InSIdEr’S

, Explore three contrasting perspectives of from writers in the know. Sarah Barrell

embraces la dolce vita in , Katie ggIorE.Com) Parla samples undiscovered rural fare in , while Kate Simon goes on a cultural tour of Lecce gIuLIo mazzarInI. CourtESy Car KIndLy ProvIdEd By maggIorE (www.ma ImagE:

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LIgurIa

on thE movE In LIgurIa, aLtErnatE vIEwS of and ImBIBIng thE vIBE of La doLCE vIta

wordS: Sarah Barrell PhotograPhS: giulio mazzarini

the bike is uncomfortably close to the edge of of coastal villages to Liguria’s south — few the clif. the fact my brother-in-law, Bobby, walkers venture here, deterred by Portoino’s is driving only adds to my all-round sense of ritzy atmosphere (and the steep climb out of its edginess. more adept at piloting a pizza oven bay). Instead, I ind a nature reserve thick with than a moped, this is nonetheless Bobby’s one day heavy-scented pines, wild thyme and holm oak, of from cheing, and he’s damned if he’s going to cliftop clearings revealing grotto-like coves and spend it stuck behind a queue of spluttering tour the occasional billionaire’s balcony. buses. I’ve talked him into taking me to Portoino the morning’s walk brings me, knees — the pristine, craggy bay beloved of yachties, humming, to ‘the wife’s house’ (the billionaires and Japanese tourists, shopping for meaning of ), a village whose ishermen overpriced designer linen. and the only way he’s were at sea so often their wives were the only real prepared to undertake this touristy outing is on a residents. wiped out by the descent, I lop onto queue-dodging moped. the shingle and spend a happy half-hour selecting I love Portoino. this tiny jewel in Liguria’s my favourite hue from the town’s rainbow display coastal crown is the one place most British of painted houses — each tone a navigational travellers can name on the ; the beacon for its isherman owner. Legs recovered, switchback coastal stretch between the french it’s of to the nearest tabacchi (bar/newsagent) to and tuscan borders is often overlooked in favour buy a train ticket, and down a fortifying glass of of southern beaches in amali or Puglia. yes, Sciacchetrà — the glorious, golden dessert wine of Portoino is packed to the pierside in summer — before heading for the station. months, and an espresso in one of its waterfront It’s rare that a rail ride brings you as close to cafes costs as much as a modest yacht mooring the coast as walking does, but the line that runs elsewhere, but… those views. Its deep half-moon south from to the beach town of Sestri bay is jewelled with priceless palazzi, strung like Levante is almost within paddling proximity Previous pages: chandeliers under knuckles of overhanging clifs; at points. I manage the ive-minute journey to Camogli, Liguria. its headland arcs into heady blues on a pine- Santa margarita before I’m seduced by the sun- this page: Santa fringed spit of land. drenched blues and hop of for a swim. there margherita, Ligure. and those views don’t have to come at a price. are, arguably, better places for a dip but the opposite, clockwise Bobby drops me at the edge of town and I skirt turquoise waters of this smart seaside town have from top left: Portoino; the bay before following a marked path onto inspired everyone from nietzsche and Pirandello Camogli; restaurant, the Portoino promontory for a hike towards to Clark gable. I do a languid backstroke around Camogli; local dish, the brightly painted harbour village of Camogli. a phalanx of shiny speedboats (most of which Camogli unlike the route to Cinque terre — the string belong to moneyed milanese city folk rather

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EBaIa dELLE favoLE (Bay of faIrytaLES) IS namEd In honour of hanS ChrIStIan andErSEn, who SoJournEd hErE In thE EarLy 1800S. wIth ItS BLaCK-and-whItE-StrIPEd gEnoESE gothIC ChurCh ovErLooKIng thE Bay, and PaStEL houSES, It’S thE Stuff of ChILdrEn’S StoryBooKS than locals, hence the town’s nickname, Port of Sarah BarrELL’S SECrEt SIx milan), hoping I might be invited on board. In good weather, there’s an hourly boat between the coastal towns of , Santa margherita and Portoino — a fun ferry jaunt rather than a thE BIKE trIP: thE CIty BrEaK: speedboat but with perfect photo ops back to the 1 Bay-hoPnEar thE frEnCh BordEr 4 thE anCIEnt town of gEnoa bays. But my timing’s out. So I hop back on the train south to , where two sandy Liguria has some very challenging terrain for a port since before the days of Columbus (who’s bays back a terracotta town on a narrow isthmus serious cyclists and hikers. But if you just want claimed as a native), genoa is a gritty and gothic — one of my favourite places to swim in Italy. I to pedal peacefully along the coast, head to city against a mountain backdrop. alleys and plough into the water, looking back to the Baia the seaside town of San remo, near the french piazzas conceal medieval palazzo — many, former delle favole (Bay of fairytales), named in honour border, and hop onto a 13-mile greenway bank buildings that are now museums, galleries of hans Christian andersen, who sojourned running along an old railway line just above the and hotels. don’t miss the dockside maritime here in the early 1800s. with its black-and-white town. you can hop of at various bays along the museum, and check into the former hQ of Ilva, gothic church overlooking the bay, and pastel way and bike hire is available in the town of San Italy’s biggest iron and steel manufacturer — now houses, it’s the stuf of children’s storybooks. Lorenzo al mare. the ritzy meliá genova. melia.com Later, washed and dressed, sand almost more info: pistaciclabile.com more info: visitgenoa.it shaken from hair, I rejoin my in-laws under the vaulted shopping arcades in , the neighbouring coastal town. It’s time for the thE rEStaurant: thE hotEL: passegiata (evening stroll), to scout for salty 2 LattErIa dI San marCo, mILan 5 aLBErghI dIffuSI slices of farinata (local chickpea bread) in the town’s 19th-century pasticceria (pastry shop). there are no reservations, barely any tables, If agriturismo was the accommodation choice Chiavari is little known to Brits but is one of the menu is miniscule and it’s only open during of the 1990s, then today’s Italian tourist address Liguria’s most quietly elegant, food-focused the week. But this little ‘nona’s kitchen’-style has to be the alberghi difusi. these ‘scattered towns. Its cuisine centres on seafood but also restaurant, a former newspaper journalists’ lodgings’ have saved some of Italy’s deserted features earthy produce from its vast interior. haunt, has delivered some of the best meals rural villages by converting crumbling houses Pesto was born here, thanks to lush sea-front I’ve ever had in Italy. Expect simple northern and medieval palazzo into loosely formed mountains that encourage the sweetest of basil fare: stews and roasts, plenty of rosy veal, resorts of hotels, villas and restaurants. there — found on every menu — along with local and if the endive and anchovy salad is on the are around 40 dotted around Italy, but the rabbit, beef, dairy, chickpeas and myriad veggies menu, order it (and courier it to me if you best-known is Sextantio albergo difuso, in the from organic smallholdings. don’t like it). mountains of abruzzo. sextantio.it/santo-stefano But for now, those stone farmhouse hamlets, more info: t 00 39 02 659 7653. more info: alberghidifusi.it clif paths and copses, where coastal kids often dance the night away at free parties, feel a world away. as the moon climbs above the coast, the thE wILd BEaCh: thE muSIC CLaSS: beach is calling. at sandy-loored bars and then 3 ParConaturaLE dELLa marEmma 6 oPEra In a nightclub set into the clifs like a James Bond villain’s lair, we’ll dance and ind more excuses to It’s one-in, one-out at the car park in summer Stay at florence’s hotel Savoy and you can swim, until the sun comes up over the bay again. (almost entirely full of Italian holidaymakers) but book a one-to-one opera class. take a day or how to do it: Seven nights at hotel Jolanda in this is one of my favourite stretches of beach in weekend course, learning scales and arias Santa margherita Ligure from £544 per person, Italy. there’s not a lido or sun lounger in sight; with a professional, learn about the art in a including B&B and return lights from gatwick instead, wild, dune-backed beaches, long sandy lively lesson, tour the city’s musical sights to genoa. citalia.co.uk paths shaded by sweet-smelling pine, little kiosks (opera was born here in the medici courts) selling cold drinks, and endless views of the med. and then see an opera. the opera masterclass South of the park, the promontory of monte package costs from €1,011 (£815) per person, Clockwise from top: making farinata, Luchin retaurant, argentario has little ishing villages and superb based on two people sharing, including two Chiavari; farinata; chef, Luchin. snorkelling in crystal-clear waters. nights’ B&B, accommodation. right page: Sextantio albergo difuso more info: parco-maremma.it more info: roccofortehotels.com

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CamPanIa

ExPLorEthE frESh fLavourS of thE CamPanIa CountrySIdE and fEaSt on LoCaL oLIvES, tomatoES and ChEESE

wordS: Katie Parla

Speeding down the a1 — the Italian traic agricultural ancestry with their exposure to artery playfully dubbed the ‘motorway of the northern European sustainability. In doing so, Sun’ — I exit at . Slowing my pace to they’ve created a peaceful retreat where they navigate the series of increasingly curvy roads nourish visitors with their own wine, olive oil, leading to my destination, Le Campestre, an cheese, vegetables and livestock. agriturismo buried deep inside Campania. at Le Campestre, citrus groves and olive while most visitors to this southern region orchards give way to pastures where sheep continue onwards to vesuvius, the amali graze on a diet of herbs. their chickens supply Coast and the ancient cities illing the wide eggs and poultry, while heritage-breed nero crescent bounded by the Casertano pigs appear on the table as cured and , I’m after the little-known meats and mains. the quality and integrity of lavours of Campania’s interior. the ingredients attracts overnight guests like me my hosts are the Lombardi family, to their three well-appointed rooms, but their Clockwise from top left: ambassadors for a regional cuisine that, after onsite restaurant serves a larger audience of making cheese, dining years of decline and neglect, is experiencing a locals who come to imbibe the lavours of their area, Le Campestre; LE CamPEStrE LE full-on renaissance. after decades in , land and its past. Conciato romano cheese, the Lombardis returned to their native land my feast at Le Campestre’s table begins with Le Campestre; sheep, Le

where they have married a passion for their a plentiful antipasto spread — homegrown Campestre ImagES:

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vegetables preserved in oil, house-cured oil from the Petrazzuoli (petrazzuoli.it) olive La SBECCIatrICE offErS olives, homemade primo sale cheese — and orchards in ruviano. tomato varIEtIES wIth scialatelli (fettuccine-like pasta) with squash Pepe urges me to visit his oil purveyor, and and herbs. the family beam with pride as they so the next day I drive to ruviano, where thick ComPLEx fLavourS So recount the history of the cheese they grate and knotted ulivi secolari — centuries-old olive varIEd that no two arE onto this dish; conciato romano verged on trees — bear fruit every autumn that’s harvested extinction before the Lombardis helped to by hand, then pressed. the resulting uniltered SuItEdfor thE SamE uSE. revive it. this sheep’s-milk cheese is aged in oil is fruity, green and herbaceous. Just as with thEIrSummEr CroPS arE terracotta vessels, a process that can be traced conciato, a revived appreciation for quality, cold- back to roman times. pressed oils has grown in this part of Campania. SErvEd SLICEd, drESSEd these ancient lavours have also been tomatoes, the region’s other famous fruit, In oIL, toSSEd wIth championed at Pepe in grani (pepeingrani.it), have also seen a resurgence. Beginning in in nearby Caiazzo. Since opening in october the 1950s, heirloom tomato varieties were PaSta, SEaSonEd wIth 2012, franco Pepe’s pizzeria has become nothing increasingly forgotten, as farming communities SaLt or BottLEd for less then a pilgrimage destination. I join the lost many of their inhabitants to the cities. ranks of his disciples and descend a stone at La Sbecciatrice (lasbecciatrice.it) wIntEr uSE alleyway towards the pizzeria, a three-storey brothers Lino and domenico Barbiero are stone building in Caiazzo’s dense and diminutive dedicated to protecting native produce species historical centre. as I approach the entrance, and have a particular interest in the pomodoro I’m greeted with the fragrant aroma of baking (tomato), which arrived in the region in the dough, wafting through the alley. I spot franco 16th century and is now virtually synonymous Pepe hard at work near the oven. he and his with Campanian cuisine. La Sbecciatrice ofers assistants work in unison as pizza after pizza varieties with complex lavours so varied no two is prepared, topped, and baked in the domed, are suited for the same use. their summer crops wood-burning oven. are served sliced, dressed in oil, tossed with of the 430 pizzas Pepe in grani served pasta, seasoned with salt or bottled for winter that night, four landed on my table, each one use. they might not be reinventing the wheel, delivering the lavours and aromas of the but sometimes, the simple pleasures are the best. region. a billowing escarole (endive) calzone how to do it: Le Campestre charges €35 (£30) was followed by heirloom tomato and mozzarella per person for a double room. this includes pizza. Cured rabbit was paired with ribbons breakfast. Lunch costs from €30 (£25) per of celery. the inal pizza featured a sharp and person, while dinner is from €20 per person tangy conciato romano and ig preserves. (£17); following regional tradition, dinner is

LaS BECCIatrICE Each topping was carefully chosen to evoke lighter than lunch. therefore, half pension above: Lino and domenico Barbiero, La Pepe’s — and Le Campestre’s — native land (lunch) is €65 (£54), full €85 (£71).

ImagE: Sbecciatrice and doused generously with extra virgin olive lecampestre.it

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KatIE ParLa’S SECrEt SIx

BESt for PaLatIaL SPLEndour: BESt for aLPInE ExCurSIonS: 1 rEggIa dI 5 ParCo rEgIonaLE dEL matESE Begun in 1752 by Charles vII, the Bourbon Straddling the regions of Campania and molise, king of naples, the royal of Caserta was the matese regional Park is home to a dolomitic intended to house the royal court and to provide massif of medieval villages, castles and forests. a versailles-like, defensible alternative to the aLthough SPartaCuS Summer ofers hiking or a dip in Italy’s highest more vulnerable residences in naples. the palace and hIS ComPatrIotS lake, while the slopes welcome winter skiers. sprawls over a plateau and its gilded ceremonial more info: parcoregionaledelmatese.it halls and grand residential apartments give way SuCCumBEd to thE to gardens, pools and fountains. romanS,and fEw traCES more info: reggiadicaserta.beniculturali.it BESt for monaStIC artIStry: ofthEm rEmaIn, CaPua’S 6 CErtoSadI San LorEnzo dI mIghty amPhIthEatrE BESt for godS & gLadIatorS: SurvIvES aS a rEmIndEr this vast Carthusian monastery, dedicated to 2 anfItEatro dI CaPua San Lorenzo, sprawls over a plain in the of thEIr dEfEat and national Park, near Salento. the ancient city of Capua — and its gladiatory founded in 1306, the Certosa is Italy’s second- school — was the staging ground of the most largest monastery. the inest artists and artisans famous slave rebellion in roman times. Left: Pepe in grani pizza. of the Bourbon age were employed to embellish In the irst century BC, a thracian slave Below, from top: Centosa di San its chapels, libraries and cloister. called Spartacus led an uprising against Lorenzo di Padula; Piedimonte more info: parks.it/parco.nazionale.cilento/ his captors who’d enslaved him to train and matese, Caserta Eindex.php ight as a gladiator. although Spartacus and his compatriots ultimately succumbed to the roman legions, and few traces of them survive, Capua’s mighty amphitheatre survives as a reminder of their defeat. Beneath the stadium ruins lies a sanctuary to mithras, god of a popular mystery cult. more info: cir.campania.beniculturali.it/ archeocapuavetere/history-of-site

BESt for monumEntS & rELIEfS: 3 & thE arCo dI traIano the ancient Samnite city of Beneventum fell to the romans in the third century BC and for the next 500 years occupied a strategic position along the appian way, a 350-mile road linking to the adriatic Sea. due to its location, republican generals and subsequent emperors erected monumental structures in the city, including the triumphal arch of trajan. today, traic circles the second-century marble work, which is embellished with reliefs commemorating the emperor trajan’s triumphs over his adversaries in dacia.

BESt for mEdIEvaL monaStErIES: 4 Sant’agata dEI gotI Chosen for its highly defensible position on a sheer volcanic ridge, this pristine medieval village is populated with irregularly-shaped military towers, fortiied and austere monasteries. a stroll through Sant’agata’s fototECa EnIt; LuCIano furIa/franCo LuCIano PEPE EnIt; fototECa stunning labyrinth of stone-and-brick structures provides a peaceful counterpoint to the city’s

ImagES: bellicose past.

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by adornments hewn from the local tufa (a malleable limestone favoured by sculptors, which remains a major export). LECCE Lecce is a city-size showcase of baroque. the creamy tufa dazzles in the sun and even on a rare gloomy day bestows Lecce with a light, bright, optimistic air. ornate temples seduce the eye throughout the city, although none is quite so lorid as the Basilica di Santa Croce, aCuLturaL CIty tour of LECCE, watChIng artISanS at worK, dInIng In on via umberto I. onlookers can’t help ruStIC EatErIES and SEEKIng out thE CuLturaL trEaSurES but goggle at its menagerie of creatures — inhabitants of both heaven and hell wordS: Kate Simon — gamboling around a huge rose window, heaved towards the heavens by grotesque animals and turkish atlantes (pillars). marco Epicochi will not be distracted from his yet here he is in his studio in Lecce practising Santa Croce — now an oicial national work. he’s engrossed in modelling a miniature the ancient art for which this southern Italian monument — is just one reason why the city arm from papier-mâché. I shule around his city is renowned. In fact, he’s one of a new is dubbed ‘the florence of the South’. yet for small studio-cum-shop, inspecting, if not quite generation of artisans securing a future for all its good looks, there’s room to breathe here; admiring, the saccharine igurines of jaunty the tradition. Lecce has yet to become congested with swains, gnarled shepherds and pious priests marco’s Laboratorio della Cartapesta sits in throngs of tourists. populating the shelves. “how much?” I ask, the shadow of the cathedral, in a corner of the the 17th century was a golden era for Lecce, pointing to a saintly igure captured in prayer. vast Piazza del duomo, the religious epicentre of but not its only heyday. the city’s importance “one hundred euros,” he replies, barely looking Lecce. Cartapesta (creating igures out of straw, was conirmed much earlier, when the roman up from the job in hand. rags and paper) was initially an act of devotion, emperor hadrian moved the original settlement what most intrigues me is not Signore spawning an industry that boomed in the 17th established by the messapii a few miles up the Below: Papier-mâché sculpture, Lecce. Epicochi’s undoubted skill at furrowing paper century with the — literal and metaphorical road to its position today at the heart of the at BaSILICa dI Santa CroCE, a mEnagErIE of CrEaturES opposite from top: facade of Basilica into the soft folds of a peasant’s cloak or — rise of the church here. during that period, latlands at the bottom of Italy’s heel. gamBoLaround a hugE roSE wIndow, hEavEd towardS thE di Santa Croce; breads, doppiozero; smoothing it into the open palms of a benevolent no corner of the city was left without a place I head for the Piazza Sant’oronzo to see exterior, doppiozero saint — it’s his age. he can’t have hit 40 and of worship, no sacred spot unembellished evidence of roman occupation, in the shape of hEavEnS By grotESQuE anImaLS and turKISh atLantES the city’s amphitheatre. I ind a perfect tiered horseshoe rising up from beneath the square, large enough to host 15,000 spectators and replete with archways through which once entered the beasts and men who performed the gory entertainment on the arena loor. this is only half the story; further ruins lie below the piazza, covered for now by more recent buildings, including stark examples of fascist architecture — a cold and menacing contrast to the warm and exuberant baroque all around. It’s time for lunch, so I make my way to doppiozero, on via arcivescovo Petronelli. this is one of a growing number of smart little eateries that have opened in Lecce over the past few years, as Italians from above the country’s ankle and a trickle of holidaymakers from northern have started exploring Salento, the southern tip of Puglia. the style is rustic. the main counter is heaped with meats, cheeses and breads, and the wall opposite displays a gallery of wines. along the centre of the space runs a line of wooden tables, above which clusters of empty bottles hang from a long horizontal pole to provide a novel form of illumination. the chairs are illing up fast with locals and the chatter is exclusively Italian. Lecce is no open-air museum preserved in aspic; this is a living, breathing Italian city. that’s undoubtedly part of the Lecce’s appeal, but for how long? how to do it: ryanair lies to Brindisi from aLamy; gEtty; oo doPPIozEro gatwick. trains from Brindisi to Lecce cost around £7 each way. double rooms at La Bella

ImagES: Lecce B&B cost from £46 a night. ryanair.com trenitalia.com labellalecce.it

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KatE SImon’S SECrEt SIx

BESt for nEoLIthIC dwELLIngS: BESt for grEEK tEmPLES: 1Cava d’ISPICa 4 Carol King, an English writer living in Sicily, If you’re planning a trip to , recommends the Cava d’Ispica, a limestone in Campania — the site of some of Italy’s gorge between Ispica and in the south most magniicent greek temples — extend east of Sicily. Since neolithic times, people have your time in the area by taking a short train lived in this eight-mile-long gorge and over the ride to agropoli. from here, follow the centuries they’ve carved dwellings, churches and coastal path to , says Christopher catacombs out of its rocky walls. Enter from the Knowles, director of world walks. “you’ll enjoy north via the uicio di Sovrintendenza or, in the wonderful sea views, the occasional ruined fort, south, at Parco della forza. and a chance for a refreshing swim at the end.” more info: worldwalks.com BESt for CoaStaL vIEwS: BESt for SICILIan fLavourS: 2 CaPo vatICano LIghthouSE 5 rIStorantE dIonISo head for the lighthouse at Capo vaticano, just follow the locals to ristorante dioniso, in south of tropea, in Calabria, advises Carolyn Siracuse, says Julie Brown, oice manager of Spinks, chief operating oicer of the association Peter Sommer travels. “the chef, Lele, is a food of British travel organisers to Italy. “Join the alchemist,” she explains, “who takes fresh local winding path leading to the clif edge to take in ingredients and turns them into delicious meals spectacular views across the sea to Sicily,” she with a truly authentic Sicilian lavour.” Check says. “then pull up a seat in the cafe-bar perched out the braised beef in nerello wine — made on the clif here and let mamma knock up a from a variety of red grape grown in the mascali delicious dish of seafood from the day’s catch.” area of the Province of . more info: loveitaly.co.uk more info: dionisortigia.it petersommer.com

BESt for anCEStraL homES: BESt for BudgEt SIghtSEEIng: 3 CavE CIty, 6 SIta BuS from SorrEnto If you visit , the cave city in matera is Kate dwyer, press oicer at Citalia, has a a must-see. But detour to Bernalda, 45 minutes clever little tip for some budget sightseeing. away, too, says dale Connelly, marketing manager “take the local Sita bus from Sorrento up to of discover Basilicata. this beautiful hilltop town termini for stunning views across the bay from is the ancestral home of francis ford Coppola, the main square,” she says. “or take the bus who owns a hotel here. But dale’s special tip is 11- from Sorrento to marina del Cantone for more

room country house giardino giamperduto. wonderful views, this time of the surrounding above: temple of aLamy more info: discoverbasilicata.com countryside.” neptune at Paestum,

giamperduto.com more info: citalia.com Campania ImagE:

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