Belvedere Tenda Camping

If you’re after days on the beach, you have plenty of choice. Bag sun loungers and bask in the sun at Lido La Murena (10 minutes’ drive), where there’s a local seafood restaurant, or teach younger kids to swim in the calm and shallow sea at sandy Francavilla al Mare beach (both 10 minutes’ drive). For a less manicured vibe, head for Punta Ferruccio beach (25 minutes), which you might well have all to yourselves. Hikers can head inland to the woodland trails of Riserva Naturale Orientata Feudo Ugni (55 minutes), or tackle the craggy peaks and deep canyons in the untamed Parco Nazionale della Maiella (an hour). Too much like hard work? The castle-baggers among you can tour medieval Castello Aragonese in Ortona (25 minutes), and then visit the baroque-era Cathedral of St Tommaso Apostolo to admire the eponymous saint’s relics in the crypt. See where controversial 20th-century poet Gabriele D’Annunzio lived at his former home in Pescara (half an hour), and check out an excellent art collection at the town’s Museo dell’Ottocento Fondazione di Persio-Pallotta.