Cooking — and eating — our way through the fabulous food region of Abruzzo
Figs in the city
Figs in the city
I’ve always said that there’s a whole lot of Italy to explore beyond the tourist triumvirate of Rome, Florence and Venice. Seeing those parts of the country that are traditionally overlooked by American travelers was our goal last year, so we headed first for the central Abruzzo region and then went north to the border of Abruzzo and Le Marche. We’d heard about the rich culinary traditions here, and wanted to see for ourselves. How better than to drop ourselves into the middle of (American tourist) nowhere and sign up for a cooking class?
After spending a few days in the Abruzzese city of Sulmona — most famous for its confetti, those candy covered almonds central to all kinds of Italian celebrations — we drove north, first to L’Acquila to assess the earthquake damage and then to the Hotel Zunica, which would be home for three nights.
Set in the town of Civitella del Tronto (named for the river Tronto) the Hotel Zunica sits among the majestic Gran Sasso mountains and (from the right rooms) offers commanding views of the Adriatic Sea. The approach to this walled fortress city is simply breathtaking, through hairpin turns and snow-capped mountain ridges (year round). And the first view of the city, with its imposing 16thcentury fortress — the last Bourbon fortress to surrender to the Piemontese in 1861, three days after the declaration of the Unity of Italy — provides a hint of the singular beauty and experience that lay ahead.
Civitella del Tronto, from the road below
Four generations of hospitality
Zunica bills itself as a hotel for gourmet travelers, and it is surely that. The current owner, Daniele, is the fourth generation of Zunicas to offer an elegant, welcoming place for travelers who are seriously interested in learning about the fine regional cuisine. He and his able manager, Maurizio Neri, lead a young and energetic team of chefs who maintain the old traditions and experiment with new ways to match food with technique and presentation. In fact, the restaurant’s kitchen is something of a workshop, where local families still come and share recipes with the young staff.
Our cooking class was a fine example of that, as we took our turn at the ancient, painstaking art of making pasta alla chitarra (flattened dough rolled over a device resembling guitar strings) from scratch and took part in the preparation of a fine ragu, made from local veal, lamb and pork. The cooking class was preceded by visits to a nearby olive oil mill and winery, where we sampled and were feted with local porchetta, pecorino and fava beans, fresh from the garden.
Savor the Abruzzese way
Making the pasta
Making the pasta
At Hotel Zunica the menu changes according to the season, but all the pastas, breads and cakes are hand made, all the meats are locally produced and all the herbs and vegetables are grown nearby on small organic farms. Of course, Abruzzo is known around the world now for its fine pastas (De Cecco brand), olive oils and wine (especially the deep red Montepulciano and the delightful white Trebbiano). But this is also saffron country. And truffle country. And it has cheeses and salamis and legumes to please every palate, and seafood from the nearby Adriatic. Local women still make the traditional ceppe and chitarra pastas for the restaurant using the old methods. And when a platter of perfectly cooked two-inch-thick sizzling T-bone steaks is placed on the table, it’s about as good as it gets.
Civitella del Tronto is included among the “Most Beautiful Villages of Italy” and dates back to the year 1000. Our guide, Danilo, toured us through the winding streets to La Ruetta, the narrowest street in all of Italy, and spent a great deal of time with us at the fortress, explaining the history of the place and walking its formidable walls.
Everybody loves the "pausa"
If you’re looking for a very comfortable hotel in a place of unparalleled beauty that will provide a unique food experience — with a measure of history thrown in — you can do no better than Hotel Zunica. My thanks to Mario Scalzi at Parker Villas for suggesting this trip. If you’d like to get the kind of experience we had with cooking classes and tours, contact Parker Villas and ask about the Abbonndanza Abruzzese Cooking Tour. Visit Parker’s website or call 1.800.280.2811 for details.
To visit Abruzzo from the States, you’ll most likely fly into Rome and drive the 200 km from Fiumicino airport to Civitella del Tronto. But you can shorten the drive if you fly into either Pescara (70 km) or Ancona (100 km) from a connecting European flight. You’ll want to drive — this is gorgeous country and unlike anything you’ve seen if you’ve only been to Rome, Florence or Venice. Trust me. Abruzzo is unforgettable and you’ll want to see as much of it as you can. And you’ll want to eat!
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
