Abruzzo is a rugged region east of the Italian capital, which has for centuries been known as Rome’s larder. And, as we head towards September, the next few weeks make a great time to raid it. It’s soon the start of the olive picking season and the last summer tomatoes hang heavy on the vines.

The scraggy, sunbathed slopes are surprisingly fertile, and are ripe with Abruzzese culinary traditions – perfect for a foodie weekend. I stayed at Fireflies and Figs, a small retreat in the Maiella mountains, an hour inland from Pescara airport. Hosts Fern Green, a food writer and stylist, and her husband Jono, worked as private caterers in Corfu, Fez and Spain before settling on this steep slope five years ago.