Here are our favourite ways to spend a bountiful June in Abruzzo. Must visit Abruzzesi sagre and feste include the Raiano Cherry festival, Loreto Aprutino’s Festa di San Zopito and look out for how some local towns celebrate San Giovanni, see Barisciano below! Do look at our list of events that show participating museums that are free on the first Sunday of the month, useful even if you’re not on a budget! Most of all here’s what to expect and recipe suggestions for the delicious seasonal local foods that June delivers.
The small Chieti town of San Giovanni Teatino’s re-enactment of the rites associated with their patron saint, John the Baptist, foraging for wild herbs and flowers to make the elixir, L’Acqua di San Giovanni illustrates perfectly one of the more colourful ways to learn about Abruzzo and a particular community
Valeria shares one of her delicious culinary confidences with a story and recipe about Pasta alla Genovese and how it changes style and ingredients in Abruzzo and the small art town of Penne
There is a small but wonderful multimedia exhibition in Rome running from May through to August that chronicles the communities of the mountain villages that sit on Teramo’s Gran Sasso range and encircle Cerqueto di Fano Adriano recorded by Don Nicola Jobbi.
Abruzzo has been awarded 13 Blue Flags for the best of its beaches in 2022! These glorious golden sand beaches stretch along the Adriatic coast through 3 provinces, but also inland in L’Aquila on its lakes!
Each first Sunday of the month, Abruzzo and Italian state museums and archaeological sites open their doors for free as part of Domenica al Museo. This is a fabulous national wide initiative that allows you to explore and discover the history and treasures of Abruzzo.
Abruzzo is famous for its nose to tail eating, but what about arboreal and plant-based fruit and leaf drinking – can we apply a similar rule, using a cherry tree for example?
In true Abruzzese fashion where nose to tail eating is standard, even with garlic, these moreish garlic scrapes known as zolle have become highly prized delicacies & are delicious served in a rustic Sulmonese style picnic pie
Taking up the cookery challenge from Nonna next-door of my favourite summer dish, deep fried stuffed zucchini flowers
Nocino is an Italian liqueur made with green walnuts whose dark magical blend uncovers just how immersed Christian traditions are in their folklore past
Loreto Aprutino’s Festa di San Zopito got me interested in the stories behind the monumental white ox with his carefully trimmed & polished hooves, multi-coloured ribbons & bells