FOLLOW THE SCENT

Nose your way through the hills on this unforgettable trip to northern Abruzzo. You will live a truly local gastronomic experience as you join a farmer on a truffle hunt and later sit down to a mouth-watering truffle-based meal.

Truffles are one of the world’s most expensive, sought-after delicacies. They are the fruiting bodies of subterranean fungi that rely on a symbiotic relationship with trees. Nature has chosen to bestow these rare gifts, harvested since ancient times by the Romans, in particular abundance on the unspoiled green hills of Abruzzo. Indeed, you may not know that over 40% of Italy’s truffles comes from this region. A favourable climate, dense vegetation and fertile soil rich in mineral salts, all contribute to the growth of prime quality truffles.

Your chauffeur will meet you at your accommodation and drive you to the starting point of this activity. Here, accompanied by your private guide and an experienced truffle seeker, you will set off to enjoy an exhilarating truffle hunt. Your leader on this trail will actually be a dog, as he follows the precious scent through the trees of the tartufaia digging out aromatic treasures. With guidance from your truffle seeker, you will identify different plant species, understand the ideal habitat for truffle growth and discover how dogs are trained to detect these woodland treats.

A delicious lunch washed down with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine will be served at a restaurant in the charming town of Campli. Tasty highlights might include cheese, egg on prosciutto, tagliatelle pasta with porcini mushrooms, all seasoned with a sprinkle of freshly hunted truffles… Buon appetito!

After lunch set off for Civitella del Tronto, a quaint hilltop town dominated by a mighty fortress and framed in the background by majestic mountain peaks. The stronghold rests strategically on a rocky spur, six hundred metres above sea level, along what was once the border between the Kingdom of Naples and the Papal State. Built during the Spanish domination, between 1564 and 1576, probably over a pre-existing medieval structure, this masterpiece of military engineering extends for some 25,000 square metres, thus making it the largest fortress in Italy. Its fame is linked to a momentous surrender: this was the last Bourbon outpost to fall to the Piedmontese army of King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1861, clearing the way for Italy’s unification. A visit allows guests to explore the soldiers’ lodgings, parade grounds, cisterns, remains of the Governor’s palace and the Church of Saint James. The fortress also houses a small museum displaying old maps and historical weaponry, including 15th century matchlock muskets, flintlock handguns and a cannon from the Napoleonic period. But the highlight is undoubtedly the sweeping panorama to be admired from this privileged viewpoint of the surrounding mountains and valleys, as well as of the pretty town below and out over to the Adriatic Sea.

Before returning to your accommodation, don’t miss a stroll around the terraced town of Civitella del Tronto, with its stone buildings and churches clinging neatly in rows onto the slopes. Within its network of cobbled alleys, you will certainly spot the Ruetta, the narrowest official street in Italy.