Greetings from l’Aquila the capital city of the Abruzzo

Region

It is situated near the banks of the Aterno river at 721m on the sea level. It is said that 99 barons decided to found the town in the XIII century and even today we have a very important monument the fountain of the 99 spouts which reminds the event.

The fountain of the 99 spouts

Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio

It was built in 1288 because Pietro del Morrone wanted it. It is the seat of an annual jubilee which is unique.

It is an enormous castle with a ditch around. There are fiur bastions on the corners of the castle

Basilica di San Bernardino

It contains the relics of the Saint. It has a wonderful Renaissance façade

Chiesa di santa Maria del Suffragio

It is a baroque church. It is famous for the dome made by Valadier

The Province of L’Aquila is rich of products which are naturally gluten-free.Here are some examples:

saffron from Navelli

chick peas beans

lentils

And these are the villages situated in the outskirts of l’Aquila where these produces are grown

It is a little village, it counts only 120 inhabitants, but it is part of the Best Villages of Italy: for this reason a lot of tourists visit it all around the year.

Famous are the lentils produced here.

Santo Stefano di Sessanio

a view of Navelli, in the province of l’Aquila, Famous for the production of saffron and chick peas. There is also a local festival where a lot of dishes are prepared with chick peas and saffron

It is not very far from l’Aquila, it is situared in the territory near the Gran Sasso d’Italia, the highest mountain of the Apennines.

The quality of the beans produced here is very high and it is appreciated in many parts of ItalyThe Parish Church of

Paganica and the market

An important ski resort near Monte Magnola where people fond of skiing go in winter.

It is famous for the typical cheese produced by farmers of these mountains. A view of Ovindoli

In the mountains in the province of l’Aquila there are lots of green fields where sheep and cows graze

This is a typical sheep’s milk cheese made in Castel Del Monte. It is called Canestrato di Castel del Monte because of the scratched crust obtained from a basket used by farmers living thereCanestrato di Castel

del Monte

Typical cheese made with cows milk and produced in the province of l’Aquila

• Mozzarella chhesemmmmmmmmmmmozzarella cheese

• Mozzarella cheese

• Scamorza passita cheese

mozzarella is a typical fresh cheese made with

cow milk

Scamorza passita is a kind of mozzarella but seasoned

Here are some recipes which are made with natural gluten-free products of our territory

This is a soup made of beans, which is very popular with our farmers. It is very spicy because it contains a lot of aromatic herbs

Saffron flavored risotto

Beans soup

Soup with lentils and potatoes.

A typical recipe of the lentils festival held in S.Stefano di Sessanio in September

Typical Italian dish made with corn flour. It is usually seasoned with a sausage ragout. It is served on a pastry board from which people eat their own portion

Lentils and potatoes

Corn “polenta”

Typical chese from the Gran Sasso Natural Park:Ricotta cheese seasoned with honey of the Park and chopped toasted almonds

Seasoned sheep cheese served with a reduction of blackberry syrup and orange marmalade

Lamb in casserole seasoned with a sauce made of sheep cheese, eggs, some drops of lemon and parsley.

Lentils soup served with gluten-free croutons

Lamb sesoned with sheep cheese and eggs

6 April 2009

..Dopo il sisma avvenuto nella nostra città, per noi ragazzi aquilani sono cambiati molti punti di

riferimento, ma soprattutto, il nostro modo di vivere quotidianamente. E’ stato un evento difficile da vivere e da superare, ma a voi vi vorremmo far rivivere L’Aquila com’era un

tempo, nella speranza di trasmettervi ciò che era per noi..

..After the terrible earthquake which struck our town on 6 April 2009, for us kids from l’Aquila all our reference points have changed and most of all, our way of living has changed. It was an awful experience to live and to go farther.With

these few images, we would like to show you just as L’Aquila was before 6 April 2009 as it was

once, in the hope to transmit what our town was for us...

The meeting place during our walks.(Il punto di ritrovo durante le nostre passeggiate)

I PORTICI

On the left, we have a photo of Palazzo square.

This is the Spanish Castle. Near, there are benches where we spent

the hours to gossip/talk.