Overview
Small ancient gems, dark as earth, soft as bread. We are talking to you about the arrosticini, an iconic delicacy of the region, which in recent years has taken off towards international markets and today is eaten in every part of Italy and Europe. Do you know when, where and by whom they were invented?
Come and discover it in Villa Celiera, in the province of Pescara, in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.
According to tradition, in this small village set on an elongated limestone cliff which, among large oak groves, dominates the upper valley of the Schiavone torrent, the delicious morsels of sheep meat were born between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (but the debate regarding the origin of the famous spiedini goes on because the neighbouring municipality, Civitella Casanova, also claims its primacy).
The creator of such a goodness was a local shepherd who, to prevent the less fresh sheep meat from hardening, cut it into cubes and inserted them into "ceppetti" (long sticks) to cook on the grill. Here is the simple story of "rustelle", the dialect term for arrosticini, which drive Romans and Milanese crazy.
And since you are in the area, waiting to taste the delight of pastoral origin, admire the remains of the Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria Casanova founded in 1191 by Margherita, Countess of Loreto and Conversano. The monument, of which the remains of the defensive tower, the chapter house and the church can still be seen, was the most important Cistercian centre in Abruzzo and for many centuries one of the most prestigious abbeys in the region, which could host up to five hundred monks.
A manufacturing cell of great value that generated work, study, prayers, works of art, crops, food and medicines, providing employment to many communities in their possessions extending from the mountain of Villa Celiera to Lucera, in Puglia.
If you are in Villa Celiera in August, you can attend the festival which highlights the culinary traditions of the area, with a shower of unforgettable delicacies.
Besides the arrosticini, enjoy 'sagne e cicerchie', homemade pasta made with flour and water without eggs, cut by hand and boiled for a few minutes in salted water, then seasoned with a cream made from the ancient local legumes, today rediscovered and appreciated.
The pasta alla mugnaia, seasoned with a ragout made from beef, veal and pork, and the misticanza alla campagnola, with mixed vegetables such as borage, barberry and wild turnips, to which potatoes and beans are added, are also worth tasting.