Discover Ortona: Coast, Culture and Routes by the Sea

Ortona between Coast, Cultural Heritage and Pilgrimage Routes

Ortona combines protected coastal landscapes with religious heritage, museums and routes that link the town with the sea. This creates a destination where you can clearly discover nature, history and different ways of travelling side by side.

Coast and Nature Reserves

On Ortona’s northern coast lies the controlled regional nature reserve of Ripari di Giobbe. It covers 35 hectares and combines sea cliffs, including Punta Ferruccio, with beaches of white pebbles. On the southern coast, near the San Donato district, the also controlled regional nature reserve of Punta dell’Acquabella extends over 28 hectares. The two areas give your travel planning a clear geographical orientation between the northern and southern coasts.

Cathedral, Museums and Local History

Since 1258, the Cathedral of San Tommaso has preserved the relics of the Apostle Thomas. In its crypt, the relics are kept in a gilded copper casket inside a tomb altar. Visits to the Basilica Cattedrale di San Tommaso are only possible during normal opening hours and are suspended during religious services. The Diocesan Museum of Ortona is also located inside the cathedral, in three large former chapels.

On the third floor of the “Basilio e Michele Cascella” Pinacoteca, you can see works by three generations of the Cascella family, including Basilio, Gioacchino, Tommaso, Michele and Pietro. The historic Palazzo Corvo in the Terravecchia district houses the Istituto Nazionale Tostiano and its museum. The Francesco Paolo Tosti Archive – Museo Musicale d’Abruzzo was inaugurated on 9 April 1994 to make the cultural heritage associated with Francesco Paolo Tosti visible. Palazzo Farnese was built on the orders of Margherita of Austria, the daughter of Emperor Charles V.

Religious traditions are also part of the townscape. In Ortona, Perdono is celebrated every year on the first Sunday in May. It is usually preceded by the Procession of the Keys, which leads from Palazzo Farnese to the cathedral. If you are interested in 20th-century history, the Battle of Ortona also recalls a decisive chapter in the town’s history: it ended on 28 December 1943, after Canadian patrols had reached the area between Piazza San Tommaso and Piazza del Castello. The battle is considered one of the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign and earned Ortona the nickname “Little Stalingrad of Italy.”

Routes for Different Ways of Travelling

The approximately 316-kilometre-long Cammino di San Tommaso connects Rome with Ortona. You can travel it on foot, by road or mountain bike, or on horseback; its destination is the Cathedral of San Tommaso in Ortona. The route is designed as slow, experience-oriented tourism, allowing travellers to choose their own timings and stops. These different options help you consider a journey combining culture, nature and spiritual travel at your own pace.

The Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi is also relevant for orientation along the coast. It begins at Ortona railway station and follows the former railway line by the sea to Vasto Marina. The section between Ortona and Torino di Sangro passes through three well-lit tunnels and by a mural by Millo. There are parking facilities along the Via Verde at Ortona’s port; Ortona also has a railway station, and bicycles can be rented along the route.

More Destinations for Trip Planning

You can also include Chieti, Vasto, Montazzoli, Villa Caldari, Gessopalena, Palombaro, Mozzagrogna and Bucchianico in your further research.

For the higher-level travel overview: Chieti.