How it works here This is not a region for food guides, and that is a good thing: people cook Abruzzese food because that is what they cook, not because it is on a tourist menu. Portions are serious, prices are those of an inland village, and the bill tends to surprise you in the right direction. One practical thing: call before you head out. They are normally open, but this is a village rather than a street of restaurants, and five minutes on the phone saves you a locked door. Within walking reach Ristorante Nonnamè, a kilometre and a half, three minutes. The closest, and the one we suggest to anyone who arrives tired and doesn't want to get back in the car. Pizzeria La Capistrellana, four minutes. For the evening you want to keep light, or when there are children and the argument ends in pizza anyway. Ristorante Tre Scalini, 1.8 km, and Ristorante La Villetta, two kilometres. Both four minutes away, both local cooking. Worth the drive Ristorante Bellavista, seven minutes, five kilometres: fish. In the middle of the mountains that sounds odd, which is exactly why people go. If you are staying more than two nights, give one of them to this, for the change of register. Ristorante Guerrinuccio, twenty-five minutes, twenty-eight kilometres. The only one you really take the car for, and it works when you have a day to fill rather than just an evening. What to look for on the menu Gnocchi and sagne, grilled meat, mountain cheeses. In autumn, mushrooms and the chestnuts of the Roveto valley, which is one of the chestnut areas of the region. If lamb is on the menu it is worth having: it is one of the dishes of Abruzzo tradition, and outside the region you rarely find it cooked this way. Breakfast and shopping The village has bars and a grocer for the basics. For a proper shop you drop down towards Avezzano, where there is everything. Both apartments have a full kitchen: plenty of guests have breakfast here and eat out in the evening, which is the most comfortable compromise.