I grew up hearing the word—Abruzzo—but didn’t know what it meant. The older generation, their parents born in Italy, often spoke words I didn’t understand. Words of emphasis, food words, sometimes ...

Central Italy’s Abruzzo has always attracted visitors thanks to its enviable snow season, but up until recently the majority were European. Now the region, a world away from modern Italy, could be on ...

Saffron, a spice derived from the Crocus sativus flower, is most commonly associated with Asia and the Middle East. But saffron crocus thrive around the Mediterranean, including Italy, where they ...

Italians say the best pecorino cheese is made from the milk of sheep that graze in wild places. I had no doubt that this was the case with the pale, aromatic slice I ate for breakfast, alongside a ...

'Are you sure you can ski here?" asked my friend Wolfie, looking around dubiously. We'd flown into Pescara on the Adriatic coast to be met by bright sunshine. Outside the terminal building, people ...

Mountainous Abruzzo might just be the Italy that time — and tourism — forgot. This under-visited region is a sprawl of Apennine landscapes dotted with lakes. It’s interspersed with medieval hilltop ...

Dangle a paper cutout of Italy in the air, then slice it in half with a machete (horizontally; slightly angled). The cut will likely run along a line connecting Rome to Pescara. An excellent east-west ...