Picinisco is a small village in Lazio Region, central Italy. It is in the mountains of the Abruzzi National Park (which spans Regions Lazio, Molise and Abruzzi).
It is a place of great natural beauty, it feels unspoilt.
It is also a place with a quaint atmosphere to it. It enjoys a special relation with English as a second language for a community of expats who enjoy the serenity of it, or migrants who have come back to their motherland.
I visited it because I am passionate about cheeses, so I went straight to the Pacitti dairy. They make Conciato di San Vittore, Pecorino di Picinisco, Marzolina, just to name a few.
Their history relates to the writer Lawrence, who stayed in Picinisco and was inspired to write one of his novels, The Lost Girl, when there.
Lawrence met an Italian peasant in London, who was modelling for a sculptor, in the late 1910s. He was invited to go over to Picinisco, found the place lacking in comfort, but interesting nevertheless.
The peasant became the lover of the girl, in the novel. Fastforward 50 years and Mr. Pacitti, who needed a shelter for his flock of sheep, a little further down the mountain, bought the house where the writer had stayed.
Another 50 yeas went by, and lo and behold, now we have: the House of Lawrence restored, delicious cheeses, and a vibrant international community in Picinisco.
22 янв 2023
