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There’s something about Italy.
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As a first-timer to the country and its continent, I thought I had seen enough of it from movies and television to know what to expect.
Well, I did and I didn’t.
Home base in this case was Naples, or Napoli as it’s referred to by locals. Like many other Italian cities, it balances historical and architectural touches with modern, contemporary living.
But there’s something grittier and exhilarating about Italy’s third largest city, nestled along the Mediterranean’s edge.
People are out and about, speaking loudly and walking at a leisurely pace, so I often had to remind myself to slow down and settle into that European life — even if it was only going to be for a few days.
The different pockets of the city are vibrant and bustling and throughout, the heartbeat of Naples pulses through its pizzerias and caffetterias, which are, best of all, quite affordable and significantly cheaper than what you might get at home.
Massimiliano “Massy” Aliberti, a Naples-based guide, was shocked to learn that a pizza in a Canadian restaurant can run anywhere between $18 and $30 given that the arguably far superior pizzas in Naples cost about four euros.
Like most women, packing was tough because despite researching the weather ahead of time, it was warmer and dryer than claimed online, so be prepared to pack like an onion. Layers, people!
At a time that is typically cooler and warranting puffer jackets and pants, we had sunny days and warmer temperatures (a trend that began last year, Massy noted) — though you won’t catch Italians wearing shorts unless it’s a July day at the beach. Anyone wearing shorts is a tourist or foreigner, bar none.
Safety was also a concern prior to the trip, but I felt safe and the locals I encountered made for a warm, hospitable atmosphere.
But let’s get to the nitty-gritty: The food.
NAPLES PIZZA TRUE TO ITS WORD
Following a three-hour drive from arriving in Rome, there was no rest for the wicked as I was quickly introduced to Naples’ culinary scene.
You may associate the city with pizza but it’s so much more, from Caprese salad with mozzarella fresher than anything I had ever previously tasted.
A plate with potato croquettes, mozzerella cheese in corrozza (a deep-fried cheese) and bruschetta was quickly followed by a pasta tasting of gnocchi sorrentina style, spaghetti carbonara and oven-baked veal-stuffed cannelloni.
There was no rest for the wicked because dinner was at the same place a few short hours later: a simple pizza-making demo in an oven by the owner and namesake of Gaetano Adamo, near my fabulous boutique-style bed and breakfast, Domus Deorum De Luxe, where I had a little balcony to watch all the hustle and bustle and noise below.
He first showed off what he did, grabbing some dough from a huge bin, sprinkling it with semolina, spreading it until it became a disk that was thin everywhere except what would be the crust.
He slathered it with sauce, sprinkled it with buffalo mozzarella and this incredible homemade olive dust, then slid it into the fiery pizza oven for about 90 seconds.
The finished product was drizzled with delicious olive oil, cut with scissors, and the crust resembled sourdough. Oh. My. Word.
POMPEII’S RESTORED BEAUTY
Walking off the pizza the following day in Pompeii was unlike any other experience.
The preserved ancient city — in Campania, at the southern base of what eventually destroyed it, Mount Vesuvius — will leave you in wonder. From the Forum, which marks its cultural centre where the City Hall once was as well as the Temple of Jupiter, to the Brothel, where the walls are frescoes depicting various sex acts.
But it’s the homes and the stone streets that may make you reflect on how people were just going about their day when tragedy struck. It’s both beautiful and sad to behold — very much worth the visit.
Arriving early helps avoid the eventual crowds, allowing you to explore the ruins of the active archaeological site at your own pace.
Preservation efforts were being done in many areas during our visit but it doesn’t take away from the experience. If anything, it makes you understand how incredible everything there is.
Lunch was a short drive away in gorgeous Sorrento, a breathtaking coastal town on the Sorrentine Peninsula best known for its limoncello and wonderful shops along the main thoroughfare in the centre of the city and the charming historic lanes of its old town.
L’Antica Trattoria featured a diverse menu that doesn’t miss, so of course I opted for a three-course tasting menu, making sure to get something different from my fellow travellers so as to ensure we each got to try a bit of everything (because, why not?).
The zucchini flowers were one of the house specialties, deservedly so, as was the paccheri pasta dish with scorpion fish and cherry tomato sauce.
The sea bass deserves special mention due to its unique rolled-up presentation surrounded by even more seafood like clams, calamari and prawns, all in a shellfish bisque sauce.
And the tiramisu may have been the best I’ve ever had — but don’t sleep on the hot chocolate-coffee cake, a gluten-free and lactose-free dessert of chocolate cream and raspberry sorbet on cocoa crumble that made every bite rounded-out and texture-filled. Chef’s kiss!
A return to Naples in time for dinner ended at Baccalaria, a treat for baccala (salt cod) lovers as it was served multiple ways so no course tasted the same.
It was both baffling and fascinating, from the soup (lentils, rapini, baccala and parmesan), to the pasta dish (paccheri in a red sauce served with tomatoes and a dollop of whipped baccala mousse to give it a creamier texture).
But it was the family-style of it all that made it a highlight.
CALABRIA WILL GRAB YA
A three-day excursion south to the region of Calabria was how we kicked off the following day, settling in Cosenza.
Like all Italian cities, it’s a natural beauty that mixes culture and history. But it’s also untouched by big crowds, so it’s perfect for those looking to explore somewhere different.
Lunch was at Ristorante Da Salvino, a place tucked away and located in what felt like a church basement where the faint hint of incense permeated the air.
The dishes were more rustic, from a plate of meats, cheese, pickled onions and eggplant, two pasta dishes, one cheesy, the other more earthy.
The meat portion was pork rolled around mozzarella and wonderfully seasoned potatoes on the side.
A lengthy, leisurely walking tour of the nearby city of Telesio with enthusiastic guide William began at the statue of the naturalist philosopher Bernardino Telesio and continued along the streets with stops at churches, a walk over the Alarico bridge to admire the old city on one side and the modern Calatravia bridge — which boasts the highest architectural cables in Europe — on the other.
It ended with a walk along an open-air museum in Corso Mazzini, a pedestrian street filled with sculptures by contemporary artists, sandwiched by modern shops, hotels and apartments.
Dinner was at Ristorante Tracciolino in nearby Rende, served family style again, and was a personal favourite.
Meats and cheese, fried eggplant and cauliflower, pasta dishes (one with fava beans, the other with a creamy ragu), goat and pork served with potatoes that were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and rapini with sausage.
It ended with fruit, which made all the indulgence a little easier to handle.
WHERE THE OLIVE OIL MAGIC HAPPENS
A visit to the stunning Tenuta Ciminata Greco in Rossano was a treat.
Now an estate for romantic getaways and business stays, its untouched beauty traces its origins back to the 13th century.
The lovingly restored buildings, including the 18th-century historic residence, are nestled among 700-year-old olive trees, all of which feature elements of the ancient farmhouse, from the original stone arches, beamed ceilings, the millstone of the historic olive oil mill, a private chapel and the library containing more than 5,000 unique books and manuscripts.
Lunch was at wonderfully quaint Maestro Giustino that included meatballs and eggplant and zucchini, and a delectable ragu pasta dish was a hidden gem.
Another walking tour helped, this time of the old town of Rossano, which was built by the Romans in 197BC and famous for its Byzantine heritage.
A particular standout is the Rossano Cathedral, which was built in the 11th century and known for its ancient image of the Madonna acheropita (“Madonna not made by hands”), now located in the Diocesan Museum.
Also there is a vivid Greek parchment manuscript of Matthew and Mark, one of the oldest pictorial Gospels.
Dinner was at Cavo Food & Drink in Cosenza, a gastropub where (more) meat was savoured along with cheese plates, pasta, beef and potatoes.
DOUBLE THE OLIVE OIL, DOUBLE THE PLEASURE
I’m not a great cook but I love to eat. And when I do either, it’s always with olive oil (literally, can’t live without it), so learning more about the process had me hooked — which we did again the following day.
This time was at a farm and their factory, Frantoio Geraci, where their superb olive oil, Olio Lento, is made.
It’s a simple process, but seeing it in action was a wonder and made me appreciate it more.
Workers remove the olives from the trees, which are then transported to the factory where they are weighed and washed before the leaves are separated from the olives.
The olives then undergo a process that crushes and extracts the liquid, which then gets another treatment in which the oil is separated from the water to get what is eventually enjoyed in a bottle.
Italy, in particular, ensures that its olive oil is the highest quality possible, thanks to the IGP (Idication of Geographic Protection) certification, so you know what you are getting is the best of the best.
Happily bathing in the knowledge of olive oil, a return to Naples was in order.
BACK TO NAPLES, FULLER THAN EVER
Lunch at Gran Caffe La Caffettiera was another treat and allowed me to people-watch while I stuffed my face with more caprese and meats and pasta and eggplant and potatoes.
A walk along the gorgeous seaside of Naples helped remedy the fullness, but dinner at La Cantinella was spectacular.
The seafood extravaganza was absolutely out of this world, including a plate of squid and clams and octopus, a citrus risotto with shrimp and oyster carpaccio, paccheri with clams and prawns, another plate of king prawns, squid and lobster, and to say I was content is obvious.
I envisioned myself eating, praying and loving on this trip, and while there was more eating than anything else, I managed to squeeze in two more meals — both at Michelin star restaurants and both unforgettable culinary experiences.
Baia Marinella, a restaurant in the 2024 Michelin Guide Italia, has multiple terraces that overlook the sea so naturally, we gorged on seafood, seafood and more seafood, and it was all fresh, fresh, fresh, from the prawns and crab legs to shrimp, clams and mussels to some melt-in-your-mouth cod.
Then, dinner was at Palazzo Petrucci. Remember the name. It boasts one Michelin star, rightfully so.
The five-course meal, which was served with a couple of bonus offerings to share with my seatmate and I had to take a photo of the menu because I knew I would forget it as my mind and tastebuds were blown away.
From the potato pasta (yes, you read that right) with lobster, provola cheese and plankton powder, to the cuttlefish with cauliflower cream, puntarelle and anchovy sauce.
There was also risotto with yellow cherry tomatoes, prawns, buffalo mozzarella and verbena, turbot with dressed escarole, cannellini bean cream and candied lemon, and for dessert, honey pomegranate and pink pepper.
Swoon.