Hostaria dell'Arco Sulmona

In the heart of beautiful Sulmona, this homey restaurant is a locals' favorite. Be sure to take advantage of the antipasto buffet, which presents a variety of delectable dishes, many of them utilizing locally-grown vegetables, and which highlights the Abruzzo skill of taking simple ingredients and creating incredibly flavorful things from them. Pastas are made in-house and change daily (menu is recited course by course), but if they have the potato gnocchi, be sure to taste them as they are very light and tender. Pappardelle with rabbit sauce is another specialty. Grilled meats, especially lamb that graze in the hills around Sulmona, are worth tasting. Everything is prepared fresh, even the tomato sauce they use is home-jarred, not store-bought stuff.