There is no need to convince Janine Crowley D’Angelo of the charm of old southern Italian towns.
Janine observed an understated beauty in a small town called Tocco da Casauria in Abruzzo and she promptly set up her second home there decades ago.
Janine’s own story is now completely embedded in events, and even the history of the town.
Like the town’s locals, she refers to her adopted picturesque town simply as “Tocco”.
She explains, “it is a bit of a paradox for a criminologist to be in a town where there is no crime”.
“It is extraordinary really, but it is where I am truly myself.”
Janine is a rare individual, she has an inimitable gioia di vita and is one of those people who leaves you with a smile – and something to think about.
From working-class Altona, to the Los Angeles advertising world, Pentridge Prison to Canada, Janine has filled her life with many adventures.
However, her “happy place” is walking the narrow, ancient laneways of the rather nondescript (by Italian standards) town of “Tocco”.
The town is stunning in its own way. It is nestled between the mountains of the Maiella and the Gran Sasso. Two imposing mountains which feature along the Apennine Mountain ridge that runs like a spine across most of Italy.
Tocco is characterised by elements of a traditional Abruzzese lifestyle which the locals (called i Toccolani) still enjoy. It has its ancient olive groves amongst which shepherds still wander with their flocks. Janine expliains that there is a contentment there, a deep attachment to history and respect for the land.
I call Tocco my spiritual home – there is something about that place... the mountains, people, fresh air, ways of being… it is like being back in the 1950s in some ways. There, life is all about community.
Janine grew up in Altona, considered then to be on the outskirts of Melbourne. She was born into a hard-working Australian family of Irish ancestry who found themselves increasingly surrounded by a very multicultural community.
Back then the area was a mixture of houses, paddocks, and roaming farm animals. She grew up without questioning the abundance of “strange fruit and vegetables of various kinds”.
The babble of languages around her seemed natural. This upbringing set the tone for Janine’s extraordinary life adventures – and her love affair with all things Italian.
Janine headed for a career in criminology and as a young woman she was selected as one of the first two female guards in 1979 to walk the corridors of Pentridge.
Life has taken several turns. She has lived and worked in the USA as a copy editor, sat with film producers all over the world, has worked in public relations and her love with the food and travel industry is an enduring thread in all her creative activities.
As a young mother in Italy, there was an opportunity to choose to live in the spectacular city of Milan, however Janine decided that Tocco was the place that truly nourished her soul. It was the place where she wanted to watch her young boys grow up, and they too, consequently, have a strong affinity with the town.
Janine describes Tocco da Casuaria as “magical … it’s half an hour from the sea, and half an hour from the mountains” and because it has avoided being on the tourist trail, it retains much of its history, traditions, sense of community and shared values.
Tocco da Casauria is a commune of the Province of Pescara. From a historical perspective, there is much that distinguishes the town and local area such as the remains from the Roman empire, the once powerful medieval Benedictine Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria and the Caracciolo Castle which housed many feudal lords.
This quiet little town of less than 3000 people gained recent global attention due to its success in harnessing natural wind power to service the whole town. Supposedly, this impressed Obama who noted this accomplishment as part of his explorations on renewable energy sources.
Otherwise, Tocco’s reputation is based on the locally produced alcoholic mixture called Centerba. This aromatic digestivo is made from the herbs found in the fields of the Maiella.
The recipe has remained a secret for over 200 years– but the digestivo is known to aficionados across the world for its characteristic woven straw wrapping – and almost 140 proof alcoholic kick.
It is often used to make a caffe` corretto (literally a correct coffee, that is, coffee with a dash of something alcoholic) to round off a hearty Italian meal.
The fields where the herbs are found are those where Janine and her friends meet early each morning for their walk.
“I love walking through the beautiful old olive groves each morning with my friend Tiziana,” said Janine.
“We then go back for caffe` and something for breakfast before we get on with our respective work projects for the day.”
For a while now Janine has been working determinedly on rebuilding and restocking a children’s library which was destroyed in the devastating 2009 earthquake. It was the worst earthquake in over 30 years and there is much that has still not been rebuilt.
The library is a passion project for Janine as it will honour her late young son Sandro. As an avid reader he spent many of his youthful days pouring over books and enjoying Tocco’s tranquil charm.
The “Sandro’s Library GoFundMe” initiative was launched recently and has raised a third of the target sum so far.
Janine is usually found these days in her “Tocco apartment” above a local grocery store.
She spends her time writing, researching projects, attending online meetings and cooking exquisite dishes.
Food is her passion – it is no wonder she has been an instrumental member of the Accademia della Cucina Italiana (the Italian Academy of Cuisine) for many years. And there is no better place to indulge in slow food and fresh seasonal produce.
Janine’s daily routine imitates those of i Toccolani. The morning is spent going to the mercato (market) to buy fresh produce. Every Tuesday the travelling mercato arrives with regional specialities to choose from including la porchetta Abruzzese, arrosticini (skewers of meat) and suppli`.
Janine relishes in the nurturing ambience that this town offers. In her small apartment she writes film scripts and magazine articles. Her breaks are taken on the balcony where she sits with her coffee to observe life. She explains,
people always stop to chat. They ask what about you’re cooking and then you inevitably find yourself bringing down plates, taking out the folding chairs and tables, and sharing what each of us has made. It is a remarkable place.
There is much about the town, and Janine, that is complex and inspiring. Certainly, Janine’s disovery of Tocco all that time ago uncovered a hidden gem in the Pescara valley.
