| Tortoreto | |
| Official Name: | Comune di Tortoreto |
| Coordinates: | 42.8°N 68°W |
| Province: | (TE) |
| Frazioni: | Cavatassi, Colli, Salino, Terrabianca |
| Mayor: | Domenico Piccioni |
| Area Total Km2: | 22.97 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 11756 |
| Population As Of: | 31 July 2023 |
| Population Demonym: | Tortoretani |
| Elevation M: | 239 |
| Saint: | San Nicola di Bari |
| Day: | 6 December |
| Postal Code: | 64018 |
| Area Code: | 0861 |
Tortoreto pronounced as /it/ (Teramano: Neapolitan: Tërtërètë) is a coastal town and comune of the province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
It has two distinct parts. The old town is on a hill not far from the Adriatic Sea. The new part, usually referred to as Tortoreto Lido, is seaside and located next to SS 16.
Tortoreto can be reached by direct rail service or by flying to the Pescara airport and then travelling 45km (28miles) north.
The comune of Alba Adriatica was created in 1956 by splitting it off from Tortoreto.
The name of the town is due to the large presence of turtle doves (tortore) during the Middle Ages.
Pope Gregory I noticed in a letter the large amount of these species of birds which used to live in this area. Later on, the town created on the top of the hills after the barbarian invasions started to be called Turturitus[2] or Turturetum,[3] and, eventually, the current denomination of Tortoreto came into common use.
In Tortoreto there are two state primary schools and two state middle schools,[4] which are overall attended by about 680 students,[5] as well as a number of state and private child care institutions and nursery schools.
There are also two private vocational secondary schools.
During the summer season, the main economic activity is tourism.
Its geographic position, climate, facilities and environmental projects, have all been planned or used to further tourism. Tortoreto has been awarded the European Blue Flag in 1992 and, then, from 1998 until 2023.
Fishing was a common activity in Tortoreto before tourism and it continues on a smaller scale to the present. Another common activity in the area was farming, which produced substantial amounts of olive oil and wheat. This activity continues today on a smaller scale too.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy.
Tortoreto is twinned with:
Habay, Belgium