‘Abruzzo’ is located two hours east from Rome and plays host to long stretches of sandy beaches, large areas of vineyards and hilly olive groves and rad ski slopes in the winter months. In the summer, these ski slopes melt into pastures for sheep and wild horses and offer welcome cool air away from the heat of the nearby towns. We took a trip there towards the end of our holiday in the Abruzzi region and discovered ‘Marcelleria Giuliani’.  This eatery welcomes visitors to the high plains of the ‘Gran Sasso National Park’, offering a place for cyclists or casual day trippers to stop off for lunch, or more accurately, a DIY BBQ.

The women who run the marcelleria (butchers in Italian) sell meat, bread and cheese to visitors  and then provide rows of narrow, custom-made BBQ’s  to cook it on.  We chose some Italian sausages, generous on the salt, and a speciality of the region, ‘Arroisticini’, sexy kebabs made from small cubes of succulent lamb.  These kebabs welcome the BBQ, their sticks resting either end of the charcoal and only require a good 2 minutes on each side before turning. The Italians eat their arrosticini on bread with lots of olive oil and salt.  This relaxed method of mountain dining was incredible and allowed us to eat when we wanted and cook the meat for as long or short as we wanted. Washed down with a Peroni, what a way to enjoy the epic scenery!  Shame there wasnt a gellateria next door…