temperature of minus 30c

[adriatica]

yesterdays papers carried the story as it is either a record or very close too... at monte pratello ... south of sulmona and inland from the sea ...and above all i guess one of the best ski areas in southern europe.... anyway - 30 was the temp at the ski station... it got slightly warmer in town with a temp of - 16 at roccarsso and a maximum of - 12

it goes a long way i think to illustrate because of its extreme that making a choice of where you buy is something that you need to look at carefully and research well

pretty simple if you want a winter sports type second home... or a refreshing summer retreat... this area with its stunning landscapes and high plains is well developed in a tourist sense and has always been popular with Italian second home owners... but they generally are escaping to or looking for a different environment say to UK buyers... ie they generally are escaping the heat of the city in mid summer or are within a couple of hours drive for a weekend ski...

anyway here is a link to that area and its snow

:: Abruzzo Promozione Turismo :: Rivisondoli Monte Pratello :

rivisondoli which is where the link takes you is a very pretty well preserved high altitude town... to my mind much more preferable to the pretty ugly resort of Roccaraso... not entirely its fault... as it suffered a lot of damage during the war and had to largely be rebuilt.... pretty badly... but with excellent facilities and lots of hotels... and a huge ice rink.....

the drive to this area once you get past sulmona and start climbing up to the Cinquemiglia is pretty spectacular... and when you arrive at the plain especialley in the spring with the fields a carpet of wild flowers its an awe inspiring drive... and with the statale 17 finally running in a straight line you even have time to take it all in as you drive along....