I was at the train station in Sulmona— ironically on my way to Sicily for the weekend— when the tiniest detail on an image caught my eye for the first time. The station’s hallways are filled with historic pictures and the one I am talking about is specifically an image of a tram that circulated in downtown Sulmona from 1908 to 1943.

The tram on Corso Ovidio has an advertisement for Confetteria Pasticceria Marcone and on the front of the facade in huge letters “CASSATA ABRUZZESE.”

I snapped a picture of the tram and ran on to my train so that I could dive a bit deeper during my trip. Honestly, I was not totally convinced the writing was cassata and not “gassata” — the G could be a C and my brain could just be looking to fill holes again.

But no, a quick internet search led me straight to a cassata abruzzese. I have never heard nor tasted this cake and I certainly have never heard anyone speak of it.

Has anyone else ever heard of or tasted the cassata abruzzese?

I arrived in Palermo and happened to be at lunch with a friend from Abruzzo, whom is now living in Sicily. He had never heard of this cassata abruzzese, and frankly told me right away it must be a stronzata.

Stronzata or not, my curiosity peaked.

I found numerous recipes for the cassata abruzzese and each is wildly different. I went searching in all of the pastry shops of Sulmona to find this elusive cake so you don’t have to.