A typical early 20th-century English-style villa, Casa Lawrence is located in the municipality of Picinisco, within the Lazio side of the Abruzzo National Park. It is named in honour of the renowned English writer David Herbert Lawrence, who was a guest of the local resident Orazio Cervi in 1919. During his stay, Lawrence found the inspiration to complete his famous novel The Lost Girl (1920), using the landscape, nature, and people of this region as the backdrop to the story. Orazio’s Victorian villa is now known as “Casa Lawrence”. The detailed descriptions of the surroundings, rooms, and furnishings found in The Lost Girl made it possible to restore the house faithfully. The restoration was carried out by the Pacitti family, with great care and respect for the atmosphere experienced by Lawrence and his wife Frieda on a cold December night in the early 1900s.

The evocative mountain scenery, the snow-capped peaks, and the sunlit pastures of Picinisco enchanted the English novelist, who found, “beneath the magnificent and bright stars,” the inspiration to finish The Lost Girl. Orazio’s home – called Pancrazio in the novel – became one of the book’s settings, and the Picinisco landscape forms the backdrop for the love story between the protagonists, Alvina and Ciccio, especially in chapters XIV and XV.

On December 16, 1919, Lawrence wrote:

“…you cross a stony river bed, then over a plank, an icy river, then climb up impossible tracks. [...] The house consists, on the ground floor, of a kitchen more like a cavern, [...] a wine room, a storage room, and one for grain. Upstairs are three bedrooms and a semi-granary for corn-cobs, beds, and a bare floor […] We have to cook over a fire and eat our food off our knees, sitting on a bench in front of the fireplace in a gloomy kitchen […] I think you would like it here, but how could you manage with the children? Impossible! There isn’t even the faintest trace of a bathroom”.

Today, Casa Lawrence is both a cultural site and an agriturismo, where visitors can enjoy traditional Comino Valley cuisine, sample the estate’s local products, and take part in a variety of recreational activities.

The Small Library of Casa Lawrence

Casa Lawrence features a small but valuable library, divided into two sections: “la cristalliera italiana (“the Italian cabinet”) and “la cristalliera inglese” (“the English cabinet”), both located in the cosy dining rooms of the agriturismo. The library preserves and promotes D.H. Lawrence’s literary works in both Italian and English, and also includes publications on the art and culture of the Ciociaria region. It holds rare and important editions, making it an excellent research resource for scholars of the English author and traveller. Its Lawrence collection is extraordinary: visitors can compare numerous editions of The Lost Girl and other masterpieces, which have been edited, enriched, or translated over the past 85 years.

The books are available for consultation during Casa Lawrence’s tea hour, held every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 pm. Readers can immerse themselves in Lawrence’s works in a relaxing, comfortable, and inspiring setting …while enjoying a fine cup of English tea.

• For further information on library opening hours, contact Loreto Pacitti: info@casalawrence.it
• For further information about the library catalogue, contact Valeria Vallucci: valeria_vallucci@yahoo.it

Activities at Casa Lawrence

• Nature walks in the Abruzzo National Park
• Educational farm (introducing schoolchildren to the farm’s activities)
• Medicinal herb identification
• Cultural events (exhibitions, shows, conferences, and dissertetion award ceremonies focused on Lawrence)
• Mountain biking excursions
• Trekking and hiking
• Throughout the year, various courses are organised, such as:
  • Local crafts
  • Orienteering
  • Beekeeping
  • Dairy processing
  • And more