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INSIDE: Wine-Focused Hotel in Rome 4 Farmhouse Chic in Tuscany 6 Hiking in Abruzzo 7 Rediscovering Vittoria Colonna 8 Vista Palazzo Lago di Como Marcello Natarelli NEW HOTELS IN ITALY celebrating 15 years of great travel advice Flashy to Farmhouse dream of ® Chic id you miss this year’s invitation from George and D Amal? Never fear. Views of Lake Como are yours, immediately, at Vista Palazzo Lago di Como — look out your suite’s window and you’ll Volume 17, Issue 4 www.dreamofitaly.com May 2018 see nothing but sailboats, water and ITA LY mountains. This Lario Hotels Vista property is the first and only 5-star hotel in the center of Como, with 18 THE STRONG & KIND rooms carefully designed to both afford those views and to show off PEOPLE OF ABRUZZO the 19th-century Venetian-style palazzo housing them. he central Italian region of loyalty to their land and to each other, Abruzzo is called la terra di mare earning them the handle forte e The guests-only rooftop, which T e monti, where you can travel gentile — strong and kind. includes a library, bar and restaurant, from the Adriatic Sea to the has the most sweeping perspective, mountains in under an hour. Paolino Sanelli allowing lucky vacationers to see Though only two hours from both natural beauty and their Rome, Abruzzo is one of High in the mountains of proximity to all that the region has to Italy’s last unexplored frontiers Abruzzo, overlooking the offer. where you can hike through lush, Eden-like Orfento River rugged mountains and Valley and the proud Maiella The family-owned Lario company has verdant valleys only to mountain, is the tiny hamlet always been about “The Lake Como stumble upon medieval of Decontra. Decontra Experience,” and expanding their villages and hidden emerges out of thin air, at the hospitality to the 5-star level works hermitages carved into stone. end of a road perfumed by because they pay attention to details Paolino Sanelli canary yellow brush during in all their properties, from the It is a region with a proud pastoral spring and summer, its stone houses stylish Como city Albergo Terminus tradition that has seen hardship and huddled together like the flocks of Hotel to the lakeside Hotel Villa Flori poverty due to wars and an isolated sheep that have passed through for to the chic Posta Design Hotel. geographic position, but whose centuries. generous people have emerged with The Vista Palazzo suites have been an indomitable spirit of survival and continued on page 2 continued on page 4 The population of Abruzzo is 1.2 million. Abruzzo continued from page 1 And when you there was good cheer,” “When you get cold, put your arms enter the sleepy Paolino writes. inside your sweater and hug yourself rural village, you just like the flowers do.” And from that may spot an old Paolino has spent his moment, Gina’s saffron story began. man ambling along entire life in Decontra, with a cane, save for a brief stint “The Sarra family has always worked wearing a baseball working in an apple in saffron,” says 79-year-old Gina in a cap and a smile that orchard north of booming voice as she pours saffron no amount of labor Agriturismo Pietrantica London. Of his time in tisana and serves slices of freshly baked or hardship has succeeded in England he’ll tell you, “ Non mi e’ ciambella in her little kitchen. For the 98 dimming. He is Paolino — shepherd, piaciuto ” or “I didn’t like it.” “It used to small saffron producers from 13 contadino, poet, dreamer. rain every day…one never saw different villages in the sun… So I longed for those Abruzzo’s Navelli At five years old, Paolino was sent up lovely mountains of the Maiella, plateau, the cultivation to the mountains to pasture sheep, and which used to offer me so many of saffron has been a from that day began Paolino’s love fine days of splendid sunshine.” way of life and a labor story with the Maiella — or Majella — In those mountains, Paolino of love for centuries. In the “mother” mountain of Abruzzo protected his sheep from attacks fact, in 1971, Gina’s named for Dea Maja, a goddess of by hungry wolves; survived an brother, Silvio formed a 8 growth and nurturing. Paolino invasion by the Nazis; fell in union to protect local 1 0 2 recounts his experiences as a shepherd love and raised a family; and saffron farmers from y a and farmer in a small book called My spent countless nights gazing unfair market M Dreams Have All Been of the Maiella. and dreaming under a blanket Gina Sarra competition called the 2 of stars. Cooperativa Paolino and other young shepherds Altopiano di m from Decontra brought their flocks of These days, you can find Navelli. o c . y sheep to grassy meadows of the Paolino – now 92 years old l a t i Maiella at altitudes of over 4,100 feet. and affectionately known At Gina’s urging, f o m From April to June, they remained on as Nonno Paolino — seated Silvio introduced a e r the mountains and witnessed the at the stone patio of the world to d . w pastures overtaken by the herds Agriturismo Pietrantica, Abruzzo’s oro rosso w w returning from the transumanza. owned by his son Camillo Saffron crocus — red gold — via During the transumanza, which means and daughter-in-law, Marisa. And if a popular television program, which “crossing the land,” shepherds in you take the time to sit with Paolino over time led to numerous culinary Abruzzo led their sheep in autumn to and listen to his stories, you will be accolades for Navelli’s prized saffron, the warmer lowlands of Puglia and rewarded with tales of a life well-lived including the holy grail for food returned in spring to their mountains. and of dreams that have all been of the producers — DOP certification, the Paolino recalls, “It was a real spectacle Maiella. highest distinction that a food in Italy when the herds returned and there can be afforded. was a fine party.” To meet Nonno Paolino, find out more at: www.agripietrantica.com Gina is a natural storyteller who, He speaks frequently of a deep, almost despite having lived in the little village sacred, relationship to nature and Gina Sarra of Civitaretenga her entire life, clearly nostalgically recalls a time and place in knows how to work a crowd. After all, which life was harder, but also Gina Sarra picked saffron for the first she’s had her share of practice. She is simpler. “At the time when I was a time at the tender age of three. It was a regularly visited by chefs and food young shepherd…we were always crisp October morning and the little cognoscenti from around the globe. together and also in our village there girl was sleepy and shivering so her “Gina e’ internazionale (Gina is was so much harmony. People mother beseeched her to mimic the international),” a neighbor chides. Her worked, people worked really hard but very crocuses they were picking. phone rings off the hook with calls from Abruzzo is considered the gree visitors who seek her as much for her Francesca DiNisio removing the leaves from the nets stock of fragrant Navelli saffron as for spread out under the trees and her infinite knowledge about the spice. The sun begins to dim on an unusually eventually climbing nimbly up the balmy October day in the gently ladders to pick the olives. “In October, the flowers are collected - sloping hills that frame the town of strictly by hand, one by one — early in Bucchianico. Francesca DiNisio, the By the time Francesca was in her teens, the morning before the sun opens young owner of CantinArte, an olive oil it was clear she was a natural and them,” explains Gina. “From one and wine company in Abruzzo, pauses before long, she was running the hectare of cultivated land we obtain — for a moment to wipe a bead of sweat operation. “My grandmother taught if all goes well — one kilo of dried from her brow and take in the endless me to see the beauty in taking care of saffron. In that kilo are 250,000 flowers rows of silvery green olive trees. plants like they are children,” says and over 500 hours of work.” Francesca as she gazes at the olive These were her grandparents’ trees trees that surround her with adoration Navelli saffron’s hefty price tag of and they now belong to her. Her and awe. approximately 25€ per gram reflects reverie is broken by a child’s voice the manual labor involved in its calling out to her. “ Mamma, sono stanca “My grandfather used to say, you can cultivation and production as well as (I’m tired),” says her four-year-old live without wine, but without good the Cooperativa’s guarantee of quality daughter and Francesca chuckles to oil, never!” laughs Francesca. But she and authenticity. herself as she often does when she immediately grows serious and says, wonders whether “But it’s true, olive oil flows in our 8 1 0 2 But Gina hasn’t slowed her two small continued on page 7 y down. Saffron — despite children will one a all its toil — is who she day appreciate M is. It is rumored among the lands they dream of 3 her neighbors that Gina will inherit. ® keeps a tattered sheet of m o c .