Good evening

The rugged Maiella national park, in the centre of Italy, about an hour’s drive south of Pescara, is less-known than others in the Abruzzo region. Speckled with caves, gorges and grottos and dotted with villages and remote hermitages, it’s a brilliant place for a back-to-nature family holiday, says our writer Rhiannon Batten.

But the family really struck gold with the campsite they chose. Dimore Montane, in a secluded forest setting, was built by the Italian state in the 1990s but later abandoned and only reopened in 2021 after two local couples took on the huge renovation project. With everything from tent pitches to hotel-style rooms and an impressive restaurant, it offers a “winning mix of restful simplicity and indulgent comfort”, an ideal base for adventuring in the national park, says Rhiannon.

From guided walks to mountain bike outings to spa towns, there was plenty to do on the doorstep. The highlight, though, was a hike in the Orfento valley gorge, a nature reserve within the national park, with trails through the forest leading to waterfalls, “its biodiversity so treasured there is even a dedicated forest police force who patrol its paths”. Returning to the campsite for a feast on the terrace complemented a day in the wild. “Like the accommodation, the menu treads an adept line between offering a sense of holiday indulgence and keeping pricing accessible.”

Elsewhere, writer Rachel Dixon spoke to the experts for a piece on 20 campsites in Europe with amazing locations. From pitches high in the mountains of Switzerland to those right on a beach in France, there’s plenty of inspiration. Happy camping!