Abruzzo

Small details, set like precious gems, sparkle here and there among the mountains and hills, reaching all the way to the coast, making Abruzzo a treasure trove of unique beauty. Photographer Henry Cartier Bresson was captivated by the gold buttons adorning the women of Scanno. The elderly women still wear this traditional dress today, boasting of their "punta" in the reenactment of the wedding procession, "Je Catenacce ," which fills the streets of this small village in summer. Abruzzo is the peace that shines through its pristine landscapes, protected within national parks, where foxes, deer, and friendly mountain hedgehogs roam freely. Perched on the hills are ancient villages, frozen in time, where you can often witness costumed reenactments and medieval jousts, with men in armor challenging each other in contests of skill. Between the ancient houses, breathtaking views can be glimpsed, overlooking the lakes and narrow valleys. Each town has its own identity and proudly shares it: along the streets of Pestacostanzo, on the doorsteps of decorated portals where women sit embroidering bobbin lace, or on the coast between Vasto and Ortona, where fishermen have built trabocchi: wooden stilt houses that have withstood time and the elements and remain as proud as their people. But the best way to experience Abruzzo is through its cuisine, where typical products become symbols of ancient cultures and each town truly shows what it is and what belongs to it: mostaccioli with pecorino cheese, scurpelle and Sulmona's confetti, finally arriving at a glass of fragolino, made with wild strawberries and an ancient recipe passed down from father to son. It must be savored, and in any home, it will always be better than the neighbor's.