Abruzzo hilltop towns The famous hilltop towns of Abruzzo, northern Molise and southern Marche. They can be explained in many different ways and were built for many different reasons. First, let us start with the obvious and simple idea that building a town on top of the mountain instead of the bottom averts several potential

A Chocolate Christmas Dream From Scanno comes the the delicious mostaccioli! In Autumn, during harvest time; a typical cake from Abruzzo, the “mostacciolo” biscuit made from cooked grape must, this recipe has been handed down from ancient Rome when it was a sweet focaccia. The word is very old and comes from the Latin “mustaceum”,

Well water? Where we’re going we don’t need well water! One of the many natural perks of Abruzzo is spring water.  Unlike most of the rest of Italy Abruzzo towns and villages don’t need to pull water from out of the ground and filter it before it gets to the home, the mountains do that

To the Trabbocho! Traboccho- a fishing house on stilts unique to the southern coastline of Abruzzo, Italy. Anyone who has visited Italy knows that the food is more than just pasta and crushed tomatoes, seafood is a very big part of the cuisine in the beautiful peninsula.  Well that is an understatement when it comes

The Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio Tucked away in a mountain on the edge of nowhere in Abruzzo is a hermitage that was built into the mountainside.  San Bartolomeo is famous in the Catholic Church as a miracle worker protecting and curing convulsions, headaches, paralysis and mental health problems.  He’s normally depicted with a

Do you like mountains? We have all you need… The Majella mountains, the Grand Sasso, Mount Amaro, La Bella Addormentata, Roccascalegna. The list goes on and on, you name it and when it comes to mountains Abruzzo has it. We have dedicated an article to each of the Abruzzo mountain phenomena, here we are focusing

The “Gran” Daddy of Abruzzo! The Gran Sasso, the mountain with the tallest peak in all of the Apennines located west of Pescara on Abruzzo’s northwestern border with Marche and Lazio. The mountain has a storied history from housing the prison where Mussolini was held before the Nazi’s raided it by soldiers flying in on

That’s Agnone! In Agnone where art is king When you visit this mystical city here’s what they say Where the bells ring your ear with a musical cheer That’s Agnone Where the cheese is esteemed and it tastes like a dream That’s Agnone Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling And you’ll sing “vita bella” Copper is