A day trip to Abruzzo
(and an impressive trattoria find)
September & October are months when Romans like to go on a 'gita fuori porta', a day trip outside the gates of the old city (where everyone lived at one time). This is usually done on a Sunday and I won't bore you here with the traffic snarls which usually ensue. They're worth it anyway in my opinion. These two months are the best of the year - sunny, crisp and cool for a good part of the time.
So Sunday morning we too headed out to Abruzzo, a region which is remarkably close to Rome. L'Aquila for example, is only 110kms from my house. The highway which takes you directly there, the A24, offers breathtakingly beautiful scenery as it begins to gently climb and wind within a few minutes from leaving the toll booth, the air quickly becoming fresh. Soon the olive groves begin to give way to forest interspersed with the hilltop towns so typical of Italy.
Then quite dramatically, as you exit one of the many tunnels, the landscape suddenly extends and becomes barren and rugged with towering mountain ranges rather reminiscent of images of Tibet. Here begins the sometimes startling windswept rather wild scenery that so characterizes the mountainous areas of Abruzzo .
Rugged landscape near Castel del Monte
Soon after, we are at the turnoff for l'Aquila Est and proceed towards the Navelli Plain, reached in about 15 minutes, which in about a month or so will be blanketed for miles by purple saffron flowers, the pistils of which will become the world's most prized saffron threads.
The village of Navelli, designated one of Italy's 'Most Beautiful Villages'
Castel del Monte
There are plenty of fascinating medieval villages to visit in this area which despite evident earthquake damage, still manage to impress. Today we strolled through a semi-deserted
Navelli, then to
Castel Del Monte (where scenes from George Clooney's latest movie were shot yesterday ) and then back to
Castelvecchio Calvisio.It is here that we made a find that sent us into raptures -
Trattoria Le Quattro Ville. You couldn't get a place more unassuming. From the outside it looks more like a derelict coffee shop but being 3pm and getting foggy and being hungry as well, we decided to give it a go. We couldn't have been more thrilled. We felt drawn into the simple intimate and cozy interior with its checkered green and white curtains and table linen. It has very recently been renovated and is immaculate (with an unusually pristine bathroom).
Emilia, our very gracious host, assured us that 90% of the produce she uses comes direct from her family's farm. When she brought the bed basket, she explained that they grow their own wheat and stone grind it themselves and bake it in a wood-fired oven. The fettuccine she hand makes herself daily, naturally with eggs from family owned hens. The tomatoes for the deliciously smooth ragu' are grown in the back garden. The exquisitely tender lamb (one should come here just to try this) is from their property, as is the garlic fried chicory, zucchine flowers and the wine, from their own harvest (and extremely good... I seldom can honestly praise a homemade wine). Saffron is used widely in the cuisine in this area and Emilia uses it with flair. You can also purchase some of their produce, such as minute brown lentils and chili paste.
Dessert was a 'pesca', a very sensual to look at peach shaped pastry - two little domes of sponge, joined by a thick chocolate cream, dipped in Alchermes and rolled in sugar. Exquisite.
Once we had finished our wonderfully prepared lunch, Emilia emotionally told us of her terrifying ordeal on the night of the earthquake. Her house in L'Aquila has been destroyed and will most likely be demolished and she now lives in a shed with numerous family members as their home in the village is also heavily damaged. 45% of the village's homes are structurally unsound and many families still live in the forlorn blue tents in its centre.
Creative scaffolding supporting an arch in Navelli
Emilia, is remarkably cheerful and seems to be coping impressively well, running both the restaurant and the village canteen 3 times a day for the many who are now homeless. Shopping has become laborious as it takes over 2 hours to drive to l'Aquila and back, due to the many builders' and emergency vehicles still clogging the one road. Most of the nearby stores have not yet re-opened.
Driving past the many villages, it was horrifying to see that not many structures escaped the April earthquake unscathed. Even simply driving past L'Aquila on the elevated highway, the changed skyline is startling. Practically all the familiar taller structures are missing, meaning of course the many ancient steeples and domes. The blue tent cities which have sprung up beside damaged towns and along the roadside look sadly dismal. Hopefully these people will be able to leave their tent cities before the winter sets in. It can get bitterly cold in these areas.
Le Quattro Ville Trattoria
Via Della Mora 8
Castelvecchio Calvisio
0862 930192
Antica Taverna Ristorante
Navelli
www.anticataverna.it
3332991089
