AUGUST 2018

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

08012018 From the gossip columns you get the impression that you can’t go to the beach in Positano without stumbling over Katy Perry’s sun lotion, and that every Martini glass or hotel bed has been blessed by the presence of stars like Picasso or Michael Jordan. On the beach we were back at the beginning, where tourists are faced with the choice between the two sides of the village. Those who hadn’t yet made up their minds were still hanging around by the waterside. If Positano Were a Film | Italian Notes
08022018 While Fiano has spread to other areas, the hilly district of Irpinia, the ancient name for the inland geographic area that comprises the Apennine Mountains around the town of Avellino, is the grape’s spiritual home. Here, Fiano produces more mineral-driven versions that possess good aging potential. Fiano, Campania’s Rising Star | Wine Enthusiast
08032018 Anna Chiara Mustilli father was the first to bottle the region’s DOP white wine, Falanghina, in 1979. The estate is certified organic, and whilst winemaking moved out of their 17th century cellars in 2002, the ancient cellars can still be visited and the building above now operates as a guest house and restaurant too. Italy, Campania: a postcard from Sannio | Tom Cannavan
08042018 For appetizers, the offerings are so varied that you may not find yourself looking at the rest of the menu. They serve escarole, cabbage and squash flowers stuffed with light ricotta, battered and then fried. Papà Mimì himself recommended a buffalo mozzarella ball with a small bit of ricotta accompanied by tomato sauce. And finally, from the sea, there’s seared squid or bluefish. Mimì alla Ferrovia | Culinary Backstreets
08052018 Head down to Sorrento for a stay at Grand Hotel Cocumella this former Jesuit monastery specialises in Mediterranean cuisine using vegetables from the hotel’s organic garden, or dine in their fusion Japanese Mediterranean restuarant for something distinctly different. A taste of southern Italy along the Amalfi Coast | Small Luxury Hotels of the World
08062018 If you’re getting restless after beach days and hot springs then there are mountains to be climbed and botanical gardens to be explored. Wake early and do the one-hour trek up to Monte Eponeo, the highest point in the island, then stop for lunch at La Grotta da Fiore. Forget Capri, the Italian island of Ischia is the one to know | London Evening Standard
08072018 Franco Pepe left his family successful pizza-making business five years ago to create a new concept about pizza, a place where italians considered to be anything but fast food. It was a risk, but I wanted to start a new type of pizzeria. I wanted to create a new concept about pizza. Flour power: Franco Pepe’s go-slow pizza touted as world’s best | Vancouver Sun
08082018 The Summer Table: 1) Insalata di Riso 2) Caponata 3) Macedonia di Frutta 4) Parmigiana di Melanzane 5) Melanzane e Cioccolato 6) Cuppetiello di Pesce 7) Spaghetti alle Vongole 8) Gamberoni & Calamari  Grigliate 9) Sorbetto di Limone 10) Insalata Caprese Ten Amalfi Coast Summer Foods | Sauced & Found
08092018 In southern Italy the numerous spas forming an arc around the gulf of Naples are extremely important. This is one of the most active volcanic zones in Italy whit heat bursting through from a supply of magma underground which is very close to the surface. Top 100 resort thermal SPA in Italy | Made in South Italy
08102018 A very important role in this activity of recovery and (re)valorization – which is being promoted, among others, by the Curia of Naples, by the “Foundation with the South” and by the “Association of Friends of Museums” –  all managed by young no-profit associations. The same has to be of “Charme” review, which has been telling and promoting for over 13 years, the beauty and goodness of Campania to tourists (and others) who visit it. Culture and tourism, in which Naples and the Campania Region believe in now | Charme Campania
08112018 Don Alfonso 1890, Sant'Agata Sui Due Golfi is not on everyone’s itinerary, but Don Alfonso 1890 makes it well worth the detour. The family-run hotel and ristorante runs deep with a passion evident in the health-conscious menu, off-site organic farm, and flavor-packed dishes. The Most Extravagant Restaurants on the Amalfi Coast | Vogue
08122018 New sub-zones like Campi Flegrei DOC, Cilento and Paestum have created a buzz alongside the historically famous DOCGs of Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi. It is clear the south has a very strong hand to play. Off the beaten track: 10 hidden gems in Southern Italy | Decanter
08132018 The winery, located in the rolling hills of Campania, looked like a small palace with tall white pillars along the front and the vineyards beyond. After greeting us, Milena escorted us to an aglianico and falaghina vineyard, describing the natural viticulture processes, and stressing how important it is to be able to taste the authenticity of the land in the bottle. The Queen of Campania Wine | Wine Travel Stories
08142018 In Naples they say that fathers want their sons to be one of two things: a footballer for SSC Napoli or a pizza chef. There are nearly 3,000 pizzaiuoli in the city and the best are “like celebrities in their own world”, says one. The secrets behind the perfect pizza: from Naples to New York | FT Magazine
08152018 The bride and groom let the location shine in styling their wedding. "We worked with a "lemon" theme (the lemon is symbolic of the Amalfi coast). We didn’t focus on a theme beyond that, but the location and choice of lemon-themed colours helped to tie everything together." Inside an Italian summer wedding set in Sorrento | Vogue
08162018 It appears that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be getting sweet and sour with their wedding cake. The cake is made up of lemon sponge. It has an elderflower syrup drizzle, it has an Amalfi lemon curd, and then it has a Swiss meringue buttercream with elderflower. Prince Harry And Meghan Markle’s Insane Wedding Cake Will Have 200 Lemons In It | HuffPost
08172018 This dish has been a popular menu item for quite some time and I could easily see why.  Clams, cuttlefish, toasted pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and lemon make this dish one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time. A piece of bread or two to soak up the flavors that remained on the plate. A Mare/A Tavola! Ristorante Ida, Barano, Ischia (Na) | andiamotrips
08182018 Besides the discovery of the botanical aspect to La Mortella Gardens on the island of Ischia, it is also the superb setting for plenty of cultural activities during the summer months. Concerts, both open air and indoor, as well as theatre, are offered as part of the seasonal programme. Catch the symphonic concerts held every Thursday evening in the Greek Theatre, performed by young musicians. A Stroll Around Mortella Gardens | Villa Italy
08192018 The best time to visit Naples is April-June and September-October, when temperatures are less likely to have you melting as fast as your triple scoop of gelato. New Year's Eve in Naples is known for being a blast, literally - the city is proud of hosting the best fireworks in Italy. November makes for cheaper hotels and quieter attractions. Naples Staples | Tiqets
08202018 There are more than 800 pizzerias in the birthplace of pizza, but only 100 can boast certification by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), the regulatory body that protects and ensures that the art of pizza-making and the ingredients used are in accordance with Neapolitan tradition. 10 of the best pizzerias in Naples | The Guardian
08212018 One area of the exhibition shows the funds of the necropolises of Madonna delle Grazie and the other those of the sanctuaries in privately held locations". The material is from the pre-Roman era, Massimo Osanna said, noting that in that period Campania was "a world of wide open to the world and intercultural contacts", with the inhabitants "open to Etruscan communities and Greek cities - a world made up of mobility, migration, contacts and culture". Exhibition on ancient Stabia at Pompeii Antiquarium | AnsaMED
08222018 A group of migrants visited Naples' Archelogical Museum. Kingsley (one of the migrants) admired the Farnese collection, with its splendid Roman-era statues, and was particularly interested in the section dedicated to the ruins of Pompeii, having known about the eruption in 79 A.D. He looked with attention on the wide-ranging Egyptian sector, which tells a piece of the story of his home continent, Africa. Migrants visit Naples museum and hope to integrate into Italian society | InfoMigrants
08232018 We are in one of the most affluent neighborhoods of Naples - Chiaia - with its sweeping seafront lined with outdoor cafes and bathers making the most of the sun-drenched bay. But Chiaia, though beautiful, is the elegant sister to the noisy, high-spirited sibling that seizes you and demands your attention as you step into the bustling heart of the city. Naples: A city of culture, charm and vitality | Arab News
08242018 Sweet, pulpy, low in acidity, and containing few seeds, they are said to be extraordinarily good for making sauces—and basically the only recognized name in the canned-tomato game. A true San Marzano is labeled as “Pomodoro S. Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino.” The long, unwieldy phrasing doesn’t have the same marketing punch as those two easy-to-pronounce words, perhaps another clue to its realness. Better to find a canned tomato that specializes in tomatoes, not advertising. The Fake Rolex of Canned Foods | Taste
08252018 Marinara became a catchall term for tomato sauce in this country because its ingredients are all plentiful in Campania, the area around Naples that sent so many families to the United States in the last century. Strictly speaking, it consists of olive oil, ripe tomatoes, a substantial hit of garlic, a nip of dried chile and dried oregano (or, in modern times, fresh basil). Marinara Worth Mastering | The New York Times
08262018 The ragù of Naples and most of the South is a sauce braised in red wine. It contains big chunks of beef and/or pork (and sometimes even sausages) cooked in a saucepan, served with, in the case of the ragù napoletano, tomato sauce of course but also with a soffrito, meaning finely minced onions and parsley browned in butter. Traditionally, ragù was only served on Sundays and on feast days. Eating in Naples, one of the trendiest foodie destinations on Earth | Air Transat
08272018 It regroups a large number of active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes, on land and undersea, along the fault line that runs roughly around the edges of the Campanian plain, and many smaller ones. Although anchored on a bed of limestone and marl, the soils in virtually every corner of Campania are influenced by volcanism. The regular and massive eruptions of nearby Lipari Island, the Campi Flegrei, Roccamonfina, Monte Vulture, and Vesuvius have deposited ash and tephra throughout the entire region, enriching the soils with a potent mix of minerals. Campania | Volcanic Wines International
08282018 Vesuvius’s violent eruptions are also responsible for the volcanic soils found in the growing zones of Irpinia, about 30 miles away. Taurasi, also hails from the hills around Avellino. “We have about two meters of friable, ashy topsoil in our vineyards,” says Antonella Lonardo “Aglianico planted in these soils produces more structured wines with more pronounced tannins and acidity when compared to Aglianico grown in clay or sandy soils.” The Volcanic Wines of Italy | Wine Enthusiast
08292018 We enlisted the help of the concierge at Il San Pietro di Positano who booked ‘Joey II’ a Morgan 44 refined yacht. On the morning of the boat trip we headed down to the private beach at the hotel, waiting in eager anticipation… An Amalfi Coast Boat Trip and a Day on Capri | SilverSpoon London
08302018 The Grand Hotel Cocumella still has much of its original ivory-white bones and monastery-influenced architecture intact. A huge cliff-top balcony lives atop the Gulf of Naples, above what a short lift ride (or cave wander) will prove is your own private deep-water jetty and cove. A little bit of Amalfi history lives in the walls of this Sorrento oasis | Vogue
08312018 There are two versions of Feudi Taurasi in the marketplace, a classic offering (the 2011 is quite elegant and drinkable now) and a single-site bottling known as Piano di Montevergine, produced from a 30-year-old-plus vineyard with excellent exposure and volcanic sandy soils that are, in the words of Capaldo, “the ideal characteristics for making a great Taurasi.” Taurasi: Italy's Unsung Great Red Wine | Forbes