italia magazine 2014-02 (1)

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W E L C O M E T O I TA L I A !

February 2014 ITALIA! 3

Welcome!

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

Cycling to Barolo, page 55

LORENZA BACINO,

as well as being a

yoga devotee and

committed traveller,

is a real culture

vulture. You can

follow her museum-

and food-led itinerary

to the delights of

Turin in 48 hours on page 30. “Turin is

often overlooked in favour of other more

famous, more glamorous cities, but it is

steeped in history.”

FREYA MIDDLETON

has been sharing the

delights of Italian art

history with us in her

Fast Culture column

for the last 12 issues.

The fi nal column in

her series is on page

36. But never fear,

Freya is not leaving us: she will be back

later in the year, when she’ll be exploring

the history and styles of the best Italian

fashion houses.

SEBASTIAN

CRESSWELL-TURNER

now lives in London,

having spent eight

years in Rome. One of

the things he misses

most, besides the

beautiful women,

are the fantastic

opportunities for trekking, just short

train rides from the cities. He explores

the Sybilline Mountains and the gourmet

truffl es of Norcia on page 44.

Cove

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Liz

Harp

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AWARD WINNER!

The Italian Tourist

Board voted Italia!

the ‘Best Overall

Publication 2011’

As the ski season draws to a close in Europe, there is still time to enjoy those beautiful snow-clad white peaks before the spring thaw sets in, revealing equally beautiful wildfl ower plains and alpine vistas of the spring – I don’t know which I enjoy more. If you’re a keen hiker, it’s certainly easier to enjoy the Italian peaks without the

snow, but snow trekking is very popular at the moment and reveals its own unique view of the mountain scenery. Read about the winter mountains of Umbria – as well as the truffl es you can enjoy afterwards in the gourmet walled city of Norcia – on page 44. It’s also a great time of year to visit Venice, as the low season makes many sights of the city much more accessible. Turn to page 37 to see some of the hidden street sights often overlooked by visitors amid the crowds. Low season is the perfect time to visit to spot them, and get to know La Serenissima more intimately. The annual olive harvest usually takes place in November, and in the New Year those fi nd their way to shelves in the UK. All of you will have tried the delicious golden-green oil that the sun and soil of Italy produces, but this issue we go beyond the trees to see how the oils are extracted as we celebrate the 2013 olive harvest of Sardinia. The 2014 crop is sure to have been damaged by the cyclone that hit at the end of 2013. Turn to page 13 for details of how to donate to support rebuilding efforts.

Hannah Bellis Editor

PS Italia!’s Guide to the classical Grand Tour route is on sale now (£7.99). Visit www.italytravelandlife.com/italiaguides


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4230 48 HOURS IN TURIN

Lorenza Bacino fits as much as she can

into a weekend in Turin, beginning with a

sightseeing tour by hot-air balloon…

37 SECRET VENICE

Let Secret Venice guide you round the

streets of San Marco, where we find often

missed street scenes and overlooked objects.

44 TRUFFLE COUNTRY

Sebastian Cresswell-Turner discovers Norcia,

a gastronomic capital in the untouched

national park of the Sybilline Mountains.

55 GOURMET CYCLING IN PIEDMONT

Keen to sample the delights of Barolo at her

own pace, Liz Harper heads out to Piedmont

with a friend for a self-guided cycling tour.

62 A DAY AMONGST THE OLIVES

Native Sardinian Giulia Dessi visits the

village of Seneghe to discover the secrets of

its award-winning olive oil.

PROPERTY20 HOMES IN LE MARCHE

The region of Le Marche is becoming a firm

favourite with foreigners. Fleur Kinson still

considers it to be a wise place to buy.

HOLIDAYS & MORE42 PROPERTY FOCUS: UMBRIA

Itay’s ‘Green Heart’ is rich in natural beauty,

culture and history, yet is often overlooked.

FOOD & DRINK67 EATING ITALY

Three seafood recipes from Jeff Michaud that

will demand your time, patience and the best

of your culinary skills.

71 THE SECRET LIFE OF THE SICILIAN PASTICCERIA

Sicily is a land of contradictions. Rachel

Thom goes in search of its secrets, and finds

them revealed in its pastries.

74 NOTES FROM PUGLIA

In Puglia, Sunday is still a true day of rest.

Amy Lucinda Jones describes a typical

Sunday lunchtime.

76 FRANCO MANCA

Franco Manca pizza restaurants are the talk

of the town in London Giuseppe Mascoli and

Bridget Hugo share their secrets.

82 BUY ITALIA! BALSAMIC VINEGARS

The world of Italy’s greatest gastronic

invention.

89 DRINK ITALIA! BAROLO

Hannah Bellis enjoys Italy’s greatest wine.

67

44

55

4 ITALIA! February 2014

37

30

76


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MORE ITALIA!

7 PHOTO OF THE MONTHEnter your photographs for your chance to win a bottle of Nino Franco Prosecco!

9 LETTERSReaders share their stories and pictures from their experiences in Italy.

10 VIEWPOINTIl Golfo di Lerici.

12 NEWS This month’s headlines.

16 TOP PICKS Choice items for your perusal and purchase.

18 EVENTS IN FEBRUARYHelping you plan your forthcoming visit.

29 SPEAK ITALIA!Sebastian Cresswell-Turner on Montalbano.

I N T H I S I S S U E

36 FAST CULTUREFreya Middleton concludes her art history column.

50 SUBSCRIBE TO ITALIA!Save 50 per cent when you subscribe to Italia in our January sale!

53 RELOCATIONExpert advice for expats.

60 PAST ITALIAThe ancient city of Nora.

86 ASK THE EXPERTSMore insider knowledge on living and travelling in Italy.

92 BOOK REVIEWS This month’s new releases.

94 GETTING THERE Plan your fl ights to Italy.

98 MY ITALIA Author Hannah Fielding describes her love for Venice.

p20

ON THE COVER

p37

p44

p89

p55

IL GOLFO DI LERICIp10

LE MARCHEp20

VENICE

p76

p30

p37

TURINp30

UMBRIAp44p42

BAROLOp89p55

NORAp60

SENEGHEp62

SICILYp70

PUGLIA p74

p62


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ITALIA!www.italytravelandlife.com

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CONTRIBUTORSZulekha Afzal, Chiara Avidano, Lorenza Bacino, Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs,

Sebastian Cresswell-Turner, Massimiliano De Benetti, Giulia Dessi, Hannah Fielding, Kevin Gibney, Liz Harper, Bridget Hugo,

Amy Lucinda Jones, Thomas Jonglez, Gideon Kibblewhite, Fleur Kinson, Giuseppe Mascoli, Jeff Michaud, Freya Middleton, Chris Short,

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Send us your favourite photos from your Italian travels, and each month the best photo will win a bottle of Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco and cooler*!

READERS’ PHOTO COMPETITION!

WIN

!

NINO FRANCO RUSTICO

PROSECCO & CHILLER

WWW.NINOFRANCO.IT

HOW TO ENTER Email high-resolution jpegs

of your photos of Italy to italia@anthem-

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6. Please include a brief explanation of your

photo, plus your name, delivery address and a

phone number (for our couriers). You must be

over 18 to enter.

READER OFFER Italia! readers can get a

10 per cent discount off Nino Franco wines from

www.sommelierschoice.com until

1 June 2014 by entering the

code ‘italia10’ at checkout.

Please note: Any photos you submit

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THIS MONTH’S WINNER

Reginald Murray“A visit to the splendid city of Verona.

The experience was spoilt by terrible weather, which did not, however, put

off these street buskers/artists, who sat motionless through the rain.”

*Pro

secc

o d

eliv

ered

to m

ainla

nd U

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THIS MONTH’S

RUNNER UP

Trish Ellse“As winter approaches I wanted to send this picture to you. I hope the quality will be okay! My family and I spent nine months living in Pacentro, Abruzzo, and this was taken in December 2012 after a fresh snowfall. The colours and beauty of this village continually take my breath away whenever we are there, no matter what time of year.”


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LETTER OF THE MONTHI thought I would send this photo to you

following a holiday with my family to Viareggio

in Italy. I hired a Vespa to explore the towns

of Camaiore and Pietrasanta – both were very

beautiful but I was particularly moved by the

Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Camaiore and the dome fresco. I

believe the church to have been built in the 13th century and is truly

beautiful! I would recommend all your readers to visit both the town

and the beautiful countryside which surrounds it!

Kind regards,

Wilf Hall, Marple Bridge, Cheshire

Thank you, Wilf. We do loving getting recommendations. The

church looks like a great example of 13th century architecture.

Share all your Italian experiences with us by sending your photos and letters to [email protected] – you’ll receive a gourmet gift set if you’re chosen as our Letter of the Month winner

LETTERS TO ITALIA!

INLAND LE MARCHE

First I have to say I enjoy reading your magazine. I just wish I would have read it a year or two earlier – it would have saved me and my wife a lot of work!

I am an a American living in Germany and my wife is Polish. I have lived in Europe for the past 10 years and have decided to stay.

We fell in love with the beaches and the lovely people of the Marche region of Italy. We started going and staying in a B&B in 2006.

The last two years we were looking for an apartment to buy for retirement and holidays as the prices will only go up.

In 2013 we signed the deed on our new apartment that was built in 2008 in the town of Carassai. It is located 15km from the beach town of Pedaso. We got a steal of a deal – 100sqm with a view that is just great, and for only €65k.

You are 100 per cent correct by saying if you travel seven plus kilometres from the beach the price drops, and it is much quieter – you can not hear the trains!

Please check out the great wines of the area. We go every year to the town of Offi da as they have some very good wines there.Jim Booth, via email

Le Marche is certainly one of the best regions

in Italy to bag a property bargain, and going a

few miles inland does often mean you will get

even more for your money.

CANADIAN VISITORS

Italia? This was our seventh three-week trip. The routine is always the same. I pick a small region, rent a car, and we visit the picturesque, off-the-beaten-track, romantic little places, from Dolceacqua to Muggia, from Castelrotto to Maratea, from Vieste to Chioggia.

Have we seen Italia yet? No, not even close! Next year it will be the Greek islands, but after Greece,

Each issue, our Letter of the Month winner (when based in the UK) will win Calabrian specialities from the Calabria Club restaurant and online store. The winner can enjoy a jar of delicious ‘Nduja salami and two bottles of Cantine Lavorata Calabrian DOC wine. Find out more about Calabria Club’s products and see the full range of ingredients at www.calabriacucina.co.uk or call � 01246 559944

I believe the church to have been built in the 13th century

LETTER O

F T

HE MON

TH

FEB

2014

maybe back to Italia again and do a trip from Sanremo to Portovenere, provided I can convince my wife to do Cinque Terre again. She is still cursing me for the walk between Monterosso and Vernazza!Leslie Toth, Heidelberg, Ontario

The Church of Santa Maria

Assunta in Camaiore

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VIEWPOINTIl Golfo di Lerici lies on the Ligurian coast, about halfway

between Genoa and Livorno. Commonly, albeit unoffi cially,

is also known as Il Golfo dei Poeti....

The Renaissance poet Francesco Petracco (aka Petrarch, to the English; Petrarca to the Italians) travelled extensively throughout Europe – indeed, as well as his more famous epithet: “The Father of Humanism”, he is also sometimes known as “The Father of Tourism” – yet of all the places he visited, the Bay of Lerici always held a special place in his heart.

Petrarch’s influence on English literature begins with his contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer (40 years his junior), and extends to Percy Bysshe Shelley, who came here with

Mary to live, write, and, tragically, die: he drowned just a short way along the coast from here when his boat was struck by a storm as he was returning to his beloved Lerici from Livorno.

The literary connection continues with Emma Orczy, author of The Scarlet Pimpernel, who had a villa built in the hills above the town. Lord Byron and the 20th century Genoese poet Eugenio Montale were frequent visitors. Visit www.italytravelandlife.com to read Lines Written in the Bay of Lerici, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Q!


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PRANDELLI FRUSTRATED AS ITALY DRAW ENGLAND IN ‘GROUP OF DEATH’ Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has reacted with exasperation after the draw for

World Cup landed his team in a ‘Group of Death’ with England, Uruguay and

Costa Rica. The Azzurri were not among the top seeds for the draw because of an

eyebrow-raising late decision by FIFA to only use the world rankings from

October 2103. Prandelli complained: “If the ranking counts, then we are

now seventh and were seventh for two and a half years, but if the only

month that counts is October… It’s a bit ridiculous.” Prandelli was

frustrated further by the news that Italy’s games would be played in

the sweltering heat of Manaus, Recife and Natal, all in the north of

Brazil. “For me the problem is not the rivals, but because we play

in three hot venues. We wanted to be in Rio, but that may not be

possible any more. It has changed everything.’’

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THIS MONTHFebruary 2014The shifting political landscape again hits the Italian news this month as Matteo Renzi takes control of of the Democratic Party, and Italy draw England in the World Cup…

N E W S

MAYOR’S BEEF WITH BURGER CHAIN The mayor of San Quirico d’Orcia in Tuscany

has written to McDonald’s Italy in protest

at the burger chain’s use of an image of

San Quirico d’Orcia countryside to advertise

a new burger, the ‘Gran Chianina’. (The

Chianina is a Tuscan breed of cattle.)

Mayor Rappuoli’s letter pointed out that

use of imagery of the area for commercial

purposes needs permission from local

authorities. “The law isn’t a ban. But it puts

in place guidelines to avoid images of our

town from being misused,” he wrote.

PIG PROTEST AT PARLIAMENTItalian farmers have parked their pigs outside

Parliament in protest at hams and salami sold as

‘Made in Italy’ but produced elsewhere. “Too many

products with an unclear origin enter our country on a

daily basis and then magically become ‘Made in Italy’

simply because we lack a clear law on the labelling,”

said farmers’ union Coldiretti president Roberto

Moncalvo. According to Coldiretti, 36,000 farmers

have lost their jobs since 2007. “Eight thousand of

those jobs were in the pig farming sector alone – the

equivalent of a large industrial fi rm,” Moncalvo claimed.

“A country in crisis like ours cannot afford it.”


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FEMALE PRIESTS DEBATE REVIVED BY RESTORED FRESCOESNewly restored frescoes in Rome show priestesses practising in

the early Christian Church, say supporters of women priests. The

frescoes are in the Catacombs of Priscilla on Rome’s via Salaria

and date from between 230 to 240 AD. However, speaking at the

offi cial unveiling of the frescoes, the Vatican’s archaeological

superintendent, Fabrizio Bisconti, dismissed the suggestions

that fi gures in the frescoes are priestesses. Bisconti said one

fresco showing a female-fi gure in an attitude of priest-like prayer

was in fact “a depiction of a deceased person now in paradise”.

Another female fi gure, depicted sitting at the table, is not he said,

administering the Eucharist but actually taking part in a “funeral

banquet”. The fresco was, he said, “a fairy tale, a legend,” and

interpretations of it supporting the idea of women priests was

“sensationalist and absolutely not reliable”. The catacombs are now

open to the public after fi ve years of restoration work.

“Speaking at the offi cial unveiling of the frescoes, the Vatican’s archaeological superintendent, Fabrizio Bisconti, dismissed the suggestions that fi gures in the frescoes are priestesses.”

RENZI WINS LEADERSHIP OF DEMOCRAT PARTY The young political star of the left,

Matteo Renzi, has won the leadership

of the Democratic Party with a

landslide majority vote. His job now

is to unite a weak and divided party

that let a big opinion poll lead melt

away before the last general election,

leaving the current Democrat prime

minister, Enrico Letta, to lead the party

into a fragile coalition. Renzi, the mayor

of Florence, is often talked of

by commentators as a Tony

Blair-like reformer willing

to take on the left of

his party. However he

said his election was

“not the end of the

left”, adding: “We are

changing the players

but we are not going

over to the other side

of the pitch.” Renzi

will now run for prime

minister in the next

general election. In the

meantime Renzi will be,

like Silvio Berlusconi, a

party leader but not an

MP. Prime Minister Letta

said he looked forward

to a “fruitful” working

relationship with Mr Renzi.

PRIVATE MOMENTS GO PUBLICPolice were forced to intervene in an

argument in a block of fl ats in Reggio Emilia

after a couple’s “moments of intimacy,

perhaps a bit too noisy, aroused the

interest of the ‘classic’ nosy and meddling

neighbour,” reported local newspaper

Gazzetta di Reggio. It appears that the

neighbour, whose motives are unknown,

went down to the local bar and invited his

friends up to his fl at to eavesdrop on the

amorous couple. The row began when the

couple worked out what was going on.


S...SNIPPETS...SNIPPETS...SNIPPETS...SNIPPETS...SNIPPETS...SNIPPE

SARDINIA AND PHILIPPINES APPEALDeutsche Bank has set up appeal funds

to help the people of Sardinia and the

Philippines, which were both hit by extreme

weather events in November. In Sardinia,

at least 18 people died and thousands more

were displaced when Cyclone Cleopatra hit

the island in November. The town of Olbia

in the northeast was particularly badly hit,

and there was a similar situation near the

central town of Nuoro. In the Philippines,

the death toll caused by Typhoon Haiyan

has reached 6,000 people. www.db.com.


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N E W S

SENATE: “PLEASE MISTER, CAN WE HAVE OUR ISLAND BACK?”Italy is set to buy back a deserted rocky island and nature reserve just

weeks after it was sold to a New Zealand businessman. The tiny island

of Budelli, which forms part of the Maddalena archipelago between

Sardinia and Corsica, was auctioned off after its Milan-based owners

went bankrupt and was snapped up by 47-year-old Michael Harte for a

cool €2.94 million. It appears that Budelli, famous for its Spiaggia Rosa

(Pink Beach), corals and beautiful blue coves, was never in any danger

from development. Building on Budelli is forbidden and Mr Harte had

also sworn at a press conference to protect the island’s environment.

His promises did not, however, stop the swift development of a protest

campaign that has culminated in a ruling in the Senate that will see Italy

grab back Budelli and Mr Harte handed back his cash. The group of MPs

behind the campaign said in a statement: “The island of Budelli can fi nally

return to public ownership, to our immense satisfaction.”

“Building on the island of Budelli is forbidden and its owner, New Zealand businessman Michael Harte, had also sworn at a press conference to protect the island’s environment.”

ROB BRYDON’S TRIP TO ITALYItalia! readers who are fans of the 2010

BBC sitcom The Trip, starring Rob Brydon

and Steve Coogan, have good reason to be

looking forward to the sequel: A Trip to

Italy. We have known for months that Italy

was to be the setting for the follow-up,

but now Brydon has tweeted some details:

“Film version premieres at Sundance 19th

January,” and “Episodic TV version in UK

next year. I know not when.” It might be

April, when the Sundance festival arrives

in London…

BERLUSCONI REFUSES TO LEAVE THE FIELD Last month we reported that the Italian Senate had voted to expel

Silvio Berlusconi over his conviction for tax fraud. A major blow

politically, the expulsion also means that Berlusconi has lost certain

legal immunities he enjoyed as senator and he could now face

prosecution in new cases, at a time when he is already fi ghting

court battles on multiple fronts. But Mr Berlusconi has no intention

of leaving the stage yet, nor is he fi nished as a political force. His

revived Forza Italia Party will benefi t from his continued popularity,

and he will still be able to spread his message via his massive media

R

empire. In typical style, after

the vote to expel him

he vowed to “stay

on the fi eld”.


PROPERTY PRICES SET TO RISEItalian property prices have continued

to fall – but the outlook, say analysts,

is brighter. According to Italy’s central

bank, residential property prices will have

fallen 5 per cent on average in 2013, but

there will be a modest rise throughout

2014. According to the economic research

institute Nomisma, an Italian property

bubble is unlikely: “Repricing in Italy is

taking longer than in other markets. Here

the bubble was smaller, we let the air out

little by little,” said director Luca Dondi.


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a porcata (‘a load of rubbish’ would be

blamed for the current deadlock in parliament, while the ‘party list’ system, say its critics, distances MPs from the voters.

ITALY’S ELECTORAL LAW “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”In a landmark ruling that adds to the pressure on the political parties to introduce meaningful reform, Italy’s highest court has ruled that Italy’s electoral law is unconstitutional. What will happen next because of the court’s decision is not yet clear. The court will explain its decision and set out its ‘judicial effects’ in the coming weeks. However, in a statement the court has suggested that there is no reason for politicians to dawdle over reform in the meantime: “Parliament is free to approve new electoral legislation, based on a

political choice, as long as it respects the constitution,” it said. Interior minister Angelino Alfano, who led a party

from Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right grouping, declared: “Now there is no more room for excuses from anyone: we

have to move, quickly, to change the law.” The current system, branded by its own creator

one polite translation), is widely

“ITALY SHOULD USE ITS HERITAGE TO POWER IT INTO THE FUTURE” SAYS TYCOON Tod’s Shoes tycoon Diego Della Valle has called for a huge project to restore

monuments and support tourism to drive forward Italy’s economy. The billionaire

laid out his idea as he announced the long-delayed start of the Tod’s-funded

€25 million restoration of the Colosseum. “We don’t have the steel, chemical

and car industries that we had 30 years ago,” he said. “All that has fl own

away. Now we have tourism as our industrial future. The government

has to launch a concrete plan immediately.” Referring to collapses at

Pompeii, he added: “We don’t have any more time. Things

are literally falling apart.” The Colosseum project is only

now starting after three years of legal wrangling. “We

have lost three years in useless disputes

and petty local bickering,” Della

Valle added. “This is Italy’s

most important symbol

and we want to

show that this

country can do

things.”

“Now we have tourism as our industrial future. The government has to launch a concrete plan immediately.”

NEW DE’LONGHI COLLECTIONThe new De’Longhi Scultura breakfast

collection captures the essence of Italy’s

stylish and creative past and combines it

with cutting-edge product design, to form

a range of eye-

catching kettles

and four-slice

toasters and pump

espresso coffee

machines for 21st

century living.

Rounded edges


WWW.ITALIANFILMREVIEW.COMThis English language

site contains hundreds

of articles by reviewers

who are passionate

about Italian fi lms. The

posts, which appear

in blog style, are

informative and cover

a wide range of fi lm genres, which you can select either from the

bar at the top, or by clicking on the A-Z button for the full list.

The ‘Randomizer’ button is the most fun way to explore, though.

WWW.FILM.ITThe Italian equivalent of the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

Whether you want to fi nd out about fi lms from the past or

present, international

or Italian, this site

has it all. Under the

‘generi’ category,

check out ‘fi lm

italiani’ for synopses,

release dates, links to

offi cial websites and

external articles and

reviews from the web.

WWW.ARCHIVIODELCINEMAITALIANO.IT This site, which is written in both English and Italian, may look

simple, but it is in fact an extensive database of a huge array of

Italian fi lms and documentaries from 1930 onwards. The site’s

main purpose is the cultural and scientifi c preservation of Italian

cinema, and it provides a wealth of information on both popular

and lesser known Italian fi lms.

BLOG WATCHItalian fi lm and Cinema

and a sculpted ripple silhouette form a

dynamic, multi-dimensional design, while

a high gloss, pearlised fi nish captures the

light and lends a luxurious feel to this

iconic new collection.


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16 ITALIA!

F O O D & P R O D U C T S

February 2014

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so you could fl y out to Italy with your beloved for a romantic weekend away, or you could stay at home and watch a romantic fi lm…

1Roman Holiday, directed by William

Wyler, screenplay by Dalton Trumbo,

Ian McLellan Hunter and John

Dighton. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory

Peck star in this classic 1953 romantic

comedy about a reporter and royal princess

whose paths cross in Rome. On her tour of

several European capitals, Ann (Hepburn)

abandons her tight schedule to discover the

true Rome. American reporter, Joe Bradley

(Peck) takes her around the beautiful city

in a fi lm sprinkled with humour and a dash

of romance.

BRUNO ACAMPORANewly arrived in the UK – and just in

time for Valentine’s Day – comes a

new range of essential oils, perfumes

and body creams from Italian perfumer

Bruno Acampora, whose work is now

continued by his son, Brunello, in

Naples – 5ml essential oils and 50ml

eau de parfum, £110; body nourishing

creams, £99 for 200ml. Available from

Senti, 39b High Street, Wimbledon

Village, London SW19 5BY

� 0208 947 5179 www.senti.co.uk

³

LISTEN TO THIS!

DRIZZLE THIS!

TRY THESE!

USE THIS!

FRIAR ALESSANDRO – VOICE OF JOYRegular visitors to the Italia! Top Picks pages will already be

acquainted with the dulcet tones of Alessandro Brustenghi, aka

Friar Alessandro, and sometimes aka Brother Alessandro: his debut

album, Voice from Assisi, made these pages a year ago. Now the

tenor returns with a second collection of religious music for your

delectation. Some of it is distinctly Christmas related but not all

of it… The real highlight has to be the Ave Maria – the Bach/

Gounod one, of course. Available on the Decca label from all good

retailers, including Amazon and iTunes. http://friaralessandro.com

http://store.universal-music.co.uk

TENUTA MARMORELLE

Premium extra-virgin olive oil from

Puglia. This oil is 100% natural,

only from locally grown olives

with nothing added. The olives are

harvested by hand

at the beginning

of December and

cold pressed the

same day to ensure

the very best

quality oil. The oil

is presented in a

500ml stylish clear

glass bottle and is

best for dressing

salads, pasta dishes

and eating with

bread. This oil is a

limited production

exclusively sold on

Pugliashoponline

.com Price per

bottle: €14.97

(approximately

£11.95).

“TUSCANY” HEART BOARDT&G Woodware has

come up trumps for

Valentine’s Day with this

heart-shaped acacia wood

board with leather tie. It

measures 250x247x15cm,

so it’s just about big enough

to serve two, but not really big

enough for any more than that…

£11.99 from T&G. � 01275 841841

www.tg-woodware.com

³

³

³


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ITALIA! 17

2Pane e tulipani (Bread and Tulips), directed by Silvio Soldini, Screenplay by Doriana Leondeff and Silvio

Soldini. An award-winning 2000 romantic comedy telling the story of a housewife, Rosalba Barletta (Licia Maglietta) and her discovery of freedom in the beautiful water city of Venice. With an attractive new life and friendship with Fernando Girasole (Bruno Ganz), Rosalba fi nds herself not wishing to return home to Pescara and her husband, but rather to continue her days in the hidden streets of Venice.

3Il Postino (The Postman), directed by Michael Radford, screenplay by Anna Pavignano, Michael Radford, Furio

Scarpelli, Giacomo Scarpelli and Massimo Troisi. This 1994 fi lm tells a fi ctional story in which the poet Pablo Neruda befriends a postman who learns to love poetry. The story sees Mario (Massimo Troisi) fall in love with the beautiful Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), communicating his feelings through poetry. As a romance fl ourishes, a friendship is broken in this tale about the delicacy of life.

February 2014

DELUXE RISOTTO CARNAROLI RICE

If you watch too many cookery programmes on telly (and we

do accept that they are diffi cult to avoid) it is easy to become

brainwashed into thinking that you should be eating rich,

expensive, elaborately prepared food every day, all year round.

This, of course, wouldn’t do you any good at all. Throughout

Europe – at least – the weeks between Christmas and Easter

are naturally lean months, when we eek out the last of the

winter stores while waiting for the fi rst crops of spring. Rice

really comes into its own now. Carnaroli is a medium-grained

rice grown in the Vercelli province of northern Italy. It has

a higher starch content, a fi rmer texture and a longer grain

than the more common arborio variety. We have here, from

left to right: Risotto Carnaroli con tartufo; Risotto Carnaroli

con radicchio; Risotto Carnaroli con asparagi. £1.49 per 300g

pack, from cost-conscious Lidl. www.lidl.co.uk

NINO FRANCO FAIVÉ ROSÉ BRUT

straight away. What was it like? Well,

“Faivé” is a word from the Venetian

dialect that denotes “the small, gilded

red sparks that rise towards the sky

from a bonfi re, lightly and freely

carried by the wind.” (There is no

ready English translation.) Grapes-

wise, it’s 80 percent Merlot and

20 per cent Cabernet France. It is

fruity, with hints of pear, and very

drinkable. In fact, we ‘sampled’

the whole bottle in no time at all.

It is available in the UK from

www.parkandbridge.com and

www.sommelierschoice.co.uk

The RRP is £16.

VENICE CARNIVAL MASKSIf you were to ask the author Hannah Fielding, as we did (see My Italia, page 98), she would recommend a mask shop by the name of Ca’ Macana on Calle delle Botteghe, in Dorsoduro, Venice. And you wouldn’t have to actually go there either – their work is available for purchase online at www.camacana.com. Hannah knows what she’s talking about in this regard so we are not inclined to gainsay her, just to point out that there are plenty of other options. If, for example, you were to go to Liz Harper’s eight-year-old daughter Molly for advice – and judging by the pictures of her in last month’s Italia! (Venice for Kids, page 50) Molly knows a good carnival mask when she sees one – she’d take you around St Mark’s Square, or perhaps even make one for you…

NINO FRANCO FAIVÉ ROSÉ BRUTWe have sampled this splendid sparkling rosé

brut already – as you will be aware if you are

signed up to our twitter feed (ItaliaMag) –

and very nice it is too. We were aware at the

time (it was a Friday afternoon) that this

was really a bottle we should have been

saving for Valentine’s Day, but we came to

a ready agreement that as it was nearly

Christmas (and also a Friday afternoon),

it would be fair enough to taste it


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N E W S


It’s Carnival time in Italy this February – and, as you’ll, discover, Venice isn’t the only place to celebrate it. It’s also Valentine’s Day, and where better than Italy, the country of romance, to celebrate that? You could get a tattoo while you’re there, if you want…

EVENTS IN FEBRUARY 2014

ALMOND BLOSSOM FAIR

2-9 February

Agrigento, Sicily

The Festa del Fiore del

Mandorlo in Agrigento

is one of the truly great

celebrations of the

new year. While we in

the north are still in

the depths of winter,

on Sicily’s south coast,

spring is springing, and

the festival coincides

with the start of the

spring planting season.

COCO CHANEL AT

PALAZZO MORANDO

6 December – 2 March

Milan, Lombardy

For the fans of timeless

fashion, this exhibition

makes its next stop in

Milan, the capital of

Italian fashion, after

opening in London

last September. Coco

Chanel: A New Portrait

by Marion Pike, 1967-

71, brings together

paintings, photographs

and documents that

explore the biographies,

friendship and

creativity between the

late fashion icon and

the talented artist, who

met in 1967 when Pike

was asked to create

Chanel’s portrait. Held

in Via Sant’Andrea, the

luxurious shopping

street in the centre

of Milan, the Chanel

fl agship boutique store

is only minutes away if

you want to make some

inspired purchases –

budget permitting!

MILANO TATTOO

CONVENTION

7-9 February

Milan, Lombardy

With the fashionable

trend for tattoos

increasing over the past

few years, this tattoo

convention in Milan

promises to be one of

the biggest spectacles

you may ever have seen.

With 300 tattoo artists

from around the world,

this may even interest

those with just a hint

of curiosity about the

process of tattooing and

the intricate artwork

that created on a daily

basis. Just hold back on

those impulses before

doing something you

might regret!

http://worldtattoo

events.com/milano-

tattoo-convention

SANT’AGATA

3-5 February

Catania, Sicily

In commemoration of

Saint Agatha of Sicily,

who was martyred in

251 AD, this annual

festival sees the entire

city turn out en masse

to celebrate her life, as

well as to experience

the hours of fi reworks,

food and fantastic

atmosphere. For two

days and two nights,

almost one million

people express their

gratitude to Sant’Agata

through parades,

marching bands and by

following her statue as

it is carried through the

city. For anyone wanting

to experience a Catania

that has not changed in

centuries and witness

how religious fervour

still exists in modern

Europe, the festival of

Sant’Agata is a unique

opportunity.

CARTOON FESTIVAL

1-2 February

Milan, Lombardy

Looking for somewhere

to take the children

this February? Or maybe

even to rediscover the

child in you? Milan is

host to this annual

festival that attracts

some of Italy’s biggest

publishing houses, who

exhibit a huge variety

of print material,

video games and short

fi lms. As Milan’s most

popular animation

event, collectors gather

to complete their

collections, trade,

sell or buy material.

Held at the Parco

Esposizioni Novegro,

this convention has

been running in Milan

for years and is perfect

for anybody looking for

a colourful distraction

in their schedule.

SAN BIAGIO

3 February 2014

Across Italy

Celebrated each year

with a festival known

as the benedizione della

gola, or ‘blessing of the

throat’, Saint Biagio

is supposed to have

powers to cure all types

of throat ailments. The

legend goes that, during

a religious ceremony,

Biagio noticed a young

boy choking on a fi sh

bone. He acted by

putting consecrated

bread down the boy’s

throat to ease the

bone’s passing. It is

customary to consume

panettone and a glass

of wine on this day to

protect the throat from

the cold of winter.


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Please note that the dates of all events are subject to change. If you plan to attend, check events are going ahead before you travel. All attempts are made to present the correct details.

© P

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Sanremo song festival

VIAREGGIO CARNIVAL

16 February – 9 March

Viareggio, Tuscany

Dating to 1873, this is

considered to be among

the most renowned

carnival celebrations, not

just in Italy, but across

Europe. Known for having

the best costumes, fl oats

and parades, everything

about it is over the top,

with more than a million

people descending each

year to join the party

atmosphere. Some of the

fl oats have been known

to be as tall as fi ve or

six-storey buildings!

Defi nitely not one to be

missed if you want a true

carnival experience.

http://viareggio.

ilcarnevale.com

MILAN FASHION WEEK

18-23 February

Milan, Lombardy

Showcasing promising

young designers and the

most luxurious fabrics

around, this annual

event is for both the

fashionista and the artist

in you – or for anybody

who likes to soak up an

electric atmosphere.

Although you need an

invite to attend any of

the catwalk shows, you

can still be an honorary

guest by relaxing in the

nearby cafés, celebrity-

spotting and even

snapping up the sales the

week before. Just be sure

to bring an extra suitcase

for all those bargains!

www.cameramoda.it

SANREMO SONG FESTIVAL

18-22 February

Sanremo, Liguria

The inspiration for the

Eurovision Song Contest,

this elaborate festival

is Europe’s oldest music

festival. It serves as an

intricate talent show

contest, focusing on

original compositions and

the singers’ vocal talents.

Broadcast on national

television, the festival

turns Sanremo into a

music lover’s paradise.

For the past few years,

it has also been used

to choose Italy’s entry

for Eurovision. Previous

winners of the festival

include Italian tenor

Andrea Bocelli.

www.sanremo.rai.it

SAN FAUSTINO

15 Feburary

Across Italy

This day has been

adopted by single people

in Italy. Some years ago,

a group of single Italians

decided it was time to

celebrate the single life,

and chose the day after

Valentine’s Day to do

so. So if you’re in Italy

by yourself and happen

to come across a sign

for a Saint Faustino’s

Day party, then chances

are it’s a party for

singletons. Even if you

have left a loved one

back home, it’s still a

good excuse for a good

knees up!

CIOCCOLENTINO

9-15 February

Terni, Umbria

Who doesn’t love a nice

bit of chocolate? And

where better to go than

the country of romance

to enjoy tastings, shows,

decoration lessons

and mouthwatering

exhibits? Now in its

11th year, more than 60

confectionery companies

will be involved in this

extravaganza. Just in

time for Valentine’s Day,

this chocolate-lover’s

dream is perfect for

fi nding those romantic

chocolates for that

special someone – or,

if you are alone this

Valentine’s Day, to treat

yourself. But don’t have

too many, because

tomorrow, there’s a party

to go to… (see right)

www.cioccolentino.com

THE ENCHANTED PALACE

15 February, 22 February

and 1 March 2014

Venice, Veneto

As part of the annual,

two-week carnival, this

new event for 2014 takes

place in a 600-year-old

palace on the Grand

Canal. Upon arrival,

magical dancers will

greet you with cocktails

before you venture

into the elegant fi rst-

fl oor dining room for

dinner, accompanied by

internationally acclaimed

illusionists, acrobats

and entertainers.

Afterwards, you can

relax upstairs with

wine and dessert while

a whimsical costume

party takes place on the

ground fl oor, including

live music, dancers and

plenty of surprises! Dress

code: strictly historical

costume and mask. Prices

start at €960.

www.venice-carnival-

italy.com


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Splendid beaches, lyrical hills, handsome towns and majestic mountainscapes have all helped make Le Marche a foreign-buyer favourite.

Fleur Kinson considers it to still be a wise buy…

Le Marche

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Forming the shapely calf muscle of the Italian leg, Le Marche sits halfway down the national peninsula on the eastern side. Its long line of honey-gold beaches is lapped by the warm, bright-blue Adriatic Sea. As you inch away

from the coast, the region buckles into verdant hills which roll prettily for many miles inland. Gentle rises in the land are crowned with ancient, well-kept towns and villages, full of handsome townhouses wrought in warm-coloured stone. Moving towards the western border, the soft hills cede to the steeper, wooded Apennines and Sibillini Mountains. Up here there are wonderful hiking routes and mighty vistas, plus a scattering of small-scale ski resorts providing winter fun. For such a relatively small area, Le Marche offers a quite astonishing variety of beautiful landscapes.

But it’s not just its geography that had made this region so popular with visitors and homebuyers. Le Marche is rural yet prosperous, orderly yet relaxed. It enjoys the distinctive lifestyle and culture of those other much-loved central Italian regions, Tuscany and Umbria. The population density is low, the crime rate very low, and the sense of community very strong. The locals are warm and friendly, and do not hesitate to embrace you into the fold. Settlements might be small, but there’s lots of fun goings-on. Events and colourful festivals abound.

Given all these blessings, it’s little wonder that for the past decade or more Le Marche has been a big hit with overseas holiday home buyers and also those seeking a permanent move to Italy. In fact, the region has often been cited as one of the best places in the world to retire abroad. But you mustn’t imagine that Le Marche is now just an ex-pat colony with no real life of its own! Far from it. Nowhere here do foreign buyers and retirees outnumber local people or in any way ‘dilute’ local identity (which is more than can be said for, say, certain parts of Tuscany). Le

Marche is still its true original, with plenty of space for you in it.

MARKET AND PRICES

When Le Marche fi rst started to become popular with foreign buyers, the region was frequently celebrated as a much cheaper alternative to Tuscany. In those early days, tumbledown old properties to restore and customise presented a particular bargain, and many of these were eagerly snapped up. The cost of buying (and of restoring) crept up over the following years as Le Marche became ever better known, but the region never stopped offering good value for money. Then the international fi nancial crisis arrived and, in Le Marche as in the rest of Italy, the numbers of non-Italians coming here to buy a home dropped signifi cantly. Those numbers have only recently started making a recovery.

There are lots of beautiful

landscapes to enjoy

Homes in

L I V I N G I TA L I A !


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Fossombrone, in the province of

Pesaro e Urbino


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³ And what of property prices since the recession? Have they dropped too? Well, not greatly. Italy continually shows a remarkably stable property market with slow, steady rises and modest, gentle sinks being about as dramatic as things ever get. There is no mad cycle of booms and busts

here – which, of course, makes Italy a particularly safe country in which to invest your money. Having said that, however, what has happened in Le Marche, and in many other Italian regions in recent years, is that vendors have become much more open to negotiation on price. So,

while asking prices might not have gone down by much ostensibly, the frequent acceptance of offers below asking prices means that buyers have been getting more property for their money than they did a few years ago. Now, therefore, is an excellent time to buy.

Kevin L Gibney of PropertyForSaleMarche.com notes various dynamics currently operating in Le Marche’s market. “While the occasional ‘hot deal’ still presents itself,” he says, “prices overall have stabilised and houses are now selling at 6-12 per cent below asking prices

Buyers have been getting more property for their money than they did a few years ago

The walled city of Urbino


CASA LEOPARDIType of property Fractional ownershipNumber of bedrooms 5Price Five weeks’ annual ownership £195,000Location Montefi ore dell’AsoContact Appassionata � +39 331 541 3225 www.appassionata.com

This spacious, luxury home sits within its own private, landscaped

garden, which has a pool and tennis court. Surrounded by

vineyards, olive groves and rolling hills, with magnifi cent sea and

mountain views, every room encompasses its own characteristics,

carefully and cleverly throughout. Luxury fi nishes include beamed

and vaulted ceilings, cotto-tiled fl oors and Venetian plaster. Curl

up in front of a large open fi re in the winter months and laze

by the pool with a book in the summer months. With blue fl ag

beaches and the Sibillini Mountains and national park nearby,

the area offers year-round activities. Le Marche also has a strong

reputation for its gourmet cuisine. Only one share remaining!

CASA OLIVEType of property Partly restored farmhouse Number of bedrooms 4Price €289,000 (£245,000)Location PetritoliContact www.magicmarche.com

A partly restored traditional farmhouse in a glorious rural location,

yet within minutes of one of the most popular historic towns of the

region. This charming property, set in a beautiful, tranquil location

is immediately habitable, allowing the owner to enjoy occupation

now and complete the full restoration later. The completed works

include all external walls, new roof, ceilings, double-glazed

windows and doors, plus a substantial covered portico and

fi rst-fl oor terrace. The completed restoration would give a well-

proportioned four-bedroom house. Situated on 2 hectares of land

it enjoys extensive views which include the surrounding medieval

hilltop towns of Petritoli, Moregnano, Ponzano di Fermo and

Fermo. The asking price has just been reduced from €325,000.

Ascoli Piceno


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Bedfordshire-based Miles Patten and his partner Daniel Crohan own a small country house in southern Le Marche. They make frequent visits to the property throughout the year, and anticipate retiring there

permanently one day. What drew the couple to Italy? “My parents often took me and my sister on holiday to Italy when we were children, “Miles explains. “They particularly loved Tuscany, and I got to know that region quite well over the years. Later I did Art History at university, and that only fuelled my love of central Italy. Three years ago, Daniel and I started to think about buying a home abroad, and thankfully he didn’t need much persuading that Italy should be the place!

“We knew that Tuscany was very expensive, so we looked at properties in all sorts of nearby regions – northern Lazio, parts of Umbria, and then Le Marche. When we saw the ruined old cowshed that would later become our house, we laughed at how horrible it was. But we couldn’t deny that its location was superb. It’s about half an hour from the sea, near the top of a little hill, surrounded by beautiful farmland. We can see the bright blue line of the Adriatic to the northeast, and there are pretty mountains lining the opposite horizon. We had the original building knocked down completely, and started from scratch. The old structure had faced south, but we oriented our home to enjoy seaviews from the front windows and mountain scenery from the back. We worked with some amazing local builders and craftsmen, and they managed to incorporate a large amount of the materials from the original building into our final two-bedroom house, which saved us a lot of money on stone and so on. Our builders were extremely hard-working and really seemed to care that the final building should be beautiful – which it is! We are so happy with it, and we love showing it off to friends and family when they come to visit us.

“At first we worried that as a same-sex couple we might raise some eyebrows in the local village, or meet with a bit of unfriendliness sometimes. But now we feel stupid for even thinking that! The local people couldn’t be friendlier. They don’t care a fig that we’re a same-sex couple and they’ve welcomed us just like anyone else. We’re always being invited to gatherings and parties. Everyone in the local café and the shops knows us and keeps us chatting for ages whenever we go in. Thankfully, Daniel and I can just about get by in Italian now. There’s a fabulous sense of community down here, and we just love being part of it.”

OUR LIFE IN LE MARCHE

– both are signs of a stable, more rational market than we’ve seen in five or six years.” Kevin has also seen an expansion in the client base drawn to Le Marche. “Whereas at one time the market here was 80 per cent UK-driven,” he says, “it’s now more diverse. Today we have a global market for Marche properties, with buyers coming from the Emirates, the US, Israel, Australia and Scandinavia.”

FIGURES AND LOCATIONS

Here’s a very rough guide to the kind of figures you might be looking to pay for a home in Le Marche these days. Country ruins to restore start at about €50,000. What you might spend doing up such a property all depends on how lavish a project you have in mind. For €60,000 to €90,000 you might get yourself a fully-restored village apartment to start enjoying immediately. For €100,000 to €250,000 you could consider a standing house to complete or renovate, a small finished country cottage, a fully-restored three-bedroom townhouse, or a one- or two-bedroom seaside apartment. A budget of €250,000 to €400,000 could get you a beautifully restored three-bedroom farmhouse, an even larger country home needing minor renovation or finishing work, or a villa on the coast.

Obviously some areas of Le Marche are pricier than others, and before you begin your property hunt it’s a good idea to get a basic familiarity with where the largest ³ Continued on page 26


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LE MARCHE REGIONAL GUIDE

Le Marche lies on the eastern side

of Italy, east of Umbria, between

majestic mountains and inviting sea.

The region is split into fi ve provinces:

Pesaro-Urbino, Ancona, Macerata,

Ascoli Piceno and the recently

constituted Fermo. Its proximity to

both mountains and sea makes it very

appealing to prospective homebuyers.

The Adriatic coastline stretches

some 180km and includes some of

the best Italian Blue Flag beaches,

while the steep eastern slopes of

Italy’s mountainous backbone, the

Apennines, includes the stunning

Monti Sibillini in the south. The

main autostrada, the A14, and the

state highway SS16 run swiftly along

1

the coast, but further inland they

are slower as they weave up and

down the hills between towns. The

regular intercity train connections at

Ancona link with Bologna and Rome.

Ancona is also the site of Le Marche’s

international airport at Falconara,

served by Ryanair from Stansted.

Le Marche boasts 13 protected

areas, forests and nature reserves

– including the majestic Monti

Sibillini – and the National Park

at Monte Conero on the coast near

Ancona. Historically, Le Marche has

a remarkable historical heritage

too, with its medieval hilltop towns

and villages and more than 30

signifi cant archaeological sites and

200 Romanesque churches, as well as

beautiful Renaissance city of Urbino.

q1 The coast of Le Marche stretches

from Pesaro to San Benedetto del

Tronto, past stretches of sandy beach

and clean blue water and numerous

small seaside towns and villages.

The region can boast one of the

highest number of Blue Flag beaches

of any region in Italy. Ancona sits

almost half way down the coast and

is the administrative capital, and a

busy port. With its Greek heritage

there are many interesting styles

of architecture. A lot of the coastal

resorts are relatively small and retain

a certain old-fashioned charm. The

largest seaside resort is Pesaro,

in the north, which is bursting

with good shops and restaurants.

INTRODUCTION THE COAST

3

2




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The stunning Sibillini Mountains, part

of the National Park in the southwest

landscape, including Arcevia (to west

of Ancona) perched on the foothills

and surrounded by historic castles;

Offida in the south with its unusual

triangular piazza and memorable

Vin Santo; and medieval Jesi, near

Ancona, with its castle, cobbled

streets and famous Verdicchio wines.

q3 The Monti Sibillini National Park

was created in 1993 when 700 square

kilometres of mountainous wilderness

was set aside as a site of outstanding

natural beauty. Rising to more than

2,000km high, this is a popular

destination for naturalists, skiers in

winter and walkers in the summer.

The mountains form the border with

Umbria to the west and the highest

peak is Mount Vettore, at 2,476m. The

area is dotted with medieval towns

and criss-crossed with walking trails.

There is shelter at the network of rifugi

(mountain huts) across the range and

all the maps and guides you need to

plan your routes can be found at the

Casa del Parco visitor centres. Popular

nearby towns include Amandola with

stunning views of the mountains,

and Force, famed for its artisans and

wrought iron work.

Famous for being the birthplace of

Gioachino Rossini, the town has an

annual Opera Festival. Senigallia, a

little further south, is known as the

‘Velvet Beach’ with its 13km of soft,

golden sand. The Conero Riviera

offers the jewel of Portonovo with

its Napoleonic fort, idyllic Sirolo and

its spectacular golf course, and the

Liberty-style architecture of Porto

San Giorgio. Continue down the coast

for Pedaso – which hosts a famous

mussel festival – Cupra Marittima and

its imposing castle, and Grottamare

with its medieval old town. Finally

you come to San Benedetto del

Tronto, the second largest resort after

Pesaro, with its coveted Blue Flag.

The fishing port is very busy in the

summer with its pretty promenades

and vibrant nightlife. The coast might

be expensive for property, but it’s

easy to get there from inland towns,

so you won’t miss out if you can’t

afford a home in a coastal resort.

q2 Move inland from the coast and

you will find the rolling hills and open

fields of farming country, a peaceful

landscape punctuated by pretty

hilltop towns and gentle valleys. The

quieter environment and slower pace

of life make this is a popular area for

British buyers. One of the region’s

most eminent cities is Urbino. It rivals

Florence for cultural significance and

the more compact, bustling city has

been designated a UNESCO World

Heritage Site. Further south, the hill

town of Macerata boasts one of Europe’s

most outstanding outdoor theatres,

the Arena Sferisterio, built in the 19th

century to resemble an ancient Roman

arena. The Stagione Lirica musical

festival is held here every summer.

Close to the border with Abruzzo,

the ancient town of Ascoli Piceno

takes its name from the Picene tribe,

who were conquered by the Romans in

89BC. The city was once a stop on the

via salaria (the salt route) from Rome,

but now enjoys a quieter existence.

With one of the most beautiful marble-

paved piazze in Italy, and a wealth of

medieval architecture, there’s plenty

to enjoy. Many other villages dot the

INLAND

THE MOUNTAINS


Macerata is popular with

tourists and home-buyers alike


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Arcevia sits in the foothills of the Apennines

– a lovely spot for properties


³ and smallest pricetags tend to be. As is true of most Italian regions, the coast is usually the most expensive part of Le Marche, and prices tend to drop steadily the further you move inland (and, almost inevitably, uphill) reaching their lowest levels at the very highest elevations – which is a boon if you happen to be looking for a life in the mountains. A much recommended strategy is to choose a home about half an hour’s drive from the sea. This way you keep easy access to beaches while simultaneously making excellent savings compared to an actual sea front home.

Because of Le Marche’s fortunate geography, there are other benefi ts to buying inland too. You’ll be at a higher elevation than on the coast and are likely to enjoy lovely views not only down to the sea but also towards the mountains in the opposite direction. If you situate yourself perhaps 45 minutes from the sea, you could fi nd yourself equidistant from beaches and high mountains, with excellent summer hiking plus small-scale winter ski resorts. Not that proximity to sea or mountains is the only appeal of Le Marche’s inland hills! There are wonderful towns scattered round here too. Some towns that have proven a hit with foreign buyers include Macerata, Amandola, Sarnano and Ascoli Piceno. Mountain-

lovers, meanwhile, will fi nd some of Le Marche’s lowest prices in its homes on high, as stated earlier. The bewitching Sibillini Mountains near the border with Umbria have beguiled many British buyers in the past, and yet average prices here remain very reasonable.

RESTORING AND

REBUILDING

Le Marche has always been a very popular region for buyers who want to restore an old tumbledown property. The benefi ts of restoring are obvious: you end up with a home

exactly tailored to your taste and often worth more than what you paid for the original building plus the cost of the restoration work. Restoring an old property isn’t for everyone, though. It requires a great deal of time and commitment. You might prefer instead to buy a home that’s already been lovingly restored by someone else. In the current fi nancial atmosphere, this can often prove a very good-value route.

Jane Smith of Magic Marche says, “The ready-restored market remains the strongest right now. This is primarily because there is still a glut of properties being off-loaded by people who ‘need’ to sell due to the lingering effects of the economic downturn. Competition to attract

Restoring an old property isn’t for everyone. It requires a great deal of time and commitment


CASA FELICEType of property Fully restored propertyNumber of bedrooms 3Price €490.000 (£415,000)Location Sant’Angelo in PontanoContact www.magicmarche.com � +39 331 381 9509

A meticulously restored traditional stone and brick farmhouse

with breathtaking views of rolling hills and hill top towns. This

3-bedroom, 4-bathroom property sits within 7.5 acres of land with

a landscaped garden and a beautiful 11m x 5m swimming pool, 2

alfresco dining areas, a mature olive grove and outbuildings for

storage. The ground fl oor comprises a large, fully equipped designer

kitchen with separate walk in pantry, utility room, bathroom, large

dinning room and two living rooms with fi replace/wood burners.

The fi rst fl oor has a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and a

spacious dressing area and a further 2 double bedrooms, both en

suite. All utilities are connected, including satellite TV, wi-fi and

LPG gas central heating throughout.

CASA DOLCE VITAType of property Fully restored houseNumber of bedrooms 7Price €499,000Location Montelparo/FermoContact www.propertyforsalemarche.com [email protected] � +39 347 538 6668

Here is where you will truly enjoy la dolce vita. A fully restored

house with lots of room for living well and majestic views over the

surrounding countryside The property has a comfortable portico,

perfect for an afternoon Prosecco or an al fresco dinner. There

is also a romantic balcony area and a large kitchen. There are 7

bedrooms in total – and 6 of them are en suite! The house itself

comes in at 400 sqm, and there is also a 50 sqm cottage (to

restore) on the land. And there is plenty of space for a swimming

pool. The house is completely private, yet has good proximity to

many of Le Marche’s best places. Furthermore, the asking price has

just been reduced by €90,000.


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A room with a view: from

Arcevia over the Cesano Valley

buyers is still fi erce so prices are good. Part-restored properties are also popular, again because they represent good value if the work was done several years ago and now owners just want to recoup their cost, without profi t.” There’s also good news, however, for buyers who have their hearts set on a restoration project of

their own. Jane notes that, “With the attention ‘off’ the old unrestored properties at the moment, it means they have been coming onto the market and remaining unsold. So if your passion is to buy and restore, the choice and prices are good. What’s more, builders are eager to bring in more restoration work and are more open to deals and negotiation on price right now.”

An alternative to a straightforward restoration (and it’s an alternative recommended by many experienced agents in Le Marche) is to demolish an old ruin in a good location, and build something new on the site. The benefi ts of this are many. First, you can always build a house you like, but you cannot build a view! If you fi nd a location you love, construct your desired home there out of an existing ruin. Demolition costs are not high, and all materials from the old property can be reclaimed, cleaned and re-used in the new one (Italian builders are highly skilled

at this). Other benefi ts of rebuilding include the avoidance of unforeseen – and potentially expensive – problems which sometimes crop up in the course of restoring an old house. With a total re-build, you know in advance what you’re getting. You control the design and layout, and you also get to incorporate state-of-the-art effi ciencies

such as great insulation, eco-power-generation, underfl oor heating and so on.

Over the last couple of decades, Le Marche has grown into a very popular part of Italy for foreign visitors; and houses in the country – especially those with pools – are almost as desirable as villas and apartments right on the coast. Countless buyers have discovered strong holiday rental prospects which are enough to cover the annual upkeep of their home. So if you’re looking to do this yourself, take heart. To optimise rentability, choose a home less than 90 minutes’ drive from the airport, and if it’s out in the countryside, put in that much-coveted pool! Q!

Demolition costs are not high, and materials from the old property can be reclaimed

CASA FAMIGLIAType of property Fully restored house

Number of bedrooms 4

Price €599,000

Location San Ginesio/Macerata

Contact www.propertyforsalemarche.com

[email protected] � +39 347 538 6668

Casa Famiglia is one of our best fi nished properties in Le Marche.

It has all the desired characteristics of a family house in the

Marche countryside. The big, spacious main house can sleep up to

14 people. There are spectacular, panoramic views of the Sibillini

Mountains, the bell towers of San Ginesio and the rolling fi elds of

sunfl owers. The property has fully landscaped grounds bordered

by ancient oak trees. There is a welcoming 12m x 6m pool with

a spacious pool house. Two further unrestored buildings provide

exciting potential for future development. The value found at

Casa Famiglia is outstanding. All the features we’ve described for

€599,000 represent a value unsurpassed in today’s market.

CASA TRE ARCHIType of property Fractional ownership in a medieval town

Number of bedrooms 3

Price The fi rst 2 shares will be offered at £55,000

Location Petritoli

Contact Appassionata [email protected]

www.appassionata.com � +39 331 541 3225

Appassionata is delighted to launch their new property, a 3

bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse, built into one of the ancient

turrets which form the entrance to the town. Spacious indoor

living and stunning outdoor space, including a 50m roof terrace

with distant sea views, and the surrounding hilltop towns and

countryside. Petritoli is a lively town, with excellent bars,

restaurants and shops, all within walking distance. Just a 20

minute drive to the nearest blue fl ag beach, 45 minutes to the

Sibillini Mountains and national park, this property is ideally

located. A one tenth share (5 weeks’ exclusive ownership) in Casa

Tre Archi will be ready in the spring of 2014.

www.appassionata.com

www.gate-away.com

www.PropertyForSaleMarche.com

www.magicmarche.com

www.verdeabitare.it

USEFUL CONTACTS



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Le Marche: The new Tuscany

More afordable

Just as beautiful!

Le Marche Property Sales & Restoration Management

Part Restored

€289.000 (£245,000)

Fully Restored

€490.000 (£415,000)

With over 40 years of property experience, Magic Marche has built a

reputation for integrity and professionalism.

We sell restored, unrestored and partly restored properties including:

farmhouses, townhouses, apartments, grand palazzos,

B&Bs and rental businesses.

We are at your side from your frst viewing, until the keys are in your hand.

Magic Marche

www.magicmarche.com

Tel: +44 (0)7770 754675 (UK mobile)

Tel: +39 331 381 9509 (Italy mobile)

Email: [email protected]

Y All Property Types, All Budget Ranges - Habitable / Partially Restored - Ruins to Custom Restore - Fully Restored / Finished - Apartments / Townhouses

Y Detailed & Accurate Property Descriptions

Y Superior, Professional Service

Y Guaranteed Fixed Price Contracts for Restoration Works

www.propertyforsalemarche.com + 39.347.5386668P.IVA 01534470438


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The television series Montalbano offers us more than good drama, says Sebastian Cresswell-Turner – it provides us with an accurate portrait of Italian life, society, culture and language…

GAZZETTA ITALIA!

MontalbanoWhile watching the concluding episode of the most recent

Montalbano series, I found myself wondering what it is that

makes this television drama so compelling. It is not just the

good storylines, surely, or the beautiful Mediterranean scenery,

or the honey-stoned baroque architecture of south-east Sicily,

where the series is set. No. The appeal, I think, lies at a deeper

level – namely, that as a portrayal of everyday life in modern

Italy, the Montalbano series is absolutely true and authentic.

To anyone who has spent any time in Italy, the cast of

characters is instantly recognisable. The nosey widow spying

on her neighbours; the bored housewives; the various criminal

types; the restaurant owner whose customers are his family; the

contadini (humble country-dwellers of a type that is fast dying

out); the Mediterranean sirens – all these are spot-on.

Even more spot-on, however, are the relationships between

these types. Most people of Anglo-Saxon origin do not realise

that in many ways Italian society is extremely hierarchical;

and what the Montalbano series captures so well is the precise

nuances of how Italians of differing statuses interact with

each other. The reluctant deference with which Montalbano

addresses his superior; the exact degree of formality and

informality that he adopts towards his various colleagues;

and the precise gradations of respect and obsequiousness

which the public shows towards him in his capacity as police

commissioner – all this perfectly refl ects the well-defi ned

pecking order of Italy’s status-conscious society.

Other things, as they occur to me. The fondness of

many Italian women – but not, on the whole, of the men

– for a certain sort of psychobabble is well portrayed, with

expressions such as “Sono stata sconvolta” or “Ho avuto un attacco

di angoscia” (“I felt overwhelmed”; “I had an attack of anguish”)

refl ecting a widespread mindset. Then the physical texture

of Italian life is captured with unfailing accuracy – the way,

for example, that the most modest of fl ats will have a front

door made of reinforced steel. And lastly, the language itself,

and the gestures. This is precisely how the Italians speak and

gesticulate; nor are the swearwords prudishly censored.

As a portrait of modern Italy, therefore; as a study of the

Italian mentality; or, indeed, as a refresher course in colloquial

Italian – in all these ways the series is close to unbeatable.

MontalbanoMentre stavo guardando l’ultima puntata della più

recente serie di Montalbano, mi sono chiesto perché questa

produzione televisiva è tanto avvincente. Non solo per le

trame, direi, né per i bei paesaggi mediterranei, né ancora

per l’architettura barocca color di miele del sud-est della

Sicilia, dove la serie è ambientata. No, il suo fascino,

secondo me, si trova ad un livello più profondo – nel fatto

che in quanto ritratto della vita quotidiana nell’Italia

contemporanea, questa serie è assolutamente vera ed

autentica.

Chiunque abbia trascorso qualche tempo nel Bel Paese

riconoscerà subito i caratteri del dramma. La vedova curiosa

che spia i vicini di casa; le casalinghe annoiate; i vari tipi

criminali; il proprietario del ristorante i cui clienti sono la

sua famiglia; i modesti contadini; le sirene mediterranee –

sono tutti perfettamente verosimili.

Ancor più verosimili sono i rapporti tra di loro. Poche

persone di origine anglo-sassone si rendono conto che per

molti versi la società italiana è estremamente gerarchica;

e questa serie televisiva riesce a catturare con grande

precisione le sfumature di come gli italiani di diverse

condizioni interagiscono. La deferenza riluttante che

Montalbano stesso accorda al suo superiore; il livello esatto

di formalità e di informalità che adopera verso i suoi vari

colleghi; e le precise gradazioni di respetto o di ossequiosità

che i membri del pubblico dimostrano verso di lui in

quanto commissario della Polizia … tutto questo rispecchia

perfettamente la struttura di una società italiana nella quale

il prestigio di ognuno è ben defi nito.

Ci sono tante altre cose, che ora accenno come mi

vengono in mente. Anche qui si vede la tendenza di tante

donne italiane – ma non, al solito, degli uomini – di

ricorrere ad un linguaggio vagamente psicoterapeutico,

con espressioni come “Sono stata sconvolta” o “Ho avuto

un attacco di angoscia”, le quali rispecchiano una mentalità

diffusa. E poi il tessuto fi sico della vita italiana qui si

cattura con una accuratezza sempre fi dabile – il fatto, ad

esempio, che il più modesto appartamento sarà dotato di

una porta blindata. E poi la lingua italiana, e i gesti che la

accompagnano. Gli italiani parlano precisamente così; e

per di più, le parolacce non sono state censurate in modo

puritano.

Dunque, in quanto ritratto dell’Italia moderna; in

quanto studio della mentalità italiana; e anche in quanto

corso d’italiano colloquiale per chiunque ne abbia bisogno

… per tutti questi versi la serie Montalbano è pressoché

imbattibile.

GAZZETTA

S P E A K I TA L I A !


THE AUTHORSEBASTIAN CRESSWELL-TURNER is a freelance

writer, translator and fl uent Italian speaker who

lived in Rome for many years. His travel articles

have appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph,

The Times and The Mail, plus many more.


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D I S C O V E R I TA L I A !

Clockwise from

top left: View

of the Mole

Antonelliana

with the Alps

beyond; la Chiesa

della Gran Madre

di Dio and the

Ponte Vittorio

Emanuele I; Turin

is proud to be

the birthplace

of the Slow Food

movement; the

Piedmontese are

also justly proud

of their wine; the

Porta Palatina;

staircase at

the Palazzo

Carignano; the

market at the

Porta Palazzo


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Hanging in the air above the city wasn’t exactly how I’d envisaged starting my visit to Turin. Yet here I was, 150 metres off the ground in a helium balloon, my heart in my throat, feet heavy as lead. Somehow, I’d been persuaded that The ‘Turin Eye’ (www.turineye.com) would be a novel way to

see the city. In spite of my trepidation and inability to step onto the glass panel in the basket, the views from up here are captivating. The snow-capped peaks of the majestic Alps provide an enchanting backdrop as I gaze gingerly down at the city.

From up here I can clearly see the Royal Palaces and gardens in the historic centre, the famous dome of the Mole Antonelliana, home to the renowned film museum, the myriad piazzas and green spaces, and of course, the mighty River Po with the huge Gran Madre basilica just across the bridge from the Piazza Vittorio, one of the widest piazzas in the world.

My feet firmly reunited with the ground, I head off to the Porta Palazzo market which, I’m reliably told, is the biggest in Europe. The market is on every morning and all day on Saturdays.

I feast my eyes on the luscious displays of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables, all ripe for the eating. Everything is laid out neatly and I’m amazed at how the sellers colour-coordinate their stalls so perfectly. Red and yellow peppers are arranged alternately side by side in a pyramid shape, plump black grapes are displayed next to white, orange melons alternate with green.

There’s so much to see and do in Turin that a weekend hardly seems enough. Lorenza Bacino fits in as much as she can,

beginning with a sightseeing tour by hot-air balloon…

Turin48 HOURS IN…

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THE EGYPTIAN

MUSEUM

This collection

is second only

in importance

to the Cairo

museum itself.

Don’t miss the

Tomb of Kha,

and the statue

of the Pharaoh

Ramesses II.

Via Accademia

delle Scienze,

6 ��+39 011

561 7776 www.

museoegizio.org

DON’T MISS

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

It’s pulsating with life and the traditional smells of basil, tomatoes and melons mingle with more pungent and less familiar aromas from North Africa and the Middle East. Porta Palazzo is a place where Mediterranean and ethnic cultures collide and re-invent themselves.

Under a glass awning next to the main market is a farmers’ market, or zona contadina, where you can buy directly from the producers. Turin is home to the Slow Food movement (www.slowfood.com), which now has world-wide recognition, and buying seasonal vegetables straight from the producer fits in well with their philosophy of aiming to preserve local foods and biodiversity.

ETHNIC FOOD SHOOPS

Still salivating over the goodies I’d seen in the market, my trusty walking tour guide Chiara (www.torinoturismo.it) points out some ethnic food shops which have recently taken a foothold around the market square. The Panetteria Marocchina has a selection of mouth-watering pastries and sesame breads and there’s even an Arab restaurant

housed at the Bagno Turco (www.hamam-torino.it). She then takes me to get lost in the cobbled streets of the Quadrilatero Romano. This historic part of town is a hive of art galleries, wine cellars, restaurants and boutiques. We stroll down via Santa Chiara and via San Domenico, gazing at beautiful baroque shop fronts and stucco façades. Chiara explains that the tradition in Turin is to preserve the old shop signs and to put the new ones over the top. Somehow it works and maintains the city’s history in a very charming fashion.

We stop at the historic Al Bicerin (www.bicerin.it) café in Piazza della Consolata. They have been manufacturing chocolate since 1763 so it’s the place to try this traditional drink, although most of the other ‘historical cafés’ serve it too.

A bicerin (‘small glass’ in Piemontese) is made up of three layers. On top you have crema di latte (definitely not panna) then a layer of coffee followed by a layer of chocolate on the bottom. I was instructed by the owner to hold the glass only by the stem and definitely not to mix up the layers. The crema di latte is

PALAZZO MADAMA q1Piazza Castello

Much of the city centre has been

pedestrianised, so is fantastic for enjoying

the elegant palazzi and museums. Palazzo

Madama is right in the middle of the

Piazza Castello and is a double-faced

royal residence, baroque on one side and

medieval on the other. It exhibits art work

from medieval times through to Gothic and

Renaissance and culminating in baroque.

POLO REALE AND SAVOY RESIDENCES q2www.residenzereali.it

The residences of the Savoy Dynasty from

the 17th century until the mid-1800s.

Portraits, chandeliers and furnishings

through the centuries are on display.

MUSEO DELL’AUTOMOBILE q3Corso Unità d’Italia 40, Lingotto

��+39 011 659 9872

www.museoauto.it

A fantastic space that has recently had a

complete makeover. On display are more

than 200 vehicles dating from the mid-

19th century to the present day. Even if

you are not particularly interested in cars,

this is still well worth the trip out of town.

TORINO MAGICA TOUR q4Piazza Statuto, 15

��+39 011 668 7013/0580

www.somewhere.it

These bus tours operate on Thursdays and

Saturday evenings, departing from Piazza

Statuto at 9pm. The tour lasts two and a

half hours and explains how Turin came to

have esoteric traditions steeped in black

and white magic. Piazza Statuto is said to

be one point of a black magic triangle that

includes London and San Francisco. The

white triangle includes Lyon and Prague.

BALLOON RIDE q5Piazza Borgo Dora

(Giardino Cardinale Michele Pellegrino)

��+39 342 133 6565

www.turineye.com

This service has only been available for

the past two years and is the perfect

introduction to the city, if you don’t mind

heights. Do, however, phone in advance

and check if they’re flying, as if the

weather isn’t good, they won’t be and you

may be disappointed.

BASILICA DI SUPERGA q6Strada Comunale della Basilica di Superga

The hill is more than 700m high, gives a

great view of the city and is beautifully

illuminated at night. Admission to the 18th

century basilica is free. Some of the tombs

of the House of Savoy can be seen here,

as well as the only complete collection of

portraits of all the Popes through the ages.

The Palazzina di caccia at Stupinigi

³




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EATALY

Foodies will love

Eataly, out in the

Lingotto area, a

few minutes’ ride

on the excellent

metro (Torino

Lingotto).

Stroll around

thousands of

square metres of

cheeses, meats,

fish, vegetables,

pasta, sauces

and more. Or

sit down at one

of the small

restaurants, read

the newspapers

and sample a

glass of wine and

locally produced

food. Via Nizza,

230, Lingotto, � +39 011 195

06811 www.

eataly.it

DON’T MISStepid and soft as it touches my lip, becoming warmer as I reach the coffee and chocolate below. Lightly sweetened, it’s a delicious treat after traipsing the streets. Al Bicerin is one of the famous ‘historical cafés’ of Turin, and the shelves in the wooden interior are stacked with jars containing brightly coloured pastils called pastiglie Leone, also a family business going back generations.

The old-style shop next door sells a large selection of tastefully-wrapped chocolates including Turin’s famous gianduiotti. My suitcase will be a few kilogrammes heavier upon my return.

The Santuario della Consolata basilica opposite the Al Bicerin is a place to feast your eyes and soul. It’s a fine example of Piedmontese baroque architecture and even if it isn’t to your taste you can’t fail to gawp at the splendour of its golden interior.

Turin is often overlooked by the tourist in favour of other more

famous, more glamourous, Italian cities, but it’s steeped in history and is home to a remarkable wealth of baroque buildings. Furthermore, its royal heritage is second to none in Italy. In 1563 Turin was declared the capital of the House of Savoy and became the first capital of a unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Its royal heritage is omniscient and Turin possesses no fewer than 15 royal

residences (declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997) and more than 40 museums.

I decide I am going to stick with baroque for the day, and make my way to the Palazzo Reale in Piazza Castello. Turin is a tidy network of streets and very easy to navigate, even for me, the world’s worst map reader. The Palazzo Reale is sumptuously decorated with elegant gilded stucco and giant chandeliers. There’s also an important collection of paintings to enjoy. A blood-red carpet

Turin is steeped in history and is home to a remarkable wealth of baroque buildings

Lorenza takes in the views Caffè al Bicerin

WHERE TO STAY

ART HOTEL BOSTON q7Via Massena, 70

www.hotelbostontorino.it

��+39 011 500 359

If you love art then this is the hotel

for you. Art is everywhere – where you

sleep, where you dine, where you sit

and relax. There are 87 rooms inspired

by and dedicated to various modern or

contemporary artists. You could even stay

in the Picasso room if you like. All rooms

have wi-fi, satellite TV and mini bar. Prices

range from €120 to €250.

HOTEL PIEMONTESE q8Via Claudio Luigi Berthollet, 21

��+39 011 669 8101

www.hotelpiemontese.it

This is a beautiful Liberty-style hotel that

has recently been renovated. It comprises

39 rooms, some of which have a jacuzzi or

a sauna. Breakfast is served on the garden

terrace and there is a particular emphasis

on organic products and coeliac-friendly

food. Prices start at €100 for a double room

with buffet breakfast.

HOTEL GENOVA q9Via Paolo Sacchi, 14

��+39 011 562 9400

www.albergogenova.it

The staff are friendly and the location is

excellent if you like a good night out. Just

walk through the Porta Nuova train station

to San Salvario, a lively area that in the

evenings attracts hoards of young people

to its many restaurants and night clubs.

Prices range from €150 for a double room

with breakfast included.

GRAND HOTEL SITEA q10?

Via Carlo Alberto, 35

��+39 011 517 0171

www.grandhotelsitea.it

This hotel is very central and only a few

minutes from the Egyptian museum. The

restaurant is very good too. Prices range

from €160 for a double room and that

includes a sumptuous breakfast.

HOTEL VICTORIA q11Via Nino Costa, 4

��+39 011 561 1909

www.hotelvictoria-torino.com

This hotel has a beautiful heated swimming

pool, wellness centre and spa – and is very

central. Prices start from €200 for a double

room with breakfast.

HOTEL PRINCIPI DI PIEMONTE q12Via Piero Gobetti, 15

� +39 011 55151

www.atahotels.it

A 5-star hotel in a prime location facing

the via Roma. Prices start at €225 for a

double room with breakfast.³

The Palazzo Reale



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10

1

2

3

4

5

78

91112 13

14

1516

17

6

THE ICE CREAMTurin’s ice cream parlours are famous. There are many traditional ones like Fiorio and Miretti. Grom is particularly special and now has branches abroad. The fi rst tiny shop is in Piazza Paleocapa, near Porta Nuova train station. And in San Salvario, check out Eurocrem in via Pietro Giuria, 25. It has a delightfully old fashioned atmosphere.

DON’T MISS throughout matches perfectly with the gold and glitter adorning the ceilings and I believe I can almost hear the music echo through from the past as I traverse the ballroom.

Your ticket to the Palazzo Reale includes entry into the Galleria Sabauda, where you can see the art collection that the Savoy dynasty accumulated over three centuries and

which the fi rst King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, gifted to the new nation.

Feeling smug about my cultural exploits I decide I need some greenery and the Parco del Valentino looked very inviting from my balloon. And indeed it is. It’s a relaxing park along the banks of the River Po where you can visit the quirky Borgo Medievale, which, it turns out, is a genuine fake – an 18th century reconstruction of a medieval village! It’s defi nitely worth a peek. There are cafés and trellises along the banks of the river where students hang out for a drink or pretend to study. You can take a leisurely boat ride along the river too.

I can’t leave Turin without a visit to the Mole Antonelliana to see the famous Museo del Cinema. And it turns out to be one of the highlights of my visit. I am completely unprepared for the magnifi cence of the enormous atrium and my breath catches in my throat as I gaze up at the 167m dome. In the semi-darkness, I drink in the splendour of

its upward spiral from the comfort of plush red reclining seats and enjoy projections of some of the most famous fi lm clips in the history of cinema. I could spend the day meandering in this most engaging and interactive of museums. I immerse myself in all sorts of curious nooks and crannies which line the walkway ascending the spiral dome. Lighting and visual games playing havoc with reality, I wander through in a dreamlike trance.

Taking the vertiginous ride in the stainless steel and glass lift through the centre of the museum brings me back to reality with a bump.

WHERE TO EATRISTORANTE MONFERRATO q13Via Monferrato, 6

��+39 011 819 0661/0674www.ristorantemonferrato.com A stone’s throw from the Gran Madre Basilica, this restaurant has been around since 1820 and serves traditional, and delicious, Piedmontese food. On Saturdays you can book a meal on a gustotram, which takes you on a tram tour of the city. Price range O€ O€

TRE GALLINE q14Via Gian Francesco Bellezie, 37

��+39 011 436 6553 www.3galline.itThis Three Chickens has been around for four centuries and offers super-traditional Piedmontese cooking. You can eat here for less than €50 a head but once you’ve seen their menu you probably won’t.Price range O€ O€ O€

È CUCINA TORINO q15Via Bertola 27/a

��+39 011 562 9038www.cesaremarretti.com The brainchild of charismatic TV chef Cesare Marretti and very much of the Slow Food ethos. È Cucina is very small and great for a quick and delicious meal. It costs €10 per person, including a main dish, dessert and a glass of wine. There’s no menu, you just decide whether you want meat, fi sh or vegetarian. You get what’s on offer and it’s always delicious.Price range O€

TABERNA LIBRARIA q16Via Conte Giambattista Bogino, 5,

��+39 011 812 8028 www.tabernalibraria.to.it The walls are covered in books and bottles so you can fl ick through an old Adelphi edition while you enjoy your meal. A menu

degustazione will cost you less than €50 for two, but the full fi ve-course experience will not.Price range O€ O€ O€

COCO’S q17Via Bernardino Galliari, 28,

��+39 011 259 5576 www.trattoriacocos.it Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini put this place on the map by dedicating an entire page to it in the pages of La Repubblica. Prior to that, only the stall holders in the market knew about it. Now this bar transforms into a trattoria at lunchtime, welcoming everyone from students to transvestites. It’s full of knick-knacks inside – newspaper clippings, photos and takes you back to the 60s. A great place with a great atmosphere.Price range O€ O€

The Alps are never far when you’re in Turin and you’ll often catch sight of a snowy peak

³




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EatalyTowards the end of the tomato season

The Castello del Valentino

The Museo Carpano at Eataly

THE MOLE

ANTONELLIANA

and the National

fi lm Museum.

A ‘must’ for

any visitor. It’s

a great place

both for fi lm

enthusiasts

and children as

it’s interactive,

fun, engaging

and playful. The

exhibits trace

the story of fi lm

from its origins

and you’ll be

amazed when

you enter the

Temple Hall,

from where you

can take the

panoramic lift up

into the dome.

Via Montebello

20, +39 011

813 8511 www.

museonazionale-

delcinema.it

DON’T MISS

³�BY PLANE

The airport of Sandro Pertini-Caselle

(www.aeroportoditorino.it) is about a

half hour taxi ride from the city. You can

also take a bus or train to the Porta Susa

and Porta Nuova train stations in the

centre of town. From London, Ryanair,

British Airways and easyJet all operate

regular and frequent fl ights to Turin.

Ryanair also fl y there from Dublin.

³�BY TRAIN

Turin has two main stations, Porta Susa

and Porta Nuova. The Turin-Milan service

to/from Porta Susa departs frequently. It

takes about 45 minutes to get to Milan.

GETTING THERE

Seemingly pulled up by the roots of my hair, the metal cables propel me the 85m to the top of the dome. I exit and walk 360 degrees around the terrace on the outside, where another perfect view of mountains and city greet me. The Alps are never far when you’re in Turin and you’ll often catch sight of a snowy peak as you stare up at the palazzi in this elegant and cultured city. Q!

³�KEY TO RESTAURANT PRICES

(full meal per person, not including wine)

O€ Up to €25

O€ O€ €26-€50

O€ O€ O€ More than €50

The Mole from ground level



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UNDERSTANDING THE REASONING behind the most recurrent style and choice of subject matter in the art of any era enables us to understand the people from that period. In the medieval period, nearly all paintings in Italy were religious, refl ecting the theocentric society. There was a disregard for the ‘here and now’, and daily life paled in importance against the spiritual realm. The art featured predominately religious subjects and very rarely the natural world or urban scenes. Heaven

and the protagonists who inhabited this realm were also considered different and superior to the everyman and so they were not shown realistically, but symbolically. These symbols could be colours, so as to recognise the subject matter, or particular ways of representation; either way, there was a conscious effort in the medieval period to not show images with photographic realism, but to use icons.

Heaven was conveyed with a gold background, the Virgin Mary was always depicted wearing blue and red clothes and consciously not depicted like an earthly woman. The baby Christ in her arms didn’t look baby-like; instead, he was shown as a little adult. Being a society which concentrated more on the spiritual rather than the earthly realm, it is obvious that they would meditate more on the God nature of Christ than on his human nature. As babies aren’t associated with wisdom but men are, Christ is symbolically depicted as an adult, or even like a Roman senator, being the embodiment of wisdom. The artisans who produced the paintings could not deviate from this iconic representation. Consequently, there was very little room for artistic licence and individual talent to fl ex muscles.

However, things began to change in the 1300s – especially in Florence. The fi gures started to obtain a greater sense of realism, volume and expression. This refl ected the shift in society to a more humanistic community, an anthropocentric world, which accorded greater attention to the present. Due to the increase in trade and good harvests, there was a renewal in urban centres, which in turn led to an increase in communication, a desire for law and order and a communal identity.

A shift of attention from the vertical to the horizontal, natural world took place. The natural world regained a value that had last been seen in antiquity. This shift is documented through the change in the representation of the people and space in painting. Baby Christ was depicted progressively more as a baby: young, chubby, refl ecting the meditation of his human nature and his earthly suffering rather than his heavenly, eternal make-up. The artisan became the artist, as he was no longer limited to iconic representations, but freed from limitation. His originality was set free. Q!

Artisan becomes artistThe artisans who produced the paintings of medieval times could not deviate from the iconic representation of Heaven

ABOUT THE WRITERFREYA MIDDLETON is a private tour guide and writer who lives in Florence, Tuscany.

You can read her blog online or learn more about her tours at www.freyasfl orence.com

Madonna and Child from

the medieval period, San

Remigio Church, Florence

FA S T C U LT U R E



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Can you spot these often missed street scenes and overlooked objects of Venice? Let Secret Venice

guide you round the streets of San Marco…

SECRET VENICE


THE TESTA D’ORO AT RIALTO 1 Salizada Pio X, Rialto Almost opposite the entrance to the church of San Bartolomeo at the foot of Rialto Bridge is a small sculpture of a head that can often pass unnoticed. In bronze, it is the old shop sign for the apothecary Alla Testa d’Oro (At the Golden Head) and dates from an era when a substantial part of the population was illiterate and had no other way of identifying the shop.

We do not know exactly whom the artist took as his inspiration for this depiction of a rather haughty, determined face crowned with laurel leaves. Perhaps it was Virgilio Zorzi, one of the former owners of the apothecary shop, or perhaps it was an imaginary portrait of Andromache or Mithridates. On the wall, you can also see a fragment of an inscription which refers to Theriaca d’Andromaco. A sort of universal panacea believed to be effi cacious against any number of ills, teriaca was a speciality of this spezieria as early as 1603. In fact, its teriaca was considered the best in the city, thus Alla Testa d’Oro was authorised to manufacture the potion three times a year, whilst all the other licensed apothecaries in Venice could only do so once a year.

After the Fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, this apothecary was the only one to go on producing teriaca. It would continue to do so right into the 20th century, even if the recipe was simplifi ed. For example, when regulations regarding pharmaceutical products were introduced in the 1940s, teriaca could no longer include opium, an ingredient that had originally been included for its analgesic properties.

SIGHTS NEARBY

THE GRAFFITI IN THE

FONDACO DEI TEDESCHI

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi formerly housed

the warehouses, exchange and residence

facilities (more than 200 rooms) for

merchants from Germany, Austria,

Hungary and the north of Europe in

general. The interior courtyard was laid

out on three fl oors, the corridors visible

through arcades (so the Venetians could

keep the activities within under easy

surveillance). On the fi rst fl oor, alongside

the monumental clock, there are bits of

graffi ti carved into the parapets. These

include the schema for a game of Nine

Men’s Morris, which here seems more

likely to be an esoteric symbol than the

simple outline of a game.

“Custodian of the secrets of a universal

panacea”

2

1

3

4

5

6


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HEAD OF AN OLD WOMAN 2

Corte del Teatro, San LucaHalfway up a house in Corte del Teatro, there is a curious marble sculpture of an old woman’s head, which originally seems to have been the shop sign of the Farmacia “La Vecchia” in Campo San Polo. There is an amusing story about it.

A miserly old woman (vecchia) of the parish of San Paternian used to hide her money in the lining of an old cloak that she kept in the attic. One winter’s day, her son, Vincenzo Quardio, knowing nothing about the hiding place, took pity on a local pauper and gave him the cloak. A week later, the woman went to add to her savings but could not fi nd the garment. To convince her son to go and get it back, she told him that it contained all the money that she had intended to leave to him. The son then set out in search of the pauper, even disguising himself as a beggar on the steps of Rialto Bridge. Finally, he found him and, voicing charitable concern about the bitter cold, suggested a swap: his own thick cloak for the threadbare one he had given him before. With the money he got back, the son was then able to open a fl ourishing apothecary’s business, the rear of which was decorated by a sculpture showing his mother seated and himself standing.

These days, all you can see of the high-relief is the woman’s head, fl anked by an image of a cedar tree (the shop sign of another nearby apothecary that has since disappeared), the arms of the Bembo and Moro families, and the crest of the Confraternity of San Rocco. In the 16th century, this house had passed from the Bembo to the Moro and then to the confraternity.

SIGHTS NEARBY

THE EMBLEMS ON THE FLAG POLE IN

CAMPO SAN LUCA

On the base of the fl ag pole in Campo

San Luca are the emblems of the

two confraternities that played a part in

defeating the conspiracy led by

Bajamonte Tiepolo: the Scuola della

Carità (Confraternity of Charity) and the

Scuola dei Pittori (Guild of Painters).

“The good, the poor and the miserly”

THE SCULPTED PLAQUE OF AN OLD WOMAN WITH A MORTAR 3

Mercerie, at the corner of the Sotoportego del CappelloMercerie, 149Often overlooked, this sculpted plaque just a few steps from St Mark’s Square is a reminder of a remarkable incident in the history of the Venetian Republic that took place on 15 June 1310. In order to overthrow Doge Pietro Gradenigo, the Tiepolo and Querini families banded together with various other aristocratic families in a plot led by one Bajamonte Tiepolo. However, things did not go as planned. Forewarned by informers, the doge’s guards cut off access to the Palace and fi ghting started in St Mark’s Square. Soon, the rebels had to beat a hasty retreat, making for the Rialto via the Mercerie.

Looking out on these events from her balcony at the beginning of that street, an old woman – whom some records identify simply as “Giustina”, others as “Lucia Rossi” – dropped a heavy mortar onto the fl eeing rebels, hitting Bajamonte Tiepolo’s standard-bearer and killing him on the spot.

The old woman subsequently asked for a reward for her derring-do, requesting that thereafter, on 15 June and all public holidays, she be allowed to hang the banner of St Mark from her balcony, and that the rent for her house never be raised (neither for her nor her daughters after her). A munifi cent ruler, the doge accepted her requests, and ruled that the fi xed rent should be enjoyed by the old woman’s heirs in perpetuity. More than 500 years later, in 1861, the sole occupant of the house, Elia Vivante Mussati, had this plaque carved. Bearing the date of the rebellion, it depicts the old woman throwing the mortar. Directly below the sculpted plaque in St Mark’s is a small white stone indicating where the mortar fell. It also shows the date in Roman numerals.

There are other reminders of the

Bajamonte Tiepolo conspiracy in

Venice. An engraved stone in Campo

San Agostino (near Campo San Polo)

identifi es the location of Bajamonte’s

house, which was demolished. In its

place, a “column of infamy” recording

his crime was initially set up. It was

then replaced with the paving stone

that recalls the episode. Other traces are

the marks that were set on the homes

of each of the conspirators as well as

the emblems of the confraternities that

helped bring about the defeat of the

conspiration, on campo San Luca.


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GRAFFITI OF A MAN WITH A PIPE 4

Palazzo Loredan, Riva del CarbonLooking at Palazzo Loredan, the second column in from the left has a graffi ti depiction of a man with a long pipe. It is inspired by the remarkable legend of a local fi sherman called Biagio. A fi rm favourite with one and all, this old man used to spend a lot of time outside Palazzo Loredan, touting for small jobs amongst the residents of the district. During the moments of rest that he allowed himself, he liked to stand and look out along the canal whilst smoking his pipe. One day, however, when the city was very quiet, the wake left by a passing gondola suddenly turned red. The waters of the canal parted, leaving the gondola suspended in midair, whilst the panic-stricken gondolier dived to one side and swam to the bank.

At this point two enormous black arms ending in terrible claws came out of the water and snatched away the felze (the small cabin that used to be located at the centre of a gondola). Biagio caught a glimpse of two young girls seized by the claws, whilst a monstrous, twin-horned head emerged from the water. Biagio had no doubt that it was Satan himself.

Later, it emerged that the two young girls were members of the Gradenigo family, and it was said that Satan was probably taking revenge upon their father, whose dabbling in the secrets of magic had unwittingly offered the Devil the chance to seize hold of these innocent souls.

Faced with this terrifying spectacle, Biagio did not think twice. He hurled his pipe into the water and yelled at Satan to take him rather than the two girls, extending his arms to show that he offered himself in sacrifi ce. Now it was Satan’s turn to mock Biagio for believing he was some sort of Christ fi gure. However, he did promise to release the two girls if Biagio’s extended arms could embrace the entire world. No sooner had he said this than Biagio’s arms were painlessly detached from his body and, followed by a host of cherubim, fl ew off in either direction around the globe. The Devil was left speechless and released the two girls, leaving untouched the old Biagio, whom God had protected.

SIGHTS NEARBY

THE PLAQUE OF THE FIRST FEMALE

GRADUATE

On the wall of Palazzo Cavalli, at the

corner of Riva del Carbon and Calle

Cavalli, a plaque placed about four

metres high recalls the fact that the fi rst

woman in the world to graduate from a

university was born here in Venice,

in 1646. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia

graduated from the University of

Padua (then under Venetian rule) with a

degree in philosophy in 1678. The

fi rst university to welcome female

students opened in Zurich in 1867.

“Biagio’s miraculous sacrifice”


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³�These sights

are taken from

Secret Venice by

Thomas Jonglez

and Paola Zoffoli,

published by

Jonglez. You can

buy the book

for £13.99 in all

good book stores

or visit www.

jonglezpublishing.

com

BUY THE BOOK

THE WINGED HORSE OF PALAZZO MOROSINI 5

Palazzo Morosini, Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 2802The main entrance of Palazzo Morosini gives onto Campo Santo Stefano, whilst the other side of the building is bound by the Rio Del Santissimo. Although there is a bridge over the small rio, it is nevertheless diffi cult to see the amazing sculptures that decorate this side of the building. You either have to have your own boat or else ask the gondolier to halt here as you go past. One of the sculptures is a surprising depiction of a winged horse fl anked by two winged gryphons.

The horse is Pegasus, an animal which in Greek mythology was said to have been born from the blood of Medusa after Perseus beheaded the monster. Where Pegasus’ hoof struck the ground of Mount Helicon, it caused water to fl ow forth. This “Horse Spring” (Hippocrene) would become identifi ed as the source of poetic inspiration and associated with the immortality of poetry. Pegasus was subsequently immortalised by Zeus, who turned him into the constellation Pegasus within the northern hemisphere. Ultimately, the winged horse would also become a symbol of the Primordial Tradition of Alchemy, its fl anks said to be made of gold (a reference to the Philosopher’s Gold which was the ultimate aim of the Great Work of Alchemy).

It is no accident that this sculpture is placed here, over a very quiet canal. It symbolises Divine Wisdom, referring to Pegasus’ ability to create, with a mere blow of its hoof, a miraculous spring that can give humans immortality.

This divine wisdom is also represented by the two winged gryphons alongside. They symbolise the phase of sublimation in alchemy. Traditionally, these creatures were said to mate with a mare, the fruit of the union being a hippogryph. There is a medieval expression, Jungentur jam grypes equis, which means “to cross a gryphon with a horse” and was used to refer to something that was considered impossible. Hence, the hippogryph symbolises both love and impossibility. In medieval legends, this imaginary animal was often associated with knights in love with a lady who was impossible to conquer. Similarly, it would become the symbol of those engaged in the magical arts, who achieved the apparently impossible by submitting the material to the laws of the spiritual.

SIGHTS NEARBY

THE ONLY UNDERGROUND CANAL IN

VENICE

If you have your own boat – or want to

add to the wealth of one of the

gondoliers – you can enjoy the thrill of

travelling along the one underground

canal in Venice, a stretch of the Rio del

Santissimo that passes right under the

choir of the Church of Santo Stefano. The

place is also well-known to young

Venetians, who come here to smoke

without being disturbed. At high tide, be

careful not to hit your head! Q!

“An alchemical symbol of the

search for Philosopher’s

Gold”

THE LAMPS OF THE DOGE’S PALACE

On the southwest side of the Doge’s

Palace are two small lamps that are

always kept lit. They commemorate one

of the rare occasions when the Republic

admitted to a miscarriage of justice.

One morning, as he was going to his

bakery, baker Piero Tasca tripped over an

object lying on the gleaming fl agstones.

Bending down to pick it up, he saw it was

the sheath of a dagger. A few feet away

lay the body of a man. Tasca was arrested

for his murder, ultimately “confessing”

under torture and consequently executed

on 22 March 1507, opposite the south

side of the basilica. The real murderer was

discovered shortly after his execution.

TRACES OF AN OLD WELL IN

ST MARK’S SQUARE

A dozen or so metres in front of Caffè

Florian (slightly to the right), a discreet

inscription marks the site of the last

public well to exist in St Mark’s Square.

THE AXIS OF THE BASILICA

St Mark’s Basilica is not aligned with St

Mark’s Square. Under the arcades in the

square, opposite Sotoportego de l’Arco

Celeste, is a metal medallion indicating

the exact line of the basilica’s axis.

SIGHTS NEARBY

THE PINK COLUMNS OF THE DOGE’S PALACE 6

In the upper gallery of the Doge’s Palace, two pink columns stand amongst all the other white ones. Legend has it that the doge used to stand between these two during offi cial ceremonies. It was also from here that death sentences were announced to the crowd below (the pink thus recalling the colour of blood).

The most common place for the gallows was between the two columns overlooking the waterfront in the Piazzetta. Across the far side of St Mark’s Square was the clock tower, and so the condemned man could see the exact time of his demise. St Mark’s bell tower itself was sometimes used for punishments, when a cage (cheba) containing convicted criminals was hung from a point halfway up the structure.


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P R O P E RT Y F O C U S

PODERE MARGHERITAReaching Podere Margherita is like fi nding a hidden treasure. It sits in the midst of hills and sunfl owers, in

an exceedingly panoramic and suggestive position on a little hill not far from Chiusi Lake. It is surrounded

by greenery and walnut trees, and the garden directly around the house is beautifully landscaped with little

outdoors areas to catch the best moments of the day and of the seasons. There is a big, open-space living

area, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a lovely swimming pool. The house itself is impregnated

with history with its little tower on the roof; it dates back to the 14th century and maintains all its original

character. Price €675,000 Contact � +39 075 837 8011 www.ilcastelloditara.com

€500,000-€750,000

TARA DUNN ACHESONWWW.ILCASTELLODITARA.COM

Despite its central

location and famous

attractions, Umbria

is rarely part of the

usual tourist itinerary.

It is that special place

you choose to go to

because, within a

drive of an hour or

two from Rome, Florence, Assisi or Siena, you

can still feel like an explorer. Umbria is the

home of Saint Francis and Saint Benedict.

It is the home of great artists like Perugino

and Pinturicchio. Lake Trasimeno, the fourth

largest lake in Italy, is of amazing beauty

and also happens to be pretty historic: in the

Battle of Lake Trasimeno in 217 BC, Hannibal

defeated the Romans with one of the biggest,

most successful military ambushes in history.

And fi nally Panicale, an idyllic Italian village:

an intact medieval microcosm and a living

town together, where increasing numbers of

people are returning to live because of its

special atmosphere, local customs, traditions

and way of life, one that is worth savouring.

Il Castello di Tara Piazza Umberto I, 5

Panicale (PG) � +39 075 837 8011

www.ilcastelloditara.com

€100,000-€250,000

SANT’ARCANGELOThis is a truly a unique house. You wouldn’t know it to look at it now,

but it is in fact a former pigsty! It has been thoughtfully converted and

now features high wooden-beamed ceilings and lots of windows. The

house is situated in a little hamlet – where there is a good restaurant

and a bed and breakfast – and is just a fi ve minute walk from the

centre of the town of Sant’Arcangelo, where there are all the services

and facilities you will require. The lake is right there too. The house

has a large living area with fi replace, a little kitchen, a bathroom and

a bedroom as well as the most amazing roofed terrace with incredible

views of the lake. Price €105,000 Contact � +39 075 837 8011


UMBRIAPROPERTY FOCUS

Itay’s ‘Green Heart’ is extraordinarily rich in natural beauty, culture and history, yet it is often

overlooked on the typical tourist’s itinerary…


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Il Castello di Tara “For a man’s home is his castle”


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Sebastian Cresswell-Turner discovers the delights of the

Umbrian town of Norcia, a gastronomic capital in the untouched national park of the Sybilline Mountains...

Photo

gra

phy ©

Hannah B

ell

is


The village of Castelluccio in the Sybilline

Mountains is the highest permanently

inhabited village in Italy


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³



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Separated from the rest of Italy by a four-kilometre-long tunnel to the west and by the Sybilline Mountains to the east, the quiet

provincial town of Norcia belongs to a slower, bygone age; whereas nearby, high in vast upland plains, which are snow-clad for much of the year, you fi nd yourself not just in another age, but in another world altogether. Here, far away from the ordinary concerns of life, you might fi nd yourself wondering whether you have stumbled across Shangri-La. And yet you are in central Italy.

“Siamo stati un po’ dimenticati,” said our hostess Anna Bianconi, the matriarch of the most prominent family hereabouts, as she refl ected wistfully on the numerous unsung attractions of her town. “We have been rather forgotten.”



WHERE TO STAY

³�PALAZZO SENECA

Via Cesare Battisti 10, Norcia

� +39 0743 817434

www.palazzoseneca.com

Palazzo Seneca has rooms from £120 per night

including breakfast and entrance to the spa.

To book visit www.mrandmrssmith.com

or call ��0845 034 0700. EasyJet fl ights

from London Gatwick to Rome Fiumicino

cost from £61 return and return transfers

from Rome to Norcia (Palazzo Seneca) cost

€560 (£470) for up to four people.

For winter hiking in the mountains,

where the temperature can easily fall to

-15°C or lower³ Proper waterproof walking boots

³�Proper trousers, jacket and jumper

³�Scarf, gloves and hat with ear-fl aps

³�Dark glasses, sun cream and lip balm

³�Rucksack and snowshoes (though your

guide may lend you these).

For summer hiking: the usual gear.

All the year round: leave plenty of room

in your suitcase for local gastronomic

specialities to take back home.

WHAT TO TAKE

That, however, is fi ne by me; because if your idea of the perfect holiday is to spend the days hiking in countryside of unsurpassed grandeur and working up an appetite that will be satisfi ed in any number of excellent local restaurants, then Norcia is ideal.

Indeed, not only is this unspoiled Umbrian retreat a perfect base for extended mountain treks all the year round, it is also one of Italy’s most venerable gastronomic destinations. Yet it is almost totally unknown to English-speaking travellers.

TO THE MOUNTAINS

For much of the two-hour drive northwards from Rome, you are in familiar territory. As you climb into the foothills of the Apennines which form the backbone of Italy, the countryside becomes more and more grand, offering glimpses of hilltop

towns in the distance before you come to the huge medieval castle above Spoleto. Shortly afterwards, you enter the long Forca di Cerro tunnel, from which you emerge into what seems almost a different country, noticeably wilder and more sparsely populated.

By now more or less free of traffi c, the road winds its way upwards, and by the time you reach the ancient Roman town of Norcia, you might be a thousand miles away from anywhere. Come here in the winter, and the streets are slippery with ice and the stars shine above you in the clear night sky, whilst the empty main square, framed by a Benedictine basilica, a Renaissance town hall and a doughty stone fortress, is the stuff of picture postcards.

For those wishing to spoil themselves, the place to stay is the recently refurbished 16th-century

The smooth skin of an

autumn black truffl e

alongside a rugged

winter specimen

Snowshoes are essential

for winter trekking


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Palazzo Seneca, with a library, a huge stone fi replace in the sitting room, and state-of-the-art marble-lined bathrooms throughout.

Here, we were greeted by Signora Bianconi, who, on this cold winter’s night, was wearing an ankle-length fur-lined cape; and ten minutes later, we were seated at a large table in the Granaro del Monte restaurant across the road, the head waiter having received strict instructions to treat us as honoured guests. Linen table-cloths, an open fi re, good local red wine at €5 per litre, and a plate of Norcia’s delicious ham – even as the antipasto was placed in front of us in this restaurant founded in 1850, London was a distant memory.

When I woke up the next morning, it was to an almost eerie silence; and opening the shutters, I realised why. At 600 metres above

sea level, you are surrounded, in the winter months, by mountains covered in snow that muffl es all sounds. Indeed, in winter as in summer, the unspoiled mountain countryside near Norcia is one of the town’s two main attractions. The other is food…

GOURMET NORCIA

It was soon time for a cookery lesson given by Flavio Faedi, the head chef at the Palazzo Seneca, at a cost of €90 per person for a two-hour session. As Flavio explained to us in his fl uent English, Norcia is the Italian capital of black truffl es, just as the Piedmontese town of Alba is the capital of white truffl es. Since Roman times, it has also been famous for its cured meat – hams, saugages and salami. Indeed, it was from the people of Norcia that the inhabitants of Parma learnt how to cure their own

ham. The town is also renowned for its cheeses, especially for its tangy pecorino, and for its dried lentils. It is, in short, a gastronome’s delight.

Directed by the unfl appable Flavio, we started off, appropriately enough, by making a lentil soup, served up with mushroom bruschetta with ricotta shavings; and then made our own pasta as a prelude to preparing taglietelle alla salsa norcina, a local speciality served up with truffl e shavings. We ate both of these dishes, accompanied by a glass of wine. They were delicious.

Again appropriately, the afternoon was given over to a truffl e-hunting excursion, and as we drove up into the hills above Norcia, accompanied by Lulu, a frisky cocker spaniel whose job was to sniff out this luxurious item for which the town is renowned, we learnt the basics. ³

Again appropriately, the afternoon was given over to a

truffle-hunting excursionFor mountain trekking you

need an experienced guide

like Francesco Capozucca

Lulu the dog is rewarded

for fi nding a truffl e



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Found in lightly-wooded,

uncultivated land 600 to 1,200 metres above sea level, the black truffl e is a fungus that attaches itself to the roots of the host tree, generally a scrub oak, although it also likes hazlenut trees and juniper bushes. There are three types: the summer truffl e, the autumn truffl e and the winter truffl e; the fi rst being the least special and the last the most special, retailing at about €1,500 per kilo; and the truffl e-hunting season lasts, on and off, from June to March. In spite of the snow, Lulu found two of these prized objects – small bits of coal whose pungent aroma pierced the winter air.

Back in Norcia, you rapidly realise that it is indeed a small provincial town with not a great deal going on. For some reason, there are rather a lot of banks. There’s the main Corso

³


Sertorio, in which every second shop is a delicatessen, the prices on the whole surprisingly reasonable. And that’s pretty much it – except for one attraction which most people don’t bother with, but which I found magical, because Norcia is one of the very few towns in Italy whose fortifi ed walls are entirely intact. Not only can you follow these in an unbroken circle round the whole town, but in many places you can see the Ancient Roman walls that form the foundations for the later 13th-century ones.

MAJESTIC COUNTRYSIDEOtherwise, Norcia serves as a base for exploring the majestic countryside of the Sybilline Mountains, a huge nature reserve whose upper reaches are generally snow-bound from mid-November until Easter. Come here in the winter months, as we did, and

you will need to be accompanied by a qualifi ed guide.

I cannot recommend Francesco Capozucca warmly enough (www.vagogiro.it). He, too, speaks excellent English, and barely a couple of hours after he picked us up from the hotel, we had put on snowshoes provided by him, had climbed high above the mountain village of Castelluccio, and at 2,000 metres above sea-level were pausing to admire a view of unimaginable grandeur. Suspended in the frozen air, particles of ice glistened in the sunlight, and the silence was total. We had found Shangri-La.

Come here in the summer, on the other hand, and there are numerous panoramic hiking routes. Perhaps best of all, you can climb up Monte Vettore, the highest mountain in the vicinity, and watch the sun rise over the Adriatic Sea to the east.

Come here in the summer, on the other hand, and there are

numerous hiking routes


Lulu and her master, Nicola

There is a huge contrast of

temperature between sun

and shade


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³�BY CAR

For those wishing to explore the region

independently, by far the best solution

is to hire a car and drive. Otherwise,

Palazzo Seneca can arrange transfers from

the nearest airports at Rome, Florence or

Perugia. Alternatively, take the train to

Spoleto and then a taxi to Norcia (about

€60). Details of public transport can be

found at www.umbriamobilita.it

GETTING THERE

After which, you might return to Castelluccio for lunch on the terrace of the Dal Capitano restaurant (closed in winter), from which the view over the vast Pian Grande plain below is one of the most spectacular in the whole of Italy.

Nor can you afford to miss the isolated abbey of Sant’Eutizio, a short drive northwards from Norcia. Founded in 470 AD, this was one of the most illustrious religious establishments of the Middle Ages; and the Benedictine monks here developed a skill in surgery that they passed on to the inhabitants of nearby Preci, so that it was a local surgeon called Cesare Scacchi who was called to England in 1588 to operate on the cataracts of Queen Elizabeth I.

More importantly for the modern traveller, the Guaita Sant’Eutizio restaurant, right by the walls of the

monastery, offers excellent, well-priced local fare.

Then it is back to Norcia. Here, at 7.45 every evening, in the basilica on the main square, the Benedictine monks chant the words of Compline, the last of nine daily services of prayers, and all are welcome. After which, you might treat yourself to a meal in the Vespasia restaurant, attached to the Palazzo Seneca, where you cannot go wrong with their tender local lamb washed down by the excellent local Montefalco Rosso.

And before you leave, it would be a crime not to taste the local Nursia beer, which for centuries has been brewed by the Benedictine monks here, and also to fi ll your suitcase with as many of the local specialities as it will carry.

No Italian visiting this town would dream of doing otherwise. Q!

WHERE TO EAT

³�RISTORANTE GRANARO DEL MONTE

via Alfi eri 12, Norcia

� +39 0743 816513

Traditional cuisine, simply and

inexpensively served in elegant

surroundings. Try the meat from a wood-

fi red brazier, or the delicious local cheese

plate – the pecorino is especially good.

³�DAL CAPITANO

via del Pian Grande, 2

Castelluccio di Norcia

��+39 0743 821159

In the summer, this place really shines,

with a fantastic terrace overlooking Piano

Grande. In the winter it’s a good place to

warm up in after a walk with their fabulous

hot chocolate, which is almost a hot

chocolate custard.

³�RISTORANTE GUAITA SANT’EUTIZIO

outside the Abbazia di Sant’Eutizio,

near Preci

� +39 0743 939319

www.ristoranteguaita.it

After a visit to the impressive abbey, visit

this venerated eatery offering well-priced

local fare.

³�RISTORANTE VESPASIA

via Cesare Battisti 10, Norcia

� +39 0743 817434

www.palazzoseneca.com

This gourmet restaurant offers fi ne dining

cuisine showcasing the best of the local

specialities inside Palazzo Seneca. Chef

Flavio Faedi spins truffl es and prosciutto

into elegant plates.

The statue of San Benedicto

in Norcia’s main square

The medieval walls around

Norcia, with the Roman

wall visible below

Gourmet truffl e treats at Vesperia


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www.auto-italia.net

SUBSCRIBE ON-LINE TODAY ANDNEVER MISS AN ISSUE

Now also available at the App Store or www.pocketmags.com

The magazine for owners and admirers of Italian cars


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RELOCATIONLEARNING ITALIAN

For native English speakers, who have always found it diffi cult

to learn Italian due to the grammatical and phonetic differences between the two languages, it’s a good idea to attend a language course before leaving. This will make it much easier to fi t into Italian daily life, while it would also be a wise decision to continue studying the language once in Italy. It is important to choose the right school – for example, one belonging to ASILS (www.asils.it) or to AIL (www.acad.it) because, as well as improving your language skills, it could give you the chance to meet other people who are going through the same

³�ABBEY SCHOOL

Chiara Avidano

www.ciaoitaly-turin.com

[email protected]

� +39 011 56 94 775

CONTACT DETAILS

experiences. A good school offers a wide range of courses – individual courses, group courses, courses for companies, children and adolescents – and makes a network of consultants available who can help students solve problems in their everyday lives. Last but not least, the recreational activities organised by the school provide opportunities to make new friends, which is psychologically reassuring, especially for women who have to move to Italy because of their husband’s job.

SHARED OWNERSHIP

Italy’s luxury property market has been attracting considerable

interest recently, but if you don’t have access to millions of euros to invest, fractional ownership is a great option. Appassionata has fi rst hand experience of how well Italy’s luxury property market has operated during the past two years. Our four-bedroom property, Casa Giacomo, is sold out and the fi ve-bedroom, fi ve-bathroom Casa Leopardi, which comes with its own pool and fi ve acres of vineyards and olive groves, lavender plantation and truffl e orchard, has been in hot demand, with only one share remaining. Designed as the ultimate luxury holiday home,

Casa Leopardi is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside – each last tile and antique chandelier adds to the property’s overall charm. Casa Leopardi is a fractional ownership property, divided into ten shares. Each share provides the owner with fi ve weeks’ exclusive use of the house per year, along with the organic produce grown on the estate. This arrangement means owners can arrive at their property, put their bags down and start enjoying their holiday immediately.

³�APPASSIONATA

Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs

� +39 3315 413 225

www.appassionata.com

[email protected]

CONTACT DETAILS

BUYING A HOUSE

The fi rst step in the relocating process is fi nding the right house,

and, depending on the house you choose, restoring it or updating it. At Property for Sale Marche we’ve got you covered on that fi rst crucial step. We’re the trusted source for Le Marche property search and restoration services, offering a full range of quality properties of all types and budget ranges, sourced directly through owners or our network of trusted agents. And, when that fi rst step is behind you, we can help you with your relocation, based on the simple fact that we, too, have relocated to Italy and have faced many of the same

³�MARCHE HOMES DIRECT

Kevin L Gibney

� +39 347 538 6668

www.propertyforsalemarche.com

[email protected]

CONTACT DETAILS

challenges, from arranging for delivery of household items to getting an insurance agent and enrolling children in school. We’ve even sourced language tutors, car mechanics and people to harvest olives and grapes for our clients! A welcome part of living in Italy, here in Le Marche in particular, is the genuine kindness of the local people. So, while we like to think we’re a big help to you, you’ll also fi nd your Italian neighbours will be indispensable in helping you get settled into your new life.

LEGAL ADVICE

De Benetti & Co. is an Italian law fi rm providing full and qualifi ed

legal assistance to international clients who plan to relocate to Italy. We can follow our clients step by step during the whole buying process, starting from the negotiation until the completion of the purchase, drafting all deeds in English, from the buying proposal, through the preliminary contract to the fi nal conveyance deed. We are able to provide independent surveys on the properties to be purchased, assistance in obtaining mortgages, as well as tax advice in order to take advantage of the lower purchase tax rate and benefi ts reserved

³�DE BENETTI & CO. LAW FIRM

Massimiliano De Benetti

� +39 3497 150 314

+39 0497 994 546

www.debenettilaw.com

[email protected]

CONTACT DETAILS

to fi rst-time buyers relocating to Italy. We can deal with any other aspects such as opening a bank account, obtaining an Italian tax code, arranging for a resident permit and an Italian identity card, guiding our clients through the best options for their health care and insurance. Our law practice is also specialised in wills drafting and the accomplishment of the inheritance fi scal procedure. Avv. Massimiliano De Benetti is the senior partner of De Benetti & Co Law Practice.

Thinking of taking the plunge and relocating to Italy? Get some advice from our experienced experts – they’ll make the move a much smoother process for you…


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Keen to sample the delights of Barolo at her own pace, Liz Harper headed out to Piedmont with a friend for an

organised, but self-guided cycling tour

Gourmet Cycling in Piedmont

³


Where do we leave the bikes?” I gasped, having finally regained enough breath to ascertain that this

was indeed our home for the night. “Take the first right down the road and you’ll see a…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down at Jill, my cycling partner for the week, collapsed in a chair in reception, and registered the horror on both of our faces at the thought of even seeing our bikes again that day, let alone having to ride them.

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort the bikes out. Let me show you to your rooms.” It had been an amazing day’s cycling, but the last 30-minute uphill slog had just about finished us off.

I cycle relatively regularly, a couple of times a week as a rule, although admittedly not very far. Oh, and I eat three times a day – as a minimum, and probably a little too much. So when Headwater invited me to try out their gourmet cycling tour of Piedmont, I’d packed my padded cycling shorts quicker than you can say la dolce vita! Stunning scenery, more vino than my local wine merchants, Michelin-starred restaurants and some pretty special looking hotels along the way. Oh, and hills. Lots of hills as I found out – luckily only after committing to the trip.

Piedmont derives its name from the Latin pedimontium, meaning “at the foot of the mountains” and, with a landmass that comprises over 40 per cent mountains and

30 per cent hills, it’s a pretty undulating area – to say the least. Actually, it’s “pretty” full stop: almost Tuscan with its rolling hills, and vine-covered expanses.

The second largest region in Italy, it is spectacularly framed on three sides by the Alps and bordered by France, Switzerland and Lombardy (and to a lesser extent by Liguria and the Aosta Valley).

Home to world-class wine: the award-winning Barolo, a dry and massively bodied but velvety smooth red; and whites including Asti and Moscato – not to mention being the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, Piedmont is a food and wine lover’s dream. In opposition to the invasion of fast food outlets in the ‘80s, Piedmont put up a fight for its local

Photo

gra

phy ©

Liz

Harp

er

I cycle relatively regularly – a couple of times a week as a rule – although admittedly not very far

She registered the horror on our faces at the thought of even seeing our bikes again that day, let alone riding them

“


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The next morning, following a short bicycle familiarisation session and a briefing on puncture repairs from Marc,

If we’d stopped every time an opportunity to taste the local wines presented itself, we’d probably still be there now.

There’s a real Tuscan feel

to parts of Piedmont



producers by promoting local artisans, local farmers, local flavours and local food production – and in doing so secured the region’s place on the world food map.

ELASTICATED WAISTBANDS

Headwater’s proposition is simple: they do all the research, planning, organisation, bookings and supply the bikes; you cycle. They do their part of the deal incredibly well. The rest? Well that’s really up to you. (Or in this case, to me!) So it was with great excitement that, with elasticated waist bands and empty stomachs, we met the Headwater team, Marsha and Marc, at Turin airport and headed off to our home for night one.

The Relais Villa D’Amelia in Benevello is a beautifully renovated 18th century

property surrounded by vines and hazelnut trees and with views of the Monviso Alps. A quick suitcase dump (no point in unpacking when you’re moving on every day) and then to the restaurant to start the week as we intended to go on: eating sensational food, on this particular occasion in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant.

The next morning, and following a short bicycle familiarisation session and a briefing on puncture repairs from Marc, we loaded our luggage into the van, had a quick peruse of the day’s cycling directions and maps, and were off.

As we made the gentle climb out of Benevello, the snow-topped Alps catching the light of the sun in the distance, we heard an encouraging cuckoo call from across the

valley. The countryside was reminiscent of Tuscany, and yet quieter – much, much quieter. Ten kilometres of fairly easy going cycling (and just two cars) later we reached the small town of Treiso and our first Prosecco stop of the day. It was also the first of many surprises of the week…

My Italian is poor to say the least, but I loved the fact that our waitress at Il Profumo di Vino spoke no English. I was a little concerned, however, when an order for two small Proseccos turned into not only delivery of a freshly opened bottle of the bubbly stuff but also a crisp white linen tablecloth and tray of delicious canapés. Certain that this was going to cost us, but almost enjoying the experience too much to care, we sat back and listened to the tolls of the rusty

³

The pretty

cobbles of

Monforte

d’Alba

Breakfast with a

view at Casa Pavesi,

Grinzane Cavour


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we loaded our luggage into the van, had a quick peruse of the day’s cycling directions and maps, and were off

We made the decision (a very grown up one at that) to do our tastings at lunch, or at the end of the day

church bells and watched the passers-by as we sipped the local tipple. When it came to settling up, our little bubble and exquisite snack interlude had cost us a grand total of €10. Three weeks earlier I’d paid more than that for two glasses of water on a visit to Florence. This region may have a Tuscan feel to it, but it certainly comes without the tourists and ‘exuberant’ price tags.

Marsha and Marc had encouraged us to take a small diversion from the day’s route to visit the picturesque town of Neive. Weighing up the “steep climb to the centre” warning versus the “one of the most beautiful villages in Italy” claim, we took a gamble that the climb was going to be worth the effort and set off towards the historic centre. The climb was short and the

gamble more than paid off with us cycling into the beautifully picturesque and cobbled centro storico and exploring all the village’s little nooks and alleyways. After soaking up the views from the highest point in the village, we settled down to our first ravioli of the week at Ristorante Contea.

If we’d stopped every time an opportunity to taste the local wines presented itself, we’d probably still be there now. We made the decision (a very grown up one at that) to do our tastings when we stopped for lunch, or at the end of the day.

That evening we almost cycled straight past the gates of Albergo Castiglione in Castiglione Tinella, a beautiful hotel with cream façade and pale blue shutters, nestling behind metal gates. Unlike the

1960s erected church in the village centre, which seemed way out of proportion to its predecessor, home and surroundings, the hotel had no pretensions about it, and the bursting of flowers from the many pots in the driveway and window boxes was only overshadowed by the friendliness of greeting when we arrived, and the bliss of the swimming pool, with its panoramic views, at the end of a day’s cycling.

Most of the morning’s cycling on day two was on the Pista Ciclabile del Tanaro (the Tanaro cycle path), which runs alongside the Tanaro River towards Alba. The capital of the Langhe region, Alba is a bustling town with the obligatory central square, Piazza Risorgimento, and a labyrinth of streets and alleyways homing everything ³

You are free to cycle at

your own pace


Team Barolo!

Rolling hills of

symmetrical vines


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Barolo: home of the most famous red in the region. In a town dominated by its wine, it would have been rude to ride

This trip isn’t for hardcore cycling enthusiasts, but if you’re reasonably fit, love the outdoors and love to explore

from designer fashion labels to gourmet delicacies. It’s also home to the Ferrero Rocher factory, producers of not only ‘the ambassador’s favourite chocolates’, but also Nutella. Had there been a visitor centre or tasting area we may never have left, but lack of either forced us to move on.

The impressive 11th century castle dominated the hilltop and village of Grinzane Cavour, and looked down on our resting place for the night, Casa Pavesi. My room (a suite by most hotel standards) was spacious and opulent and had two large windows overlooking the surrounding countryside and vine-covered hills. Breakfast the following morning was served on the outside terrace by the wonderful Paola, whose horror at my tipping an espresso into

my steamed milk caused much hilarity. A British heathen? Guilty as charged!

Day three had us cycling up into yet another beautifully picturesque hilltop town, Barolo: home of the most famous red in the region. In a town dominated by its wine, it would have been rude to ride through without stopping off for a little tasting, surely… Barolo is revered the world over. To be sampling it on home turf was special.

STEADY CLIMB

While we would have happily settled in for the evening, we still had another nine kilometres to go, so we set off again on a steady climb away from the already elevated Barolo towards home that night in Monforte d’Alba. After a couple of lovely long

downhill runs, we reached the final climb of the day. We had been warned it was a long one! Monforte d’Alba is a wonderfully quirky little town with steep little roads and alleyways leading off the main square in all directions. It’s got an arty vibe to it and plenty of galleries interspersed amongst the enotecas. Reaching the main square, however, was a red herring, with a further 30-minute climb up out of the village to the glorious 18th century Hotel Villa Beccaris. Too tired to even park our own bikes – but with an immense sense of satisfaction and having loved every minute (yes, even the uphill minutes!) we collapsed into reception.

The self-guided aspect of this holiday means you set your own timings: stopping to sightsee, wine taste, eat (or even just catch

³


The Castle at Grinzane Cavour

Cycling up into Neive


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through without stopping off for a little tasting, surely… To be sampling Barolo on home turf was special

new places, this could be up your street. Work hard during the day and then reap the rewards of your efforts

³�While this tour isn’t for hardcore cyclists,

there is a fair amount of uphill cycling so a

reasonable level of fitness is required.

³�As you’ll be spending a number of hours

in the saddle each day, invest in some padded

cycling shorts. Do not fear if you’re a little

uncomfortable with the lycra look, many styles

can be work under normal clothing!

³�While Headwater do provide water bottles,

there are no clippings on the bike to hold them;

they live in the panniers. Take a hydration

backpack so you’ve always got instant access

to water and are not having to stop every 20

minutes or so.

³�Take your own cycling helmet, as they’re not

supplied. You won’t encounter much traffic but

remember that you don’t need traffic to have an

accident. Always wear your cycling helmet!

GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR TRIP

your breath!) at your own pace. With your luggage collected and delivered to your next hotel each morning, and meticulously researched and selected places to eat booked each evening, your only requirement for the day is to get from A to B – and you have all day to do it (and a back up truck if you really can’t be bothered!)

The scenery is simply stunning. This isn’t an area for livestock; instead an ever-stretching, rolling landscape of perfectly symmetrical vines as far as the eye can see, amid clusters of hazelnut trees. It seems as though every village and town in the region is picture postcard perfect, all seemingly perched on hilltops with trademark church and castle. Yes, there are hills, but they go down as well as up and the long, sweeping

downhill stretches more than make up for the effort required on the uphill climbs (drop the bike into first gear and keep pedalling, or jump off and walk for a bit). Forget the frenzied, horn-blowing Italian driving that is so prevalent in other regions; we experienced very little. Instead, the sound of tractors, dogs barking and the ever-present cuckoo formed a fairly consistent backing track for the entire week.

This trip isn’t for hardcore cycling enthusiasts, but if you’re reasonably fit, love the outdoors and love to explore new places, this could be right up your street. Work hard during the day and then reap the rewards of your efforts with stays in beautiful hotels and indulging in some of the most deliciously waistband-expanding menus I’ve

ever encountered in all my visits to Italy. From the Michelin-starred experience of the Villa D’Amelia in Benevello, where the presentation was exquisite and the food an explosion of flavours in the mouth, to our wonderfully traditional but delicious dinner at the small, family-run Osteria Verde Rame in Castiglione Tinella, the food was, without exception, fabulous.

In fact, it was ‘five pound weight gain despite all the cycling’ fabulous!

We didn’t have the rest days between each cycling day (which come as part of the normal tour) and therefore missed out on exploring this fascinating and seemingly undiscovered part of northern Italy. That might seem a shame, but actually it is just a good excuse for a return trip! Q!

³�Liz Harper travelled with Headwater on

their eight-day Gastronomic Barolo Cycling Tour

(condensing their standard trip into just 4 days).

Visit www.headwater.com for further details.

Prices start from £1,479 per person (tour only)

/ £1,647 by air-rail. Prices include: 8 nights

half-board hotel accommodation (4 stars for 6

nights/3 stars for 2 nights) with gourmet menus

throughout; bike hire, maps and route notes;

local transfers and transport of bags between

hotels; 24/7 local and UK support.

MORE INFORMATION


Resting tired legs at the

end of the day

Piazza Risorgimento, Alba Quiet roads abound


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PA S T I TA L I A !



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This was once an important trading port, with two protected harbours, one on each side of the peninsula. Now all that

remains of its grandeur are these mosaic fl oors…

NORA

The ancient city of Nora, which once stood proud on a peninsula near Pula, on the southern coast of Sardinia, is believed to have been the island’s fi rst permanent settlement. The city was founded in the 8th century BC by the Phoenicians, though there is evidence to indicate that the area may have been inhabited a long, long

time before then. Time and the weather have taken their toll, as has geology: the southern end of Sardinia is slowly sinking into the Mediterranean, and a substantial part of Nora now lies buried under the sea. Q!

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On days of festival, signs such as Seneghe maccu (“crazy Seneghe”) or Per la pazzia, di là (“this way to foolishness”) clutter the roads leading

up to Seneghe, all erected by mischievous residents from neighbouring villages. Legend has it that one day, madness, under the guise of a beautiful woman, visited the village and bewitched every soul. Centuries have past and a seed of madness can still be traced in Seneghe, manifesting itself in the meticulous care they place in the olive harvest.

Intrigued by the fame of the village, and curious about the origins of my everyday

olive oil, I decided to see for myself one of the most fascinating rituals in all of Sardinia.

Driving inland from the wind-torn west coast, Seneghe can be found perched on a hillside leading into the Montiferru mountain range. An expanse of more than 65,000 olive trees dominates the slopes above the village, while the valley below is carpeted with grape vines. Sunlight bathes this south-facing slope, and red oxen trudge lazily around the small patches of uncultivated land. It is a charming, but far from remarkable sight – in fact, on the surface, there are countless villages across Italy that share these attributes. However,

for some reason, it is here that the conditions align to create the best olive oil in Sardinia, and doubtless far beyond.

In the overgrown front garden of his house, I meet Vincenzo Carcangiu, a 75-year-old local olive farmer whose family boasts an ancient tradition of tending the olive groves. He is with his 28-year-old son, Sebastiano. Vincenzo owns about 300 olive trees, a modest vineyard, and a bar on the beach, built by himself, where he spends the months in between harvests.

“Your car is not fi t,” he says, getting into his rickety white Fiat Panda and opening the passgenger door for me. Less



A Day Amongst The Olives

The olive harvest is a focal point in the Sardinian calendar. Native Sardinian Giulia Dessi visits the village of Seneghe to discover the secrets of its award-

winning olive oil, the envy of landowners across Sardinia and beyond…

The village’s new mill Vincenzo’s olive trees Team photo for Italia!


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than a mile later, I understand why. His olive groves are located deep in the countryside, atop the hills which back the village, and access involves navigating a muddy, rut-strewn track. The Panda struggles on the steep uphill climb, but after a few minutes we are surrounded by olive groves, each separated from the other by a dry stone wall. Our first stop is at the field of the Sanna family.

As we walk in, a clamorous mechanical arm grabs a nearby tree trunk and shakes it violently, until each and every olive drops onto the wide black sheets covering the soil. Two men assist by hitting the tree

top with bamboo canes. Another two pull the sheets out once they are piled with fruit. It’s impressive to see how

smooth the work is; everyone has his role and proceeds without hesitation. Nello

Usai, the man in charge of the arm-like contraption, turns to me mid-work and shouts: “The system must be linear, to avoid time wasting in useless meandering.” As the machine is hired, everything has to be done quickly in order to maximise the time.

I look around and am struck by the absence of other women in the field. “Sheets are very heavy to carry,” explains Vincenzo. Paradoxically, the introduction of the

machine in the ‘90s excluded women from harvesting. When labour was only manual, men would hit the foliage with sticks, and women would bend over to handpick the olives from the ground. Fifty years ago, every olive on the soil would have been collected, even those fallen naturally. Today, they are only picked from the trees and the quality has never been so good.

We head off to another grove a mile away, where the same meticulous work is being carried out. Here we see many crates of fruit, the harvest of the morning’s activity. Seven men, drenched in sweat, are hard at work. Vincenzo introduces me to the ³


A clamorous mechanical arm grabs a nearby tree trunk and shakes it violently, until each and every olive drops onto the wide black sheets covering the soil

Mechanical help Ripe for the picking Reaching for the top

Silhouette of Seneghe

from the olive groves

Vincenzo’s son Sebastiano (right)

and his trusty Fiat Panda

These days, it’s all considered ”men’s work”


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group, and they gladly take a short break. The fi rst, Angelo

Mastinu, seems to be in charge, but when I ask him

whether he owns the fi eld, he laughs: “I wish it was mine. It’s my

brother’s, and I’m just a farm hand.” I soon fi nd out that most of them are seasonal workers. “In October I did the grape harvest. The next is cork,” he continues. Others are sheep farmers and one is a butcher who takes part in the harvest to earn a little extra cash on the side.

Apart from me, no one in the fi eld is a “stranger” – as they label those who don’t come from Seneghe. The fact that I was born 20 minutes away means nothing to them: I am not from Seneghe. “We help each other,” Vincenzo explains. “When your family members are not enough, you hire day-workers, or you give a hand to a friend with his trees, and he then returns the favour when it’s your turn.”

COMMUNAL ATMOSPHERE

The olive harvest is a good catch-up occasion, where friends from the village gather and share a day together. Vincenzo’s

son, Sebastiano, fi nds the work gruelling, but feels spurred on by the communal atmosphere. “If I stop for a moment, my dad would scold me, but the right company defi nitely lightens the workload.”

They work hard from dawn to sunset, but lunch is a ritual he would never miss. They improvise a dining room by sitting on the upside-down olive boxes and placing one in the middle as a table. While devouring local ham, cheese, and bread, the stories of past years pour out, and a few bottles of red wine lubricate the conversation.

“You can see these guys are very serious and focused on work now,” says Vincenzo,

Vincenzo was taught pruning when he was a boy and has himself taught many young men willing to learn this art. His son is not among them

Vincenzo takes his pruning seriously

Back in the old days… The morning’s harvest Plump with rainwater

Vincenzo surveys the crop

Stone walls separate groves

³


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“but wait until the evening; then everyone will be in a good mood.”

The permitted break is short and workers soon have to go back to harvesting. Vincenzo takes me then to walk around his cherished groves, whose harvest is planned for the following week.

“Look at that tree,” he says, pointing at the neighbouring plot. Compared to his own, it is very tall and has a large foliage. “There is nothing worse than poor pruning. Unfortunately many farmers overlook that nowadays,” he continues. “If the branches are too tall, the nutrition cannot arrive up to the olives. Also, if the foliage is big on top, it

works as a shield, hiding the rest of the plant from the sun beams. The result will be an harvest of dry and small olives.”

EXTRAORDINARY KNOWLEDGE

Vincenzo was taught pruning when he was a boy and has himself taught many younger men willing to master this art. His son is not among them. Sebastiano, a structural engineer who came back home after his studies, often helps his dad out, but he doesn’t share the same devotion. “People think of Sardinia as a warm place, but in November, in the mountains, it is too cold to enjoy the work,” he complains.

Talking with him, however, I understand that he has an extraordinary knowledge of pruning, harvesting and olive pressing. Olive oil runs in this young man’s blood, whether he likes it or not.

Breathing the fresh air blown in by the Mistral wind, I ask Vincenzo what the crucial elements to achieving a first-class oil are, other than pruning and sunlight. I feel like a detective, putting together, piece by piece, the much sought after secrets of Seneghese oil.

“Harvesting must be done in November, a few days after rain,” he says. (The water makes the fruit juicy.) “If you do it after


³

Time to go home… The old granite olive mill Vincenzo handpicking olives

Spreading the sheets


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a sunny week, your olives wouldn’t produce the same amount of oil.” The care in harvesting is also important for the harvest of the following year. If you damage the trunk, for example, you expose the tree to diseases. There are of course elements which cannot be copied. The soil pH, the south-facing valley, and the microclimate of the Montiferru foothills are all perfect for olives.

IMMEDIATE PRESSING

The final secret is the immediate pressing. Farmers in Seneghe understand that to achieve a quality oil, the olives must be pressed within hours of harvesting. In 1956

they built a collective mill where everyone in the village pressed their olives. The mechanical process of pressing might be less romantic than the old granite mill-and-press displayed outside the modern mill. But, as I understand later, it is more democratic, as formerly only wealthy families owned a mill. Moreover, the precise pressing allows for the recycling of every part of the olive. Nothing is wasted. The flesh is used as a fertiliser; the stones become fuel. The village bakery has even adapted its ovens to make them suitable for burning the olive stones.

As I gaze out towards the sea in the distance, Vincenzo hands me a paper box and invites me to handpick some olives. I slowly fill up my basket, selecting the firmest fruit, while listening to the preserved olive recipe which Vincenzo learned from his granddad.

Two weeks later and a big jar of green olives takes pride of place in my kitchen.

Every time I savour one of these bitter fruit, or pour extra-virgin oil onto a fresh salad, I think back to the Seneghese people. I don’t know if a beautiful woman really brought madness to

Seneghe, but if she did, it was far from a curse. Q!

³

³�EXTRA-VIRGIN

From the first pressing of the olive, so of the

highest quality. It contains no more than 0.8 per

cent free acidity, which can be damaged by heat,

so use it as a dressing and as a condiment, not

for cooking.

³�VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Comes from the first pressing of the olives, but is

of slightly lower quality, with free acidity of up

to 1.5 per cent.

³ COLD-PRESSED OIL

Temperatures over 27°C have not been used in

the extraction of the oil. High temperatures can

damage the polyphenols and antioxidants which

are the health-giving parts of the oil.

TYPES OF OLIVE OIL

Good care of the trees is

essential for a good harvest

Vincenzo’s son, Sebastiano Another disused mill These need pruning…



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These three seafood recipes from Jeff Michaud will demand your time, patience and the best of

your culinary skills – but they are worth it!

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225g red or Chioggia beetroot

70g sea salt

12 small whole squid, cleaned

175ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided

6 stalks Swiss chard (225 to 285g)

1 garlic clove, sliced

235ml white wine

1 kg fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese

30g hard Italian cheese, grated

1 large egg

55g plain, dry breadcrumbs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

16 Meyer lemon segments

60ml freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

2 tbsp minced chives

170g salad rocket

Preheat the oven to 260°C/Gas Mark 10.

Meanwhile, scrub the beets, then rinse them

and leave them wet.

Put the salt in a heatproof dish, add the

beets, and pack a thick layer of salt around

each beet. Transfer to a baking sheet and

roast the beets until tender enough for a fork

to slide in and out easily, 2 to 3 hours.

Let cool, then rinse the beetroot and cut it

into very small cubes. You should have about

140g. Set aside or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To clean each squid, pull away the head and

tentacles from the hood (tubelike body), and

then reach into the hood and pull out the

entrails and the plastic-like quill, taking care

not to puncture the pearly ink sac.

Cut off the tentacles just above the eyes, and

discard the head. Squeeze the base of the

tentacles to force out the hard ‘beak’, then

rinse the tentacles and the hood under cold

running water.

Using the back of a paring knife or your

fi ngers, pull and scrape off the grey membrane

from the hood. Cut off and discard the two

small wings on either side of the hood.

Refrigerate the hoods in ice water until ready

to stuff. Pat dry the tentacles.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large cast-iron skillet

over high heat. When smoking hot, add the

tentacles and cook until curled, fi rm and

browned here and there, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Separate the leaves from the stems of the

chard. Trim any rough spots, then coarsely

chop the stems and leaves. Heat 3 tbsp oil in

the skillet over medium heat. Add the chard

stems and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add

the wine, and cook until the stems are almost

tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the leaves, and

cook, stirring now and then, until the liquid

evaporates and the leaves wilt down a bit,

2 to 3 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food

processor, along with the seared tentacles.

Mince the chard mixture using short pulses.

Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the ricotta,

hard cheese, egg and breadcrumbs. Season

to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into a

resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up

to 1 day.

Snip a corner off the bag and pipe the mixture

into the squid bodies, stuffi ng them full. Close

the ends of the squid with toothpicks. (If you

have any leftover fi lling, you can use it as a

ravioli fi lling.) Season the squid all over with

salt and pepper and coat lightly with oil.

Heat a skillet to medium heat. Brush the

skillet, coat it with oil, and cook the stuffed

squid directly over the heat until marked and

set in the centre, turning a few times, about

8 minutes.

Gently combine the beets, lemon segments,

lemon juice, chives, and remaining 120ml oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the salad rocket among plates. Place

two stuffed squid on each plate and top with

the beetroot salad. Drizzle with the remaining

dressing in the bowl.

Grilled stuffed squid with Meyer lemon and beetrootCalamari ripieni alla griglia con limone Meyer e barbabietole ³�SERVES 6 ³�PREPARATION 3 hours ³�COOKING 1 hour



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FOR THE CORZETTI

600g tipo 00 flour, or plain flour

2 large eggs

60ml olive oil

FOR THE CLAMS AND TOMATOES

2.25kg small hard-shell clams, such as cockles

10 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium-sized yellow onion, finely chopped (200g)

1 small garlic clove, smashed

½ a bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems and all

1 litre white wine

1 litre fish stock or water

340g grape tomatoes or small early summer tomatoes, halved

1 long hot chilli pepper, minced (about 112g)

First make the corzetti dough. Combine the

fl our and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer

fi tted with the dough hook and mix on a low

speed. With the machine running, gradually

add the oil until incorporated, then gradually

add 235ml water until incorporated. Turn the

mixer to medium-high speed and mix until

the dough holds together. Separate the dough

into three pieces and gently knead each piece

in your hands until the dough looks smooth.

Shape each piece into a rectangle the width

of your pasta roller. Roll each piece of dough

into a long rectangle about 3mm thick onto

a fl oured work surface. Using a lightly fl oured

corzetti stamp or a 6cm round cutter, cut out

circles of dough – you should get 50 to 60

circles from all three pieces of dough with no

re-rolling.

Lightly fl our a corzetti stamp, then stamp

each circle to imprint the design. If you don’t

have a corzetti stamp, leave the circles plain

or use a lightly-fl oured cookie stamp or butter

stamp. Place the corzetti in single layers

between sheets of fl oured parchment paper,

then cover and freeze for up to 2 days.

For the clams and tomatoes, scrub the clams

and rinse under cold running water.

Heat 60ml oil in a large, deep sauté pan. Add

the onion, garlic and parsley to the pan, and

cook until the onion is soft but not browned,

4 to 6 minutes. Add the white wine and boil

over high heat until the liquid has reduced in

volume by half, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat as soon as the clams

open, then transfer the clams to a plate. Line

a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and strain

the clam liquid through the cheesecloth. Set

aside. Pick out the meat from the clams and

refrigerate it in the strained clam stock for up

to 4 days.

When ready to serve, bring two large pots of

salted water to a boil. Add half of the corzetti,

one by one, to each pot, stirring gently to

help prevent sticking. Partially cover the pots

and cook just until the corzetti are tender,

about 5 minutes. Reserve about 375ml of the

pasta water, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep

sauté pan over medium heat. Add the

tomatoes and cook until they start to break

down, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the hot pepper,

and cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the clams, 310ml of the clam stock,

235ml of the pasta water, and the remaining

60ml olive oil to the pan. Bring to a simmer

over medium-high heat and cook until the

liquid reduces by about half, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta and toss in the sauce.

Using tongs, overlap eight corzetti in a circle

on each plate. Simmer the sauce in the pan

until slightly reduced and thickened, then

spoon over the corzetti.

Corzetti pasta with clams, tomatoes and chilli peppersCorzetti alle vongole con pomodoro e peperoncino³�SERVES 6 ³�PREPARATION 1 hour ³�COOKING 1 hour


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FOR THE POTATOES

8 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed

4 tsp grapeseed or olive oil


4 tsp unsalted butter

4 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE HALIBUT

60ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

700g halibut fillets, cut into 4 pieces


12 pitted Ligurian (or Ni•oise) olives, halved lengthwise

24 fresh oregano leaves

12 thin slices of lemon

60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp unsalted butter, diced

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold

water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil

until the potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Let the potatoes cool until warm, then cut in

half lengthwise.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high

heat and fry the potatoes, cut-side down,

until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain

any excess oil, then season the potatoes with

salt and pepper and toss with the butter and

chopped parsley.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Cut four 25cm squares of parchment paper

and grease each with a thin film of olive

oil. Season the halibut all over, then divide

between the parchment squares.

Mix the olives, oregano, and 2 tbsp olive oil,

and arrange over the halibut. Overlap 2 or

3 lemon slices on each portion, then drizzle

with the lemon juice. Divide the cut-up butter

between the portions, scattering it over the

lemons, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp

olive oil.

To make each package, fold the parchment

corner to corner over the fish to make a

triangle. You’ll have to nudge the fish slightly

off centre to make the corners meet.

Starting at one of the other corners, begin

rolling the paper toward the fish. Continue

making a series of small double folds all

the way around the fish until you reach the

opposite corner and the paper is folded tight

against the fish. Twist the final corner several

times to seal it tight, then fold it under the

paper package.

Put the packages on a large rimmed baking

sheet and drizzle each with a little olive oil.

Bake until the fish reaches about 50°C on an

instant-read thermometer stuck through one

of the packages, 5 to 7 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer each papillote

to a plate. Slit open the package, arrange

the potatoes around the fish, and serve

immediately.

Halibut en papillote with potato and Ligurian olivesHalibut al cartoccio con patate e olive liguriane³�SERVES 4 ³�PREPARATION 20 minutes ³�COOKING 7 minutes

³�Eating Italy by Jeff Michaud (Running Press) is available now, priced £25. Readers of Italia! can buy direct from the publisher for just £20 (including UK P&P). To order, please call Grantham Book Services on 01476 541080 and quote the offer code EAVG01.

READER OFFER


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Sicily is an island of secrets, from Palermo’s catacombs to the Carnevale masquerades and the Cosa Nostra. We are going to get beneath the

skin of Sicily and play the detective – edible ‘clues’ about the island’s past lurk under the layers of pastry, ricotta and sugar in the island’s desserts. Every occupying force for two thousand years has left behind a trace; ancient Jewish customs are hidden within modern Catholic festas and small communities have kept strong ties to the past. So let’s eat, discover and understand!

An island with surviving Arbëreshë, Lombard and ancient Sicilian-speaking communities has little hope of producing a homogenous style, language, culture, or indeed taste. Over the past two thousand years, Sicily has been

annexed by Tunisia, Albania, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, the Normans, and several Germanic tribes in turn. The Arabs brought their citrus trees, sugar cane, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon; Spain gifted cocoa; the Greeks bonded honey to nuts, and gave Catania a fondness for pistachios. Remarkably, all three tastes now peacefully coexist in the pasticceria, without dilution and with little assimilation over the centuries.

Cannoli, sweet curls of pastry stuffed with fresh ricotta, are the most famous of all the Sicilian desserts – the town of Piana degli Albanesi even plays host to the ‘Fountain of the Three Cannoli’. This dish is so embedded in the regional psyche that it has become the culinary signature of Sicily. Ricotta cream is spooned into a sweet curl of cigar-shaped, crispy, bubbly pastry infused with


Marsala wine and topped with a shaving of candied orange rind.

The cannoli shells are traditionally formed around a stubby piece of cane and deep-fried until crispy. Restauranteurs produce their cannoli with otherwise disproportionate levels of pride – and rightly so, as the perfect cannolo is an art form. The bite-sized pieces are called cannolicchi, or simply cannoli piccolo.

There are as many cannoli recipes as there are villages in Sicily. A cannolo is garnished with candied cherries in Palermo, almonds in Mineo and Messina, pistachios in Catania, and candied orange in Alcamo. Inland, the cream tastes earthier, as sheep’s milk is often preferred. Caltanisetta claims to be the originator of the cannoli, but speak to another Sicilian and it was surely fi rst created in Piana degli

With its history of trade, invasion and occupation, Sicily is a land of contrasts and contradictions. Rachel Thom goes in

search of its secrets – and fi nds them revealed in its pastries…

�


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Albanesi. The origins of the name could be Latin, or they could be Arabic; it may have been a convent sweet, or fi rst made for women in a harem. All opinions to do with the cannoli are contradictory – unless the talk is about eating it…

Biscotti regina are biscuits that are instantly recognisable: rolled in sesame seeds and shaped roughly into a fi nger or elegant curl. Biscotti regina

leave a sweet yet salty fl avour in the mouth, a sure giveaway of its Arabic roots. They would be known as queen’s biscuits if they were English, though the queen they were named after has been lost to time.

SEASONAL VARIATIONS

Visit during spring, and the wild fl owers and acid-green fi elds fuse with the pinks and greens of the marzipan cassata, prepared for the Easter feast. The stock ingredients of this cake couldn’t be fresher than at spring time: new ricotta is at its best and the almond crop has just been gathered. During the dog-hot summer, a chunky granita is the best way to cool off. Christmas almost demands the consumption of a giant buccellato and All Saints’ Day brings frutta martorana: skilfully worked, ultra-realistic marzipan fruits.

In the summer, discerning pasticcerias and restaurants will fl atly refuse to pipe ricotta into their cannoli, preferring cream instead. This exchange is perfectly justifi ed, as summer turns the island’s grazing pastures into a dust bowl. Most Sicilians will agree that a dry summer’s ricotta is pale in comparison to the spring yield, when the island is a vibrant green and grazing is lush. Therefore, piping cream into a cannolo in the summer months is an adaptation to the seasons, and an effort to stay true to the rich and creamy taste.

Brioche con gelato, an Italian ice cream sandwich, is the breakfast of choice when the temperature climbs to its summer highs; typically, a chocolate or hazelnut gelato is teamed with a sweet, buttery brioche bun. But visit the gelateria at noon and ³


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to fi nish the frozen treat before it runs to your elbows. Despite challenges, you are sure to see Palermo’s offi ce workers emerging from the shadows, licking the last of the molten gelato from sticky fi ngers.

The golden fruits of citrus are a winter crop. Citrus fruits were fi rst brought to Sicily by the Arabs and ever since the island has enjoyed a wide variety of sharp, sweet produce. Varieties of blood orange and sweet lemon are farmed in abundance; femminello lemons, the sweetest on

offer, account for 80 per cent of Sicily’s lemon crop. The people who came from North Africa to briefl y settle on the west coast are in part responsible for limoncello and granita di limone – both Sicilian staples. Three ruby-red oranges are the sanguigno comune, tarocco and sanguinella: the common, the preferred and the bitter blood orange respectively.

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Catholic festivals – solemn events in continental Europe – descend into a riot of colour and noise in Sicily. The island plays host to hundreds of festas in the space of a year; celebrating San Salvatore in Cefalù, Sant’Agata in Catania, Santa Rosalia in Palermo. Music, wine, trumpets and fi reworks only intensify, and of course the festival food is a big part of this tradition. There will always be a sweet bun, cake or dessert unique to that festival to try.

Sfi ngi doughnuts are made especially for the Festa di San


Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) on March 19. It is believed to be both Greek and Jewish in origin, and is loosely related to the zeppole found elsewhere in Italy. Sicilian sfi nge are small, roughly-shapen balls of batter, dusted with sugar and sometimes topped or fi lled with chocolate-threaded ricotta. They are a popular festival snack and best served warm.

Catania dedicates three full days in February and one in August to celebrating their Sant’Agata. The story of her life is tragic: after refusing the advances of an occupying Roman, she was tortured, and later died from an enforced mastectomy. A pair of round, white cassatas, each garnished with a glazed cherry, is the offi cial festival food.

Frutta martorana, or marzipan fruits, were fi rst made by nuns at the Monastero della Martorana, as the story goes, to decorate the branches of empty trees for an important archbishop’s visit. The convent no longer exists, but Sicilian homes and

you’ll have a race on your hands ³

WK


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cinnamon, vanilla and orange peel, and contains no milk. It tastes not like the tempered chocolate found elsewhere in Europe, but instead is the modern embodiment of the very granular chocolate brought from South America via Spain. Perched on Europe’s outskirts and shielded by mountains, it’s no wonder that Sicilian cioccolato has survived since the time of their Spanish occupation, hundreds of years before.

Any Sicilian will tell you that the sharper granita comes from the west; in the east they make theirs smooth. Aside from the texture, the fl avours betray the location as well: granita from Catania will likely be chocolate fl avoured, while Syracuse prefers lemon granita with mint syrup. Almond granita is a popular choice in Catania and coffee granita in Messina.

This is a region where marsala is sweet and even the lemons lose their bitter edge, so what better way to understand Sicily, its people, seasons and infl uences, than by desserts. Q!


pasticcerias have continued in their tradition. Although the levels of craftsmanship differ, the very best frutta martorana are individually moulded into an apple, a fi g or an orange before being carefully dyed, achieving a true likeness in miniature. They can be seen all year, but are typically given to children on All Saints’ Day.

Travel from east to west across the island and tastes shift. In much the same way that the dominant fl avour of the cannoli, a Sicilian staple, tastes richer and swaps orange rind for cherries, the granita transitions from smooth to a chunky, shattered ice.

You can taste this in their cioccolato. The mountainous hinterlands of Sicily shield and protect evocative tastes that are otherwise extinct, and this is no truer than with chocolate. Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory is the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto in Modica, which has been trading since 1888. The rich offering is fl avoured with

³�BY PLANE

We don’t know if this is the ‘Montalbano

effect’ but Sicily is now served by no

fewer than four airports with links to

the UK and Ireland. In the southeast

is Catania, which can be reached from

Dublin, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and

(from May 2014) Birmingham, while

not far to the southwest of Catania is

Comiso, which Ryanair serves from Dublin

and Stansted. The capital, Palermo, can

be reached from Dublin, Gatwick and

Stansted, while Trapani, on the western

tip of the island, runs Ryanair fl ights to

Luton and Manchester.

³�BY FERRY

Sicily is, unsurprisingly, well served by

ferry networks. The shortest route is

the quick hop from Villa San Giovanni

to Messina (20 minutes), but there are

other departures from the mainland

available from Civitavecchia, Genoa,

Livorno, Naples and Salerno. There is

also a Sardinian service from Cagliari

to Palmero, as well as connections with

Valletta and Tunis.

GETTING THERE


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S

undays in Puglia are largely devoted to the following activities: going to church, walking, chatting, walking some more, sleeping and, of course, eating. Sunday lunch is

an important event down here in the heel of the boot, and much attention is paid to ensuring that this particular lunch is the most delicious meal of the week.

Lunchtime on a Sunday can be rather lengthy, starting at around 1.30pm and sometimes not finishing until the late afternoon – and it is usually a family affair, with several generations getting together to enjoy each other’s company. Like our own roast dinner in the UK, the Italian Sunday lunch follows a pattern. Just as in the UK, it’s commonplace to have roast lamb, beef, or chicken with vegetables. The ingredients can be very similar, but the Puglians go about it in a slightly different way.

Most southern Italian lunches involve pasta of some kind – with rice or potatoes acting as an occasional substitute, though they do sometimes partake of a dish of pasta and potatoes! – and Sunday is no exception. The primo piatto, or starter, is pasta with a delicious tomato sauce, or sugo. This sauce is made during the morning and, due to the

cooking of the meat in the sauce, it creates a rich and tasty flavour.

Any type of pasta can be served with this sauce, but the most common type is orecchiette, the pasta produced in my area of Puglia. After the pasta course, and a possible second helping, known as a bis, you have the main meat course. Red meat is usually eaten, whether it be beef or lamb, and is often made into polpette (meatballs) or involtini (meat and ham rolled together around a small skewer). Any leftover sauce can be drizzled over these delights, which will always be served with a contorno (side dish) of in-season vegetables, or salad during the summer months.

Once you have cleared the sauce on your plate with a chunk of fresh bread, it’s time for fresh fruit or nuts. We have now arrived at my absolute favourite part of the meal: la dolce. There is no traditional Pugliese dessert that’s enjoyed on Sundays; instead, one member of the family will always stop off at the pasticceria before they arrive, to pick up some cream cakes. Big ones, small ones, chocolate ones, fruit ones… As long as it’s sugary and sweet, it has a place on the table! Better get in quick though, because even after a large lunch, Puglians always have room for a little cake or four.

Notes from PugliaSUNDAY LUNCH

N O T E S F R O M P U G L I A


One member of the family will always stop off at the pasticceria

before they arrive…

In Puglia, and indeed most of southern Italy, Sunday is still a true day of rest. Amy Lucinda Jones describes a typical Sunday lunchtime…


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1 onion

olive oil

salt

2 tins of peeled tomatoes

1 jar of passata

20g pork sausage

2-3 meatballs (pork or beef)

2-3 ribs of lamb

500g pasta

hard Italian cheese

In a large saucepan, fry the onion in the oil,

then brown all the meat before adding the

tomatoes (you may want to chop them up a

little) and the passata. When this is all mixed

together, add approximately 200-300ml of

water and leave to cook over a low fl ame for

a minimum of 90 minutes (around two hours

is best). Check the salt every now and then

and add extra if needed. After a while, the

sauce will start to thicken; then it is ready to

eat! Boil your pasta in a pan of salted water,

then add some of the sauce to the pasta

and mix well. Serve in shallow bowls with a

sprinkling of hard cheese, then add another

dollop of sauce on top. Afterwards, you can

use the cooked meat for a tasty secondo.

Buon appetito!


Sunday tomato sauceSugo della domenica³�SERVES 4 ³�PREPARATION 30 minutes ³�COOKING 2 hours

ABOUT THE AUTHORAmy Lucinda Jones is originally from

Worcestershire in the UK. She now lives in

beautiful Puglia, teaching English, exploring

her passion for writing and, of course,

sampling the region’s culinary delights. Visit her blog

sunshineandtomatoes.blogspot.it, which offers a light-hearted

insight into southern Italian living through the eyes of an

expat with a very sweet tooth…

The burrata. Meaning ‘buttered’ in Italian, this fresh cheese may look like a run of the mill mozzarella on the outside, but wait until you cut into it! This is a typical cheese from Puglia, and can be made from either cow or buffalo milk, as well as rennet and the interesting ingredient: cream. As this cheese is being made, curd and fresh cream are added into its pouch-like form, which is then tied up at the top. Cut it open, and out gushes the delicious mozzarella cream! As you have probably guessed, it doesn’t last too long, so is best eaten with 24 hours. Enjoy it at room temperature, either with fresh tomatoes, cured meats or a simple piece of crusty bread.

CHEESE

OF THE

MONTH


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Franco Manca pizza restaurants are the talk of the town in London these days. Giuseppe Mascoli and Bridget Hugo share the secrets of the house…

Franco Manca pizzas!

© G

iuse

ppe M

asc

oli

and B

ridget

Hugo

YEAST VERSION

250ml lukewarm (22°C) water

0.2g dry yeast

1 dstspn olive oil

380g flour

10g salt

SOURDOUGH VERSION

250ml lukewarm (22˚C) water

30g starter

8ml olive oil

380g plain flour

10g salt

In a bowl or jug, measure out the water and add the

yeast (or sourdough starter). Stir or whisk in, then add

the olive oil.

For baked and fried pizzasThis dough will take about 16-18 hours to develop, so is ideal for making in the late evening for an early supper the following night. You can make the dough in the morning for use in the evening by adding 20 per cent more yeast, as long as you leave it in an ambient temperature of 20-23°C. If the temperature is colder (15-18°C) it will take a few hours longer.

³�MAKES 640g ³�PREPARATION 16-18 hours

2 3

DOUGH 1

Place the fl our and salt in a large, 2-litre ceramic bowl

and combine the ingredients with your fi ngertips.

Pour the liquid into the fl our in a few stages, mixing

each time with stiff fi ngers. (Note: use your left hand

for pouring water if you are right-handed.)

Work lightly, using only your fi ngers to draw the dough

together and mop up all the fl our. Avoid getting dough

on the palm of your hand. Knead the dough a little

with your knuckles.

Once the ingredients have roughly combined you can

rest the dough. This gives the fl our time to absorb the

water and will make the dough easier to knead.

After 15 minutes, use your fi ngers and knuckles to

knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Dipping your

fi ngers in water will help keep the dough from sticking

to your fi ngers while you do this.

Once kneaded, cover the bowl with clingfi lm or a damp

cloth and leave the dough to sit for 1 hour.

With a lightly oiled hand this time, fold the dough by

drawing the four edges consecutively into the centre,

and then pressing down on them. With the shape of

your hands, form a large ball and then turn the mass

over. Brush a bit more olive oil on top and cover the

bowl again to store, making sure it’s airtight.

Leave the dough in an ambient temperature of

20-23˚C and in 16-18 hours, your dough will be ready

to use. If the temperature is colder (15-18˚C) it will

take a little longer.

TIP You can clean the dough off your hands by grabbing

small amounts of fl our and then rubbing your hands

together. You can also stroke the dough off your fi ngers

gently with a pot scourer, under running warm water.

1


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1 2 3

Shaping ballsThe baked and fried pizzas both start with a ball of dough that is opened (stretched) into shape. For pan baking, 160g balls will fi t easily into the base of an iron pan. For pizzette (small, fried pizzas), cut the dough into 50g balls.

Tip the dough onto a fl oured surface and divide the

developed dough mass into equal pieces with a dough

cutter. Our dough recipe makes 640g, so that means

dividing it by four. Alternatively, you can weigh your

balls on a set of scales.

Knock back the dough pieces by rolling them in a

circle on a table until they form tight balls. When you

do this, keep a tight grip around the edges of the ball

with your fi ngertips, while applying some pressure

from the palm of your hand on top. You may want to

practise, but do not overdo the shaping of each ball,

as you will stress and tear the dough.

Place these on a fl oured surface in an airtight

container or in a deep baking tray. If you are using a

tray, drape a dampened tea towel over it, but be sure

to tuck the edges of the cloth under the tray, so the

rising dough does not stick to the sagging cloth. At

normal temperatures (18°C) these balls will take up

to 2 hours to prove. In a warm kitchen (24°C), 1 hour

will be enough.

DOUGH 2

FOR THE POOLISH

400ml lukewarm (22°C) water

400g flour

6g dry yeast

FOR THE DOUGH

160g flour

24g yeast

12g sugar

16g salt

2 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, mix the fl our, yeast and sugar into

the poolish and combine. As it comes together, use

the strength of your arm and stiff fi ngers to beat it

for about 6 minutes. You might have to rest every

few minutes! With a mixer this should take about

4 minutes. You are aiming for a smooth, elastic dough

that starts to ‘shine’.

Add the salt and oil and mix again until these

ingredients are absorbed into the dough, then turn

the mixture out into a lightly oiled bowl and allow it

to ‘rest’ for 20 minutes.

Transfer the dough onto an oiled tray and fold into

shape, following the dimensions of the tray you are

using. Then turn it over, so the ‘good’ side is up.

Turn your oven on to its highest setting and place a

rack on the middle shelf.

Stretch the dough towards the edges of the tray in

two stages, resting for 10 minutes between each

stretch. When stretching the dough, try not to touch

it on top, but use your fi ngertips from underneath the

dough mass.

After the second stretch, add your toppings. If using

tomato sauce, make sure it is spread right to the edges

of the dough. If you are using olive oil, pour it into

the palm of your hands and pat it lightly over the top

of the dough, again making sure it touches the edges.

If the dough is deep (or the tray small) you can dimple

the dough with your fi ngertips, making a focaccia-style

deep pizza and adding more sauce or oil. If you have

stretched the dough very thin, simply add the rest of

your ingredients and seasonings.

Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for

12-14 minutes. If you have created a very thin pizza

base, check for doneness after 10 minutes.

For tray-baked pizzasThe best tray pizzas are made with a very wet and elastic dough, based on a method using ‘poolish’ (an equal mix of fl our and water with added yeast). This is made about 16 hours in advance of the dough. The total dough recipe here makes enough for one pizza (1kg) and is enough to feed four people. The best way to mix this dough is to use an electric blender with a dough hook. If you are working without one, be prepared to apply elbow grease.

³�MAKES 640g ³�PREPARATION 16-48 hours

NOTE Make the poolish the day before you make

pizza by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover

and set aside in the fridge for at least 16 hours and no

longer than 48 hours.


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TomatoesGood-quality tomatoes are key to a rich-tasting pizza sauce so try to source the best you can fi nd. Fresh tomatoes have a short season in summer, anything between 6 weeks in temperate zones to 3 months in warmer climes. For the rest of the year, unless you’ve made your own passata, which we would highly recommend, you are better off buying canned tomatoes.

³�MAKES 1 LITRE OF PASSATA FROM EVERY

To sterilise the jars of passata, place them,

unsealed, in a deep pan and fi ll the pan with

cold water, almost to the rims of the jars.

Bring to the boil, then remove the pan from

the heat and carefully seal. If you have a

thermometer, you can take the pot off the boil

when the water has reached 90°C.

Your passata will keep for a year if it is stored in a

cool, dark place.

³�MAKES ENOUGH FOR 4 PIZZAS

240g (1 can) whole, peeled tomatoes

fine sea salt, to taste

fresh basil, torn

In a large bowl, squeeze the tomatoes hard through

your fi ngers to crush.

If you are reducing your sauce, simmer in a pan over a

low heat for 5 minutes.

Add a few leaves of fresh basil and fi ne sea salt to

taste. The fl avour should all be in the tomatoes so be

careful not to over-salt.

Lard salsa

Salsa lardiataIf you are after a richer tomato topping, this is a great variation you can use for both the passata and basic salsa. Either regular lard or a speciality cured lard will add fl avour to the meaty tang of the reduced tomatoes, and the onion keeps the deal sweet.

³�MAKES 500ML

200g onions

500g passata or fresh, juicy tomatoes, peeled and chopped

40g lard or cured lard

On a chopping board, with heavy knife, chop the

onion together with the lard, beating the latter into

the onion with the blunt edge of the knife.

In a frying pan, season the crushed onion and sweat

over a low heat until the onion has ‘melted’.

Add the tomato, stir to combine and leave to simmer

for at least 1 hour (the longer the better). Season to

taste, being careful not to oversalt.

PassataWhen the best fresh tomatoes are used

for passata, no further cooking is needed and the sauce can be used as is. Depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, different quantities of passata will be yielded. You should get about 1 litre of passata from every 5kg of tomatoes.

5KG OF TOMATOES

a large shopping bag of San Marzano or plum tomatoes

a few basil leaves, torn

Sort through the tomatoes, cutting off any black

parts and discarding any that are damaged. Wash

well and steep in boiled water for 2-3 minutes,

then drain in a colander.

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, collecting

the pulp, which is now ready to be bottled. Add a

leaf of basil for extra fl avour. Use sealable bottles (for

example beer bottles with a crown) or jars with lids.

Basic salsaWithout fresh tomatoes, you can make an on-the-spot sauce using either bought passata or canned tomatoes. (Italian products tend to be better.) When buying cans, go for whole, peeled tomatoes instead of chopped, as they’re better quality. The sauce will gain extra fl avour if you reduce it slightly and add a little basil. We recommend that you add garlic or chilli only to your pizzas (not to your sauce) as they do not complement all toppings, particularly in their raw state.


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1 dough ball (see previous page), left to rise for 1½-2 hours

flour, for dusting

FOR THE CREMA DI RICOTTA

2 tsp milk

4 dstspn ricotta

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE WILD MUSHROOMS

160g wild mushrooms

2 dstspn extra-virgin olive oil

a pinch of sea salt

2 dstspn butter

4 dstspn tomato sauce (see opposite page)

50g cooked York ham, cut into small but not paper-thin slices

60g mozzarella fior di latte, torn into 5 chunks

4 basil leaves

Place a rack on the highest shelf of an oven and

turn the grill to its highest setting. When hot, place

a greased, 26cm iron pan on the stove top, set to

medium heat.

To make the crema di ricotta: in a bowl, stir the milk

into the ricotta and mix to a smooth consistency.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the mushrooms: first rub the wild

mushrooms lightly with a tea towel to clean. Do not

wash them or soak them in water, as they will absorb

the water and this will detract from their flavour.

Place in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt

before frying off in the butter.

Sprinkle a little flour over your hands and on the work

surface, then open the dough ball by flattening and

stretching the dough with your fingers, or by rolling

the dough with a rolling pin.

Pick the pizza base up and gently stretch it a little

further over your fists, without tearing it. Drop this

onto the hot pan, and allow it to start rising.

As soon as the dough firms up, spread the tomato

sauce over the base with the back of a metal spoon

and, with a teaspoon, add blobs of crema di ricotta –

do not spread the ricotta.

Scatter over the ham, basil and mozzarella and drizzle

with a little extra olive oil.

Cook the pizza on top of the stove for about 3

minutes, then transfer the pan to the grill for a further

3-4 minutes.

Serve whole or sliced.

Ham, mushroom & ricotta pizzaPizza di prosciutto, funghi e ricotta Cooked ham and mushrooms make a very popular pizza topping, probably because both are fairly moist, with gentle flavours and textures. Good ricotta can also be described in these terms, which is why it is used here to complete the ingredient trilogy.

³�MAKES 1 PIZZA ³�COOKING 6-7 minutes

Pancetta and aubergine pizzaPizza di pancetta e melanzaneGood pancetta is essential to this recipe so it might require a trip to your local butcher or deli – and ask for it to be sliced thinly. If you only have bacon, we recommend you use a good-quality cooked ham instead.

³�MAKES 1 PIZZA

³�COOKING 6-7 minutes

1 dough ball (see previous page), left to rise for 1½-2 hours

flour, for dusting

5 thin slices of aubergine

1½ dstspn extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt

4 dstspn tomato sauce (see opposite page)

4 slices pancetta


4 basil leaves, torn

a handful of rocket

Italian hard cheese, grated (optional)




medium heat.

In a shallow pan, fry the aubergine in 1 dessertspoon

olive oil until soft, golden and a little crispy. Season

with salt to taste and set aside.

Sprinkle flour over your hands and work surface, then

open the dough ball by flattening and stretching the

it with your fingers, or by rolling it with a rolling pin.

Pick the pizza base up and gently stretch it further

over your fists, without tearing it. Drop this onto the

hot pan, and allow it to start rising.

As the dough firms up, spread the sauce evenly over

the base with the back of a metal spoon. Add the

pancetta and aubergine, then drizzle with oil and

scatter over the mozzarella and basil.

Cook the pizza on top of the stove for 3 minutes, then

transfer the pan to the grill for a further 3-4 minutes.

Once ready, dress with the rocket leaves – a little

grated hard cheese won’t hurt either, if you have it.

Serve whole or in slices.

NOTE A York ham is the quintessential English ham.

Folklore has it that the oak construction for York Minster

provided the sawdust for smoking the ham – though this

is probably not true! What is true, however, is that it is

mild in flavour and usually lightly smoked.


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1 dough ball (see page 77), left to rise for 1½-2 hours

flour, for dusting

FOR THE RADICCHIO (MAKES ENOUGH FOR 4 BAKED PIZZAS)

150g (16 leaves) radicchio (Tardivo, if possible)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

a generous pinch of salt

1 dstspn extra-virgin olive oil

15g Ogleshield or washed rind cheese

15g goat’s cheese, crumbled

20g blue cheese, crumbled


4 basil leaves, torn

To prepare the radicchio: in a large bowl, mix the

radicchio with the olive oil and salt and leave to

marinate for 40 minutes.




medium heat.

Sprinkle a little flour over your hands and on the work

surface and open the dough ball by flattening and

stretching the dough with your fingers, or by rolling

the dough with a rolling pin.

Pick the pizza base up and gently stretch it a little

further over your fists, without tearing it. Drop this

onto the hot pan, and allow it to start rising.

As soon as the dough firms up, drizzle the base with

olive oil, then add all the cheeses, the basil and a

quarter of the marinated radicchio leaves.

Cook the pizza on top of the stove for about 3

minutes, then transfer the pan to the grill for a further

3-4 minutes.

Serve whole or in slices.

Mixed cheese with radicchio pizzaPizza di formaggi misto con radicchioThis pizza presents a subtle mix of flavours that works like a dream – the blue cheese is tangy and scented, the goat’s cheese is austere, while the mozzarella and washed rind cheeses add creamy bass notes. The bitter, crunchy radicchio cuts through the richness of them all, making this an almost decadent but extremely delicious pizza.

³�MAKES 1 PIZZA ³�COOKING 8 minutes

³�Artisan Pizza to make Perfectly at

Home by Giuseppe Mascoli and Bridget

Hugo is published by Kyle Books,

priced £12.99. Readers can buy the

book at the special offer of £10.99 inc

free p&p (UK mainland only). To order,

ring ��01903 828503, quoting ref KC

APTMPAH/Italia or email mailorders@

lbsltd.co.uk

READER OFFER

NOTE In late winter/early spring you may

find Tardivo (or to give it its full name, Radicchio

Rosso di Treviso Tardivo), which is a very special

sweet radicchio that looks a little like a tentacled

octopus. To prepare it for this recipe, slice it in

half lengthways, rub with olive oil, salt and freshly

milled pepper, and sear it in a hot pan.

³ To read our review of the original Franco Manca

pizzeria in Brixton that started the brand, visit our

website at www.italytravelandlife.com


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B U Y I TA L I A !

Unique in its conception, preparation and fl avour, balsamic

vinegar is one of the truly great triumphs of Italian

gastronomy. We chose seven for this month’s taste test…

BALSAMIC VINEGARS

The very best balsamic vinegars can be over a century old, but – as

the saying goes – if you need to ask how much those will cost,

you can’t afford them! Most commercially available balsamics are

sold after just a few years’ ageing in wooden barrels, which allows them

to be sold at much more affordable prices, though – and this is probably

even more true of balsamic vinegar than it is even of wine and olive oil – if

the price looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Good balsamic

vinegar is not cheap, but if you can fi nd a good one, at the right pice, you

will fi nd that a little can go a very long way.

Traditionally, balsamic vinegar is served drizzled over chunks of fresh

Parmigiano Reggiano, or it is used to dress raw or grilled vegetables as

antipasti. It will also enhance meat, cooked or raw, eggs, and fi sh, and will

give a great sense of depth to slow-cooked sauces. You can even use it on

strawberries and other fresh fruit – and the Italians do.

Most balsamic vinegars do contain sulphites as a preserver, so it should

be noted that the Vallebona and the San Giacomo featured here do not.

VERDICT ++++

Very stylishly presented but this is not a case of style over substance.

VERDICT ++++

Intense, sharp and sweet with lots of cherry fl avour and a hint of black olives.

2 CARLUCCIO’S ACETO BALSAMICO DI MODENA IGPFrom Carluccio’swww.carluccios.comPrice £11.95/250ml

Satisfyingly red-brown in colour, with savoury, fermented aromatics. To the palate it becomes fruity and sweet, but still retains it depth, and it has a really nice, long fi nish. This one comes with a wax seal, that helps to further guarantee its freshness in the unopened – and very stylish – bottle. Rich enough for roasted meats and grilled fi sh.

1 ACADEMIA BARILLA ACETO BALSAMICO DI MODENA IGPFrom Academia Barillawww.something-italian.comPrice £24.50/250ml

Aged for 8 years in oak, cherry and chestnut barrels to produce a pungent, full-bodied vinegar – though it is not as thick as the Vallebona. This is the 8-year-old bottle; but Something Italian also offers a 3-year-old version at £10 for 500ml. Drizzle over crudités, or add to a slow-cooked sauce to give great depth of fl avour.

VERDICT +++++

No, it isn’t cheap, but this tiny little bottle packs an extraordinary amount of character and fl avour.

ACETO BALSAMICO RISERVAFrom Vallebonawww.vallebona.co.ukPrice £9.80/50ml (£18.80/250ml)

They’re all good, but this one is our favourite – it simply manages to pack so much punch into such a tiny bottle (50ml). Just the bottle itself is very appealing, diminutive – it’s almost like something Alice might have found in Wonderland! You feel you must be delicate just opening it. And then the vinegar pours out with the consistency, and colour, of black treacle. Unctuous and viscous, with a lovely sheen to it. Raise it to your nose and it is very fruity – grapes, yes, of course, but there’s also a hint of redcurrant to it, and you get this sensation on the back of the palate too, but then the taste slowly turns pleasantly bitter, with a touch of aniseed. There’s something almost Oriental to it, such is the sense of sweet and sour. With that in mind, it would make a lovely glaze for some pork. But do make sure it is a very good cut of pork. It would be a shame to waste such a excellent vinegar on anything less. Contains: wine vinegar, grape must – and nothing else.

VALLEBONA SARDINIAN GOURMET

EDITOR’S C

HO

ICE ITALIA

! FEB 2014


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VERDICT ++

Not as good as it looks, but

it would serve the budget-

conscious for everyday use.

VERDICT +++

A rich and well-balanced

balsamic that tastes older

than it probably is.

VERDICT ++

You get what you pay for,

but if you want a cheaper

option, this will do fi ne.

VERDICT ++++

An very good balsamic,

perfect for salad, grilled

meat or a carpaccio.

5 TESCO FINEST AGED BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENAFrom Tesco

www.tesco.com

Price £6/250g

It has the colour, it has the

consistency: it looks the

part. It is very pungently

spiced – there’s a hint of star

anise and clove about it. It is

unapologetically powerful, a

little too bold perhaps, but

it is not entirely unpleasant.

You certainly wouldn’t need

to use much of it, so you

are getting value for money

here. It’s not subtle but it is

perfectly usable.

3 NUDO BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENAFrom Nudo

www.nudo-italia.com

Price £10/250ml

Made from a recipe secret

to the Dodi family business.

A sharp but well-balanced

balsamic with a good syrupy

texture and quite a bite to

it. Like all the vinegars here,

this is not especially old, yet

you can taste the wood of

the barrels it has been aged

in behind the various levels

of fruit. Balsamic vinegar is

often used to dress fresh fruit

and this one would serve that

purpose very well.

4 ESSENTIAL WAITROSE BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENAFrom Waitrose

www.waitrose.com

Price £1.80/250ml

It has the dark colour, but

this is easily the thinnest

of the vinegars we have on

test here. It’s musty, yet

very light. It’s fruity and

sharp, but it hasn’t got

the depth and the richness

and the variety of fl avour.

You wouldn’t use this for

big occasions, but at the

price – it is far and away the

cheapest here – it will not be

without its uses.

6 SAN GIACOMO CONDIMENTO BALSAMICO ARTIGIANALEFrom Acetaia San Giacomo

www.surbir.it

Price €7.50/200ml

This is a subtle vinegar,

free of any colouring,

preservatives or thickeners:

just cooked grape must that

has been aged in barrels

of various woods – almost

certainly including cherry,

judging by the taste of it.

Very sweet, very syrupy, and

presented in a very attractive

bottle. One for the table, and

a real bargain at this price.


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Q U E S T I O N S & A N S W E R S

Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. Email your questions to [email protected], or write to us at our usual address, as given on page 7

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS

MADELINE JONES, with her

husband, Tim, owns and

runs the Hotel Leone, an

intimate 8-room boutique

style hotel situated in

the historic centre of the

picturesque hilltop town of

Montelparo in the Italian

region of Le Marche.

www.hotelleonemarche.com

KYLE HALL

is the founder of Scolastica

Tours. Scolastica Tours is

an Italian tour company

where the tours are based

on literary texts – the

same texts that Italians

have been reading for

centuries, and that inform

their vision of their country, their history and

themselves. http://scolasticatours.com

ERASMUS YEAR

QI’m going to be doing a degree in French and

Italian literature and hope to spend my year

out in Italy. Where would be the best city to live, in

your opinion?

Lily Hayward, Exeter

AFortunately, there’s no shortage of options

in Italy when it comes to selecting a city

that can inspire your literary studies, whether

you’re interested in medieval/Renaissance

texts, the baroque, or more modern and

contemporary works. But since you’ve also

mentioned that you have an interest in French

literature, I would suggest Turin as a great

destination for your Erasmus year.

Thanks to its history and location near the

Italian border, Turin has always had a close

relationship with its French neighbours. In

LAURA PROTTI is the

founder of LEP Law and is

dual qualifi ed as an Italian

avvocato and English

solicitor. She has extensive

experience in Italian

property law, international

private law, contract

law, succession law, and

taxation, and has assisted with the drafting and

updating of books and articles on Italian Law.

www.leplaw.co.uk

MARK SWIFT

is Marketing Manager

at De’Longhi UK and

has a wealth of knowledge

about coffee. De’Longhi

make some of the best

coffee machines on the

market today – to see

the full range of options

for home coffee machines see their website

www.seriousaboutcoffee.com

fact, one famous citizen who was born and

raised there, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour,

was never comfortable speaking Italian in

public, having grown up speaking French –

even though he eventually became the fi rst

prime minister of Italy!

Throughout the 20th century, Turin

was a major centre of literary production,

a fact attributable in no small part to the

establishment of the Einaudi publishing house

in 1933. Authors who lived and worked in the

city include Carlo Levi, Cesare Pavese, Primo

Levi, Italo Calvino, and Natalia Ginzburg.

Another native of Turin is Alessandro

Baricco, one of Italy’s most famous living

writers, who has been involved in establishing

and guiding the Scuola Holden, an education

centre that offers courses on storytelling and

the art of writing.

On the more practical side of things,

the University of Turin is one of the oldest

universities in Europe. With a current student

population of around 60,000, you won’t fi nd

the city short on the young and ostensibly

studious set. You’ll have easy access to the

city’s renowned museums, including the

fantastic National Cinema Museum that is

housed inside the Mole Antonelliana, which

used to be Turin’s synagogue.

You’ll also be able to sample the cuisine

for which Turin is also famous, including

agnolotti, small stuffed pasta often served in

a butter and sage sauce. And if you’d like to

hop over to France, Nice, Marseille and Lyon,

along with hundreds of smaller towns are only

a short ride away.

Kyle Hall, Scolastica Tours

BED & BREAKFAST

Q I am interested in buying a property,

probably in Le Marche, and running it as

a small bed and breakfast. I would like to know

what licensing requirements and other permits

are required to do this. We are Australians but

also have EU passports so residency should not

be a problem.

Tina Donovan, Perth, Australia© i

Sto

ck p

hoto


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THE ‘CREMA’

QI understand that the mark

of a good espresso is its

‘crema’. How do I ensure I achieve

this with my home-made coffee?

Michael Stepney, Chester

AThe perfect espresso is 30ml and should

have a soft, hazel-coloured micro-foam

on top referred to as ‘crema’ This should be

4-5mm thick. Crema will form best when

the coffee is extracted under high pressure.

De’Longhi machines are designed with a 15

bar pump and fi lters that ensure at least 9 bar

of pressure when the coffee is brewing.

There are two main commercially

available types of coffee: arabica and robusta.

Arabica beans tend to be more expensive

and are seen as more premium, but many

great coffees are derived from blends, and

more crema is delivered in blends that have

robusta in them.

Always make sure that your coffee is

extra-fresh. You will get a lot less crema

from coffee that has been exposed to air

and moisture, as well as a lot less fl avour

and aroma! Coffee coarseness also plays

an important role: crema is the result of

emulsifi ed coffee oils forming a micro-foam.

To extract those oils you need a fi ne grind.

If you are serious about coffee it is worth

investing in a coffee grinder. If you prefer

buying pre-ground coffee, make sure that it

is ground (fi ne) for an espresso

machine. Avoid coffee for

fi lter machines!

Even the cup

plays a part. Pre-heat

the cup. Always use

an espresso cup with

a rounded base as this

helps to preserve the

micro-foam crema.

Now to the process

of making crema-rich

espresso. If you are

using a pump

machine,

dispense a

7g portion of

ground coffee into

a fi lter holder.

Tamp (compact)

the coffee with

good pressure,

and with the

top level. Dust off

any excess coffee from the

fi lter holder, and lock it into the group

head. Press the brew button and time the

extraction from the moment the espresso

starts to fl ow. Your target extraction time

is 18-23 seconds to produce a 30ml shot.

Note the appearance of the espresso fl ow into

the cup: the colour and the density. On the

perfect extraction you can identify the micro-

foam body rising to create the crema.

If your coffee is under-extracted, adjust

the grinder collar clockwise, making the

grinds fi ner and slowing down the extraction

time; if your coffee is over-extracted, adjust

the grinder collar anti-clockwise, making the

grinds coarser and speeding up the extraction

time. If you are using a bean-to-cup machine,

simply adjust the grinder setting one click

at a time while it is grinding the beans until

you get the desired coffee crema. De’Longhi

bean-to-cup coffee machines are designed

to automatically bring the best out of the

fl avour, aroma and crema of your coffee.

s�!�$E�,ONGHI�"EAN TO #UP�MACHINE�WILL�

create pro-standard latte, espresso and

CAPPUCCINO�AT�THE�TOUCH�OF�A�BUTTON��"EANS�

are freshly ground in the machine and, with

our premium machines, the auto-cleaning

milk carafe froths, heats and delivers fresh

milk for your drink.

s�$E�,ONGHI�,ATTISSIMA�0LUS�.ESPRESSO�COFFEE�

machines use capsules to make

fuss-free espressos and have a

patented integrated carafe to

deliver fresh, hot-frothed milk.

s�$E�,ONGHI�.ESCAFÏ® Dolce

Gusto® machines are pod-based

multi-beverage systems. Choose

from a variety of coffee drinks

and non-coffee beverages such as

Chai Tea Latte and Chococino.

Pop the pod into the machine,

then personalise to your taste.

Visit our new website at

www.seriousaboutcoffee.

com and click on the Products >

Find Your Machine, or download

the free De’Longhi Coffee Expert app

for mobiles (available on

Android and Apple).

Mark Swift, De’Longhi

Coffee Corner


ATo run any business in Italy it is best

to work hand in hand with a good

commercialista (accountant). Due to the ever

changing landscape of rules, regulations

and legislation a commercialista is best

placed to advise on the current situation.

7HAT�)�CAN�TELL�YOU�IS�THAT�A�"�"�MUST�

be a maximum of three rooms to rent and

that the rules all differ slightly depending

on the Province and the Comune. There

can be heavy fi nes for non-compliance. In

order to make your lives easier it may be

worthwhile considering a business which

is already up and running and, therefore,

already has the necessary licences and

permits. This could save you a lot of time

and money as you’d avoid some of the

one-off Italian bureaucracy necessary for a

start-up. Now is a good time to consider

Le Marche as it is currently unspoilt by

mass tourism and is becoming ever more

popular with the number of tourist

on the increase every year.

Madeline Jones,

Hotel Leone

CASHPOINT QUERY

Q academic year and need to sort out

access to my fi nances while I am there.

Can I just use my British cashpoint card

there, or is there a better way of going

about this?

Olivia Wright, Banbury

AGiven that the purpose of the trip

is to study and the duration of the

trip is one academic year, the simplest

OPTION�WOULD�BE�TO�USE�YOUR�"RITISH�CASH�

point card. A small commission will be

applied by the bank for withdrawing

money in a foreign country, so in view

of that it might be worth withdrawing

larger amounts of cash at a time

and paying for larger items by card.

Opening an Italian bank account is a

more complicated solution and involves

costs that would not be incurred with a

UK bank.

Laura Protti is the founder of LEP Law. She

is dual-qualifi ed as an Italian avvocato and

English solicitor, and specialises in assisting

British and Italian clients with matters relating

to Italian law. See www.leplaw.co.uk

I will be studying in Florence next

ITALIA!

legal expert


WorldMags.net



LAUNCH ISSUE ON SALE 6 FEBRUARY 2014

GET 3 TRIAL

ISSUES FOR

ONLY £3*

SPECIAL LAUNCH OFFER

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Like many of us, I am inclined to suspect, I discovered the unique

pleasures of Barolo rather late in the course of my wine-drinking. This

is due to the sheer price of it. Even in Piedmont, the cost of a bottle of

Barolo puts it out of the reach of pretty much everybody as an everyday

wine, and, as a younger – and poorer – wine drinker, I always went for

the more affordable Dolcetto if I were ordering red Piedmontese wine.

As I’ve matured, and become more willing to spend the money in my pocket

on quality rather than quantity, I treat myself to more than the occasional bottle of

Barolo. This is a wine that fully deserves its grand reputation as Italy’s fi nest wine.

It is the most dramatic and powerful expression of the Nebbiolo grape and the

ultimate refl ection of the quality of the fabulous wines that come out of Piedmont.

Of course, even with the very best grapes, it is possible to get it wrong, and

there is no shortage of bad, overly extracted and bitter Barolo wines on the shelves

of the supermarkets, as well as plenty of ‘raisiny’ wines that have been overheated

and cooked. But in the hands of an experienced producer who truly knows and

appreciates the characteristic of his vines and his grapes, you can expect something

very special from a Barolo. The very best of them reveal their quality with complex

and expansive aromas that include tar, liquorice, dried roses and occasional white

truffl e, sitting amid a rich and full-bodied wine that is backed by substantial

tannins – not to mention an often considerable percentage of alcohol…

BAROLO

³

D R I N K I TA L I A !


In the hands of an experienced producer, you can expect something very special from a Barolo

If not the most famous, Barolo is surely the most venerated of the Italian reds, with prices to match. Hannah Bellis

explores the wines that deserve their kingly reputation


WorldMags.net



BAROLO BUSSIA PRUNOTTO 2005From Berkmann Wines

www.berkmann.co.uk

£52.50

This single-site Barolo

from the Bussia vineyard in

Monforte d’Alba is aged in

traditional oak barrels. On

the nose the wine reveals its

pedigree in a complex aroma,

with intense hits of plum and

cherry and lingering fl oral

notes. It’s pretty rich on the

palate too: concentrated

red fruit with strong, spicy

notes and just a hint of oak

amid velvety, well-structured

tannins. The fi nish is long

and lingering, with notes of

cloves and ripe cherry. It’s

drinking so well now, and is a

wine to celebrate with.

BAROLO SERRALUNGA D’ALBA 2009 From Great Western Wine

www.greatwesternwine.co.uk

£27.28

This wine is on offer right

now, giving you a small

saving from the £31 RRP.

You could lay it down for a

few years to develop even

further, but you may not be

able to wait. Strangely, it

doesn’t reveal much apart

from rich red fruit on the

nose, but that changes when

you sip it. Sweet and slightly

smokey fl avours sit above

a ripe blackcurrant fruit

background, with aromas of

tobacco and a hint of spicy

cloves. The smooth tannins

give you a long fi nish.

BAROLO CASINA BRIC 460 2007From Berry Bros & Rudd

www.bbr.com

£34.95

2007 has a reputation

of being a bad year for

Piedmont wine, as the

weather was unusually hot.

This wine, from the Barolo

hamlet of Vergne, appears

to have emerged unscathed,

however. Presented in an

untraditional bottle, the wine

inside is a real traditional

Barolo, with big fl avours

of rich fruit and bitter tar,

smooth but still with a strong

tannin hit that will leave your

mouth watering. It would

benefi t from a few more years

in the bottle, but it drinks

just fi ne now too.

BAROLO VILLERO 2007From Berry Bros & Rudd

www.bbr.co

£65.27

This is quite a Barolo! At 15

per cent, you can see the

evidence of the hot vintage

in the strength, but rather

than baking, the sun and

the quality vinifi cation have

intensifi ed the fl avours. Big,

gutsy and heady, with fl oral

rose on the nose, and hints

of cherry in the aroma, too.

The body is of sweet red

fruits enhanced with spice,

and very ripe tannins, but

no evidence of raisin. The

Mascarellos clearly know

exactly how to get the best

from their vines. Opulent,

dramatic and delicious.

GREAT WITH…

Celebrate this special wine

with a great cut of steak,

simply cooked.

GREAT WITH…

Sweet and smokey, so

matches well with strong

cheeses, English or Italian.

GREAT WITH…

This well-balanced wine

would match well with the

sweetness of roast lamb.

GREAT WITH…

A rich wine needs a rich

meat, so partner this with

veal or venison.


WorldMags.net



ITALIA! DISCOVERY OF THE MONTHBarolo 2008 Ciabot Berton

From Majestic Wine

www.majestic.co.uk

Price £28

Buy two bottles of this and the cost of each comes

down to £23 – and I would certainly buy two. In fact, I

would buy a case. I’ve tried this in earlier vintages and

always enjoyed them, but the 2008 seems especially

well balanced to me. At 14.5 percent, it is pretty heavy

hitting, but you don’t get the sense of this on the

palate – it is actually pretty soft with fresh tannins

that blend with the sweet acidity of cherry fruit, along

with lingering fl avours of liquorice and cherries. For

a Barolo, it is still pretty young, but already it has

started to develop some interesting characteristics – the

rose is there on the nose, subtle but present, along

with aromas of ripe olive and orange. It is not one for

drinking now – though you could: the balance is there

and you’d enjoy a straightforward entry-level wine. But

I’d expect more characteristics if you left it in the bottle

for at least another three years. Buy it at this price, set

it aside for a few years and then I think you will have a

wine that is really to be celebrated – and at a price that

is worth a celebration too.

It is still pretty young, but already it has started to develop interesting characteristics

PIO CESARE BAROLO 2008From The Drink Shop

www.thedrinkshop.com

£40.18

What an approachable wine

this is! It has a very complex

bouquet, with the expected

dried rose, but also hints

of liquorice and sweet Thai

basil. On the palate it is all

rich red berry at fi rst sip,

which expands to bring

you an almost vanilla-like

sweetness, balanced with

hints of spicy nutmeg and

good, tight tannins. You

are left with an impression

of sweetness on the palate,

enhanced by the smooth

tannins that linger without

cloying. No harm in keeping

it, but no need to either.

D R I N K I TA L I A !

GREAT WITH…

Partner the fl oral notes

with salty, anchovy-stuffed

breast of lamb.

GREAT WITH…

Serve with family, roast rib

of beef, as well as garlic

and rosemary roasties.

BAROLO WARSWithin the Barolo community there are two distinct styles of vinifi cation in

play. The fi rst is the original technique: ageing the wine in large oak barrels;

in the modern approach, small barriques are used, which more readily pass

their oak to the wine. Whether you approve or not depends on your palate.

The traditional technique allows the Barolo to mature in a far more neutral

environment and, if the grapes are good, the process lets the natural aromas

of the grapes come to the fore more readily. But modern winemakers argue

that the oak fl avours complement the heavy tannins and smokiness of the

wine to enhance these further, and that using the barriques can help soften

the wine without the necessity for long ageing, to produce softer Barolos that

are still relatively young and vibrant. This certainly seems in keeping with

the demands of the market, making younger, more approachable wines, both

in the softer tannins and the less imposing prices from the shorter ageing.


TASTE THE DIFFERENCE BAROLO 2009From Sainsburys

www.sainsburys.co.uk

£15.99

Supermarket Barolos can be a

bit hit and miss, as there are

plenty of bad, overcooked,

raisiny Barolos on the market

after the hot summers of

recent years. Sainsbury’s have

avoided these and opted for a

very simple, direct Barolo with

big fl avours. It’s a relatively

young wine, so expect robust

red fruit with plenty of tannin

to linger on your palate.

(Incidentally, we could not get

hold of a sample of Morrisons’

signature Barolo 2009, but I’ve

tasted this and it is another

bargain at £14.99.)© i

Sto

ckphoto

DISC

OVERY O

F T

HE MONT

H FEB

2014


WorldMags.net



THE REAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Lonely Planet, £14.99 (hardback)

A kids’ virtual adventure book with “amazing stuff to know about

the coolest places on the planet”. There’s a great spread on the Sistine

Chapel, enticingly entitled “Art Upside Down”; Palermo’s “Creepy”

catacombs also feature, as does Pompeii – “The Buried City”. It’s all

very well presented and guaranteed to pique children’s interest.

³

THE ECHOES OF LOVE Hannah Fielding, London Wall Publishing, £17.99 (hardback)Set in Venice at the turn of the millennium, The Echoes of Love tells the

story of the intertwining lives of Venetia and Paolo. Having moved to

Venice to be an architectural restorer and to escape the man she loved

ten years before, British-born Venetia fi nds herself attacked by two

men one evening, only to have mysterious, suave stranger Paolo come

to her rescue. The two develop a passive relationship and after months

of chasing, he later hires her to undertake some work on his own home.

But after fi nding out that he is not as available to her as he once made

out, Venetia is left questioning his true intentions.

Venetia becomes increasingly drawn towards her rescuer, who

makes it clear that the feeling is mutual, yet she discovers that she also

has another admirer that won’t take no for an answer. However, is Paolo

really the man he seems to be? Just like Venetia’s troubled past, he too

has his own life-changing secret that, when discovered, threatens to

tear them both apart. Will Venetia forgive Paolo for his secret, and will

he forgive Venetia for her history that brought them both to this point?

The Echoes of Love is a plot-twisting story of drama, love and tragedy set

against the backdrop of the most romantic city in Italy.

Some romantic literature for Valentine’s Day, some quasi-historical

and futuristic fi ction for darker nights, and a splendid collection of

inspirational places for children in this month’s selection of books

IN PRINT

³

KITCHEN COQUETTEKatrina Meynink, Murdoch Books,

£16.99 (paperback)

A cookery book, with all the recipes

in context. A fi rst dinner date at

home? Crispy blue cheese ravioli,

radicchio and walnut salad with

quince dressing. Cooking for potential

in-laws? Caramelised chipotle chicken

with chipotle glaze and parsnip fries.

Coping with heartbreak? Rose vodka or

cinnamon caipirinha. So many of life’s

possible scenarios amply covered.

BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOK



WorldMags.net



GOD’S DOGDiego Marani, Dedalus, £9.99 (paperback) Domingo Salazar is a Vatican secret agent bent on defeating

the Angels of Death. He must capture an abortionist doctor

who is likely to commit the serious crime of euthanasia

while visiting his terminally ill father. Although content

with this mission, Salazar is a complex individual with

complex ideas. While living in Holland, he has been

secretly building a movement called Bible-Koranism, the

new frontier of a globalised faith. As a result, in a turn of

events, it is Salazar and his closest friend, Guntur, who fall

under suspicion of sabotaging the administration as their

concept for a globalised religion upsets the church…

Set in a parallel world where religious doctrine has

replaced secular law, this vision of future Italy is a place

where papal police carry guns, abortion is punishable by

death and atheists are hunted as terrorists.

B O O K R E V I E W S

³

LOVE AND LIMONCELLOAlexandra Sage, Kindle Editions, £2.56

(inc. VAT). www.amazon.co.uk

Debut novel from a former City lawyer

who has become a full-time mother

and writer. Her heroine, Alessia

Vincenzi, makes the same decision,

but her step out of the City leads her

to spend the summer in Sorrento,

where she discovers passion, romance

and the joys of limoncello-making

– but will a disturbing family secret

destroy her new-found happiness?

TO TUSCANY WITH LOVEGail Mencini, Capriole Group, $16.95

(paperback)

Over a summer in Italy with seven

other students, Bella makes lifelong

friends and has a romance with Phillip.

Upon returning home, the relationship

breaks down and she never hears from

him again. Thirty years later, a reunion

is held for the eight of them to return

to Italy. Bella goes for one reason

only: to tell Phillip the secret that has

haunted her ever since that summer.

KS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS...BOOKS..


MEMOIRS OF A GNOSTIC DWARF

David Madsen, Dedalus, £9.99 (paperback)

First, a warning for anybody easily offended by vulgarity or heresy: this book is

shocking. It tells the story of Peppe, a deformed dwarf who rises from obscurity in the

slums of the Trastevere district to the highest rung of the Vatican ladder, becoming the

confi dante of Pope Leo X. Having suffered from bullying and torment from a young

age, Peppe received no affection from his own mother, who despised and mocked him.

Accused of heresy, Peppe is sold and forced to join a freak-show circus.

Written from the perspective of Peppe himself, this book uses humour and (very)

graphic imagery to detail his life story in the face of adversity, and the adventures

he fi nds himself in on the road to becoming the confi dante of Pope Leo X until the

Pope’s death in 1521. It is a heart-warming yet controversial tale of deformed people,

ecclesiastical corruption, sexual perversion and, ultimately, hope in the quest for love.

³


WorldMags.net



G E T T I N G T H E R E


Every effort is made to ensure that the above information about fl ights between the UK, Ireland and Italy is correct at the time of going to press, but do check before you plan your trip

ITALY FLIGHT GUIDELet Italia!’s fl ight guide take the hard work out of planning your trip. Just pick your ideal destination from our handy map of Italy and locate the corresponding number from the list

�O13 Milan (continued) LDN Gatwick easyJet

� LDN Heathrow Alitalia, BA

LDN Luton easyJet

Manchester BA, Flybe

�O14 Naples Birmingham Thomson

Bristol easyJet, Thomson

Dublin Aer Lingus

East Midlands Thomson

Edinburgh easyJet

Glasgow Thomson

Liverpool easyJet

LDN Gatwick BA, easyJet, Thomson

LDN Luton Monarch***

LDN Stansted easyJet

Manchester Thomson, Monarch***

� Newcastle Thomson

O15 Olbia Bristol easyJet

Leeds Bradford Jet2

LDN Gatwick easyJet, Meridiana

LDN Luton easyJet

O16 Palermo Dublin Ryanair

LDN Gatwick AirOne** easyJet

LDN Stansted Ryanair

O17 Parma LDN Stansted Ryanair

O18 Perugia LDN Stansted Ryanair

O19 Pescara LDN Stansted Ryanair

O20 Pisa Belfast Jet2

Bournemouth Ryanair

Bristol easyJet

Cork Ryanair

Dublin Ryanair

East Midlands Ryanair

Edinburgh Ryanair

Glasgow Prestwick Ryanair

Leeds Bradford Ryanair, Jet2

Liverpool Ryanair

LDN Gatwick BA, easyJet

LDN Heathrow BA

LDN Luton easyJet


Manchester Jet2

Newcastle Jet2

��O21 Rome Birmingham Monarch

� Bristol easyJet

O1 Alghero Dublin Ryanair

LDN Gatwick Thomson***

LDN Luton Ryanair


O2 Ancona LDN Stansted Ryanair

O3 Bari Dublin Ryanair**



O4 Bergamo Birmingham Ryanair

Bristol Ryanair

Cork Ryanair

Dublin Ryanair



Knock Ireland West Ryanair

Leeds Bradford Ryanair


Manchester Ryanair

O5 Bologna Dublin Aer Lingus, Ryanair

Edinburgh Ryanair

LDN Gatwick easyJet

LDN Heathrow BA


O6 Brindisi LDN Stansted Ryanair

O7 Cagliari Edinburgh Ryanair

LDN Gatwick Ryanair

LDN Stansted easyJet

O8 Catania Birmingham Thomson***

Dublin Aer Lingus

LDN Gatwick AirOne* BA, easyJet,

Thomson, Norwegian**

LDN Luton easyJet*

Manchester Thomson

O9 Comiso Dublin Ryanair**


O10 Florence LDN Heathrow Vueling

LDN City CityJet

O11 Genoa LDN Gatwick BA


O12 Lamezia LDN Stansted Ryanair

O13 Milan Birmingham BA, Flybe

Dublin Aer Lingus

Edinburgh easyJet

LDN City Alitalia, Cityjet

DESTINATION ORIGIN OPERATOR DESTINATION ORIGIN OPERATOR


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O18

O22

AIRLINES

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O23 3QHDRSDª Birmingham Ryanair


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My Italia!

T H E F I N A L W O R D

WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH VENICE?

Its history, grandeur and beauty. I love the red sunsets on the canal that turn the water to fi re, and then Venice at night, with all its fl oodlit monuments that glow in the dark and the silver moon that fi lls the narrow canals with romance and mystery. Venice is an elemental city of stone and water and its people are the fl ames.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET THE CHANCE TO VISIT?

Not as often as I would like! I was last there early in 2013 – I like to go outside of the tourist season; during the colder, misty season I fi nd the city quite charming.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN VENICE?

The Piazza St Marco, because it is home to so many beautiful monuments: the Basilica, the fi nest example of Byzantine architecture in the world; the Doge’s Palace, with its incredible Renaissance art; and the Torre dell’Orologio, whose two great bronze fi gures at the top fi rst caught my imagination as a young child, and still fi ll me with wonder to this day.

WILL YOU BE ATTENDING CARNIVAL THIS YEAR?

I am going to try! My son is getting married around that time, so I might be pushed for time… but I will defi nitely try not to miss it. I love the Carnival and I have always been fascinated by the intricate masks. Every time I go to Venice I go to visit a specialist mask shop called Ca’ Macana on Calle delle

bohemian vibe.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE INSPIRATION FOR THE ECHOES OF LOVE?

I fi rst visited Venice as a young child. Then, as now, I was wide-eyed and

St Marco, gazing up at the stunning architecture of Saint Mark’s Basilica and feeling I had somehow entered another world – a fairytale world. Then I looked down, at the square itself, which was overrun by hordes of pigeons, which were quite spoiling the place. And it struck me then that Venice is a city of two faces: that which the tourists fl ock to admire, that makes the city the capital of romance and inspiration; and the other, darker side, that which is concealed in what Erica Jong called “the city of mirrors, the city of mirages”.

When I returned to the city as an adult, I became quite fascinated by the concept of Venice – what it means to be Venetian; what the city really is beneath the layers of history and grandeur and legend. Frida Giannini wrote, “Venice never quite seems real, but rather an ornate fi lm set suspended on the water.” I wanted to know the city beyond the fi lm set.

Venice so captured my imagination that I knew I would write a romance novel set in this most elegant and fascinating of cities. But it had to be the right story to fi t the place. For me, that meant a story that refl ected the two faces of Venice – the mask she wears, and the true form beneath.

Hannah novel features in our Books section this month (pages 92-93). As well as writing, she also reviews literature on her website at www.hannahfi elding.net


Hannah Fielding talks about the inspiration for her new romantic novel, The Echoes of Love, which is set in the splendour of Venice…

Photo

gra

phy

© H

annah

Fie

ldin

g

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?If you want to

tell the story

of your

relationship

with Italy –

whatever it

is – get in

touch with us!

Send emails to

italia@anthem-

publishing.

com with the

subject line ‘My

Italia’ and a brief

description of

your story.

Below: Hannah Fielding’s new novel, The Echoes of Love was published on 14 January 2014 by London Wall Publishing.

Botteghe, in Dorsoduro, which is my favourite area in Venice for its artistic and

enchanted by the beauty of the city. I distinctly remember standing in the Piazza


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5★ Hotel Brufani Palace, Umbria

This hotel boasts Italian fve star luxury in the heart of medieval Perugia, with fantastic views of the city and the Umbrian hills beyond. A true highlight of the Hotel Brufani Palace

is surely the pool, where you can swim over the glass bottom and admire the Etruscan ruins below.

4 nights Bed & Breakfast from only £449 per person

Including return fights departing London Gatwick 04 May ‘14

EXCLUSIVE to Citalia Room upgrade, £100 sale discount, plus 20% early booking discount

and online booking discount

SAVING up to £280 per couple

Whether you’re looking for a chic city break, a relaxing escape to the lakes, a coastal retreat, or a bespoke multi centre holiday, we have the perfect Italian escape to suit you.

Price based on two adults sharing on selected dates in May 2014 departing from London Gatwick. Prices are subject to availability and change but are correct at time of going to print. Terms and conditions apply. Calls cost up to 5p/min plus network extras.ABTA No.V4068

visit citalia.com or call 0843 249 7979

Love Italy • Love holidays • Love citalia


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italia magazine 2014-02 (1)

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