EAT PRAY LOVE

1255
Opposite: the town
of Loreto Aprutino
Clockwise from right:
porchetta (slowroasted pig) at
Sulmona market;
pomegranates at
Sulmona market;
Confetti Rapone,
Sulmona; a street in
Navelli; a fisherman
brings in his catch
from the Adriatic Sea
near Pescara
eat
pray
love
Abruzzo is Italy’s hidden gem, a virtually tourist-free
idyll of hilltop havens, food worthy of worship
and wonderful people, writes Fiona Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY BY aaron McLean
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C u i s i n e 141
MoVida
The hillside village is perched precariously on
rocks and presided over by a guardian castle
T
hey say you come to Abruzzo
surrounding streets where there are
are greeted with the most delicious-
and take your palate back
lots of bars and little restaurants. Try
looking antipasti buffet: marinated
30 years. In winter, there are
Ristorante Acquapazza, Osteria La
anchovies, baked ricotta, fried
Lumaca or La Corte “del sale”.
seasonal vegetables and pieces of
weekend traffic jams leading out of
Rome as the capital-dwellers head
we began our "tour proper" in the
prepared local specialities. Yet,
charming walled town of Sulmona,
apart from these culinary migrations,
whose main square is traversed by an
including seasonal favourites such
tourist routes mostly bypass this
impressive Roman aqueduct restored
as gnocchetti e fagioli (tiny pasta
vastly rewarding destination.
by monks in the 13th century. Twice
dumplings and beans in soup)
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After that come the pasta dishes,
– a version of the pasta e fagioli
run by Australian couple Luciana
bustling food market, where the
which you will find on every menu
Masci and Michael Howard.
stallholders include Luciana’s
in Abruzzo during borlotti bean
Luciana’s parents are from Abruzzo
77-year-old aunty, Palmina Pizzica,
season. We finish with two local cakes
and much of her family remains in
who sells her fruit and veges there.
– cassata Sulmonese (a sponge soaked
We’re soon diverted by the aromas
in chocolate liqueur and layered
operatic tenor, to Abruzzo – having
of porchetta – fragrant, slow-roasted
with almond praline and chocolate
regularly performed in Rome and
whole pig – and Luciana leads us to
ganache) and the house speciality,
Milan, he couldn’t believe somewhere
a stall run by the winner of Italy’s
confettata, which is topped with
so pristine still existed in Italy. The
national porchetta competition. The
crushed confetti.
couple now live six months about in
meat is juicy, succulent and aromatic
Australia and Abruzzo.
with garlic, rosemary and fennel.
Travelling with Luciana and
144 C u i s i n e
then tossed with egg and pecorino.
a week this square is home to a
the region. She introduced Mike, an
Hellenic Republic
eggplant cooked in olive oil and garlic
east to treat themselves to lovingly
Enter Absolutely Abruzzo Tours,
Clockwise from above:
Anversa degli Abruzzi;
Luciana and her aunt
Palmina Pizzica at
Sulmona market;
Scanno; zucchini flowers
at Pescara market;
confetti. Opposite,
from left: Convivio
Girasole's chef Adriano;
barbecuing at Ristoro
Mucciante; Navelli
Joining up with Luciana and Mike,
Next stop is Confetti Rapone.
An afternoon drive takes us
through the scenic Sagittaro gorge to
the hillside village of Anversa degli
Mike opens many doors that could
Confetti began in Sulmona, made
Abruzzi, perched precariously on
otherwise be a little jammed, and
by local nuns from almonds coated
jutting rocks and presided over by
the tour I took with them really
in honey praline, the secret lying in
a guardian Norman castle.
opened my eyes and palate to the
the countless layers of candy, built
wonders of the region.
up over time to create a crisp but not
boasts many such fortified villages,
This much-fought-over region
Pescara is the region’s transport
rock-hard shell. The Rapone family
all seemingly unreachable on rocky
hub and, while not the prettiest town
has been making confetti since the
outcrops. Many are now abandoned
in the area, makes a logical starting
mid-17th century and their shop
and in ruins, making for very
point. If you find yourself there for
offers a unique saffron variety.
picturesque viewing. One that hasn’t
a night, head to Corso Gabriele
Manthonè, Via delle Caserme and the
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Moving on, we dive through a little
archway into Hostaria dell’ Arco and
been abandoned, Scanno, is perched
on the edge of a national park (one
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Tuna tartare with
crushed green pea
salad, Cumulus Inc
A walk through the climbing narrow streets
makes you feel you’ve stepped back in time
of three in the region) and is now
modest doorways exists a thriving
place teems with families and groups
a popular spot for holiday homes.
saffron industry – the spice has been
of friends. Here Luciana puts on
Nevertheless, a walk through the
produced here since the 13th century.
a lavish picnic supplemented with her
Still dried in the traditional way,
own giardiniera (pickled vegetables),
climbing narrow streets makes you
feel you’ve stepped back in time, with
over embers of almond and oak wood,
aunty Palmina’s tomatoes and, the
many women still wearing the town’s
the Zafferano dell’Aquila DOP variety
highlight, cousin Piero’s wild-boar
traditional heavy woollen skirts.
grown in the region is highly prized.
sausage and prosciutto.
B
The Papaoli family’s small shop
After lunch we amble through
ack in Sulmona, we visit
sells the vibrant prized stamens and
yet another high-perching village,
La Cantina di Biffi. This
we also taste a wonderfully earthy
though this one has a key difference
enoteca and restaurant has
saffron-infused sheep’s ricotta here.
– Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a model
a wonderfully warm welcoming feel
If you visit in October, Alfonso will
for sustainable renovation and eco
that is enhanced by Piero, the amiable
take you down to his fields to see the
tourism. Once owned by the Medicis,
host. While his “mama” creates
beautiful purple blooms.
the village had fallen into ruins until
mouth-watering house specialities
Now we climb up into the
Swedish-Italian entrepreneur and
in the open kitchen, he charms
Apennines, which are very much
investor Daniele Kihlgren bought up
diners, talking them through the
reminiscent of the Central Otago
much of the town. Using modern,
menu and the fantastic wine list.
landscape, save for the vein-like
non-invasive practices, he restored
covering of shepherds’ tracks and the
the crumbling cottages and the
regional fare, such as zucchini cooked
occasional maremma – the powerful
city now thrives on tourists in
with borlotti beans and fried bread
sheepdogs that protect the herds
search of authentic-yet-comfortable
dumplings smothered in tomato
from wolves. About 2000 metres up
mountain-village holidays.
sauce and pecorino. Don’t leave
in the Gran Sasso national park, the
without trying the house ratafia. Here
mountains level off into a vast alpine
the liqueur, made from sour cherries
plain, the Campo Imperitore.
The food is simple with lots of
steeped in Montepulciano wine, is
In the middle of this barren
one of the best examples you will find.
landscape is Ristoro Mucciante, a
D
escending from the
Apennines, rocks and
dust give way to green hills
covered with olive trees. We call
Heading north from Sulmona, we
kind of DIY barbecue spot. Inside
into the town of Loreto Aprutino for
stop at the partially deserted village
a simple wooden building you can
another delicious meal – this time at
of Navelli. The steep walk through
buy skewered mutton and pork, along
Convivio Girasole – then move on to
the crumbling houses would have you
with bread, cheese and wine, while
Le Magnolie, a working olive farm
believe nothing ever went on here, but
outside are rows and rows of long,
that is also an agriturismo. Owners
in the surrounding fields and behind
narrow, charcoal barbecues. The
Gabriella Di Minco and Mario
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Clockwise from above:
harvesting olives near
Il Casolare restaurant;
Absolutely Abruzzo
Tours' Michael and
Luciana; local olives;
Santa Maria della
Pietà; Navelli saffron
Opposite, from left:
gathering apples in
the Loreto Aprutino
area; Sulmona Santa
Lucia B&B; truffle
hunters Serafini
Ugo and Diana
The view from
Pennapiedimonte
Opposite, from left:
fishing nets in the
Adriatic Sea near
Pescara; fresh seafood
at Ristorante Caldora;
Contesa winery's
Rocco Pasetti and his
daughter Paola
You are likely to find the mellow, dry red
Montepulciano on every table in the region
Tortella offer accommodation in their
winery in Collecorvino to sample
Pescara, the menu is strictly from the
beautifully restored 17th-century
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. You are
sea. Marinated anchovies, carpaccio
farmhouse, where guests are made to
likely to find the mellow, dry red
of swordfish, tuna prosciutto and
feel part of the farm life – and family.
Montepulciano on every lunch and
pressed octopus all feature, and
dinner table in the region. Trebbiano
outside you can watch fishermen
you’ll be treated to a dinner
is the most popular white wine, but
bring in the catch of the day from
celebrating the harvest: ultra-fresh,
tasting the Contesa Pecorino (an
the Adriatic Sea.
grassy, extra virgin olive oil from
aromatic, fruity white) will soon
the farm is poured liberally over
have you favouring the latter.
If you arrive during olive-pressing
everything from bread to borlotti
If there’s room for lunch, stop in
Throughout our time in Abruzzo
we met wonderful locals, from
exuberant restaurateurs to stern
beans and slices of rabbit; used to
at Il Casolare – its pasta e fagoli is
market stallholders who treated
fry zucchini flowers; and even
sensational, fresh with tomatoes,
us with scepticism until we (with
features in the dessert of ricotta torte.
and if you’re lucky the restaurant’s
Luciana’s help) got chatting and they
owner will invite you to his house just
started inundating us with samples.
on cooking, with Gabriella’s mother
down the road, to see the fruit being
And walking along the road one
Olga at the helm. An afternoon spent
harvested from his olive trees.
day we came across a robust elderly
One afternoon is devoted to hands-
with Olga is the best way to gain
Abruzzo is also a large producer
insight into this simple but richly
of truffles and near the coast we stop
old ladder, who came down and
rewarding cuisine. We make the
in at the shop of truffle dealer SZ
cheerily offered us some of the most
local pasta, chitarra Abruzzese, by
Tartufi to try some of the many truffle
delicious apples I have ever eaten.
pressing fresh pasta sheets through
products. But the real highlight of
There’s a saying about the people of
something resembling a many-
a visit is if truffle hunter Serafini Ugo
Abruzzo: “forte e gentile”, meaning
stringed rectangular guitar.
takes you out with his dogs on the
strong but kind, and I found examples
trail of the knobbly gems.
of this everywhere we went.
There are plenty of interesting
producers in the Loreto Aprutino
woman picking apples up a rickety
One of the charms of this region
area. We visit a cheesemaker who
is the dramatic way you can go
getting there
hand-moulds pecorino using
from mountain to coast in a matter
traditional woven willow baskets
of hours and the food specialities
– the aroma in the ageing room is
change just as strikingly. At
unbelievable. To wash down our
Ristorante Caldora in Rocca San
cheese, we stop at the Contesa
Giovanni on the coast outside
Absolutely Abruzzo Tours run from
May through October. For flights
and bookings, call House of Travel
toll-free on ph: 0800-838 747,
absolutelyabruzzo.com
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