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

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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! "

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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

Lake Scanno

One glorious morning in August our friend Gianluigi drove us to beautiful Lake Scanno (Lago di Scanno) for the day. The journey from Sulmona to Scanno on the rocky mountainous road through the Sagittario Gorge was really spectacular but I was glad to be a passenger and not a driver with roads that looked like this!

He had to negotiate this narrow serpentine route with its blind hairpin bends, while we admired the magnificent panorama. Passing through this area the scenery was truly breathtaking. At a height of 1,300m above sea level in the village of Frattura, the road opened out and we had our first glimpse of the splendid lake. From this vantage point you can see the whole of the gorgeous heart shaped lake.

Lake Scanno is in the province of L’Aquila and is the largest natural lake in Abruzzo. When you get closer to the shoreline, the color of the water is quite striking – it takes on a turquoise, almost emerald green hue. Lago di Scanno has been awarded Blue Flag status for several years and this is evident in the clean, crystal clear waters.

When we stepped out of the car we took in the thin, fresh mountain air. This enchanting place is beneficial for body, mind and spirit; the idyllic area amazes and inspires you to dream and relax. Lake Scanno itself is located at an altitude of 922m above sea level between Montanga Grande and Monte Genzana, so the temperature is very pleasant in the summer. The surrounding towns of Scanno and Villalago are situated in a wooded area of Montagna Grande.

Half of the lake is protected by the Abruzzo National Park and in the other half fishing (mostly of perch and trout) is controlled by the municipality of Villalago. There are plenty of ducks on the lake and other birdlife here is largely composed of peregrine falcons, hawks, owls and eagles. We admired some of them soaring impressively overhead.

The magical, sparking waters of the lake invite swimmers, rowers, canoeists and pedalo riders. We spent the afternoon exploring the lake in one of these pedalos.

We took turns pedalling and it was a really fun way to spend a few hours and work up an appetite for our picnic. There are also several nice restaurants in this tranquil, romantic setting  - one of which is Trattoria sul Lago.
http://www.hotelscanno.it/Details/Trattoria-Sul-Lago.html

A lovely promenade and cycle track (5.4km along the ring road) surrounds the lake and you can also rent out four-wheeled bicycles like these ones.

You can also hire horses and go riding in the surrounding mountains. In winter this is a lovely skiing area. Lago di Scanno is a wonderful, magical place that has left a lasting impression on me. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend that you include it in your itinerary. It is the most popular lake in the tourist region of Abruzzo!

You can read the story behind this charming church at the edge of the lake here:
The Little Church of Miracles - Lake Scanno

Picture of heart shaped lake courtesy of http://www.tassidocodaresort.com/

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!


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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!

The Siesta

The Siesta
Van Gogh 1890

After enjoying a delicious lunch of several courses it was ‘siesta time’. Everyone retired to their rooms for a daytime nap - also called il riposo or un pisolino. Everything closes down here in Abruzzo between one and three o’clock, so taking a siesta seems the perfect thing to do; especially in the heat of an August afternoon.


In the semi-darkness of a green shuttered room, with my eyes closed I would hear the chirping of the cicadas outside, the peal of the nearby church bells (every quarter hour) and the occasional scooter passing by. The scent of jasmine wafting in from the balcony would help me to drift off ...

I know that it is not the same all over Italy, but here they do take their afternoon nap very seriously. Businesses sacrifice the possibility of making more money for the tranquility of having a nice home-cooked meal with family and a chance to lie down afterwards. It was easy to adjust to the slow pace of life here. In our fast-paced world, quality of life often comes second to career; I believe these people have got the balance right.

In fact, there have been a whole host of studies showing that daytime napping improves brain power. If your schedule is filled with different activities which require learning 'how' to do things, it is worth making the time for that siesta. If nothing else, it makes for a smart sounding excuse when you’re feeling tired: "I have to go lie down and consolidate some memories, improve my long-term cognitive functioning and better my task performance!"
Buon riposo!
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Dopo un pranzo delizioso di parecchie portate, era tempo per fare un pisolino. Tutto è chiuso qui in Abruzzo fra l’una e le tre del pomeriggio, quindi fare una siesta è perfetto; soprattutto durante un pomeriggio caldo d’agosto.

Nel semibuio d’una camera con le persiane verde, con gli occhi chiusi, ascoltavo i rumori delle cicale fuori, lo scampanio regolare delle campane (ogni quarto d’ora) ed i scooter. Il profumo di gelsomino penetrava dal balcone.


So che non è lo stesso in tutt’Italia, ma qui, loro fanno un riposino pomeridiano ogni giorno. Gli affari sacrificano la possibilità di guadagnare più soldi per avere un pasto buono fatto a casa e l’opportunità di sdraiarsi un po’.

Credo che questa gente ha trovato l’equilibrio giusto.
Buon Riposo!