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. The iniversity is located in the southern part of the city, near by the business district built up in the recent years.

The city shore is 16 km 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.

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 60 Couchsurfers in Pescara (updated till the 6th of October 2008). The community is pretty active and there are several members ready to welcome travelers by meeting or hosting them. Some of the local members have also been very active with the organization of the two 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 week in presence of guests of 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: 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 to Roma Tiburtina station (Rome) via Pescara Centrale (about a two and a half hour ride). There are also buses to Naples and other italian cities. Have a look at the following links (only in Italian):

• Arpa Autolinee
• Di Febo-Capuani

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 operators:

• Ryanair
• Volareweb
• Airone
• OnAir- season flights
• Eurofly- summer flights to and from New York

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

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, Padua- Otranto)

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), but the scenarios you can enjoy during the trip are amazing. Travellers to and from Rome are recommended to use the bus connection.

How to get around

What to do

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.

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- 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

What to see

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

In Pescara

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

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

Gelateria places

Book cafes

Night bars

WIne bars

Aperitifs

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:

• Codiceabar, located in the old town (Corso Manthonè): not old but still legendary bar of Pescara.
• 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.
• Ecoteca: this club offers a peculiar mix of art shows, live concerts from local and international bands, dj sets from all over the world.
• Relecafè: this bar is a bit out of town, but it is not difficult to reach if you are here by car. The owner of the bar cares to offer to her customers a variety of events including art exibitions and indie-pop concerts (on sunday eve). It is also possibile to eat there.

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/Country

• 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 untill around midnight. Beers are pretty cheap.

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.

Discos

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.
• 1926 house club: this club is a small house music club located in the old town

Restaurants

Pizzerias

Etno food

Useful things to know

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.

Internet Cafè

There are a few places where an internet connection is available for public use:

• Ecoteca: it is a nght bar and a club located in via Caboto n.19: there are a few computers available for no fee; no printers are available.
• 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.

External Links

Tourism Information Office (Province of Pescara)

Pescara on Google Maps