The hidden heart of Italy

Rugged Abruzzo is still terra incognita for tourists. They don’t know what they’re missing

Mia Aimaro Ogden Published: 27 September 2015

! The high life: the village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Stefano Scata/SIME)

They call it “Tuscany without the English”, but the Italian region of Abruzzo is a wild world away from the gentle hills of Chiantishire. If you’re looking for a well-kept secret, this is it: a surprising 4,000 square miles of high mountains and Adriatic beach that even the natives struggle to find on the map.

Abruzzo lies in the centre of the boot, east of Rome and south of Le Marche. It’s the north of the south — the warmth, ruggedness and recipes of the southern regions combined with the nascent wealth of its northern neighbours. And it’s building a reputation as the hottest

destination for Italianophiles unimpressed by Umbria and bored by Basilicata.

Abruzzo has the most beautiful hill towns in Italy, three national parks, great vineyards, vast beaches and some pretty exciting cooking, all of it powered by natives described by the writer Primo Levi as “strong and gentle”. We’ve explored the best it has to offer, from the food and wine to the spots you mustn’t miss.

! A trabocco fishing platform (Alamy)

The villages

It’s the stuff of Italian fairy tales: a zigzag of creamy-stone houses tumbles quietly down the side of a dark, craggy mountain; under the colonnades, off the piazza, faded frescoes blister in the noonday sun... This could be any one of a dozen villages in Abruzzo; they even have their own club, I Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia, which, rather splendidly, votes for the prettiest in the country. But every one’s a winner here: gorgeous early-medieval Navelli, careering down a hill between the high parks of Gran Sasso and Sirente Velino; Penne, the noble “city of the brick”, with

its grand Renaissance palazzi; and Civitella del Tronto, built around a Spanish clifftop fort that will drive small warmongers wild.

The loveliest of all, however, has to be Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a limestone hamlet in L’Aquila, built on Roman foundations. It was damaged by the earthquake of 2009, but brought back to extraordinary life by its “saviour”, Daniele Kihlgren. “Abruzzo hits you like a punch in the stomach,” he says. “It’s still a virgin land.” With a huge injection of cash, he’s established Sextantio, one of the coolest alberghi diffusi — hotels with rooms spread across several buildings — in the country, based around the Locanda sotto gli Archi restaurant.

Wandering round the village is a treat. Be sure to stop for a pausa-caffe at Mediceo Bar, while, under the arches, don’t miss Nonna Peppina, which sells traditional jams, pecorino cheese and local lentils; La Bottega delle Arti e dei Mestieri, for knitted toys and jingly mobiles; and La Bottega del Tombolo, producing macramé and embroidered linens.

! A rough-hewn room at Sextantio

The food

Cooking in Abruzzo isn’t just about the hearty cucina povera, or “poor food”, of the mountains — though the herb-cured sausage, spit-roast lamb and salty pecorino are wholly delectable. The region is also home to some of the most exciting young chefs in Italy.

The Tinari family’s Michelin-starred restaurant at Villa Maiella, on the edge of pretty Guardiagrele, is a must, as much for the magnificent mountain views as for the fabulous cooking (mains from £20; 00 39-0871 809319, villamaiella.it). And don’t miss the exceptional seafood at Pesce Palombo, housed in one of the skeletal trabocchi, or great wooden fishing machines, dotted along the San Vito Chietino coast. The brodetto, an Adriatic fish stew, is delicious (mains from £12; 333 305 5300,traboccopescepalombo.it).

The real star of the show, though, is Niko Romito, who recently gained his third Michelin star — he’s one of only eight chefs in Italy to do so — at Reale, housed in a minimalist monastery outside Castel di Sangro. He’s a self-taught chef who has managed to wow both regular foodies and picky critics with his unusual dishes. But why do it here, in the furthest reaches of an unknown region? “For me, it was about coming home,” he says. “It’s a difficult land, but the produce is exceptional.”

Highlights of Romito’s 10-course Ideale tasting menu include sea bass ravioli, pigeon and pistachio, and liquorice-flower water ice with white chocolate and balsamic vinegar. If you’re equal to the task, you can also pair wines for the full gourmet blowout (tasting menus from £88, mains from £19; 0864 69382, ristorantereale.com).

! Roll out the barrel: the cellar at Castello di Semivicoli

The wines

Montepulciano — Abruzzo’s most famous export — is still harvested by hand and crushed underfoot at Emidio Pepe, 20 minutes from the coast. Stay at its agriturismoand taste the results (doubles from £57, B&B, 00 39-0861 856493,www.emidiopepe.com). Leonardo Pizzolo, at Valle Reale, sandwiched between the great national parks, is doing great things with young vines — he’s on every top restaurateur’s wine list, and welcomes guests corkscrew in hand (tastings from £15pp; 0859 871039).

The real big-hitter in the region, however, is Masciarelli Tenuta Agricola, producing 2.5m bottles a year. It’s run by human dynamo Marina Cvetic, aka Mrs Masciarelli, who fails to turn up for the evening tasting I’ve booked because, as she explains: “I’m running around in the vineyard in the dark.” She’s checking for bugs, the bane of a wine producer’s life. I go on and taste without her. Five lines and 18 labels. Sadly, by the end, I have to spit. It’s a novel way to get to Abruzzo’s heart.

“Wine is life,” Mrs Masciarelli tells me when I finally catch up with her. “There’s nothing more important than sitting down with good friends

and a good bottle.” That’s the Abruzzese philosophy all over (tastings from £8pp; 0871 85241, www. masciarelli.it). The beaches

There’s little of Abruzzo’s 80-mile coast that’s still truly wild. The seaside resorts of Marina di Vasto and San Salvo Marina are ideal for families, but for a taste of virgin territory, head for Punta Aderci, a 700-acre nature reserve that begins at Punta Penna Beach and curves up to the mouth of the Sinello River.

Twitchers, as well as sun worshippers, will be in their element — the golden dunes here are home to several rare varieties of sea bird — and the sea is crystal clear. In all probability, on a weekday outside August, you won’t see another soul (free; 00 39-334 629 0593, www.puntaderci.it).

! Fish stew at Pesce Palombo (Franco Cogoli/SIME)

The hotels

For the villages Sextantio is a group of hilltop houses transformed into luxurious rooms that are kitted out with a mix of antique wooden furniture and Artemide lighting, crisp linens, hand-woven blankets and stylish bathroom suites. Ask for Le Loggette, which has a lovely medieval loggia (doubles from £98, B&B, 00 39-0862 899112, sextantio.it).

For the food Casadonna is the hotel wing of Niko Romito’s Reale restaurant, with six rooms that stop just short of stark. Beds are huge, furniture is midcentury classic, walls and floors are creamy limestone. The bathrooms are the real indulgence, with whirlpool baths, two sinks and double showers (doubles from £130, B&B, 0864 69382, casadonna.com).

For the wines The 17th-century baronial Castello di Semivicoli, owned by the Masciarelli family, is a luxury 11-room retreat with a tightly curated collection of modern art. Vast beams, high ceilings and startling views are offset by iconic modern furniture: Eames, Saarinen, Panton. Ask for the Granaio Suite Depardieu (yes, that Depardieu; he is a winemaker, after all) — it has a 360-degree, 17-window view of the vineyards (doubles from £53, B&B, 0871 890045, chateauxhotels.co.uk).

For the beaches Fattoria dell’Uliveto is the perfect low-key base for a beach break. Run by Luigi and Antonio Di Lello, this agriturismo has four simply furnished double rooms, a pool, a restaurant (all produce is home-grown) and a herd of Yorkshire black pigs that are turned into prize-winning spicy ventricina (doubles from £86, half-board, 01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk).

Getting there Pescara is the only international airport in Abruzzo, and is served by

Ryanair. Or fly to Rome with airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Monarch and Ryanair; or to Naples with easyJet.

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Mia Aimaro Ogden was a guest of Sextantio, Casadonna and Castello di Semivicoli