Rustico in Manoppello

The Maiella massif rises immediately to the south-west, with the lower slopes and gorges of the Maiella foothills within this area. The Pescara River valley runs nearby, and the Tirino valley is not far inland. Maiella National Park begins a short distance inland on the mountain side. The nearest ski lifts are on the Passolanciano side of the Maiella, roughly a 30–40 minute drive. Chieti is the nearest town of size, with services and a historic centre, and Pescara is the main city on this side of Abruzzo for rail links, shopping and the airport. The area is known for the Maiella mountain landscape, hill villages on the edge of the massif, and olive-growing and vineyard country between the mountains and the Adriatic.