ViviTortoreto

Distance 110 Km – Duration 2 days

From Tortoreto, drive south along the Adriatica State Road 16 up to Giulianova and, at the junction for Teramo, take the State Road 80 and then take the Teramo-mare highway and thus reach the center of the Municipality of  Teramo.

Here, in addition to visiting its beautiful and extensive River Park, we will find unique places rich in history. Walking through the streets of Teramo, for example, you can admire the ruins of the ancient walls, such as the arch of Porta Madonna which embodies all the medieval splendor that distinguishes this town. Walking along the main street of the center, Corso San Giorgio, you arrive in the main square, Piazza Martiri delle Libertà, in the center of which stands the Cathedral of San Berardo, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and dating back to the 12th century. The Cathedral is the guardian of the “Antependium of Teramo”, a gilt silver frontal made between 1433 and 1448, which tells the story of the life of Christ. Other places of historical interest are the Roman Amphitheater dating back to the imperial period, the Archaeological Museum of Teramo, which houses many artifacts found in the Teramo area, and the Pinacoteca, located together with the archaeological museum in the beautiful gardens of the Villa Comunale, inside of a neoclassical building of striking beauty.

From Teramo, along the A24 we reach the  Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell’Addolorata located at the foot of the Gran Sasso and a pilgrimage destination for faithful from all over Italy and Europe. 
The Sanctuary is built on the spot where the small church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception once stood connected to the convent of the Santissima Annunziata (which according to legend seems to have been founded by San Francesco). It was built between 1897 and 1929 and inside are preserved the remains of San Gabriele dell’Addolorata, patron saint of Abruzzo and co-patron of the Italian Catholic Youth. 
In the convent next to the Sanctuary we find the museum, where they are preserved documents and objects belonging to the Saint and his family, and the two cells occupied by San Gabriel in the last years of his life.

From here, along the A24, back towards Teramo, then the A14 to the Atri-Pineto exit and going up the hill, we reach Atri, a small town in the Province of Teramo known for its ancient origins, dating back to the 10th century BC. 
Absolutely worth seeing are the main square with the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on one side, and the Municipal Theater on the other, the Ethnographic Museum and the Villa Comunale with its magnificent terrace overlooking the rolling hills that slowly descend towards the coast and are lost in the intense blue of our Adriatic Sea.