Tag: island

The island of Arturo today is also a literary winery – Italian Cuisine

Procida: wine literature and good food. In every season!

Elsa Morante, in her book The island of Arturo, has managed to describe Procida so well that once you arrive on the island you have the feeling of waiting for someone. Just like Arturo, who every day awaited the arrival of his father at the port, perhaps because someone is always expected on an island. And yet, over the years Procida has become known more for The postman by Massimo Troisi, perhaps also because most of the Procidan locals and restaurants have continuous references to the film. There was, therefore, for a long time a great need to dedicate something to Elsa Morante, who more than thirty years before, already in 1957 with the Strega Prize and then in 1962 with the homonymous film by Damiano Damiani, had introduced Procida in the world. Tarcisio Ambrosino, uncle of the famous chef Marco Ambrosino, has thought of this.

The birth of the winery

There is no need for presentations for Marco Ambrosino, a native of Procida, who opened his restaurant in Milan in 2014 28posti, unquestionably among the best in the city. His uncle Tarcisio, on the other hand, for years dealt with something completely different, turning to showrooms from Naples to Milan. Until, as often happens, the strong appeal of the island did not bring him home, to Procida, where he felt that the time had come to listen and shape his two great passions: "books and wine, is there a better union?"Together with his nephew Antonio, they decided to open a literary winery, then non-existent on the island, and do it on the marina of Marina di Corricella, where cars do not circulate and can only be reached on foot or by sea, in one of the most symbolic and historic places in all of Procida. In fact, La Corricella has existed since the Bourbon era; here the king had his summer residence and always here is the former prison, another symbol of the island. In this way Elsa Morante's great masterpiece is no longer just a book to read, a wonderful story of waiting and an initiation into life, but it is also a place, increasingly appreciated and frequented, with a découpage counter all done with the pages of the text in the various languages in which it was translated and with the posters of the film of the countries in which it came out.

Wine and food

To promote and make the most of its territory, Tarcisio has decided to include almost only wines from Campania, the result of in-depth research that he personally carries out. It can be seen from the paper, which goes from great known local labels, to other smaller and lesser-known ones, such as Ettore Sammarco from Ravello. Accompanying the wines, there are a series of tastes both of sea and of land, because even though Procida is very close to the sea, too often we forget how much the islands are also and above all land. Thus, we find bruschetta with crab meat, tuna and anchovies, one of the symbolic products of the island, also worked with walnuts and pistachio, along with alpine cheeses, including the smoked little devils of the Buongusto di Arola Dairy, above the mountains of Vico Equense. And then to follow, for dinner, there is only the embarrassment of the choice, even if the historical restaurant From Girone it remains an institution: from raw antipasti to paccheri with fresh fish up to spaghetti with lemon pesto, now legendary. In this regard, we recall that Procida is also theisland of lemons, which differ from all others to be giants, with a huge albedo.

Six authors looking for a character

Needless to say, to continuously honor your land, within the winery there are a series of texts that tell the island or the Campania region. Therefore, this could only be the place chosen by Nutrimenti to open the famous literary event in June Procida Tells, during which six writers arrive on the island to identify six interesting stories to tell. From Luigi Lo Cascio to Gad Lerner, up to Gramellini, Daria Bignardi, Franco Arminio and so on with a series of illustrious authors in search of stories. This shows us how the island of culture continues to attract great characters, just as in the period in which Elsa Morante lived, in her small pension El Dorado.

A pizza for the island of Salina – Italian Cuisine

Salina it is the green pearl of the Aeolian Islands. Of the "seven sisters" of the archipelago it is also the most loved by food lover for its top level food and wine offer: capers and Malvasia delle Lipari are two of its symbol products. The island is a destination for travelers, not for hit and run tourists, because it should be discovered slowly, without haste. The heroic producers and the natural winemakers who live in it have contributed to his reputation. We went to Salina to meet Giuseppe Mascoli – owner of the brand Franco Manca – on the occasion of the big party organized at the end of July to celebrate the birthday of the group's first pizzeria outside the United Kingdom.

Why Salina

Amber face, crystalline eyes and a concrete philosophy of life, Giuseppe Mascoli says with a smile: «I chose Salina because I fell in love with it years ago, when I was looking for the perfect caper for my pizzas. It is a productive island, with an active population and an incredible biodiversity, which passes through the chestnut forests at 1000 meters of height, the strawberry trees, the brooms or the honeysuckles on the slopes of the mountains ". Originally from Positano, in the late 1980s Mascoli arrived in London and in 2008, together with her friend Bridget Hugo, an expert baker, opens the first Franco Manca pizzeria in Brixton. The place immediately became a legend of the neighborhood and soon followed other signs in Chiswick, Dulwich, South Kensington, Tottenham Court Road to become 45. In 2017, Franco Manca's first restaurant opens in England, in the Aeolian Islands. The ingredients used are all at zero mile coming in particular from Sicily and from Salina where Giuseppe Mascoli has started a project of biological agriculture and started producing natural wine in amphora.

The pizzeria

To manage the Salina pizzeria there is Sergio Zecchini, born in Messina and residing in Salina for 17 years, assisted by a very young staff. Located in a square within the pedestrian area of the village of Lingua, it has outdoor seating directly facing the Aeolian sea. To celebrate the two years since the Italian opening of Franco Manca, a big party was organized in the name of pizza, sandwiches and typical Aeolian and Sicilian products with the involvement of chefs, local producers, Sicilian artisans and no. The pizzaiola hosted the evening Petra Antolini of the pizzeria Seventh heaven in the province of Verona – among the co-founders of the group Pizza women, women of Heart – who for the occasion made a pizza inspired by local flavors: Sciacca anchovies, Salina capers, buffalo mozzarella, yellow Vesuvius tomatoes, black olives and fresh oregano.

Before saying goodbye, Giuseppe Mascoli tells us: "In my opinion, Salina should leave UNESCO, which often turns places into a sort of Disneyland where the inhabitants are reduced to selling postcards. This island is different and does not deserve this end. So, the dream left in the drawer for years, today is my contribution to Salina . The hydrofoil detaches from the quay while the heart and eyes try to steal the last scents and colors of Salina. Greetings and then the usual promise to come back soon.

Salina Addresses

Where to eat
Franco Manca. Open from June to the end of September, the restaurant / pizzeria is located in the pedestrian area of Lingua. Among the dishes to try, the legendary involtini (“le brociolette”) from Messina prepared according to the ancient Sicilian recipe, the salads with products from the Giuseppe Mascoli vegetable garden in Salina and then the 6 pizzas indicated in the menu.

Where to sleep
Hotel Signum. An authentic Aeolian village where you can breathe the most sincere soul of Salina. For over thirty years the hotel of the Caruso family represents an unmissable stop for those traveling in the Aeolian Islands. Do not miss the aperitif at sunset on the terrace overlooking Panarea and Stromboli and then Martina Caruso's kitchen, a young and talented star chef.

Hotel Punta Scario. The structure built in full Aeolian style in the 70's boasts one of the most beautiful panoramic positions of the whole island. From its terraces you can admire breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Mrs. Maria every morning prepares breakfast with homemade cakes and biscuits for a sweet awakening.

Where to buy
Carlo D’Amico Agricultural Company. Strongly recommended a jump to Leni to make supplies at the sales point of the Carlo d’Amico farm. Here you will find two of the symbolic products of Salina: the famous capers and the Malvasia delle Lipari, a superlative dessert wine to pair with the typical sesame biscuits produced on the island.

Gozo, the island of the island where life runs slowly – Italian Cuisine

Little inhabited, less touristy than the larger island and faithful to tradition: in Gozo, a few kilometers from Malta, lies the Mediterranean as it was. And genuine food, made like once

Malta is not alone, it is an archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean, and Gozo is the second largest island. A 4 km ferry ride from Malta, from Italian students and excursionists, Gozo is a small, slow and silent paradise. Island of the island, in Gozo life flows following the rhythm of the past and the spaces are immense despite the small distances, because people are few and tourists even less. Many come on an excursion, spend a few hours and leave, leaving to its inhabitants an environment and traditions that are still alive and genuine. Retreat for those seeking peace and tranquility, even in the most populous town of Rabat (6000 souls), life is that of a village and the evening nightlife runs between a game of cards and a glass of wine. Gozo remains protected from the sea and a place where the Mediterranean can still be found as it was. It's enough to stop to understand it and to live a truly human-sized vacation.

Pastizzi and kapunate

The summer never ends, the sun shines all year and Gozo has always been a destination for nature lovers, underwater diving in the clear sea and archeology enthusiasts. But it is also a paradise for foodies, because there is also authentic food. The ingredients and flavors are those of our sea: juicy vegetables, lemons, olives, almonds, pine nuts, aromatic herbs … All the good things Spain and Greece, Italy and the Maghreb have in common: they eat pasta, fregola , but also the Hävla; the caponata is sweeter, with honey and raisins and is served as an appetizer, as the Arabs would do, together with a cream of broad beans which is a kind of encounter between a chickpea hummus and the macco of Apulian broad beans. There are the rustics, the Sicilian cannoli, the espresso coffee: there is a lot of Italy, but with incomprehensible names at the moment, because if the Kapunata, i ravjule the minestrasi immediately understands what they are, the timpana instead or the pastizzi leave dumbfounded: baked macaroni timbale, the first, puff pastry filled with ricotta or peas, the second.
Maltese cuisine is a crossroads of centuries of history, but the cuisine of Gozo has something unique. Island of the island has slowly absorbed the influences, and today this means that while in Valletta restaurants and clubs open, cocktail bars and emerging chefs, in Gozo the flavors, the recipes, the ingredients are those of the past: authentic.

Homemade cheese and carob syrup

Gozo specializes in traditional food products such as the gbejniet, a sheep's milk cheese that is used fresh, as a filling also for pastizzi and ravioli, or seasoned, dried, marinated or peppered. Famous for his cheese, the breeder and producer Ta ’Rikardu, who also has a restaurant and a laboratory in the center of Victoria. Local specialties that cannot be found elsewhere, the sweet tomato sauce spread on bread (known as the Magro Brothers a Xewkija), carob syrup and prickly pear liqueur (found in stores like Jubilee Food or Vini e Capricci) . To take home an easy-to-carry souvenir instead, the salt of the traditional salt-works by the sea, carved into the rock, is the perfect idea.

Kinnie and craft beers

The national drink in Malta is called Kinnie, halfway between a cola and a chinotto, it is drunk in cans almost everywhere and the recipe remains secret since 1952, but there is also a production of craft beer and native wines to be discovered . Even on the small island of Gozo, the Lord Chambray brewery produces ipa, ale and stout very rock'n'roll and is found distributed a little in all the bars. To find out how to produce the island's unique wine and terroir, book an aperitif with traditional snacks from Tal Massar, a winery in the village of l-Gharb.

Street food in bakeries

The food here is genuine, you feel it by tasting the products of small artisans. The Gozo ovens are one of the island's attractions, at least for those looking for real experiences. You find them following the smell of freshly baked bread and they are the most correct (and really cheap) addresses to try a couple of the island's specialties. From the wood-fired ovens the Gozitan ftira is baked, a pizza topped with tomatoes, olives, capers or the sandwich-symbol of lunches on the beach: the Ħobż biż-żejt, a typical tomato, anchovy, caper, olive and cheese based sandwich that looks a bit like Sicilian cunzatu bread. To taste the best, no bar or gourmet restaurant, it is better to enter the bakeries that repeat the same gestures every day for decades, and sit outside on the tables, holding a great gastronomic experience for a few euros!

At the restaurant for fish and genuine food

In addition to street food, genuine Gozo food is tasted at the restaurant, by the sea to eat fresh fish in the picturesque Xlendi bay or along the seafront of Marsalforn or at the port of Mgarr. The resorts of Ir-Rabat, Mgarr and ix-Xlendi are the most popular, rich in offer, but the most renowned restaurants for making a gourmet dinner are Ta 'Philip in Ghajnsielem, Ta' Frenc on the road to Marsalforn – also famous for its excellent offer of the winery- and Tatitas on the square of San Lawrenz – Ta 'means Da, and they are all family management! The menu is classic, nothing international that can be found anywhere: bigilla of beans to eat with bread, zalzett, coriander sausages, cockerels, crackers that accompany olives and cheese the moment of the aperitif with a glass of wine. And if the cold really comes, you warm up with bowls of steaming soup like thealjotta, a delicious garlic fish soup. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it's hard to find a gray day in Gozo – so there's no need to wait, every moment is good to taste it!

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