Want to see? Just follow this link.

Right now I’ve seven different T-shirt styles for sale. It’s been that way for a few months. I don’t consider 7 to be a magic number so I plan to add more over the next few weeks.

I also sell photographs.

Nora, a happy and very satisfied customer wrote of the Dancing Olive Trees

“The breathtakingly beautiful enlarged image of your olive trees arrived this morning! Photobox have a fast delivery service – just 2 working days. I was impressed with the excellent quality of the photo, the amazing detail it contains and the wonderful mix of light and shade. Thank you again for sharing your stunning pictures!”

then followed up with

“I’m extremely happy with the print and can’t wait to get it framed and see it hanging in the living-room. The picture is so sharp and clear, the colours are beautiful; you can almost feel the warmth of the sunlight coming through the branches.”

It’s a great feeling when something you’ve created brings joy to others.

With all of these little projects going on along with the day job and home life, I need a place to jot down ideas. I’m no Luddite – I have a smartphone and I also use Evernote, but nothing beats pen and paper for scribbles.

So I’ve created this – an Abruzzo themed 80 page notebook that will (along with my camera) be my constant companion.

Abruzzo Notes by aboutabruzzo.com | Make Your Own Book

If the notebook doesn’t display just follow this link to see it.

What do you think?

It may not have been used by the big names that have poured their thoughts into a Moleskine (Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin) but I bet they’d have considered an Abruzzo notebook if it was available!

I’m sure it’s only a short time before I read something like “My first book of poetry – what inspired me? That’s easy, travelling around Abruzzo during the onset of autumn with my trusty aboutabruzzo.com notebook.”

I can dream. Why not?

The 80 page notebook has 13 pages of photographs to remind you of Abruzzo and hopefully inspire you. My friends don’t know it yet but I think I’ve indentified a cool gift idea!

The field of sunflowers on the front and back covers is a personal favourite of mine and it was taken not far from Loreto Aprutino.

If you’d like one (or two or three…) they are available on Blurb. I’m taking the same approach as I do with the T-shirts (Zazzle) and the photographs (Photobox) by using a company that will handle all the ordering,payment and shipping and produces excellent quality products. They’re based in the US and my order of a few notebooks took a little over a week to get to me in Ireland. Not bad going.

I plan to make a few more and I’d really love your help. I’ve been writing this blog for nearly 3 years and I’ve great fun doing it. Writing about Abruzzo, discovering new places and reacquainting myself with the familiar has been and still is an inspiring experience. During that time I’ve posted many photographs of my travels. If you see a photo I’ve taken on any post, or in the Photo Album, that you think should be available as a print, as a page on a notebook or displayed proudly on a T-shirt, please let me know.

I’d love to hear what your favourites are.

Post from: About Abruzzo

An Abruzzo Notebook – Perfect For All Your Thoughts and Inspirations.

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You have to have your eyes open, and be ready to see the possibilities.

Abruzzo is never far from my mind. I’m not always there but I’m always on the lookout for new surprises and Abruzzo is a region that just seems to regularly present them.

But what do I do when I’m not in Abruzzo. How do I keep the spark alive? How do I ensure that it isn’t just a place I visit, but it’s a home, full of friends that I can’t wait to see again?

Combinations of old and new technology work best for me.

I write postcards, in my best Italian and make sure that my Abruzzo friends realise that they’re in my thoughts when I’m not there.

Email works well too and Skype is just wonderful. For me video calls on Skype ensure that the conversation flows with gestures, facial expressions and words – something that isn’t as easy on a telephone alone.

What else do I do?

I try to read anything written in English that touches on Abruzzo. It pops up every now and then in the press and there are some great blogs in English out there too.

But there aren’t many books published in English about Abruzzo. I’ve listed some of them in other posts and although I’ve read what I can I haven’t managed to get hold of copies of the books that are out of print. I have tried, honest.

Last weekend a local (as in Dublin, Ireland local) school was holding a Spring Fair in aid of the Irish charity Trócaire. I’d already been out that morning walking around Howth Head and I was reluctant to head out again. It was getting a bit blustery, but the sun was shining and outdoors is always better than indoors, so we walked down to the school.

Food stalls, cake stands and second hand book stands were the main attractions. There was a band playing, an art auction and jewellery available too.

As I approached the book stand a young pupil told me the books were 5 for €2. At first glance I thought my €2 was safe. I picked up a copy of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a copy of a series of lectures on Daniel O’Connell (an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century), but I was struggling to find another three. I wasn’t even sure I wanted the two I’d selected.

Abruzzo – out of the corner of my eye I saw Abruzzo.

I reached into the pile and pulled out a jewel.

What I had in my hand was Short Stories from Abruzzo edited by George Talbot and Dante Marianacci – an out of print book that has a surprising connection with Dublin. I didn’t know it existed.

It was published in 1993 by the Irish Academic Press and it came about as a result of a teacher’s challenge to a group of students in the Italian Cultural Institute of Dublin. The challenge was to translate eleven Italian short stories by contemporary writers from the region of Abruzzo. The stories themselves are either winners or were short listed for the Premio Teramo, a national prize for short stories.

I couldn’t believe it. There I was at a Spring Fair in a local school trying to avoid buying a burger (the smell of fried onions was so hard to resist) and in the midst of all the cup cakes, bouncy castles and teen vampire books I find a treasure.

In case you’re not clear about this I’m thrilled to bits. The book is in excellent condition (almost new) and to have got it along with four other books for €2 is a bit of a bonus.

The writers featured are Mario Pmilio, Maria Teresa Barnabei, Gian Luigi Piccioli, Nando Filograsso, Luigi Morgione, Daniele Cavicchia, Maria Teresa Falconi, Dante Marianacci, Anna Maria D’Alessandro, Antonino Di Giorgio and Giuseppe Rosanto.

I’ve no idea how good it will turn out to be. I’ve looked for official reviews and found none. Even if the stories are just mildly interesting, with perhaps a gem or two included, it will be worth the read. As I said, you don’t have a huge choice when it comes to English books relating to Abruzzo.

After bringing it home, I contacted the publisher and unfortunately confirmed that it was out of print with no plans to do another run. If you’re interested in a copy it looks like Amazon UK are offering a few used copies at reasonable prices. But there aren’t many left and they start getting expensive quite quickly.

Right now I’m in the middle of two books and before I found the copy of Short Stories from Abruzzo I had a clear idea what I was going to read next.

But what are plans if you can’t change them.

It should keep me going until I’m back in Abruzzo again.

Not long now.

Post from: About Abruzzo

One Story Leads To Another, and Another, and…

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Would you like over 400 pages describing the history of Abruzzo, the landscapes of Abruzzo and the culture of Abruzzo? Would you like a guide that breaks Abruzzo into seven sections and is so current that it highlights the key towns and villages of the movie The American?

Well over at A-Tour they may have the guide for you. Just register, as I did, giving your name, your email and selecting a username and you can download this guide in PDF format for free.

If there’s a catch, I haven’t discovered it yet.

The website says the guide is

divided into some distinct sections that illustrate some overviews, but that also go through detailed itineraries in seven different areas of interest. A special room is reserved to local operators with a detailed description of the specific characteristics that distinguish their business. The journey ends, last but not least, with “Abruzzo nuggets”: a treasure to be looked for among the excellence of local productions. So, good Abruzzo to everyone!

I haven’t examined it in detail, but at first glance it looks very comprehensive and I think there is plenty of interesting information in it. There aren’t too many guides dedicated to Abruzzo in English so this is worth looking at.

Now it’s time for some photographs. Looking at my recent posts I can see that in the last six posts I haven’t included any photographs. It must be the first time I’ve gone so long without including a photo or two. It’s not that I don’t have a tonne of them; I guess I just didn’t feel the posts required them.

According to my computer weather widget the temperature where I am is -7 degrees centigrade. That’s not a typo; we’re talking 7 below zero. The world’s gone mad. If I was in Abruzzo right now the temperature would be at least 15 degrees. Over 20 degrees in the difference – I could handle that.

So I looked through my photo archive and selected a few warming photographs to try and spiritually melt the ice that I see from my window.

I hope you like them. They were all taken in the Vestina region of Abruzzo – the land of the Vestini. Where’s that and who were the Vestini? You can find out all about the area and the people if you download the guide.

Enjoy!

Post from: About Abruzzo

A Free Guide to Abruzzo and Some Warming Photographs

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On many occasions we’ve been honoured to be invited to Sunday lunch with some of our friends in Abruzzo. The food is always fantastic. The first time I tasted fried zucchini flowers I was blown away. Often the courses just keep on coming.  Escaping without feeling your jeans are going to burst is a feat in itself. I always try to remember that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

A few weeks ago we had a chance to have Abruzzese friends around to our house for Sunday lunch. We had to decide what to prepare and how we were going to cook it. Now I’m not a great cook; I can follow a recipe, create a mess and (usually) escape the kitchen without doing too much damage. P is far more creative. For her recipes are guidelines that are followed as a last resort. There’s always a twist that can make the ordinary extraordinary!

We decided to use ingredients that would be typical of both Abruzzo and Ireland and combine them in a way that certainly wasn’t typical Italian and was only borderline Irish. We had pumpkin soup (they’re in season), followed by slow roasted and slightly spiced lamb (lamb’s always in season, isn’t it?) and finished it all off with tiramisu (never out of season) and coffee.

Before we ate we had a glass of prosecco, and with the lamb we had a damn fine red wine from the Tralcetto range by Zaccagnini.

As we sat down to eat we were in the company of friends from Atri (TE), Silvi (TE) and Loreto Aprutino (PE). Along with these Abruzzese there was also V from Puglia.

During the meal we talked of many things, some trivial and some more serious. With Berlusconi and Rubygate fresh in the news it’s no surprise that we discussed the Italian prime minister’s latest scandal. Considering we were fairly unanimous in our opinions we probably fall into that “communist conspiracy” that Berlusconi claims so often plagues him.

But the meal was unusual. We weren’t in Abruzzo, we weren’t even in Italy, we were in Dublin.

Over the last few months we’ve struck up a friendship with four Italians who live and work in Dublin. They’ve been living here for a few years and through a kind of convoluted route we got to know each other.

This is how it happened. (I’ll understand if you get lost.)

Earlier this year a friend from Loreto Aprutino told us that a friend of his, from his school days, has a son who works in Dublin. I got the son’s phone number and called him when I was back in Dublin. We agreed to meet up with him and his wife. He brought along other friends from Atri and Puglia, who also work in Dublin. We hit it off and although Abruzzo was the catalyst that got us together, it wasn’t the only thing we talked about.

Since that first meeting we’d all been back a few times to Abruzzo and that Sunday in our house was the first chance we could all get together again.

Imagine the scene. Eating pumpkin soup, slow roast lamb and tiramisu, drinking prosecco, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Italian coffee, in the company of friends from Abruzzo – I felt transported back to Italy.

Did I mention we had Valentini Olive Oil from Loreto Aprutino on the table also? It got a strong comment of approval from one of our guests.

It was a great afternoon and I loved every minute of it. There was plenty of chat about places we’d visited, places we should visit, differences between living in Ireland and Italy, schools, and the unfortunate similarities (we were back talking about politics again).

Although we were miles away, for a few hours it felt like we were back in Abruzzo. A nice treat to keep us going until we make our next trip.

Now while I’m (kind of) on the subject of food here are two books that you might be interested in:

1. Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy’s Pastoral Land by Teresa Callen
2. Breaking Bread in L’Aquila by Maria Filice

I have Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy’s Pastoral Land by Teresa Callen and have enjoyed dipping into it over the last couple of years.

Breaking Bread in L’Aquila by Maria Filice is on my wishlist and having read great things about it in Breaking Bread in L’Aquila – Abruzzo’s Zingy New Cookbook (Life In Abruzzo) and the Best Crostini Recipe Ever… (Bleeding Espresso) posts, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Home and Away – A Slightly Unusual Lunch with Friends from Abruzzo

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I’m looking for a book. It is called Belloccia: A Hill Village in the Abruzzo by Gimi Jordan. I’ve never seen it. I can’t find it for sale online and I have failed to find it after trawling though several library databases. I’m now hoping that readers of this blog, its Facebook fans and Twitter followers might help me find it.

I’m certain it exists. I’ve seen many references to it. Unfortunately the reference is usually “currently unavailable”, “we don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock” or “out of print”.

I can’t find much of a description of the book, certainly no detailed reviews. I did find a reference on the Books about Abruzzo page of A House in Pennewebsite which says that it is set north of Pescara, and is more about the village and the characters of the village than the author’s experiences there. That’s enough for me, I want to read it!

I’ve tried the standard sites like Amazon, the sites more focused on out of print books like Abe Books and the entire online catalogue of the Irish public library system – no joy. If somebody’s selling this book, they’re not shouting about it.

Last night I sent an email to a Norwegian online book seller that may have it. The email was in English to a seller that may only speak Norwegian about a book set in Italy that they probably don’t have!

This may take some time, but I’m not going to give up on finding it just yet. So if you have a copy and want to sell it, if you see it somewhere or if you have any suggestions that may help me find it, please get in touch by leaving a comment.

Why do I want it? I love reading and there are very few books in English that are either set in Abruzzo or are about Abruzzo.

To date I’ve read the following:

• The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss
• On the Spine of Italy: A Year in the Abbruzzi by Harry Clifton
• Fontamara, Bread and Wine from The Abruzzo Trilogy: v. 1-3by Ignazio Silone

and I have cooked using recipes from

• Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy’s Pastoral Landby Anna Teresa Callen

I spend a lot of time in Abruzzo. But I don’t spend anywhere near as much time there as I’d like to. So while I’m based in a differently beautiful and certainly colder European country I like to dip into those things that can transport me back to the Majella and the Gran Sasso.

Writing this blog, buying the odd bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and cooking with peperoncino all help. But reading another book set in the region would be an absolute treat.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Set in Abruzzo – please help me find this book

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Bitter Spring: A Life of Ignazio Silone by Stanislao G. Pugliese is a new book in English on (you guessed it) Ignazio Silone.

I spotted this review of the book by Harry Clifton in The Irish Times back in July. And today I was prompted to write this post when I came across this excerpt from the book and this review by Geoffrey Wheatcroft in The New York Times. I did a quick search, and although there are a few other reviews out there, at first glance the reviews above seem very informative.

I struggled with the frst two parts of Silone’s Abruzzo Trilogy, Fontamara and Bread and Wine, when I read them. I haven’t had the inclination to start part three, The Seed Beneath The Snow, yet. I expect I will at some stage. For those of you who have a better feel for Ignazio Silone’s work than I do, or for those who wish to understand this complex writer and his motivations, Bitter Spring: A Life of Ignazio Silone by Stanislao G. Pugliese may help a great deal.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Ignazio Silone Update

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Its been a while since I looked though the photos in detail. But, as a result of finding a blog post on the Abruzzo town of Scanno, I revisited book. Sure enough, on pages 86,87 and 100, Scanno is featured and on page 81 we have L’Aquila.

I’d love to reproduce the photographs here, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have the rights to do that. So let me suggest the next best thing.  Go to the advanced search screen of Magnum Photos, enter Abruzzo as the keyword and Cartier-Bresson, Henri as the included photographer, search and enjoy!

Many of the resulting 27 images are of Scanno, taken in 1951. I have not visited the town, I plan to this year, and for that reason I’m not going to write about it, but instead direct you to the excellent article Skirting Scanno – a Henri Cartier-Bresson moment from the already mentioned Life In Abruzzo blog.

Scanno is in the L’Aquila province of Abruzzo, you’ll find it here.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Henri Cartier-Bresson in Abruzzo

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So what was plan A?

Well I have a copy of Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy’s Pastoral Land by Anna Teresa Callen    My idea was to publicise the book, which I think is great, and include  some of its recipes.   The publisher is Wiley, and I used  their online form a few months ago to request permission to do this.  Unfortunately, I have heard nothing back from them.  They probably get many requests and it takes time to go through all of them.  I’m sure  I’ll  hear from them eventually.

But I feel that I’ve waited long enough.  This blog has been sorely lacking in recipes.   In fact, during its first week, a good friend emailed me requesting some!  I have yet to fulfill his request.

I don’t think I can post extracts from the book without permission, but I can tell that you that on the Pittsbug Post-Gazette website you can find Anna Theresa Callen’s Ragu alla Bolognese which is in the book, and on Food and Wine Magazine they have another six of her recipes that are not:

1. Beef Braciole in Umido
2. Penne with Sausage and Fennel
3. Perciatelli with Ricotta Salata
4. Sea Bass all’Acqua Pazza
5. Tomato Acqua Cotta
6. Ziti with Lamb and Saffron

If Plan A ever works out I’ll post some more.

But now it’s time for Plan B.

I found a blog called The Flavors of Abruzzo which has many recipes in English.  The blog is written by Mary, a resident of Abruzzo, who clearly has a great love of the region.  I am delighted to have found it as it offers an excellent insight into day to day living.  If you select the flavors category from the blog you are in for a treat.  There is no shortage of recipes to choose from.  This one is a variant of the very typical pasta with garlic, oil and peperoncino.  Thanks Mary!

If you speak Italian a little,  there is also the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.  They say of themselves “Our project represents the first serious and organic research produced in Italy to classify as thoroughly as possible Italian regional cuisine.  Out of this collection…we have selected 2,000 recipes faithful to tradition.”  Very impressive.

These recipes are in Italian.  Just launch the search form, select Abruzzo as the “Regione”, and away you go!  The list returned can be broken down further by the course (Tipo di Piatto), the name of the recipe  (Titolo della ricetta) and ingredients (Ingediente).  Clicking “Esegui” runs the search.

If you are learning Italian, as I am, you could select a recipe, translate the instructions, improve your vocabulary, and finish with a very nice meal!

Post from: About Abruzzo

L’appetito vien mangiando (Appetite comes with eating)

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Confession time: I know very little about skiing. OK, I know what it is, and I remember watching Alberto Tomba win at least one of his gold medals, but I have never skied.  Many of my friends have skied, and they love it.  I just haven’t tried it yet.  Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, who knows.

The odds have swung in favour of my giving it a go, because Abruzzo is full of opportunities to ski.  Just look at this snow bulletin site and see the number of resorts listed.  When I think of skiing in Italy I think of the Alps and Northern Italy.  It turns out that Abruzzo has 21 ski resorts. 

Now most of what I’ve posted so far and the photos that go with it point to a very sunny region.  That’s because that’s my main experience of Abruzzo.  Liane Katz writing for The Guardian in 2006 got it right saying “it’s often possible to combine a morning’s skiing with an afternoon at the coast” (read full article here). 

But skiing has helped me make a fortunate discovery!   While I was trying to find out more information about skiing in Abruzzo I stumbled across a post written by Alex Roe back in November 2007, describing how his Italian friend learned to ski in Roccaraso.   This introduced me to Alex Roe’s Italy Chronicles, which I’m enjoying very much indeed.  It is written in English and covers all things Italian.  Go on, give it a go.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Skiing in Abruzzo

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I agree that the subjects covered by the book are important.  I am also delighted to get an insight into life in Abruzzo during that period.  But I just didn’t enjoy reading it.  Maybe it is because I was reading an English translation; perhaps it flows more freely in Italian.  I really felt many of the conversations and situations were not natural.  I could not imagine people talking the way the characters talked.

So would I recommend the book?  I guess it depends on your purpose for reading it.  If, like me, you are interested in Abruzzo, its history and culture, then yes you should read it.  Especially if you have limited or no Italian, as I haven’t found many books (fact or fiction) relating to Abruzzo, in English.  If you are just looking for an entertaining novel, in which you can lose yourself in the characters and be swept away, this (in English anyway) isn’t the book for you.

Having said that, the book is important.  It is set during the 1930s in Abruzzo, during the fascist period and the outbreak of war with Abyssinia (Ethiopia).  It suggests that pure Christianity and pure Socialism are not incompatible.  And it outlines the struggles the peasants face on a daily basis.  Definitely important issues.

Some point in the future, definitely not now, I’ll read The Seed Beneath The Snow, the final part of Ignazio Silone’s Abruzzo Trilogy.   I’ll do this because I am interested in Abruzzo; I want to be informed and to understand, not because I expect entertainment.  I’m just not ready yet!   And it’s at least 100 pages longer than Bread and Wine.

If anyone has any other recommendations of books relating to Abruzzo, in English, please let me know.  Just add a comment to this, or any other post.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Bread and Wine, Ignazio Silone

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