American physician and photographer Marian Hooker accompanied her mother, Katharine, on five trips to Europe and Italy between 1896 and 1923. Together, they produced four books, with Katharine writing the text and Marian capturing the images.

One of these works, Farmhouses and Small Provincial Buidings in Southern Italy, includes 18 photographs of Abruzzo, five of which feature Chieti. Among the many architectural highlights, Hooker documented the casa terra—the region’s distinctive earthen homes known as cobs in English. These surprisingly intricate structures, crafted from mud, reflect the ingenuity and resilience of rural Abruzzese builders and were built right up to the 2nd World War.  There used to be 6875 now there are just 800 across 40 provinces, read more about them here and see their location in a map here.

Read and view the book online in its entirety here!

Photos and story conception by Pete Austin

Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter & teaches IGCSEs at Istituo Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and 'English in the Woods' initiative.