The National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo, in the city of Chieti, holds finds left by the peoples who lived here before Rome arrived, which says a lot about how far back settlement in this part of Italy goes. Chieti is the most populated province in Abruzzo and the second largest after L'Aquila, with 104 municipalities spread between the Adriatic shoreline to the north-east and an interior that runs up against Molise and the province of L'Aquila.
The provincial capital, also called Chieti, is worth a stop for that museum and for its cathedral, rebuilt in the 13th century over a 9th-century church. On the coast, Vasto combines its old town with the Punta Aderci reserve, a protected stretch of shoreline; Ortona and Francavilla al Mare are the other seaside stops, while Lanciano is the main town of the inland hills.
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Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1 🏖️ Beaches & sea Punta Aderci Reserve 📍 Vasto Established in 1998, this 285-hectare coastal reserve features sandy dunes and the towering Punta Penna lighthouse. 
2 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Duomo di Vasto 📍 Vasto The church that kept only its face: a fourteenth-century doorway and rose window. 
3 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Cattedrale della Madonna del Ponte 📍 Lanciano Lanciano's cathedral, built over the arches of a bridge, with the terracotta statue of the Madonna del Ponte. Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
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📅 Every year, on the last Sunday of October, the Feast of the Coming
Miglianico celebrates the Coming of Saint Pantaleon on the last Sunday of October, in memory of the statue's arrival in the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in the early sixteenth century.
📅 Every year, on 3 November
On 3 November Palombaro celebrates its patron the Madonna della Libera; the town also celebrates the patronal feast of the Assumption on 15 August, with its octave in the Tornelli district.
📅 Every year, on 4 November
On 4 November Roccamontepiano celebrates its patron Saint Charles, honoured in the church of the Terranova district; the feast is accompanied by the Chestnut Festival.
📅 Every year, on 6 December
On 6 December Pollutri celebrates its patron Saint Nicholas; the evening before, broad beans are traditionally roasted in the square in front of the Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore.
