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The product
What L’Aquila liver sausage is
A sausage of pork offal, spicy or sweet.
L’Aquila liver sausage, known locally as «cicolana», is made with pork liver, heart and tongue, with a little lean meat and fat. It is the traditional way of making the most of the humbler parts of the animal.
There are two types: the classic one, spiced with pepper, chilli and garlic, and the sweet one, with little pepper and honey, with a gentler taste. It is a Slow Food Presidium: spice measures and the way of tying it are handed down in families.
Territory
Where it comes from
It is made in the municipalities of the L’Aquila Gran Sasso, the L’Aquila side of the Monti della Laga and the middle and upper Aterno valley, in the province of L’Aquila, with the support of the GAL Gran Sasso Velino.
From field to table
How it is made
- At the winter slaughter, liver, heart and tongue are ground with a little lean meat and fat.
- The mixture is seasoned: pepper, chilli and garlic for the classic; little pepper and honey for the sweet.
- It is stuffed into natural casing and tied by hand with a twist that gives the typical horseshoe shape.
- The sausages spend about a week in a warm place, near the stove or fireplace.
- Then they are hung to dry for about thirty days in a cool room without air conditioning.
In the kitchen
How to use it
In L’Aquila tradition, liver sausage is the heart of the Easter morning breakfast.
- The sweet one in slices, with Easter cheese bread, the semi-sweet loaf and hard-boiled eggs
- The spicy one in slices with country bread and a glass of red wine
- Cooked on the grill or in the pan, with sautéed greens
- With lentils or local pulses
Tips
How to choose and store it
- Slice it thinly and always leave a piece of casing to protect the uncut end.
- Keep it hanging in a cool, dry place or, once opened, in the fridge.
- Ask the producer whether it is the sweet or the spicy version: the taste is very different.
- Fresh ones are mostly available between winter and spring, up to Easter.
Good to know: liver sausage is made only in the cold months, from November to April. For Easter it is best to order in advance.
Ordering
Where to buy it and whom to contact
Contacts checked on the official websites in October 2026: check availability and prices before ordering.
Mauro De Paulis
Producer and contact person for the Slow Food Presidium producers, in Paganica.
- Mobile: 366 331 9253
- Email: gustosogransasso@alice.it
- Address: Via Fioretta – 67100 Paganica (AQ)
- Source: Fondazione Slow Food
Macelleria Bingo e Pippa
Butcher’s shop and Presidium producer in Villagrande di Tornimparte.
- Mobile: 328 483 3356 (Antonio) – 328 822 7058 (Domenico)
- Address: Viale della Fiera, 5 – 67049 Villagrande di Tornimparte (AQ)
- Source: Fondazione Slow Food
Alessandro Pelini
Presidium producer in Castel del Monte.
- Mobile: 333 244 9006
- Email: alessandro.pelini@gmail.com
- Address: Viale dei Pini, 23 – 67023 Castel del Monte (AQ)
- Source: Fondazione Slow Food
Salumi Berardi
Curing house in Poggio Cancelli (Campotosto), which also makes Campotosto mortadella.
- Mobile: 347 940 2266
- Email: berardisalumi@gmail.com
- Source: Fondazione Slow Food
Gallery
Photos
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The image is an illustration drawn for abruzzoparchi.it: we could not find free photos showing the Abruzzo product itself. If you have a photo to share, write to us.
Tradition
History and trivia
Liver sausage is a historic cured meat, tied to the pig slaughter between December and January, when families processed all the meat for the year.
With changing tastes it risks disappearing: the Slow Food Presidium brings together the pork butchers who still make it to their family recipes.
Did you know? every pork butcher jealously guards his own spice measures: two liver sausages from neighbouring villages can taste very different.