New Year's Eve in Abruzzo: how and where to celebrate 2024

The territorial conformation of Abruzzo region divided between the mountainous and coastal areas offers you the opportunity to choose various options for your New Year's Eve depending on whether you want more a typical winter New Year's Eve in the warmth of a log cabin fire, or you prefer a milder climate in a city on the coast, perhaps taking advantage of your time to take a tour of the wine cellars in the area.

If you love the cold, the one that reddens your cheeks and inspires a strong appetite, we suggest you to spend New Year's Eve in a high altitude refuge, in the white snow in Ovindoli or in the splendid Roccaraso. If you are a city soul, then it will be an excellent reason to visit and celebrate in a city of art like L'Aquila or Sulmona, famous for its confetti. If, however, you want to see what color the sea is in winter we recommend the lively city of Pescara, here you can take advantage of a fantastic fish-based dinner, as in the most widespread Italian tradition. To get to Abruzzo the simplest option is by car coming from Rome, if you come from the capital take two days on the outward or return journey to visit Rome and then continue to Abruzzo. Continue reading and discover with us how and where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Abruzzo.

Located on the southern edge of the Cinquemiglia plateau, Roccaraso together with Pescocostanzo, Pescasseroli and Rivisondoli are part of one of the largest ski areas in Alto Sangro, with 130 km of slopes. Here you can practice alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, with the advantage that these slopes are considerably cheaper than those in Trentino and Lombardy. But if you are more daring and for your New Year's Eve in Abruzzo you want to dare off-piste descents, here it is also possible to snowboard or snowkite, activities that require open, snow-covered spaces.

For your New Year's Eve in Abruzzo in these locations we recommend you book well in advance. If you don't want to spend the wait for New Year's Eve on skis or if you are with someone who accompanied you, but doesn't like skiing, then a walk to the Roccaraso Christmas Market along Via Roma and in Piazza Leone is highly recommended. The Trans-Siberian d'Abruzzo stops in Roccaraso, the train that runs between the main towns in Abruzzo where the Christmas markets are set up. In this period the G. Bolino ice rink is also open for a nice ice skate, excursions and snowshoeing are also planned to discover the wonderful surrounding area. After skiing, walking to the market, skating, or snowshoeing, book cenone (end of year dinner) in advance at the hotel or in a restaurant to taste the specialties of the area, such as homemade pasta and lamb and sheep meat and the famous arrosticini (sheep meat roasts). After dinner in the central square of the town (Piazza Leone) the fireworks will welcome the new year.

The idea of spending New Year's Eve in a cabin or hotel at high altitude has great fascination and success. If you want to have this experience for your New Year's Eve in Abruzzo, you have two options. If you are more looking for silence and nature, mountain views beyond the wooden window, the warmth of the hearth and the intimacy of family or friends, we suggest you make an unusual choice, rent a mountain cabin. We suggest a typical hut with a view of Mount Magnola. Spending New Year's Eve in a quiet mountain cabin can be a special, romantic choice if you are a couple.

If, however, you want more sociality and more comfort, we suggest a high-altitude hotel where you can also take advantage of the wellness center and spa, enjoy the warmth of the hot waters, while it snows outside. It's always better to organize and book in advance, especially for New Year's Eve dinner. After the sumptuous dinner, go out and walk in the winter cold, waiting for the fireworks that you will see in the valley from the summit.

L'Aquila is the capital of Abruzzo, a unique city that dresses up in light and warmth for the Christmas holidays and offers many interesting initiatives. If you have decided to spend New Year's Eve here, we recommend taking a nice cultural walk around the city. Towards the evening, move towards the central square to wait together with citizens and tourists for the count-down to midnight, but before that moment music and live shows will cheer up the wait in the midnight concert, which generally starts around 10pm.

In the historic center of the city, you can walk among the stalls of the Christmas markets, in Piazza Duomo you can admire the artistic stone nativity scene and on the steps of the Parco del Castello the traditional nativity scene, always in the Parco del Castello at the Auditorium a very rich calendar of musical events. There are many villages in the surroundings of L'Aquila where you can move for the first day of the year in the name of tradition.

Sulmona is in the Maiella Park, the historic center of the city is a true jewel, rich in art, history and culture. Sulmona is famous for its production of confetti (sugared almonds) and for being the birthplace of the famous Ovid. It is from here that the Christmas market train, the famous Trans-Siberian d'Abruzzo, leaves, making stops in the main towns of Abruzzo, where the Christmas markets are set up.

In these parts there are various specialties that you can enjoy for the traditional New Year's Eve dinner, such as the arrosticini, the traditional sheep's roasts, the lentils of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, which according to Italian culinary tradition should be eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve to bring wealth into the new year and handmade guitar spaghetti or polenta from Abruzzo; finally, a typical local specialty is nougat with dried figs or parrozzo, a typical Abruzzo specialty, is a dessert with almonds covered with chocolate. A culinary excellence of the city is the red garlic of Sulmona, which cannot be found in other regions. Even in Sulmona New Year's Eve is celebrated in the square, in conviviality and joy.

Pescara is a lively and beautiful seaside town, full of events and joy, here the climate is mild given the proximity to the sea. While waiting for the night, we recommend a nice walk through the streets of the decorated and illuminated center, go as far as the seafront, the sea in winter always has a beautiful poetic effect. If you prefer to stay indoors, we would like to point out that the exhibition dedicated to Mario Schifano, one of the most important Italian and international artists of the 70s and 80s, an emblematic personality and fundamental reference for pop art, is open until 31 December; the exhibition is set up at the Imago Museum, the title is The triumph of Italian Pop Art. The exhibition is open until 8pm, an excellent time that will allow you to spend the afternoon pleasantly.

For dinner, treat yourself to a fish-based dinner, in these parts you can order the catch of the day and for New Year's Eve the chefs will amaze you. Afterwards you can enjoy the concert in Piazza della Rinascita. Square concerts are a typical activity in all Italian cities, they are free and open to all, finally watch the fireworks on the beach, it is a magnificent show. A gem, to start the first days of the new year in style, we suggest a tour of the historic cellars of Abruzzo with tasting. You will have the opportunity to learn wine aging methods and taste different types. This was our last tip on how and where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Abruzzo.