Who knows if Grandpa Mucciante ever imagined such success when, in the 1970s, he set up a small iron shack in the middle of nowhere to sell his products. Coming from Foggia, Abruzzo was the land of transhumance for him and many others, and the shack was just another opportunity to make a few extra bucks. Lamb, sheep, pecorino cheese, a bit of bulk wine: five square meters that over time became one hundred and twenty, turning that makeshift hut into one of the most sought-after gastronomic stops for meat lovers.
Ristoro Mucciante, the shop overlooking Gran Sasso
Ristoro Mucciante is a well-known name among bikers, who zigzag through the roads nestled between woods and ancient villages and can't miss a stop in the Piana di Campo Imperatore: precisely in the locality of Fonte Vetica, a corner of unspoiled nature in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. Speaking of Gran Sasso: the king of the Apennines stands right there, in all its pride, in front of the Mucciante family's mini-market. Initially a summer activity, then since the 1980s a fixed point also in autumn, "when my father took over, the family moved definitively, building warehouses and expanding everything." These are the words of Rodolfo Mucciante, the third generation in charge, along with his brothers Gianni and Roberto, who replaced their father Giulio and could always count on the support of their mother Maria Grazia, "a true pillar of the business".
Meat, cheeses, and products from Ristoro Mucciante
The tin shack has long since disappeared, today the refreshment point is open most of the year, "weather permitting," and it's a proper shop, in full mountain style. A mini-market where you can find homemade products, sheep meat and cold cuts "we have a flock of about 500 sheep" and then specialties from other niche companies, as close as possible to the area, such as pork from Paganiga, a hamlet of L'Aquila, or the cookies from the Santo Stefano di Sessanio bakery.
Among the flagship products, cheeses, from cacio marcetto to pecorino from Castel del Monte, "produced by a local dairy with our milk." But what attracts travelers from everywhere to this spectacular corner of Abruzzo nicknamed "the little Tibet" is the possibility to grill meat on the braziers made available to customers. The most traditional of Abruzzo meals, to be consumed at tables and benches in the open air, enjoying a unique landscape.
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