The main town and resort of the Abruzzo coast is PESCARA , a bustling, modern place that's probably the region's most commercial and expensive city. If you're looking for somewhere to sunbathe there are much quieter places than Pescara's 16km beach; but now that ferries to Croatia and the islands of the Dalmatian coast have started running again you might find yourself using the city as a departure point, or there's a chance you might pass through for the train or bus connections.

Architecturally, Pescara isn't a distinguished town. In fact, its most striking sight is the central train station , strangely enough the most up-to-date in Italy, with a slick network of slinky escalators, smoked-glass screens and non-slip black rubber pavements. Opposite, the main street, Corso Umberto , is lined with designer boutiques and packed with the label-conscious Pescarese, who also hang out in the elegant cafés on Piazza Rinascita , known as Pescara's salone . If you've time to kill, you could visit the Museo delle Genti d'Abruzzo at Via delle Caserme 22 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & Mon, Wed, Fri 2.30-5pm; Sun 10am-1pm; L5000/?2.58), devoted to the life and popular traditions of the region; or visit the birthplace of the poet and mentor of Mussolini, Gabriele d'Annunzio , at Corso Manthonè 101 (Tues-Sun 9am-1.30pm; L4000/?2.06). A third museum, the Museo e Pinacoteca Cascella at Viale G. Marconi 45 (Mon-Sat 9am-1pm, plus Thurs 4-7pm; L3000/?1.54) is for devotees of Art Nouveau and later twentieth-century art, with 500 lithographic prints, paintings, ceramics and sculptures including a stunning set of portraits (mounted on dinner plates) by the prolific Cascella family who lived and worked here.