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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.

Cover im

iStock ph

oto

, sunﬂ

ower ﬁ

eld in Le M

This im

e © Liz H

arper

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

30 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.

PROPERTY

20 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 & MORE

PROPERTY FOCUS: UMBRIA

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

culture and history, yet is often overlooked.

FOOD & DRINK

67 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.

4 ITALIA! February 2014

MORE ITALIA!

7 PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Enter your photographs for your chance

to win a bottle of Nino Franco Prosecco!

9 LETTERS

Readers share their stories and pictures

from their experiences

in Italy.

10 VIEWPOINT

Il Golfo di Lerici.

12 NEWS

This month’s headlines.

16 TOP PICKS

Choice items for your

perusal and purchase.

18 EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

Helping 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 CULTURE

Freya Middleton concludes her art

history column.

50 SUBSCRIBE TO ITALIA!

Save 50 per cent when you subscribe to

Italia in our January sale!
53 RELOCATION

Expert advice for expats.

60 PAST ITALIA

The ancient city of Nora.

86 ASK THE EXPERTS

More 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 LERICI

p10

LE MARCHE

p20

VENICE

p76

p30

p37

TURIN

p30

UMBRIA

p44

p42

BAROLO

p89

p55

NORA

p60

SENEGHE

p62

SICILY

p70

PUGLIA

p74

p62

ITALIA!

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CONTRIBUTORS

Zulekha 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,

Rachel Thompson, Paola Zoffoli

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Looking for a home in Italy?

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February 2014 ITALIA! 7

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

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NCO RU

STICO

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READER OFFER

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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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must have the right to send them for

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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.”

*Pr

osecco d

eliver

ed to m

ainlan

d UK ad

esses only

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.”

LETTER OF THE MONTH

I 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 italia@anthem-publishing.com – 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

LET

TER O

F T

HE M

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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February 2014 ITALIA! 9

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.’’

otogr

aph

y © iStock Ph

oto an

d P

A Ph

otos unless oth

erwise stated

THIS MONTH

February 2014

The 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 PARLIAMENT

Italian 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.”

12 ITALIA! February 2014

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FEMALE PRIESTS DEBATE REVIVED BY RESTORED FRESCOES

Newly 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 PUBLIC

Police 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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 13

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SARDINIA AND PHILIPPINES APPEAL

Deutsche 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.

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 ITALY

Italia! 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

empire. In typical style, after

the vote to expel him

he vowed to “stay

on the ﬁ eld”.

14 ITALIA! February 2014

PROPERTY PRICES SET TO RISE

Italian 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.

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 COLLECTION

The 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

February 2014 ITALIA! 15

WWW.ITALIAN

FILMREVIEW.COM

This 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.IT

The 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 WATCH

Italian 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.

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…

Roman 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 ACAMPORA

Newly 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

LISTEN TO THIS!

DRIZZLE THIS!

TRY THESE!

USE THIS!

FRIAR ALESSANDRO – VOICE OF JOY

Regular 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 BOARD

T&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

ITALIA! 17

Pane 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.

Il 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 MASKS

If 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 BRUT

We 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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18 ITALIA! February 2014

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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 19

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

A Ph

otos

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

20 ITALIA! February 2014

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

All ph

otogr

aph

s © iStock Ph

oto unless oth

erwise stated

orming 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 !

22 ITALIA! February 2014

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 Property

ForSaleMarche.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

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

CASA LEOPARDI

Type of property Fractional ownership

Number of bedrooms 5

Price Five weeks’ annual ownership £195,000

Location Monteﬁ ore dell’Aso

Contact 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 OLIVE

Type of property Partly restored farmhouse

Number of bedrooms 4

Price €289,000 (£245,000)

Location Petritoli

Contact 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

February 2014 ITALIA! 23

edfordshire-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

Continued on page 26

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

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.

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

24 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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.

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.

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 25

Macerata is popular with
tourists and home-buyers alike

Arcevia sits in the foothills of the Apennines
– a lovely spot for properties

26 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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

CASA FELICE

Type of property Fully restored property

Number of bedrooms 3

Price €490.000 (£415,000)

Location Sant’Angelo in Pontano

Contact 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 VITA

Type of property Fully restored house

Number of bedrooms 7

Price €499,000

Location Montelparo/Fermo

Contact www.propertyforsalemarche.com

info@propertyforsalemarche.com +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.

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!

Demolition costs are not high, and materials

from the old property can be reclaimed

CASA FAMIGLIA

Type of property Fully restored house

Number of bedrooms 4

Price €599,000

Location San Ginesio/Macerata

Contact www.propertyforsalemarche.com

info@propertyforsalemarche.com +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 ARCHI

Type 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 ifh@appassionata.com

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 27

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!

Montalbano

While 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.

Montalbano

Mentre 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 !

February 2014 ITALIA! 29

THE AUTHOR

SEBASTIAN 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.

anging 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…

Turin

48 HOURS IN…

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February 2014 ITALIA! 31

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,

+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

Piazza 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

www.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

Corso 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

Piazza 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

Piazza 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

Strada 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

32 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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 MISS

tepid 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

Via 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

Via 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

Via 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

10?

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

Via 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

Via 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.

The Palazzo Reale

February 2014 ITALIA! 33

THE ICE CREAM

Turin’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 EAT

RISTORANTE MONFERRATO

Via Monferrato, 6

+39 011 819 0661/0674

www.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

€

TRE GALLINE

Via Gian Francesco Bellezie, 37

+39 011 436 6553

www.3galline.it

This 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

€

È CUCINA TORINO

Via Bertola 27/a

+39 011 562 9038

www.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

€

TABERNA LIBRARIA

Via 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

€

COCO’S

Via 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

€

The Alps are never far when you’re in Turin

and you’ll often catch sight of a snowy peak

34 ITALIA! February 2014

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

Eataly

Towards 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

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.

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.

KEY TO RESTAURANT PRICES

(full meal per person, not including wine)

€

Up to €25

€

€26-€50

€

More than €50

The Mole from ground level

February 2014 ITALIA! 35

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.

Artisan becomes artist

The artisans who produced the paintings of medieval times

could not deviate from the iconic representation of Heaven

ABOUT THE WRITER

FREYA 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

36 ITALIA! February 2014

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 37

THE TESTA D’ORO AT RIALTO

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”

38 ITALIA! February 2014

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

HEAD OF AN OLD WOMAN

Corte del Teatro, San Luca

Halfway 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

Mercerie, at the corner of the Sotoportego del Cappello
Mercerie, 149

Often 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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 39

GRAFFITI OF A MAN

WITH A PIPE

Palazzo Loredan, Riva del Carbon

Looking 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”

40 ITALIA! February 2014

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

Palazzo Morosini,

Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 2802

The 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!

“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

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.

42 ITALIA! February 2014

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

PODERE MARGHERITA

Reaching 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

ACHESON

WWW.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’ARCANGELO

This 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

www.ilcastelloditara.com

UMBRIA

PROPERTY FOCUS

Itay’s ‘Green Heart’ is extraordinarily rich in natural

beauty, culture and history, yet it is often

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Italy has a green heart: Umbria being its centre with an abundance

of historical medieval hamlets, hills dotted with olive groves and

grape vines divided by stunning lines of ancient Cyprus trees

with ﬁ elds of bright yellow sunﬂ owers. The birth place of the

Renaissance art movement, home to Saint Francis the patron

saint of Italy, stunning walled cities not to mention the

delicious home-made food which is ‘Tipico’ of the region

and of course excellent wine…

Truly the ideal location for your new home.

Fall under the Umbrian spell and buy the house of your dreams!

We will assist you right from your initial property search

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www.ilcastelloditara.com

0039 0758378011

Il Castello di Tara

“For a man’s home is his castle”

eparated 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.”

46 ITALIA! February 2014

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

WHERE TO STAY

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 lower

Proper waterproof walking boots

Proper trousers, jacket and jumper

Scarf, gloves and hat with ear-ﬂ aps

Dark glasses, sun cream and lip balm

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

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.

Again appropriately, the

afternoon was given over to a

truffle-hunting excursion

For mountain trekking you

need an experienced guide

like Francesco Capozucca

Lulu the dog is rewarded
for ﬁ nding a trufﬂ e

February 2014 ITALIA! 47

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

48 ITALIA! February 2014

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 COUNTRYSIDE

Otherwise, 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

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

Lulu and her master, Nicola

There is a huge contrast of
temperature between sun
and shade

February 2014 ITALIA! 49

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.

WHERE TO EAT

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.

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.

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.

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 53

RELOCATION

LEARNING 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

ABBEY SCHOOL

Chiara Avidano
www.ciaoitaly-turin.com
info@ciaoitaly-turin.com
+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.

APPASSIONATA

Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs
+39 3315 413 225
www.appassionata.com
info@appassionata.com

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

MARCHE HOMES DIRECT

Kevin L Gibney
+39 347 538 6668
www.propertyforsalemarche.com
info@propertyforsalemarche.com

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

DE BENETTI & CO. LAW FIRM

Massimiliano De Benetti
+39 3497 150 314
+39 0497 994 546
www.debenettilaw.com
m.debenetti@debenettilaw.com

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…

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 55

here 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

otogr

aph

y © Liz H

arper

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

“

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

56 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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

The pretty
cobbles of
Monforte
d’Alba

Breakfast with a
view at Casa Pavesi,
Grinzane Cavour

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

You are free to cycle at
your own pace

February 2014 ITALIA! 57

Team Barolo!

Rolling hills of

symmetrical vines

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

58 ITALIA! February 2014

The Castle at Grinzane Cavour

Cycling up into Neive

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

While this tour isn’t for hardcore cyclists,

there is a fair amount of uphill cycling so a

reasonable level of ﬁtness is required.

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!

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.

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!

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 59

Resting tired legs at the

end of the day

Piazza Risorgimento, Alba

Quiet roads abound

n 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

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

62 ITALIA! February 2014

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!

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 63

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”

64 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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

“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

February 2014 ITALIA! 65

Time to go home…

The old granite olive mill

Vincenzo handpicking olives

Spreading the sheets

66 ITALIA! February 2014

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.

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.

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.

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…

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

These three seafood recipes from Jeff Michaud

will demand your time, patience and the best of

your culinary skills – but they are worth it!

Eating Italy

Recipes r

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by J

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erseus Books Gr

oup

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 beetroot

Calamari ripieni alla griglia con limone Meyer e barbabietole

SERVES

PREPARATION

3 hours

COOKING

1 hour

February 2014 ITALIA! 67

68 ITALIA! February 2014

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 peppers

Corzetti alle vongole con pomodoro e peperoncino

SERVES

PREPARATION

1 hour

COOKING

1 hour

February 2014 ITALIA! 69

FOR THE POTATOES
8 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed

4 tsp grapeseed or olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

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

salt and freshly ground black pepper

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 olives

Halibut al cartoccio con patate e olive liguriane

SERVES

PREPARATION

20 minutes

COOKING

7 minutes

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

icily 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

70 ITALIA! February 2014

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…

February 2014 ITALIA! 71

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

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

72 ITALIA! February 2014

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

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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 73

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

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.

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

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 Puglia

SUNDAY LUNCH

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

74 ITALIA! February 2014

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…

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!

February 2014 ITALIA! 75

Sunday tomato sauce

Sugo della domenica

SERVES

PREPARATION

30 minutes

COOKING

2 hours

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy 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

76 ITALIA! February 2014

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!

ascoli an

d Bri

et H

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 pizzas

This 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.

MAKES

640g

PREPARATION

16-18 hours

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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 77

Shaping balls

The 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 pizzas

The 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.

MAKES

640g

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.

78 ITALIA! February 2014

Tomatoes

Good-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.

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.

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 lardiata

If 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.

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.

Passata

When 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 salsa

Without 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.

February 2014 ITALIA! 79

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 pizza

Pizza 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.

MAKES

1 PIZZA

COOKING

6-7 minutes

Pancetta and

aubergine pizza

Pizza di pancetta
e melanzane

Good 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.

MAKES

1 PIZZA

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

60g mozzarella fior di latte, torn into 5 chunks

4 basil leaves, torn

a handful of rocket

Italian hard cheese, grated (optional)

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.
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.

80 ITALIA! February 2014

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

75g mozzarella fior di latte, torn into 6 chunks

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.
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.
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 pizza

Pizza di formaggi misto con radicchio

This 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.

MAKES

1 PIZZA

COOKING

8 minutes

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

n 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.

To read our review of the original Franco Manca

pizzeria in Brixton that started the brand, visit our

website at www.italytravelandlife.com

82 ITALIA! February 2014

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

he 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.

CARLUCCIO’S

ACETO BALSAMICO

DI MODENA IGP

From Carluccio’s

www.carluccios.com

Price £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.

ACADEMIA

BARILLA ACETO

BALSAMICO

DI MODENA IGP

From Academia Barilla

www.something-italian.com

Price £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 RISERVA

From Vallebona

www.vallebona.co.uk

Price £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

TOR’

ICE

FEB

2014

February 2014 ITALIA! 83

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.

TESCO FINEST

AGED BALSAMIC

VINEGAR OF MODENA

From 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.

NUDO BALSAMIC

VINEGAR OF MODENA

From 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.

ESSENTIAL

WAITROSE BALSAMIC

VINEGAR OF MODENA

From 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.

SAN GIACOMO

CONDIMENTO

BALSAMICO

ARTIGIANALE

From 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.

86 ITALIA! February 2014

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 italia@anthem-publishing.com, 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

I’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

Fortunately, 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

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

oto

THE ‘CREMA’

I 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

The 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 #UPMACHINEWILL

create pro-standard latte, espresso and

CAPPUCCINOATTHETOUCHOFABUTTON"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,ATTISSIMA0LUS.ESPRESSOCOFFEE

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

February 2014 ITALIA! 87

To 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)CANTELLYOUISTHATA""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

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

Given that the purpose of the trip

is to study and the duration of the

trip is one academic year, the simplest

OPTIONWOULDBETOUSEYOUR"RITISHCASH

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