A magical landscape of rocky mountains, forested valleys and stone villages, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of stories to be found in this little-known corner of Italy. Here are some of our favourite books about Abruzzo.
The Abruzzo Trilogy
by Ignazio Silone
The desolate mountains of Abruzzo during Mussolini’s reign are the backdrop for three of Silone’s greatest novels: Fontamara, Bread and Wine and The Seed Beneath the Snow. He tells the stories of poverty, natural disasters and the communities living in the mountains.
Suffer the Children
by Donato De Simone
Told from the perspective of a child during World War II, Donato De Simone recounts the events in Abruzzo in the 1940s. He tells the stories of his community hiding Jewish refugees, watching bombers being shot down and discovering that his own home had been destroyed, before creating a new life in the USA.
The Little Virtues
by Natalia Ginzburg
This collection of essays provides a vivid portrait of Italy in the 20th century. The essay Winter in the Abruzzi is about Ginzburg’s time spent in the Italian countryside, in political exile from Rome and enduring a long, cold winter.
The History of Molise and Abruzzo Italy
by Giuseppe Ferrone
Abruzzo’s dramatic history spans ancient times, the Middle Ages and the modern world. Ferrone tells the tales of real people from the region and the cultural legacy they left behind. Of particular importance is the personal story of his mother, who grew up in a Molise village during World War II, before moving across the world to Australia.
A Girl Returned
by Donatella Di Pietrantonio
This powerful novel is set against the stark, yet beautiful landscape of Abruzzo and tells the story of a young girl sent away from the only family she knows to live with her birth family. A worthy winner of Italy’s prestigious Campiello Prize.
Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy’s Pastoral Land
by Anna Teresa Callen
350 recipes will take you on journey through Callen’s life in Abruzzo, filled with fresh tastes from the land and sea. As well as regional specialities, you’ll find recipes delicious recipes from the author’s family, such as her grandmother’s Cardoon soup.
Also worth a mention is Through the Apennines and the Lands of the Abruzzi: Landscape and Peasant Life by Estella Canziani. Although not easy to get hold of, this is a truly beautiful collection of stories and illustrations from the early 20th century.
If our selection of books about Abruzzo has inspired you to come cycling and walking in the mountains with us, find out more about our journeys or enquire now.
