Pescara are back in calcio’s second tier after successfully navigating their way through the play-offs and beating Ternana on penalties in the final.

Here, Destination Calcio shines a spotlight on the Serie B newcomers.

Who are they?

Founded in 1936, Pescara became the first and hitherto only club from the Abruzzo region to reach Serie A, some four decades later. Their sojourns in calcio’s top tier, however, have been fleeting experiences, with the club becoming a Serie B staple instead.

Having gone bust in December 2008, Pescara were rescued by a consortium of local businessmen less than a month later, successfully managing to retain their badge, history and colours.

The Abruzzesi were last seen in Serie A in 2013 and the upcoming season will be their first in Serie B in four years. They play at the Stadio Adriatico, which was built ahead of the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and has a capacity just north of 20,000.

How big are they?

The dominant club in the region, Pescara have been blessed with some of Italian football’s cult heroes over the past two decades, in the shape of Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne – more on them later.

The same applies to the dugout, where bonafide calcio icons such as Zdenek Zeman and Giovanni Galeone enjoyed multiple stints on the Adriatic coast.

And yet, Pescara remain something on an afterthought at national level, their famous blue and white stripes gracing Serie A in only seven seasons across their 89-year history.

What has been their best season/defining moment?

Pescara have measured success in promotion terms rather than silverware. As well they may, for they have spent almost half of their existence bouncing around calcio’s lower echelons, with 40 seasons in Serie B.

They first reached the top flight in 1977, finishing second in a three-team play-off to secure promotion along with league winners Vicenza and play-off winners Atalanta.

And while you never forget your first time, Pescara’s promotion in 2012 is arguably more memorable, if only for the exhilarating football they produced.

Under Zeman they dazzled their way to Serie B title, finishing ahead of Torino on goal difference. With a young Verratti pulling the strings in midfield and Insigne and Marco Sansovini supporting Immobile up front, Pescara’s 4-3-3 blew away the competition, scoring 90 goals in 42 games.

Nine years later, Verratti, Immobile and Insigne would win the Euros with Italy.

Pescara scored at least two goals in each of their first eight games and the season was 26 matches old when they first failed to trouble the scoreboard. Zemanlandia, the fictional theme park commentators spoke about due to the entertainment the Czech’s team provided, was open for business again.

Who are their cult heroes?

Former Italy international Morgan De Sanctis and Alberto Aquilani deserve a mention, while Insigne and Immobile wrote themselves into Pescara folklore as their goals fired the Abruzzesi to promotion in 2012.

But when it comes to cult heroes, two men stand head and shoulders above the rest on the Adriatic coast. The first, of course, is Verratti. He made his debut for his hometown club aged 15 in 2007 and went on to play 78 times for them, before joining Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2012, a year after Qatar Sports Investment had completed its takeover of the Ligue 1 giants.

Verratti made more than 400 appearances for PSG in 11 years, winning nine Ligue 1 titles, six French cups, and six French League Cups, as well as nine French Super Cups before joining Qatari club Al-Arabi and then signing for Al-Duhail in July this year.

Pescara remain the only Italian club Verratti has played for and, according to TMW, he is set to become a major shareholder, paying about €1.5million for a 40% stake.

Dig a little deeper into the history books, however, and another figure emerges as one the Adriatico’s heroes. Federico Giampaolo scored 69 goals in 272 appearances in all competitions across two stints with Pescara.

A talented No 10 with an eye for goal, Giampaolo came close to winning promotion to Serie A and also helped his team win promotion back to the second tier from Serie C in 2003.

Why visit?

Located on the Adriatic coast, Pescara serves as the gateway to the stunning Abruzzo region, which features pristine beaches along with the peaks of the Gran Sasso National Park.

Yet it rarely dominates the headlines as a tourist destination and remains something of an hidden gem.

Heavily bombed during World War II, Pescara retains some outstanding architecture in the shape of the Sacred Heart Church and the Bagno Borbonico, which was built in 1510 and served as a prison of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Pescara is also the birthplace of Gabriele D’Annunzio, one of Italy’s most influential and controversial writers who emerged as a leading cultural and political figure under the country’s Fascist regime. The house D’Annunzio was born in is still standing and has been turned into a museum.