Pescara

Pescara is a young city facing the Adriatic: the largest in Abruzzo, remade in the 20th century on both banks of the river that gives it its name, with a long sandy beach and a seafront that is its great public space. Its most illustrious son shaped its cultural identity: the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio was born here on 12 March 1863, and his birthplace is now a state museum and national monument. The emblem of contemporary Pescara is the Ponte del Mare, Italy's largest cycle-pedestrian bridge, 466 metres long, inaugurated on 8 December 2009, which stitches together the two banks over the river mouth.

That same 2009 put Pescara on the international sporting map: the city hosted the XVI Mediterranean Games, from 26 June to 5 July, with the participation of the countries of the Mediterranean basin and ceremonies, athletics and the football final at its Stadio Adriatico. The venue, now Stadio Adriatico-Giovanni Cornacchia — renamed in honour of the Pescara-born Olympic athlete — is home to Delfino Pescara 1936. The Ponte del Mare, with its cycle lane, also anchors the cycling and running corridor of the Adriatic coast.

Pescara was recognised by ACES Europe as European City of Sport 2012, the year after the Mediterranean Games, heading the group ahead of cities such as Florence and Viterbo. The title confirms the Adriatic capital of Abruzzo within the very broad Italian representation of the ACES network, one of the largest in Europe.