At the foot of Majella Madre in the heart of the National Park (in Guardiagrele, in the province of Chieti), set up to protect its various treasures, there’s a place that is more than a restaurant, for many a home. Among wonderful wild landscapes, magical places and stories of farmers and nomadic herders, and soldiers, wars and hermits who have found in silence in these mountains, Peppino and Angela own Villa Maiella. Both are  chefs but also guardians of Abruzzo knowledge, a history that began in the 60s when the restaurant with a Michelin star today was a simple wine shop. The two engage Abruzzo culinary authenticity: traditional recipes prepared according to the rules, product knowledge (especially for meat), a complete production cycle including smoking, and passing on traditional techniques, like the killing of the pig during Carnival. Peppino and Angela worked with the poor cuisine of Abruzzo giving it dignity.

Document by: Giovanni Angelucci, MedEatResearch-Centro di Ricerche Sociali sulla Dieta Mediterranea, diretto da Marino Niola,
Interview by: Giovanni Angelucci
Video by: Giovanni Angelucci
Created: 04-01-2020
Peppino Tinari

Peppino Tinari

Year: 19/01/1961
City: Guardiagrele
School: High School
Profession: Chef
Languages: Italian

Video table of contents

00.33: Villa’s history
06.24: Villa’s table tradition
11.09: the new generation
13.26: tradition in modernity
15.33: the first recipe that was passed on
17.25: Abruzzo cuisine in France
18.04: Maiella’s worth
20.06: Villa’s farm
22.28: Carnival and the pig
23.40: Ritual killing of pig

Geographic information

Country: IT
Region: Abruzzo
City: Guardiagrele
District: Chieti