sunday and they are for free.

Discos and clubs
In the inner part of the town there are a few discos.
 * La Fabbrica: this discoteque is located in the area of the university.
 * Megà Disco: it is probably the biggest disco in town, located in the central part of the town, by the river.
 * Cantina Accademia is a student club located just beside university.
 * 1926 house club: this club is a small house music club located in the old town
 * Tipografia it's a club located in the initial part of the industrial area. A membership card is required to get in, but you cannot get it at the entrance. If you are interested to go there, just ask some info to local cs members.
 * Baba Club which is just beside the old town. Some times, they do require a membership card.

Restaurants
It's plenty of restaurants. You should try a fish meal or a meat meal with arrosticini and local pasta. Contact one of the local member or just write in the public Pescara group to get suggestions.

Cheap places to stay
At the moment there is not a youth hostel in Pescara. Beside CS, the cheaper place to stay is:
 * B&B Flaiano: it is located in the old town. It can be a bit noisy in week-end nights, but it has a very good position. The fee for a room is of about 50 €uro.

Wi-fi areas
In the central square of town, "Piazza della rinascita" also known as "Piazza Salotto" there is a free wi-fi area.

Internet Cafè
There are a few places where an internet connection is available for public use:
 * AROUND THE CENTRAL RAIL STATION AND BUS STATION AREA


 * Caffè Ideale: it's an ordinary bar, in the hear of the commercial part of town. It should be open all days from 9:00 am till 8:00 pm


 * PORTA NUOVA AREA


 * Sloppy Joe in via Marco Polo, 19: it is a 24 hours bar. There are a few pc available for the price of 4 €uro for one hour. The connection is pretty slow. No printers are available.
 * Tabaccheria at via Conte di Ruvo 35, open from 9:00 till 13:00 and from 16:00 till 20:00.