Boutique hotels
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Sextantio Albergo Diffuso
- Style
- Fortress conversion
- Setting
- Scattered around Santo Stefano
Abruzzo Overview
Italy
- Countryside
- Ain’t no mountain high enough
- Country life
- Arts, crafts and cobbles
Abruzzo is rustic, rural, romantic Italy at its undiscovered finest, where sheep roam free and mediaeval villages dot the landscape…
The way of life in this mid-calf patch of the country has changed little over the years: residents still farm the land in fresh Apennine air; artisans use age-old techniques to craft ironwork, ceramics, lace and gold jewellery. Though many of this remote region’s hilltop settlements were built in the Middle Ages, their towns and castles astonish today’s visitors; the rest is taken care of by the mountains, where the wild terrain is unspoilt, its ancient sheep-droving routes intact, and a seasonally changing carpet of colour sees high plateaux clad in snow, crocuses, orchids or poppies. If the coast calls, get back down to sea level and hit the long, sandy shores of the Adriatic, an hour’s land-cruise from Abruzzo’s rugged centre.
Absolutely Abruzzo
Abruzzese cuisine is fond of the humble lentil, nourished in Italian soils since just after biblical times. The region’s version is held in particularly high regard, because it’s an old and rare species that only mountains can grow. This nutty, brown legume is iron-rich thanks to the snows and springs that water it. Locals love it so much, they have an annual celebration every September.
Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- You’re more likely to find a mule pulling a cartful of passengers than a cab in these peaceful parts; ask your hotel for advice.
- Tipping culture
- Service charge will most likely be included, but it’s customary to round up the bill if you’re happy.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Shops tend to shut down between 1pm and 5pm. Banks are open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am until 4pm, with an hour off for lunch between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. Dinner at 8pm is about as wild as the local nightlife gets.
- Packing tips
- A shepherd’s crook to move roving animals out of your way; something cosy to wrap up in on cold mountain nights; wildlife-enlarging binoculars.
- Recommended reads
- The Miracle of Castel di Sangro is Joe McGinniss’ account of two years following a local team’s journey from sub-division to Serie B; for romance in wartime Abruzzo, read Christopher Castellani’s A Kiss from Maddalena; and Robert Forczyk’s Rescuing Mussolini – Gran Sasso 1943 recounts how German troops liberated the Italian dictator from his hilltop hideout.
- Cuisine
- Altitude-cultivated pulses and tubers, chilli, precious saffron and pecorino cheese take centre stage in Abruzzese cuisine. Munch on milk-fed mountain lamb, fresh from a local plain. It will either be roasted (abbacchio), cubed and on skewers (arrosticini), grilled on charcoal or in a casserole. The regional pasta is maccheroni alla chitarra, named after the guitar-like device that shapes the sheets into strips. The best wine is the fruity, dry red, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
- Regional specialities
- Head to the Cerulli Irelli Spinozzi winery in Teramo to try some of the region's best Montepulciano (+39 0861 243290; cerullispinozzi.it); montepulciano is the grape variety, not the Tuscan town. Abruzzese saffron is widely considered the best in the world, lending its deep colour and rich aroma to risottos the land over.
- Currency
- Euro (€).
- Time zone
- GMT +1.
- Dialling codes
- Italy country code: +39; L’Aquila: 0862.
- Do go/don't go
- The slopes will be snow-covered from December until early April. The warmest temperatures are in June and July. Evenings up in the mountains are chilly.
Don't go home without...
…stocking up on confetti at Confetti Pelino on Via Stazione Introdacqua in Sulmona (+39 0864 210047). No, not the stuff you throw at newlyweds: the sugar-coated almonds have been made here for centuries.
