About

When I announced to Italian friends that I hoped to write a blog called My Abruzzo they responded with a bewildered silence. It soon dawned on me that what they’d heard was Mai Abruzzo – Never Abruzzo. What were they to say to someone who was about to disparage the place and perhaps warn off potential visitors? I assured them that nothing could be further from my intentions and the misunderstanding was hastily cleared up, amid laughter.

I am resident in Florence and every year I make the journey across the Apennines to spend time in Abruzzo. I have come to know the region’s highs and lows – and by that I mean not only its mountain passes and valleys, its hill towns and seaside resorts, but also its ups and downs, the good along with the bad.  I have developed a fondness for the people, a delight in their dialect, an enthusiasm for the food and wine and a deep appreciation of Abruzzo’s immense variety of landscape.

The people of Abruzzo will often say proudly that their region has everything, being blessed with both mare and montagne. Actually Abruzzo is only one of fifteen Italian regions that can tick both these boxes. I have found Coast and Mountains, however, to be convenient categories for the destinations I write about. ‘Mountains’ covers the Abruzzo hinterland, in the direction of, if not completely adjacent to, the central Appenines.

There is still, happily, much to see. As I go about Abruzzo, I hope to record and share my experiences here. This blog is about my Abruzzo, for sure, though in the end I was persuaded to change the title.

When it comes to Abruzzo, I have learnt, you must never say never.