In Abruzzo, the mountains drop steeply and dramatically to the sea, with only about 30 miles separating the highest peaks of the Apennines from the sandy beaches of the Adriatic. While the region's coastal areas enjoy a mild climate, the mountainous inland area is snow-covered much of the winter and brutally hot in the summer. Not surprisingly, the sharp geographical contrast commands two distinct cuisines: coastal and mountain. Although both are southern in style, coastal cuisine consists mostly of fish; mountain cuisine of pork, lamb, and kid. Porchetta (suckling pig) is a specialty in the mountainous areas of Abruzzo, as is prosciutto d'Aquila, which is similar to the Spanish jamon serrano.

On the coast, the mild climate and rich soil supports a wide range of agriculture, including potatoes, wheat and corn, olives, grapes, oregano, and saffron. Although many consider Abruzzo's saffron--harvested near the capital of the region, Aquila--to be the best in the world, the spice is conspicuously absent in the area's cuisine. Rather, it's diavolicchio (chili pepper) that's used here with reckless abandon. Regarded as a healthy spice guaranteed to cure what ails you, no Abruzzo dish is complete without it.

As is characteristic of southern Italian cuisine, pasta is a mainstay here. Abruzzo's culinary contribution to pasta was the invention of the chitarra, a guitar-like device made of wood and wire that makes thick, square-cut pasta. Because of the area's fine wheat and pure water, some of Italy's best commercial pasta is made in Abruzzo. Pecorino cheese is another of the region's favorite foods, as is the buffalo milk cheese spiced with chili pepper known as caciocavallo. The gutsy Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (made from the Montepulciano grape) is one of Abruzzo's most popular export wines, and it's a great value.

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