Mountain Air and the Great Outdoors
At first glance, the village of Ovindoli, with its narrow, winding streets and smalltown feel, might look like just another typical Abruzzese village. And while it’s certainly got everything you’d expect from such a village – a central piazza, a handful of simplelooking restaurants and a shop or two selling local specialties – Ovindoli happens to have a lot going on. During the winter months, it becomes a popular base for skiers tackling the slopes of nearby Monte Magnola. And in the summer, thanks to its consistently cooler temperatures and accessibility from Rome, the village fills up with vacationing families looking to experience a bit of the outdoors.
Within a fifteen minute walk from the main piazza (which, during August evenings, hosts a series of concerts and other events), you’ll come across a mountain bike rental shop, several stables offering horseback excursions, and a forested park (complete with farmland and mountain views) with picnic tables and shady spots to relax (and, of course, a kiosk selling espresso and panini). Spend the morning exploring the area by bike or on horseback, then head to “Rifugio la Serra” for a casual multicourse lunch including handmade pasta with a simple sauce (and yes, there’s really an Italian grandmother in the kitchen rolling out the fettucine) and plates heaped with grilled sausages, steaks, and roasted vegetables. Spend a relaxing afternoon wandering the village and people- watching in the piazza, then enjoy a leisurely dinner at “La Stozza”, which offers a slightly more creative take on the local cuisine.
Rifugio la Serra
Address: 3 km of unpaved road up the mountain
Phone: 3283448261
La Stozza
Address: Via Del Ceraso 7
Phone: 390863705633
If you’re arriving by car, take the A24 and then the A25 until the AielliCelano exit. From there, follow signs through Celano to Ovindoli. The trip should take around an hour and thirty minutes. You can also take a regional train from Roma Tiburtina to the CelanoOvindoli station, then a bus into the centre of Ovindoli.