Where to eat in Sulmona?
Nov 4th, 2018, 03:06 AM
#42
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Home now..the new suitcase actually made it through with all 4 wheels but really, what a piece of junk for 100-plus Euro. Happy to report olive oil cans are undented and pastas looks unsmashed. Even bought 250 grams of already roasted artichokes from local market to use in frittata or pasta this week. And some cheese. And a long strand of Sulmona red garlic.
Nov 4th, 2018, 08:39 AM
#44
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Grazie mille for all your help!
About the garlic: I bought a long, braided strand of it. No vendors would sell individual pieces in the market, nor in the stores I visited in Sulmona. In the stores the braids are just hung up on a hook, but it will take me a couple of months to use it all.
Should I hang it in a closet, or put it inside a ventilated ceramic "garlic container" in my cabinet?
About the garlic: I bought a long, braided strand of it. No vendors would sell individual pieces in the market, nor in the stores I visited in Sulmona. In the stores the braids are just hung up on a hook, but it will take me a couple of months to use it all.
Should I hang it in a closet, or put it inside a ventilated ceramic "garlic container" in my cabinet?
Nov 4th, 2018, 12:31 PM
#45
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I would hang it in a dry place with lots of air, but I know I couldn't use all that garlic before it either gets moldy (if the air is too damp) or dried out. I don't know why they wouldn't sell you a single garlic. I buy all the time from stores that have braids of garlic, and they pull one off and sell it to me. I think they took advantage of you.
I'm also surprised you could bring that into the US. I thought all plant material was forbidden.
I'm also surprised you could bring that into the US. I thought all plant material was forbidden.
Nov 4th, 2018, 07:45 PM
#46
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Rules on garlic are not clear, but these would be considered dried so they seem to be ok. Aged cheese is ok, not meat.
All stores do selll single heads, but in Sulmona with this DOP red garlic it seemed as if no one would bread the long strand, woven very nicely.
Certainly in Testaccio market in Rome you could buy a single head but it was not the same garlic. Whether or not this fancy garlic will be any different than normal garlic remains to be seen. Some how I doubt if I will be able to discern a difference.
In US now, many supdrmarket sell garlic from China which I do not buy.
Carrefour near Sulmona had excellent supply of pasta at good prices.
All stores do selll single heads, but in Sulmona with this DOP red garlic it seemed as if no one would bread the long strand, woven very nicely.
Certainly in Testaccio market in Rome you could buy a single head but it was not the same garlic. Whether or not this fancy garlic will be any different than normal garlic remains to be seen. Some how I doubt if I will be able to discern a difference.
In US now, many supdrmarket sell garlic from China which I do not buy.
Carrefour near Sulmona had excellent supply of pasta at good prices.
Dec 25th, 2019, 01:30 AM
#47
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The forecast for Calascio for the next few days is for mostly sunny mornings with chances of thunderstorms in the afternoons. Thursday may have rain off and on all day. Sulmona is much the same. Pescara has a more promising forecast, but always with the chance of showers.
Have you visited Castel del Monte? That would be something you could enjoy even in the rain . It's very near Calascio, and one of the most beautiful medieval constructions I've seen. It was constructed in the 13th century to a design of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, a real Renaissance man before the Renaissance. It's an octagonal castle (maybe intended as a hunting lodge), with eight octagonal towers and many other features of mystic symbology. I've been there twice, and would make a detour to see it again whenever passing through Abruzzo.
In Italy, you can find superb olive oil without seeking out distant mills that cater to tourists. What you want is cold-pressed oil, particularly that pressed with millstones. I'm sure someone in Calascio can recommend a frantoio nearby that meets these conditions. If not, there's one near Sulmona that has that kind of oil, pressed from hand-picked olives.
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This year's olive harvest is about a month away (or maybe less in Abruzzo). Any oil you buy now will be from olives harvested in 2017. Oil keeps well for a year if stored in a cool dark place, or in dark glass bottles or stainless steel canisters. We buy our oil annually just after the harvest and store it in our cantina. In a frantoio you can usually choose filtered or unfiltered oil. The unfiltered oil is cloudy, and has a residue in the bottle. I tried it one year, but didn't see much difference, and went back to the filtered.
Have you visited Castel del Monte? That would be something you could enjoy even in the rain . It's very near Calascio, and one of the most beautiful medieval constructions I've seen. It was constructed in the 13th century to a design of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, a real Renaissance man before the Renaissance. It's an octagonal castle (maybe intended as a hunting lodge), with eight octagonal towers and many other features of mystic symbology. I've been there twice, and would make a detour to see it again whenever passing through Abruzzo.
In Italy, you can find superb olive oil without seeking out distant mills that cater to tourists. What you want is cold-pressed oil, particularly that pressed with millstones. I'm sure someone in Calascio can recommend a frantoio nearby that meets these conditions. If not, there's one near Sulmona that has that kind of oil, pressed from hand-picked olives.
Welcome yehudabortz.com - BlueHost.com
This year's olive harvest is about a month away (or maybe less in Abruzzo). Any oil you buy now will be from olives harvested in 2017. Oil keeps well for a year if stored in a cool dark place, or in dark glass bottles or stainless steel canisters. We buy our oil annually just after the harvest and store it in our cantina. In a frantoio you can usually choose filtered or unfiltered oil. The unfiltered oil is cloudy, and has a residue in the bottle. I tried it one year, but didn't see much difference, and went back to the filtered.
Dec 26th, 2019, 08:20 AM
#48
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You're right!
Hello. There is some confusion on Castel del Monte. The description you used about the octagonal medieval structure that could have been used as a hunting lodge is ascribed to the Castel del Monte in Puglia (or Basilicata). The one near Calascio does not appear to fit that description. From Polignare a Mare, we could take a brief detour to the Southern Castel del Monte en route to Vasto. (I decided to take the opportunity to eat lunch at one of the many trobocchi north of Vasto en route to Castel di Sangro.) From Castel di Sangro the next day, we head to Sulmona (possibly taking the longer route via Scanno) before heading to L'Aquila. So depending on your response, we are poised to do whichever one is the one you said you'd go out of your way again and again to see. Thanks!
Dec 27th, 2019, 12:11 AM
#49
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Hello. I am not there at the moment. I'm in the planning stages for next September. The poster bvlenci has advised me before on places to visit when I drove around the Marche region, so I was surprised about the discrepancy. Based on the itinerary I'm working with now, I can probably, as stated earlier, do the Puglia one as a detour on the way to Vasto from Polignare a Mare, or, as originally planned stop by there on the way from Sulmona to L'Aquila. Obviously, you did a little look yourself - does the one down south seem like a worthwhile detour?
Dec 27th, 2019, 02:56 AM
#50
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I was definitely talking about Castel del Monte in Puglia. I'm sorry if I responded to a post about Abruzzo without checking which region we were talking about. Castel del Monte in Puglia is definitely worth a detour.
Dec 28th, 2019, 01:26 AM
#51
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Hello! Thank you! I'm glad it's all cleared up. It appears that from Polignare a Mare, it would take about 1.5 hours to get to Castel del Monte in Andria. If we leave reasonably early, would we be able to do this and still get to Vasto by midday or 13.00? I'm very keen on lunch on a trabocco!
Jan 30th, 2020, 11:47 AM
#52
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Ciao. We would like to visit Castel del Monte in Puglia on the way to Vasto from Polignare a Mare. I thought going via Andria on the autostrada would be the fastest route, or would you recommend the Strada Provinciale 234? We won't be making it a leisurely drive as we want to get to the Abruzzo Coast for lunch. Thank you.
