Discover the best budget boutique hotels in Abruzzo, Italy

The way of life in this mid-calf patch of the country has changed little over the years: residents still farm the land in fresh Apennine air; artisans use age-old techniques to craft ironwork, ceramics, lace and gold jewellery. Though many of this remote region’s hilltop settlements were built in the Middle Ages, their towns and castles astonish today’s visitors; the rest is taken care of by the mountains, where the wild terrain is unspoilt, its ancient sheep-droving routes intact, and a seasonally changing carpet of colour sees high plateaux clad in snow, crocuses, orchids or poppies. If the coast calls, get back down to sea level and hit the long, sandy shores of the Adriatic, an hour’s land-cruise from Abruzzo’s rugged centre.