The town of Appignano di Macerata

The Town Hall in Appignano di Macerata

Whenever we’ve visited Le Marche we’ve always stayed with good friends in the pretty hill town of Appignano di Macerata (see map), in the heart of this picturesque region. It is situated exactly half way between the sea and the mountains, just a 30 minute drive each way. Not to be confused with Appignano del Tronto further south in Ascoli, this medieval town is known nationally for its production of ceramics (produced here for over 500 years) furniture and clothes.

The origins of Appignano date from Roman times. Appignano di Macerata is a charming town, 200m above sea level with a population of about 4,000 and about 10 kilometers from the provincial capital Macerata. The friendly people and the lifestyle here is very similar to what I’ve witnessed in Abruzzo. What I love about Appignano is how the locals:

• go to the bar in the morning for their cappuccino or caffe latte and a pastry
• chat with their friends and neighbours in the street
• break for a two hour lunch during the day and have a family meal around the kitchen table
• spend their evenings outdoors: the women sit outside in the street knitting or crocheting and chatting together and the men congregate in groups and play cards
• the children play outside even when it is dark
• the people call out to one another from across their balconies

These balconies are like little sanctuaries: cozy, romantic and fragrant

  There are many monuments of art and architecture to be seen in Appignano:

John and Stefano outside la Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

• La Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist), built in the 16th century and renovated in the 18th century.

• La Chiesa dell'Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) built for the first time in the Middle Ages and rebuilt in 1746. 
• Il Convento di Forano 1473, known for having hosted, according to tradition, St Francis of Assisi. 
• Villa Tusculano, a villa built in the Napoleonic era under the patronage of Count Leopoldo Armaroli. 
• Villa Forano – Winery. The Cellar is open everyday for winetasting from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00 (except Thursdays and Sundays).

Events in Appignano

Like most towns throughout Italy, Appignano has its own special events that are unique to the area. During the first week of July, for three evenings, a festival called Bellente il Brigante takes place in the town hall square. It is a traditional dinner for about 180 people with typical dishes of the 19th century. More than 70 actors in period costume, extras, musicians and dancers represent the history to the spectators. Around the guests, the actors evoke the habits of Appignano’s inhabitants in 1812, when life was influenced by the contradictions of the Napoleonic state and by the legacy of the papal authority. Among the events of the period that are represented in this festival, there are the stories of the young Appignanese hero Pietro Masi and other characters who actually existed. The spectators are comfortably seated at long tables and enjoy local recipes from the 800s, served in typical bowls handmade by local artisans. The aim is to give tourists the opportunity to experience Appignano’s local traditions, culture, folklore, food and wine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JnqbFUNu3U

If you are interested in attending one of these evenings contact the Pro Loco of Appignano in Piazza Umberto I (Tel. 338 7878472) or send an email to prolocoappignano@alice.it

In mid-October Appignano hosts another gastronomic event called Leguminaria. It is dedicated to legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils and roveja). Roveja is the dialect name for field pea which is only grown in the Sibillini Mountain National Park in Le Marche. All of the dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes and are served in earthenware bowls specially made for the occasion by Appignano’s master potters. Everyone who attends the meal can take home their bowl as a souvenir of the occasion. Much appreciated by lovers of rural tourism, the town of Appignano di Macerata is ideal for short or long term stay and is devoted to well-being and culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDgryWs7rKg

*******************************************
Our friend Stefano kindly gave me local information about the best places to stay in Appignano, the bars, restaurants and pizzerias. Here is what he said about them:

Where to stay in Appignano:

"Osteria dei Segreti: located at the edge of Appignano is a very nice, quiet place in the middle of the countryside. There is a lovely panorama in front of the Sibillini mountains. It has good food with a nice price. They have 6 rooms and 6 small apartments to rent. This what their website says about the local cuisine:

Osteria dei Segreti

Rustic ambience and family oriented for a taste of local flavors, such as: cappellacci (pasta shaped like little hats) with fonduta (melted cheese) and truffles, gnocchi with a traditional meat sauce and ‘cargiù’ with porcini mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, grilled crescia (onion flavoured focaccia) the perfect complement to the delicious salami and pecorino Sibillini.



Villa Verdefiore

 Villa Verdefiore: hotel (agriturismo) and restaurant located on the edge of town with lovely rooms. A very nice place with a huge park all around it. Good for weddings, celebrations and meetings. Good food, price middle/high.

  La Colombaia: A beautiful country house with a Wellness Centre located at the edge of Appignano. Good food, middle/high price. Lovely outdoor swimming pool.



La Colombaia

 Where to Eat:

 - Ristorante Lord Byron, located in the historical main square. They serve home made food, typical of Le Marche; nice place, nice people, nice price!

 - Ristorante Le Grazie, situated not far from the centre. They also serve home made food. It is an old style restaurant for good food and a good price.

 Bars/Cafés in Appignano

 - Bar H, located in the industrial area of Appignano. Young people meet there. Bar H in Italian sounds like "baracca" which means chalet or cabin. In fact it is made of wood like a mountain cabin... in the middle of the industrial area!

 - Bar del Borgo: located in the borgo of Appignano. Middle aged and older people meet there.

 - Bar White Lady: located near Giuseppe's pottery shop Ceramiche fratelli Testa .Young people meet there. In Stefano’s opinion this one is the best bars in town.

 - Bar Giardino dei Tigli: located on the 'monte' of Appignano. We went there to have an ice cream last summer. Most young people meet there during summertime.

There are two pubs in Appignano and you can get a very good takeaway pizza at Pizza E Vai.

 - Dal Tramonto all'Alba Pub: nice place located in an old Italian cinema's room. The son of Giuseppe the potter, Mauro Testa, designed the interior. On Saturday and Sunday evenings families go there to have pizza for dinner because they serve great pizza. Sometimes they play live music.

 - La Cantina del Porto: located in the borgo. Nice place with good music, sometimes they play live music here also. There is an old story concerning Appignano when many years ago in Appignano there was a small port. Appignano has a little river called Monocchia. At the beginning of the 900s women went there to wash their clothes. Men went there too - to see the women's legs when they hitched up their long skirts! Stefano likes to think that this story is true. When older people meet a person from Appignano they say:

(In dialect): “Ah! Venghi da Pignà. Ce ru ‘portu’ de Pignà, ce vinio da gioenottu a vedè re gamme de re donne!”
(In Italian): Ah! vieni da Appignano. C'è il ‘porto’ ad Appignano. Ci venivo da giovane a verdere le gambe delle donne!
(In English): Ah! You come from Appignano. There is a port in Appignano. I used to go there when I was young to look at the women's legs! "

********************************************

Last but not least, Appignano has its own rock stars! They are a Rolling Stones tribute band who call themselves The Kingstones. Ciccio (Alessio), Stefano’s brother, is an excellent guitarist. They usually play in the nearby town of Macerata and went on tour last winter playing in Milano, Napoli and Salerno and it was a big success. Have a listen here and see how great they are! (Ciccio is wearing the black sleeveless shirt).



One of my favourite memories of our time in Appignano is of the night of San Lorenzo when Ciccio and Stefano serenaded us on a nearby hilltop while we watched the falling stars. It is a night I will remember forever…

Photo credit: Town Hall Appignano http://www.progressonews.com/index.php/2010/11/appignano-ancora-bandiera-verde

You might like: Ceramics in Appignano

The town of Treia, Macerata

Treia, Macerata
photo credit: gillpoll

Treia (see map) is a quintessential hill town in the heart of Le Marche filled with Romanesque, Renaissance and Neoclassical architecture. We were fortunate to be invited to dinner by Dan and Maria, a lovely American couple who run a gorgeous B&B there ‘Villa Trina’. It is easy to see why they chose to live there. It is surrounded by the most beautiful countryside and has stunning panoramic views from the Apennine Mountains to the west and the Adriatic to the east. There is much to see and do in the local area. The town itself has:

• A medieval cathedral (one of the largest in the region) - Cattedrale di SS Annunziata
• Torre dell’Onglavina - the remains of a castle on a rocky spur
• Thirteenth century Palazzo Pretorio
• A large piazza with a horseshoe-shaped balustrade offering breathtaking views
• A Civic Museum
• The Church and convent of S. Filippo
• The Georgic Academy
• The 17th-century Town Hall with a collection of Renaissance and classical paintings
• The Museo Civico Archeologico also includes Egyptian religious statues of the Roman period.
• Santuario del SS. Crocifisso, a  large early 20th-century church complex




Santuario del SS Crocifisso
(courtesy of Pro Loco Marche)

  Turreted boundary walls and gates maintain the medieval aspect of the elegant, charming town of Treia perched high on a hill, untouched by mass tourism. For its beautifully preserved historical center it is included among the Borghi più belli d'Italia.

Unusual Ball Game in Treia

In July we saw posters around the town for ‘Disfida del Bracciale’. Our friend Stefano explained that Treia is famous for hosting a traditional ball game dating from Renaissance times called The Challenge of the Armlet (also known as Pallone col bracciale).

Pallone col Bracciale (Wikipedia)

He said that it was similar to tennis but instead of racquets, the players use a device called a ‘bracciale’- a sort of wooden cylindrical spiked glove worn over the hand and forearm. A hard leather ball is pounded back and forth between two teams of three, with a high wall (between 14 and 20m) on one side, permitting deflection back into the field of play. The court is very long - around 90m. Scores are the same as in tennis – 15, 30, 40, game – and the first team to win six games is the victor. The Challenge is preceded by costume processions and ceremonies, evoking the times of Carlo Didimi, the greatest player of pallone. Each year the challenge is held on the first Sunday of August, following ten days of festivities that start on the Friday before the second last Sunday in July. This unique festival ends with a magnificent fireworks display.

Typical Local Dishes of Treia

The “calcione” is one of the most famous typical products of Treia. Each year in mid-May the Sagra Del Calcione e Del Raviolo is held in Piazza della Repubblica. Calcione is made from flour and eggs, lightly sweetened, turned and folded into a half moon shape and filled with eggs, pecorino, sugar and oil. Il Raviolo is filled with ricotta cheese, eggs and nutmeg and served with ragù di carne and parmigiano. There are two versions, one is fried and the other is baked in the oven. They are served with the excellent local wine Vernaccia di Serrapetrona. In May Treia also hosts the Sagra dell’Oca (Festival of the Goose). Typical of the area are also:

• Ciauscolo - a delectable, spreadable salami.

• Porchetta with grilled polenta.
• Coniglio alla cacciatora (rabbit stew hunter-style).
• Scroccafusi (Castagnole marchigiane)  – a pastry of flour, eggs, sugar, aniseed and lemon zest.
• Cicerchiata - balls of fried sweet dough joined into ring shapes by warm honey.

Piazza della Repubblica, Treia
photo credit: e. ciaralli

 Treia is also an ideal place from which to explore other towns in Italy, with Perugia, Bologna, Florence, Assisi, Pescara, Siena and Rome all day-trip possibilities. Closer still are the university town of Macerata, just a 15 minute drive away and the Thermal Baths in Tolentino, just 18km (11 miles) to the south. I would recommend hiring a car for getting around this area as it is not served by railway and buses are infrequent, but this ensures its tranquillity.

The Best Places to Visit in Le Marche

Le Marche, Italy in one Region
“If one had to decide which Italian landscape was the most typical,you’d have to choose the Marche …with its range of landscapes, it is a distillation of Italy.”
Guido Piovene, Viaggio in Italia, 1957

The central region of Marche is a well guarded secret, but once you discover it you are completely captivated and mesmerized by its beauty, just as I am.

The region is bordered in the west by the Apennine mountain range with ski resorts and hiking trails. Between the Apennines and the Adriatic coast is a glorious hilly landscape with traditional farming of cereals, vineyards, olive groves and sunflowers. Every few kilometres you come across pretty hilltop villages, fields of gold, sparkling rivers and lakes, castles, fortresses and medieval walled towns. The 180km of Adriatic coastline is lined with a stretch of spectacular blue flag beaches. The region is full of history, art and culture with Romanesque and Renaissance churches, abbeys, monasteries and sanctuaries surrounded by sweet, gentle hills. Many of the greatest architects, artists and writers of the Renaissance period were from Le Marche - Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), Donato Bramante, Rossini, Giacomo Leopardi and Gentile da Fabriano.


Le Marche has many restaurants with excellent quality and value and boasts an exquisite wine collection including Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Rosso Conero.

My favourite food of Le Marche is Vincisgrassi (a type of lasagne made from veal, lamb and porcini mushrooms) and John's is Brodetto Marchigiano (a stew with up to 13 different types of seafood).

Vincisgrassi






Brodetto Marchigiano

For more about the cuisine of Le Marche see this web site: http://www.knowital.com/lemarche/

My Top 5 Places in Each Region of Le Marche
Le Marche is divided into five provinces. Here is a list of my favourite attractions in each province (of the ones I’ve seen to date, since first visiting in 1995) and there are so many more places that I haven't seen yet! Of course this list is highly subjective – so please let me know which attractions I have left out and the ones that you would recommend...

Urbino - Palazzo Ducale
Photo credit: Dean Ayres

Province of Pesaro & Urbino -
1. Gradara: A medieval fortress, which was the setting for Dante’s Inferno.
2. Urbino & nearby Urbania: A Renaissance jewel, the birthplace of Raphael.
3. Pesaro: The birthplace of Rossini, which hosts an Annual Opera Festival.
4. San Leo: This spectacular ancient town on a rocky outcrop is a landmark for miles around.
5. Fano: City of Art, beautiful piazza, modern chic shops, and a huge marina.
********************************************

Monte Conero Coast - Ancona Province
(Le Due Sorelle - Sirolo)
photo credit: Marck Wells

Province of Ancona –
1. Genga: The Frassasi Caves
2. Loreto (and nearby Porto Recanati): Important place of pilgrimage for the Virgin Mary.
3. Jesi: The hills surrounding Jesi produce the well known Verdicchio and some excellent red wines such as Rosso Conero and Lacrima di Morro d’Alba are also produced in the area. Jesi is the birthplace of Federico II and has four palaces.
4. Monte Conero Coast & National Park and nearby Sirolo: magnificent coastline and splendid bays.
5. Fabriano: Famous the world over for its production of the finest art and writing papers.
********************************************

Sferisterio di Macerata

Province of Macerata –
1. Macerata: It is a truly magical experience to attend the opera on a warm summer's night  in the 4,500 seat Sferisterio arena with candles flickering in the darkness and stars twinkling overhead.
2. Treia: Known for hosting an unusual Renaissance ball game and a fantastic cooking festival in mid-May.
3. Recanati: Birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi.
4. Cingoli: Hill-town surrounded by forests, with a sweeping panorama to the Adriatic.
5. Appignano di Macerata: Surrounded by amazing scenery and known for its furniture and pottery.
*******************************************

Torre di Palme - Fermo
Photo credit: Giuseppe Desideri

Province of Fermo – (new province since 2009)
1. Moresco: You can find many castles and churches with frescoes here.
2. Fermo: Town with many historic attractions including the memorable Palazzo Romani Adami.
3. Torre di Palme: A visit to the romantic Il Galeone Osteria is a must.
4. Porto San Giorgio: An ancient fishing port.
5. Porto Sant’Elpidio: Beautiful coastal town.
*********************************************

Grottamare - Ascoli province

Province of Ascoli –

1. Ascoli Piceno: Perhaps the most elegant town in Le Marche. Interesting food and architectural gems can be found in this relatively undiscovered medieval town.

2. Grottamare: Exotic beach with golden sands and pine trees.

3. Cupra Marittima: Picturesque seaside resort with a unique shell museum.

4. Sibillini National Park: Winter sports and ancient mountain passes.

5. San Benedetto del Tronto: The second most important fishing port in Italy. It is one of the main seaside resorts 'Riviera della Pale' on the central Adriatic coast and has a long beach of fine white sand and shallow water.

Map of Le Marche with clickable places to visit courtesy of the Le Marche Tourist Dept can be seen here:

http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/maps.htm

Have you been to Le Marche? What do you think are must-see places there?

Moreno Moretti organizes exciting activity holidays in Le Marche: truffle hunting, vespa and classic car tours, hiking in the Sibillini Mountains, visiting wine cellars, taking cooking classes, quad biking etc. For more details have a look at his great website:

 Le Marche Holiday!

Mid-August Lunch in Capestrano

Italians have perfected the art of eating al fresco. I think that food eaten outdoors always tastes so much better. Our friends have relatives who live on a farm in Capestrano in the fertile valley of the Tirino River (about 30k west of Chieti)  and we had a most memorable lunch there to celebrate Ferragosto. This post demonstates the generous hospitality of the people of Capestrano. Here’s how it went:

A small three-wheeled vehicle known as an Ape (pronounced ah-pay), along with a tractor and trailer provided transportation from the farmhouse for the food, water, wine, extra chairs, (lovely) tablecloths…and the children! They chose a perfect spot for the lunch under the shade of a large old olive tree, surrounded by the majestic Gran Sasso mountains, the crops and the vineyard. The trailer was used as an extension to the main table as there were 18 of us. We helped set the table and lit citronella candles to keep the flying bugs away.Ubaldo is a small farmer and also tends a vineyard where he produces enough wine for everyday use for his family and friends. One of the wines for the lunch was a crisp, white Trebbiano that went well with the starters. The other was a robust red Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that complimented the meat dish perfectly. Everything we ate was either grown on the farm or homemade (apart from the rice salad that our friends brought along). The people of Abruzzo have ancient food traditions; their dishes are simple and characterized by genuine foods, rich in taste and aroma.

For the antipasto we had grilled sweet corn on the cob. (You can see the cornfields in the background.) The primo consisted of the rice salad, with bruschetta drenched in homemade olive oil alongside grilled red peppers. The home-grown tomatoes were so flavorsome.This was followed by a traditional Abruzzo meat dish called ‘arrosticini’ for the secondo. It is probably one of the simplest and tastiest examples of Italian-style grilled pieces of lamb on skewers. You eat it in your hands and use your teeth to slide the meat off the skewer piece by piece. A special long narrow grill called a ‘fornacella’ was used to cook the lamb. It is a local invention that can only be found in Abruzzo. (Arrosticini can also be cooked on a regular charcoal grill.)To cleanse our palates after the meat we had a delicious slice of chilled watermelon. The dolce consisted of traditional Abruzzo type waffles called Pizzelle. They have a flower design instead of a squared pattern and have the excellent light taste of a crispy vanilla flavored biscuit. Two of them were sandwiched together with Nutella and they were relished by both children and adults alike. To me, one of the nicest things about long warm summer days is being able to enjoy good food, good wine and good company - all'aperto - in the open air!

My other post about Capestrano: The town of Capestrano

Update:
After writing this blog post I discovered an Italian movie about the same subject and I just had to see it; but what a very different pranzo it was! If you like Italian comedies you will love this one. It was absolutely delightful!


*******************************************

Pranzo di Ferragosto in Abruzzo
Gli italiani hanno perfezionato l’arte di mangiare al fresco. Penso che quando il cibo e' mangiato all’aperto il gusto è sempre migliore. I nostri amici hanno dei parenti che abitano in una fattoria a Capestrano nella valle del fiume Tirino (circa 30k a ovest di Chieti)e abbiamo avuto lì un pranzo di ferragosto indimenticabile. Ecco com’è andata…

Un piccolo veicolo a tre ruote chiamata un Ape ed un trattore con rimorchio, trasportavano dalla casa colonica il cibo, l’acqua, il vino, le sedie, le (bellissime) tovaglie...ed i bambini! Avevano scelto un bel posto sotto l’ombra di un vecchio albero d’ulivo per il pranzo, circondato del maestoso Gran Sasso, i raccolti dei campi ed il vigneto. Il rimorchio era usato come una seconda tavola, perchè eravamo in 18. Aiutavamo ad apparecchiare la tavola ed accendevamo le candele di citronella come insettifugo.
Ubaldo è un piccolo agricoltore che gestisce anche un vigneto dove produce abbastanza vino per l’uso quotidiano della sua famiglia ed i suoi amici. Uno dei vini per il pranzo era un Trebbiano, frizzante e bianco che andava bene con l’antipasto. L’altro vino era un rosso e robusto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo che si completava con la carne perfettamente. Tutto ciò che mangiavamo, proveniva dalla sua fattoria o era fatto a mano (a parte l’insalata di riso che i nostri amici ci portavano). Le montagne abruzzese hanno una gastronomia tanto antica, quanto semplice, caratterizzata da alimentari genuine e piatti ricchi di sapori e profumi.

Per l’antipasto avevamo le pannocchie di mais alla griglia. (Si puo' vedere i campi di grano sullo sfondo.) Il primo era composto dall’insalata di riso con bruschetta inzuppava con l’olio di oliva fatto in casa, e con i pepperoni rossi grigliati. I pomodori locali avevano un gusto meraviglioso. Per il secondo mangiavamo gli ‘arrosticini’; essi sono degli spiedini di carne d’agnello, tipici della cucina tradizionale abruzzese. La preparazione consiste in carne ovina tagliata a tocchetti ed infilata in spiedini, la cui cottura avviene su un braciere dalla caratteristica forma allungata definito ‘fornacella’. Si mangia con le mani e si usano i denti per togliere la carne dallo spiedino. (Si possono arrostire gli arrosticini anche sul barbeque).
(La foto sopra e' da Wikipedia)

Per pulire i palati dopo la carne, mangiavamo una fetta d’anguria servita fresca. Come dolce c’erano le pizzelle, leggeri e croccanti biscotti d’Abruzzzo. Sono ottime dal gusto molto delicato. C’è un disegno di fiori all’esterno. Avevamo due biscotti inseriva con Nutella e li apprezzavano sia i bambini sia gli adulti.

Secondo me, una delle cose più belle dei giorni lunghi e caldi d’estate è di poter godere del buon cibo, del buon vino e della gioia di essere in buona compagnia -- all'aperto!

Abruzzo Style Macaroni/Maccheroni alla Chitarra

On our first morning in Chieti we had a selection of fresh pastries from the bakery with a caffè latte for breakfast. They certainly know how to start their day sweetly in Italy...


Immediately afterwards, Lina began to prepare a traditional Italian meal for the lunch; it is called Maccheroni alla Chitarra. It's the most famous recipe of the Abruzzo region. It is a pasta, naturally made at home, that is made using a tool, or rather an ‘instrument’: the guitar. It's a rectangular beech wood frame, made by craftsmen who stretch thin steel wires the length of the frame at a distance of one millimeter from the other. This instrument has been used for centuries and is still very much in use today. It looks a bit like a guitar and makes a sound too.


First she prepared a sauce with beef, pork and a piece of lamb, olive oil, onion and fresh tomatoes. She simmered this sauce for three hours! (This is the reason that she started cooking at ten o’clock in the morning). Meanwhile she made the dough with eggs, flour and salt, kneaded for a long time, then put it to rest for a few hours in a covered bowl away from drafts.

When the time was right she rolled out the dough; then cut it in slices the same length as the guitar. It was fascinating for me to watch how she made it. She put the rolling pin on the pasta and then pressed the pasta through the steel wires. It looked like strips of spaghetti, except that they edges were square instead of rounded.

I found this video on YouTube which demonstrates the use of the chitarra:

Lina is a really good cook! She cooked the pasta in abundant salted water at a boil. Then she drained it, dressed it with the sauce, added grated pecorino and hot chili powder. Delicious!


The wine to serve with this dish? Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC of course…
*********************************************
Il nostro primo giorno a Chieti per la colazione abbiamo avuto una scelta di pasticcini della paneteria con un caffè latte. Certemente sanno come incominciare dolcemente la giornata in Italia.

Immediatemente dopo, Lina ha incominciato la preparazione d’una ricetta tradizionale d’Abruzzo per il pranzo; si chiama Maccheroni alla Chitarra. È la ricetta più famosa della cucina d'Abruzzo. È una pastasciutta, naturalmente fatta in casa, che si prepara con un arnese, anzi uno "strumento": la chitarra.

Il nome deriva dal fatto che è un telaio rettangolare di legno di faggio, forgiato da artigiani che vi tendono, alla distanza di un millimetro l'uno dall'altro dei sottilissimi fili d'acciaio. Questo strumento è stato usato da secoli ed è ancora usato oggi. Assomiglia un po’ come una chittara che suona.

Prima, ha preparato il sugo con carne di vitello, maiale ed un pezzetto d’agnello, olio d’oliva, cipolla e salsa di pomodoro fresco. Ha cotto il sugo a fuoco lento per tre ore! (È la ragione che ha incominciato a cucinare alle dieci del mattino). Nel frattempo ha fatto l’impasto d’uova, farina e sale, lavorato lungamente, poi messo a riposare per un paio di ore in una recipiente coperto in luogo riparato dall’aria.

Al momento opportune ha steso l’impasto ottenuto in sottili sfoglie da tagliare a strisce larghe secondo la larghezza della chitarra. Era affascinante guardare. Ha appogiato il mattarello sulla pasta che, in seguito a pressione ha tagliato le strisce con i fili d’acciaio.

Lina è una bravissima cuoca! I maccheroni si sono cotto in abbondantissima acqua salata ed in forte ebollizione; scolati e conditi con il sugo, aggiunto formaggio percorino grattuggiato e peperoncino piccante fresco in polvere. Buonissima!

Il vino da servire con questo pasto? Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC naturalmente…