After last summer's holiday to Puglia, we decided to return to Abruzzo, which we loved so much when we visited in 2015. Click HERE to see other photos from this summer, including our trip to Paris.
Our first stop was Vieste, on the Gargano peninsula. We missed it last year when visiting Puglia and it was magically beautiful.
The town was quiet in the early morning and really came alive at night. Both times were excellent to walk around and people-watch.
All the white buildings reminded us of Greece. Click HERE to see our 2005 visit to Mykonos.
One of the things on my bingo card was a "Don't Touch" sign, seen here on the antique organ. I wonder how the cat knows which chair to sleep in.
The market in Vieste was amazing and we bought some unforgettable onion taralli, which were delicious served with their garlicky sun-dried tomatoes. The photos on the right are of our wonderful accommodation and pool near Palombaro, in Abruzzo.
On Sunday, we returned to Sulmona for the medieval parade that preceded the Giostra Cavalleresca. There were plenty of sugared almonds to keep us occupied.
We spent several hours waiting for the parade and taking photos around the town. Like most Italian towns, it was packed at luchtime then deserted in the afternoon.
Anticipating the parade
It was swelteringly hot, but the locals looked great in their fine velvet costumes. .
I remember some of the people above from two years ago. Things improve with age.
We saw lots of blue-eyed Italians on our trip..
The rather goth-like musicians on the bottom right made a terrific noise on their pipes and drums and there were only three or four of them.
We returned to Pescosansonesco for dinner at our favourite, friendly restaurant. Guido, who is an archaeologist, and whose mother runs the kitchen, helped me when I lost my camera in 2015. These are some photos of him.
On Monday, we drove to the trabocchi coast and had a seafood lunch. I missed photgraphing the man in the lime green Speedos who came into the restaurant for a look around.
We arrived at the Cascata del Verde before the ticket booth was open and walked through the open gate to go find the falls. I worried the whole time that we would get in trouble and the climb down and up was arduous, but the view was worth it.
Roccascalegna is the second of three castles featured in the film Tale of Tales. We saw another, Castel del Monte, last year in Puglia. I love the dramatic setting of this one.
Nearby Gessopalena's medieval town was bombed by the Germans in World War II and is now abandoned, but worth exploring. .
They put on a passion play every year, apparently choosing the sexiest man in town to play Jesus.
One Guido's recommendation, we visited Chieti to see ancient pre-Roman ruins. Nick bought a confetti flower for the meal in Lanciano.
Pescara is always good for a look around the beach. It was so hot that day, we couldn't stay out long.
Instead, we downed two granitas each before heading home for a cool supper and swim in our pool.
Lanciano ws a great town full of old sights to explore, including some Art Nouveau buildings. I bought a bracelet there.
The town hosts a Dinner Under the Stars themed evening - tonight's theme was flowers - where restaurants put on a two-course menu for 15 Euros. We ate the snacks pictured above before our meal.
Our meal was bresaola salad with blue cheese fonduta, tortellini with porcini and lavender, and tiramisu. The man in black took a long time setting up a sound system for the singer who arrived later. Afterwards, we enjoyed the passeggiata on the main street.
Anna at Abruzzo with Gusto organised a cooking day for us with Nelda di Francesco, author of Antica Cucina Abruzzese. We didn't get to do much, but we enjoyed a big lunch of wild boar and pappardelle, fried cheese balls, chicory and egg, and grape jam filled biscuits. And we learned the word spargifiamma.
The village below us had a festival that started before 8.00 a.m. with repeated cannon fire.
We returned to Lanciano on Sunday for the busy market. We bought a whole bag of produce for 5 Euros to prepare our shared meal with our hosts back home.
We had lunch next to the showers on Fossacesia beach.
Guardiagrele was surely my favourite town, not least because of the basketball playing waiter who served us. "Someone taller than Nick" was crossed off my bingo card. We queued for the local specialty, Sise delle Monache, or "Nun's breasts". They look better than they taste.
I think the basketball player has a brother who also works there.
There were amazing antiquities in the cathedral museum, including 700-year-old music manuscript.
Enjoying nun's breasts and mozzarella salad by the pool
We expected fireworks from the local village festival on Saturday but they didn't come until Sunday. We returned to Pescara to visit Gabriele D'Annuncio's house.
I loved the 1930s clothes and Art Nouveau furnishings.
Completely by chance, we discovered this Art Nouveau theatre and were surprised by the airplanes that flew loudly overhead.
We walked along Pescara beach, from the ultra-modern pedestrian bridge to the town centre, encountering cute men along the way.
Some of the sights on Pescara beach
Pizzette and graffitti art from Pescara and Nick barbecuing for our hosts back at the house
We took a gruelling 1.5 hour hike through the woods in search of a hermit's cave. Never found it and turned back in fear of wolves or heart attack. We abandoned plans to go to the silent movie in Lanciano that evening and opted for the pool. Other sights are the medieval walls and sights of Rocca San Giovanni, one of the "most beautiful towns" in Italy.
Some of our favourite beach sights and a trabocco
Pescara again, mostly
Nick befriends Argentinians on the beach, a motorcyclist who had trouble starting his engine until he lifted his shirt, and a sweaty rug bearer
We returned to the delightful deli that was recommended to us on our food tour of Pescara to buy some olive oil. We asked the outgoing proprietor for restaurant recommendations of where to eat authentic Abruzzese food. He made a few calls for us and every place was closed for summer but he said he could serve us some “white pasta” and some “red pasta” if we wanted to sit at the window and eat there. We agreed and what was to follow was incredible. We watched them roll out by hand the pasta we were about to eat. While waiting, we were given cheese filled pastries as an appetizer. The first course was ravioli filled with ricotta, parmesan, and lemon peel, served with a white sauce made from the pasta cooking water and parmesan. Next was a simple but sublime plate of spaghetti alla chitarra (pasta cut on guitar-like wires) served with tomato, parmesan, and basil. Afterwards we were given figs and proscuitto on top of Sicilian cheese infused with saffron and whole peppercorns. To drink, we had a local sparkling rosé wine. I was so full I thought I might explode, but then he brought out pastry filled with melted gorgonzola cheese. When we went to pay, we were charged 4 Euros for each pasta dish, 6 Euros for wine, and 2 Euros for four bottles of sparkling water.
Back to Guardiagrele
Installations from an annual art exhibition
One last look at our basketball player. There was an exhibition of antique radios and we heard one that still worked.
Nick had to make a Space Invader for his bingo card. This was a fun project!
We went to Casoli earlier in our trip but it was very different on lively market day. I bought another bracelet and we got some tomatoes and mozzarella for dinner. We enjoyed the views from the castle.
A colourful house in Casoli
As we did last year, we stopped off in Trani on our way to Bari airport. It was very windy by the sea, but a few hardy bathers were out.
It was nice to be back in Puglia briefly. The light and driving conditions both seem different. A wonderful end to a sunny and eventful holiday. Next stop: Piemonte.
