Walking in Europe’s biggest park lands – the carpeted woodland of Abruzzo in winter is a scramble of textures & colours as you weave through the silver birches, black pine & beech trees. It’s the perfect place to spend a January weekend walking, when you’re tired of the sulphuric smells of the city and seeking relief from the media’s daily dismal despair at how many more have lost their jobs – Abruzzo’s National Parks are just the place to step outside, take a deep breath and go walking for the weekend.

A veritable berry wonderland for migratory birds, with splashes of plump reds, blacks & yellows, Abruzzo is justifiably an ideal location to take a break, a welcome contrast to the cold grey days of January in Northern Europe.

For those interested in observing a little bit more colour in the woods beyond berries, fungi, algae & lichen often linger in strange places, either blending into the leafy ground or dappling the various indigenous bark, and for those keen on birding, look out for Jays, White-Backed & Green Woodpeckers & Hoopoes.

Abruzzo’s all year-round  birds of prey include Golden Eagles, Peregrines, Buzzards, Kestrels & Golden Owls, and if you are feeling up to more than a ramble, remember your snow boots and walk higher into the Apennines of the Gran Sasso or Majella Mountain ranges where you will might get to see Snow Finches, Rock Partridges, Alpine Choughs and Northern Wheatear.

Further Reading

Gran Sasso & Laga National Park website (in English)

Official website of The Gran Sasso & Laga National Park (in Italian)

Parco Nazionale della Majella (in English)

Author: Roddy Newlands

Roddy Newlands is an Associate Member of Life In Abruzzo, as well as antique book dealer and web and graphic designer. Abruzzo allows him to get his mountain-air fix, & satisfy his passion for pasta & panettone.