La Porta dei Parchi offers the perfect solution for those seeking an alternative Abruzzo or Italian Christmas present for the family, particularly if you love a little bit of cheese! Through their

November 11 through to Christmas & up to Easter is a great time to be on holiday in Abruzzo, as it is when the Vino Novello is in abundant supply. Italy officially uncorks its Vino Novello (think Beaujolais but Italian style) on the 11th November, coincidentally the festa di St.Martino (St Martin, ex Roman Solider turned Monk) who began the tradition of middlemas advent

If you LOVE a cheese in which you can savour the Abruzzi Apennine meadows and taste the wild herbs that were grazed to produce it then you must just once in your life at least visit Abruzzo’s organic Porta dei Parchi agriturismo or alternatively take part in their Adopt a Pecora (sheep) scheme

For many, imagining that a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo could be the table wine of choice at a G8 Summit would be inconceivable. However, this summer’s Tokyo G8 saw bottles of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo from the vineyard of Emidio Pepe, Abruzzo’s quirkiest but finest organic producer of Trebbiano & Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

If you love a holiday of colour and the wake up zing of chillies in your food, September is the time to holiday in Abruzzo. This is the time that the local red chillies known as both diavolino (little devil) or peperoncino (depending where you are in Abruzzo) are harvested and hung bountifully up above doors and draped from balconies

Our stay at the Santo Stefano hotel of Sextantio Albergo Diffuso was enriched by the wonderful time we had sampling Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and a white Le scuderie del cielo by the Guelfi vineyard

Oh what treasures both Food & Memories of Abruzzo and Anna Teresa Callen are. If at any point back in London I am feeling cold and a bit grey and want to rekindle the tastes of Abruzzo it is her recipe book that I pull out. Anna Callen was formerly an archaeologist before she became a famous Italian Chef

We have found the very best place to food shop in Abruzzo is right from our own village of Bascianella. Most of the surrounding small mountain villages in the Gran Sasso Mountain area have a daily delivery that comes at a set time each day direct to the village. The products are sourced from local farmers and small

The precious Puy Lentil had better watch out, its delicious Italian cousin, the Lenticchia di Santo Stefano (lens culinaria) is soon to be awarded DOP status and the 12 farmers that grow this nutty mini lentil will hopefully be recognised globally for their cultivation of this very tasty legume.