Pacentro

We are currently staying in Pacentro , a ridiculously pretty medieval hill village on the edge of the Majella national park in Abruzzo.

Our home for the next five nights is b&b San Marco. It’s actually an old hill house with a fridge stuffed full of breakfast goodies left for us by the owner. The house is tiny and cosy, filled with Italian nick nacks. It’s like staying at Nona’s house.

A wander around the streets at 4pm saw all the shops closed. Nothing opens until 5pm! The pace of life is unbelievably slow here. Not many young people, mainly old, very old.

We stopped for a drink at the local cafe and It was like wandering into the Slaughtered Lamb. No-one made eye contact, let alone a bonjourno. Full of old men. I’m not feeling the love here. Looking around, many of the houses are shuttered up and the village has the feel of a second home sort of place. Maybe the locals here don’t like the changes modern life has brought? Rome is only 2 hours motorway drive away, an easy journey for city folk looking for a weekend bolt hole.

My opinion? Embrace it people and welcome the tourist Euro. It’s sad the old ways have died out but the young don’t want to tend olive groves or herd sheep like you did. The alternative is an abandoned village which really would be a tragedy for such a beautiful place.