This could possibly be my favorite thing about Italy: No matter where you go or what time it is, you can always find something new and intriguing here in il bel paese.

I’ve been living and breathing Italy for three years now, and this little fact never ceases to amaze me. Here’s this week’s example:

Last week I drove from Rome to L’Aquila, one of my favorite Italian cities. L’Aquila is the capoluogo of the absolutely breathtaking region of Abruzzo. (Are you Abruzzese? If so, lucky you!)

I parked my car in Piazza Duomo, the main square in L’Aquila, and decided to stop to get a quick bite at a food vendor – one of the many types of merchants who set up shop in the Piazza Duomo mercato every morning.

Walking up to a “panino-shop-on-wheels” – the Italian version of fast food – I started to order a simple sandwich for a quick pranzetto; but then I saw this sign – Pizza con [gli] Sfizzoli.

BINGO! Something new to me – I had to try it.

(Before I continue, I should say that this “panino-shop-on-wheels” was immaculate and contained an enormous rotisserie BBQ pit, an entire roasted pig for succulent porchetta as well as a complete offering of various delectable contorni.)

Is your mouth watering yet? Well get a napkin, because I’m about to continue!

I started a conversation with Silvio, one of the owners, who explained a little about this specialty to me. As it turns out, it’s typical of Southern/Central Italy and is formally a peasant dish, as many modern delicacies are. Pizza con gli sfizzoli is extremely rich, made using simple but heavy pizza dough and fat from leftover cooking (Nonna always said that you don’t waste anything!), and was meant to help battle the harsh Apennine winters of Central Italy.

This tasty, modern-day variation contained bits of porchetta; although I’m nostalgic, I felt it made a worthy substitute to old, leftover lard!

Pizza con gli sfizzoli, as it’s known in the regions of Abruzzo and Lazio, turns out to be known by a few different names throughout the rest of Central Italy as well.

In the regions of Marche and Umbria, it’s found in the form of the P.A.T. product crescia con i ciccioli (in dialect, crescia co’ li sgrisciuli). For those who may like to know, crescia is the tasty, focaccia-like bread you often find grilled when visiting Central Italy. Mmmmm!

In other parts of Italy you’ll find it simply as pizza con i ciccioli, pizza con i ciccoli or pizza con i grasselli. All of these simply mean “bread and fat,” but only in Italy can you find the same dish with 10 different names in a radius of 100 miles!

Long story short: If you see the “Rosticceria di Gianni” food stand in L’Aquila anytime soon, be sure to say hello to Gianni’s sons Davide and Silvio and order a slice of pizza con gli sfrizzoli! Then, do like I did – take a minute to soak up the enchanting, snowcapped mountains of the Gran Sasso National Park, stroll a few of the tiny vicoletti of L’Aquila, and enjoy everything else the wonderful region of Abruzzo has to offer!

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