I’ve been away for a few days without an internet connection. And I realized that I didn’t miss it at all! This is all thanks to the lovely time I had in the Italian region of Abruzzo.
This is one of those few regions in Italy that even Italians don’t really know much about. It’s not famous as Tuscany, Sicily, the Riviera or Rome. I won’t be surprised if you never heard of it before, but as an Italian I really want you to discover its authentic beauty.
I had the first impression on Abruzzo last year, when I drove all the way from Apulia to Liguria and when I was crossing this region I found myself “wow-ing” a lot. Then I went to the Italian Alps for work, and met someone who became a great friend of mine, Anna, from Abruzzo. She invited me to visit her, so that’s how it all happened!
In this post I aim to show you the beauty of Abruzzo through some photos I took during my stay. I hope you enjoy the tour! And why not, maybe next time you travel to Italy you may as well consider Abruzzo as an alternative destination.
Wine tastings with Cantine Aperte
Every year in Italy we have an event called “Cantine Aperte” (Open Cellars) where wine cellars open for two days and with a symbolic admission of €5 per day you can taste all the wines of as many cellars as you want (if you can handle it!). This is a nationwide event, I experienced it in Piedmont before, and this time I had the pleasure of exploring the cellars and vineyards of the Chieti and Pescara provinces.
Me and my friends visited 3 cellars in total, not many if you consider that there were more than 40 in the area, but it would be impossible to see them all… and drink all that wine!
The vineyards of Abruzzo
The first cellar we visited: Chiusa Grande
Food at Chiusa Grande: bruschetta, cold cuts, pasta and more
The vineyards of Abruzzo
Spumante (sparkling wine): preparation in progress...
Measuring the bottles' pressure
Barriques
The owner showing us around at Bosco Nestore cellar
Grapes go here and this is how everything starts
Big barrels, huge barrels, small barrels
The tour of the cellars
More Barriques
The cellar at Bosco Nestore
Barrels in black and white
The oldest bottles from the 40's (anni means 'years')
Cheers!
The landscape
Abruzzo is a region with a great variety of landscapes. They have the Adriatic Sea on the eastern side, hills in the center and the Apennines Mountains on the west. The highest mountain is called Gran Sasso, with its 2912 meters of altitude, and even on summer the summit is striped with snow.
Where is Abruzzo?
The beautiful hills of Abruzzo
More beautiful hills and colors
Poppy in the fields
Made in Italy
All things typical Italian that I saw during my stay in Abruzzo: a friend’s mother with her tombolo, a FIAT car rally, and of course all the wine I mentioned above!
Tombolo - a typical Italian tool to make laces
FIAT vintage cars
The original FIAT Cinquecento (500)
The food
Last but not least, how can I write a post about Italy without mentioning food? Well of course this is not gonna happen!
Vegetables barbecue in the garden
"Pallotte cacio e ovo": fried rissoles of cheese and egg
I am pretty sure that the most typical food in Abruzzo are the “arrosticini” – it literally means “little roasted things” and they are smoked skewers of lamb cut in small cubes. Yes they are oily and yes they are yummy! And be warned, one leads to another.
Arrosticini - the most typical food from Abruzzo
A close up of my arrosticino
End of the day – the sunset
End of the day and end of the post – here is the sunset over the vineyards of Abruzzo.
Abruzzo vineyards at sunset
Grapevine leaves at sunset, Abruzzo
Dandelions in the sunset light
I had a great time in Abruzzo, it was the perfect destination to relax after a pretty hectic time! Also it was very easy to reach it thanks to direct buses that go there from all the main Italian cities. So what are you waiting for? Check it out!
So how did you like the photos and Abruzzo? Who’s been there?
Dear Giulia, thanks for your post! I’ve been in love with the Abruzzo since I was a child. My parents used to carry my sister and me in Roccaraso and then in Rivisondoli (not too far from l’Aquila) for spending some of the most loving augusts of my life. We bought a little house in 1986 in Rivisondoli as well, so we keep on going there and spending one or two weeks every year. In the future, I hope you could have the chance to visit a very special place, Pescocostanzo (just 3 km far from Rivisondoli), a little and precious pearl, attested as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Besides, there are a lot of other stunning places, full of castles (one of the most famous is Rocca Calascio), beautiful mountains, some nice lakes (like Scanno and Gole del Sagittario). I don’t know much the coast and sea in Abruzzo. If you like, I can show you some photos of those places of mine on flickr. Thanks again for giving me some minutes in my Abruzzo.
Hi Luigi! I can understand why you love Abruzzo. It’s indeed a beautiful region, and I am also thinking about spending some time there next year.
Please feel free to share your photos with me and the other readers by adding the link to your galleries in a reply to this comment.
Thanks for stopping by, and I am glad you enjoyed my post!
Giulia recently posted..Lovely Abruzzo in photos
Mmmm…Bruschetta & wine! Abruzzo looks like a little piece of Heaven :)
It is a little piece of heaven indeed :)
Giulia recently posted..Lovely Abruzzo in photos
Your pics are really breathtaking! I wish I could have a glass red wine and some red meat in a valley in Tuscany…
Thanks Annelise, happy you like the photos! Abruzzo is not as famous as Tuscany but really beautiful. A great place to enjoy a glass of wine among the hills!
Giulia recently posted..Lovely Abruzzo in photos
I had heard of it but only because my favourite wine is from there. More Italy posts! I love seeing the country from an Italian’s perspective.
Ayngelina recently posted..Food Friday: Where to eat in Hana?
The photos were absolutely awesome and beautiful. But I know it would be better to visit that place personally. Aww. Thanks so much for sharing this very uncommon place. Nice find! :)
This place is really very beautiful one. I am sure that making visit here will become memorable one. Thanks for sharing this nice post with nice pictures.
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Thanks for the wonderful photos. I have always wanted to visit Italy. This article makes me want to go even more.