Around Abruzzo

Fill ‘Er Up and "Check" the Oil!

I arrived in Fossacesia in time for il raccolto, the olive harvest. The harvest here came a bit later than usual, in part due to rain...

More New Friends, Assorted Observations, and Noteworthy Advice

Near the end of my trip this spring, I had a coffee date with Anna, a young Canadian with roots in Fossacesia whom I’d met in one of the...

Tornareccio: A Honey of a Town

The following Monday, Victoria and I took a 45-minute road trip to Tornareccio. Victoria wisely suggested we use Google maps, which I...

On the Road in Abruzzo

Victoria’s and my first jaunt was to Guardiagrele, one of two villages in Abruzzo that I know of (the other being Pescocostanzo) where...

A Rocky Mountain High, Abruzzo-style

To savor Italy unyoked from the herds that clog the narrow cobbled arteries of Rome, you might try a few days in the alpine Abruzzo...

Pescocostanzo, Part II

Pescocostanzo’s entrance promenade looks like a backgammon board made of chocolate and vanilla brick. It’s a welcome visual metaphor for...