Pescara is right next to the sea. So, seafood dishes are plentiful and of high quality at pretty much every restaurant — from the exclusive eateries to the beachside cafés. Pescarese people are also keen on cooking their dishes with chilli or peperoncino, which, according to traditional belief, helps drive away evil spirits. One of Pescara’s specialties is 'Polpi in purgatorio', cuttlefish cooked in tomatoes, peppers and garlic.
For particularly cheap but tasty food, it’s worth heading to Pescara port, where many fishermen have converted their waterside huts (trabocchi) into very small restaurants, often seating as few as five people. Try the recommended regional dishes, Brodetto — a fish soup with mussels, fish, tomatoes and a hunk of bread.
Lamb kebabs, known as 'arrosticini', are another Pescarini favourite. They are cooked on coals and served with bread and oil. To help wash down all this fine dining, sampling some local red wine, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, is ideal.
