Bytes of Italy

Matera: A Cave with a View

In this April 27, 2015 New Yorker article, D. T. Max tells the story of the rise and fall and rise again of the Sassi area of Matera, a town in southern Italy which has been occupied since prehistoric times.  "The main section, the Civita, contains grand churches and picturesque palazzi; it is flanked on both sides by the Sassi, or the Rocks—steeply graded districts where mostly peasants lived."

The Sassi area was neglected and ultimately depopulated sixty-five years ago, prior to being revitalized over the past thirty years.  It is now a tourist destination with beautiful high end hotels such as La Casa di Lucio and Palazzo Gattini, excellent restaurants including Ristorante Francesca, a variety of artisans and even a jazz festival, Gezziamoci. In fact, it has been selected as a capital of European culture for 2019, but is certainly worth a visit long before then.

 

Discovering Pietrasanta

T&L has provided a treasure trove of Italian features in their May 2008 issue, including this focus on the Tuscan coastal village of Pietrasanta by Valerie Waterhouse.

A quiet town in Lucca province, Pietrasanta has served as a sanctuary for international sculptors and artists for six centuries. It was here, in the lofty quarters of the city’s palazzi, that Michelangelo, Henry Moore, and, more recently, Fernando Botero chose to set up residence—in part due to the town’s proximity to the marble quarries of Carrara. Pietrasanta, whose straight and narrow streets follow a Roman grid layout (unusual for a Tuscan village), has maintained its status as the region’s creative epicenter. More than 15 contemporary art galleries—including Galleria La Subbia and Galleria Tega, where you can see works by renowned Tuscan artist Sandro Chia and avant-garde duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude—have opened in the town’s historic neighborhood. High season for gallery exhibitions is June through September. Pietrasanta, however, is more than simply an artists’ colony. Its sandy beaches, virtually undiscovered by foreigners, are a weekend getaway for vacationing Florentines and Milanese. And in recent years, a slew of stylish restaurants, boutiques, and hotels have opened, such as the intimate 19-room Albergo Pietrasanta, with a private art collection. But despite this flurry of activity, the seaside community keeps its village character—a perfect balance between yesterday and today.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Another feature in T&L's May issue worth checking out is their feature on Tuscany.  It provides some good ideas for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and wine.  The review starts with an overview of Tuscany's cities and provinces, which is provided below: 

LUCCA - Along with its famous oval-shaped Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, the walled city of Lucca has a network of sleepy alleyways—perfect for exploring by bicycle. This August, the city holds an opera festival, in honor of the 150th birthday of the city’s most legendary resident, Giacomo Puccini.

CHIANTI - The 120-square-mile region of Chianti, which extends from Florence all the way down to Siena, is renowned for its namesake wine. Take time to visit the cobblestoned towns of Greve, Radda, and Strada to sample pasta with cinghiale.

AREZZO - Ancient historian Livy once lauded Arezzo for holding its own as a key Etruscan city. Today, the city still retains a unique identity, with antiques markets (Art Deco jewelry, carriage clocks), stylish boutiques, and intimate restaurants.

PISA - Pisa’s main draw used to be its gravity-defying tower. Now, the city is one of the best entryways to Tuscany, thanks to Delta’s new nonstop flight from New York.

VOLTERRA - Artisan workshops line the streets of Volterra, a hilltop Etruscan village in the province of Pisa. Keen-eyed collectors will find contemporary alabaster sculptures among the hordes of kitschy sculpted angels, Grecian urns, and swooping eagles.

MAREMMA - Maremma is still the region’s wildest area, with shrub-covered hillsides and unspoiled coastline. The terrain is changing, though, as high-wattage resorts such as Alain Ducasse’s L’Andana move in.

SIENA - Siena might seem defined by its past—medieval brick palazzi, winding streets, and, of course, the 350-year-old Palio horse race—but the city is gaining momentum as a modern destination, thanks to the arrival of several new hotels, including the Grand Hotel Continental and Campo Regio Relais.

Their section on accommodation, available here, focuses on the region's new hotel and spas which have been opening up and breathing new life into the region.  One interesting new place they highlight is the B&B La Bandita, opened last May by John Voigtmann, a Manhattan music executive.  For their top five hotel picks, click here.

Next they delve into their choices of the best culinary opportunities available throughout Tuscany (click here) whether you're looking for Chianini beefsteaks in Arezzo or freshly caught Sechio River fish in Lucca.  And to wash down that delicious food, you need a little vino, which you will have no trouble finding with this guide to the region's best wineries.  If you're not too full or too drunk to do some shopping, check out these ideas for some Tuscan treasures to bring back with you.

The Art of Speed

If you like cars and Italy, you can't pick a better place to visit than the countryside around Modena, the former medieval ducal capital in the Emilia-Romagna region .  This area, home to Maserati, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, is featured in an article in the May 2008 issue of Travel & Leisure magazine.  The article, Discovering Italy's Car Culture, provides some excellent sightseeing ideas which will definitely get the motors started for the car aficionados in your group.

Appia Antica

An article in today's New York Times titled Along a Road Of Antiquity highlights the Appia Antica, a serene miles-long stretch of ancient landmarks and quaint restaurants.

SOUTH of the tourist-crushed Trevi Fountain, past the scooter-clogged streets of Centro Storico and just outside the city’s 1,700-year-old walls is a miles-long stretch of ancient landmarks, quaint restaurants and serenity known as Appia Antica.

Part of the fabled Appian Way, the ancient Roman road that connected Rome all the way to Brindisi at the heel of Italy’s boot, this cobblestone stretch is today a protected archaeological park that offers a scenic respite from the city’s bustle.

On Sundays, the road is closed to vehicular traffic, and joggers (a rare sight in Rome), amorous couples (not such a rare sight) and baby strollers emerge to idle along its picturesque mausoleums and tranquil nooks.

Getting there is easy. Take a 10-minute bus ride from the Basilica of San Giovanni (No. 218) or the Circus Maximus (No. 118) to Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica. A visitors’ center has free maps and friendly, English-speaking docents. Bikes are available for rent starting at 3 euros, $4.55 at $1.52 to the euro, per hour. Or, for a historical play-by-play, Vatican Art Walks offers private walking tours starting at 65 euros an hour.

Among the first sights is the Church of Domine Quo Vadis?, so named because this is where St. Peter, fleeing persecution from Emperor Nero, reputedly had a vision of Jesus and asked “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus, as the story goes, replied, “To Rome, to be crucified again.” A cast of what some people believe are Jesus’ footprints is kept inside the church; the original cast is down the street in the Church of San Sebastian, above the narrow catacombs that once held the remains of early Christians martyrs (Via Appia Antica 136).

But if you visit only one catacomb, descend into San Callisto. Guided tours — often led by witty American priests — take visitors along some of the 18 miles of dark tunnels and sepulchers where martyrs and early popes once rested.

And if all the catacomb exploring builds up an appetite, Appia isn’t short on good restaurants. A popular lunch site for well-dressed parliamentarians is L’Archeologia, a seafood restaurant housed in a 17th-century mail station that serves classic dishes like fish stew (13 euros) and homemade gnocchi with calamari and cherry tomatoes (12 euros).

For truly classic dining, go to Antica Roma, a tavern built into ancient ruins that serves recipes written down by Apicius, who is credited with writing the world’s first cookbook. Try the pollo oxizomum, baked chicken slathered in fish sauce (12 euros).

After lunch, stop to gawk at the red-brick ruins of the Circus of Maxentius, a fourth-century racetrack and, farther on, the three-story cylindrical tomb of the first-century-B.C. Roman aristocrat Cecilia Metella that was turned into a castle by the blue-blooded Caetani family in the Middle Ages.

From there, the tar road gives way to pizza-sized stone pavers complete with chariot wheel grooves, and is flanked by umbrella pines and millenniums-old mausoleums. This stretch of the Appia Antica remains one of Rome’s most fashionable addresses. Legions of Italian celebrities live in the massive villas that dot the ancient road.

And except for the occasional Range Rover pulling out of the stone driveways, you can almost forget you’re in 21st-century Rome.

Palazzo Antinori

In their February 2008 issue, T&L features the Palazzo Antinori, a Renaissance palace located in Florence which has served as the headquarters for the Marchesi Antinori winery since the 16th century.  Inside the palazzo are two restaurants, the upscale Cantinetta Antinori and the unpretentious Buca Lapi.  Cantinetta serves elaborate regional dishes while Buca Lapi reputedly offers up the best steak in Florence.  Given that the palazzo is located on Via Tornabuoni close to Prada, Versace and Armani, I would suggest you eat and imbibe after you shop, or you may find your wine-lessened inhibitions leave you with a substantially lightened wallet.

Celebrating All Things Brunello di Montalcino

After a long gap in posts due to a job, company, city and state change, here is a post on an area and a wine that I love, Brunello di Montalcino.  The July 31, 2007 issue of Wine Spectator featured the region, with great restaurant, hotel, winery and wine suggestions.  Brunello do Montalcino is an area about 70 miles southwest of Florence.  It is "an arid area of soft rolling hills planted to grains and olive trees.  At its heart, the village of Montalcino perches on what, in context, resembles a towering mountain."  The best time to visit this captivating place is from spring through October, when everything is open.

The vineyards in the region are planted with Sangiovese, the native grape of Tuscany, known to the locals as Brunello.  My wife and I grew to love Brunello di Montalcino wines while living in Varese, Italy, an addiction we found to be quite a bit more expensive in the US than it had been in Italy.

Most of the wine estates are small (10 to 25 acres) with the owners farming their own vineyards and making their own wines.  The region produces about 600,000 cases a year, which are divided between normale and riserva bottlings.  The normali are released on the market 50 months after harvest, while the riserva come out a year after that.  They are aged a minimum of two years in wood, with subsequent bottle aging also mandated before they are released.  The wines age extremely well, but are drinkable upon release (though are even better after an hour or two of decanting).  They also go excellently with food.

Wineries to visit when in the area range from the region's biggest producer, Castello Banfi which has a great restaurant, to the family-owned Casanova di Neri, maker of Wine Spectator's 2006 wine of the year, Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2001.  Though be advised, that other than the larger vineyards like Banfi, most are generally not set up for walk-in visitors, though this is starting to change.

The choices for food and lodging are no less inviting.  Located in a 14th-century fortress, the Enoteca La Fortezza is a wine shop which offers tasting of the local product as well as excellent food.  Another choice for wine and food is Osteria Osticcio, which serves local fare and wine by the glass all day.  The Ristorante Boccon di Vino features recipes recreated from Tuscany's past.  In the center of Montalcino is Ristorante L'Assedio, an intimate, 15-seat bistro.  Its food is a fusion of traditional Tuscan favorites with a light, modern touch.

For lodging, there are a few great choices, starting with, you guessed it, Banfi.  They recently completed an $8.5 million restoration project to convert the building in the hamlet around the castle into a hotel, the Castello Banfi Il Borgo.  Another option is the Hotel Vecchia Oliviera, located at the edge of the old quarter.  A third choice is Il Giglio, a former postal station which was converted to a hotel more than a century ago.  It also has a restaurant which is frequented by the locals.

Apulia

Last Sunday's New York Times Travel section provided a look at Apulia, the region located at the bottom of the Italian boot.  The region is more laid back and subtle than the traditional tourist destination of Tuscany, but is beginning to come into its own with more modern accommodations such as luxurious farmhouses.  One of the newest such farmhouse is Masseria Torre Maizza in the town of Savelletri di Fasano.  In Lecce, the centrally located Hotel Patria Palace is a good base from which to tour the city's Baroque architecture.  The most recommended restaurant in Lecce is Cucina Casareccia (Via Colonnello Costadura, 19; 39-0832-245-178), but make sure you get a reservation.  In the seaside town of Trani, the Hotel San Paolo al Convento has been carved out of a 15th-century convent.  If you're looking for pizza, stop at the Profumo di Mare pizzeria and restaurant in Otranto.   Another suggested culinary destination is U.P.E.P.I.D.D.E. in Ruvo di Puglia.

The article begins:

WE were bound for a farmhouse, and I had my doubts.

Like many seasoned travelers, I'd been burned by the promise of rustic lodging with multi-star amenities, a happy-sounding combination that often meant a working telephone in a stone chamber otherwise untouched by progress and its attendant conveniences, like reliable plumbing and regular maid service.

 

     

And the lodging in question was in the southern Italian region of Apulia, which I'd known to be an inconvenient place. I'd made work trips there in 2002 and 2003, when I was a reporter based in Rome, and had marveled at the cramped, drab airport in the region's largest city, Bari. It was fit for a Graham Greene novel, not a glossy travel brochure.

So when my friend Sylvie told me that old farmhouses less than an hour's drive south of Bari were being converted into cushy resorts, I felt more skepticism than curiosity. And when she gushed about the reputed beauteousness of the one she'd booked us into, I vowed to be charmed, not outraged, at the inevitable exposure of her gullibility. The vacation would go so much easier that way.

Early one afternoon last September, we pulled up to our agrarian idyll, and I searched in vain for any traces of a farmhouse in the airbrushed campus of smooth whitewashed buildings before us. The buildings were fringed by palm trees and latticed by tidy gravel paths. Off to their side glittered a huge, pristine swimming pool with a slatted wood deck. Beyond that, on the grounds of a sister “farmhouse,” the candlelit rooms of a full-service spa meandered through an underground cave of sorts.

We mentioned to the hotel staff that we were hungry, and within minutes pressed panini of mozzarella and prosciutto — along with glasses of inky, fruity red wine — were being placed on our table in a sleek lounge area with all-white furniture and lulling cross breezes.

This was pure luxury. It was also a barometer of what was happening in Apulia.

Check out the full article here.

Il Veneto

Though often overshadowed by its better known and much-visited cousin Venice, the Veneto is a worthy destination in its own right.  Its main provinces, including Padua, Treviso, Verona and Vicenza, contain enough great art, architecture, food and wine around which to build an entire vacation.  Its Soave and Valpolicella wines are excellent and it is home to many Palladian villas (designed by Andrea Palladio, one of the most influential individuals in the history of Western architecture). 

In a recent article by Travel & Leisure, they provide an overview of the region and its highlights including what to see, where to eat and where to shop.  The article can be accessed here.

Naples a Cheaper Alternative

Today's NY Times features ways to do Europe more affordably.  They highlight Naples as a great alternative to the crowds and cost of Rome.  The Naples portion of the article is provided below.  The full piece is available here.  The picture to the left is of a young crowd congregating in the Piazza Santa Maria La Nova for a late-night drink in Naples.

Rome is being invaded — not by soldiers, but by “Da Vinci Code” tours and outrageously expensive cafes. For a far cheaper bite of the Italian dolce vita, go to seaside Naples.

Long associated with organized crime, chaotic traffic and a volcano (Vesuvius), Naples is more rough-edged than the Eternal City. But Naples has calmed down and cleaned up just enough to attract the bohemian set, thanks to a dynamic mayor who is promoting the arts, from subway installations by Sol LeWitt to the new Palazzo delle Arti Napoli.

Mixing things up are private art spaces like 404 Gallery and Not Gallery , as well as the Hotel Correra 241 (Via Correra 241; 39-081-195-62-842), a 10-room boutique hotel with rotating art exhibits. Doubles start at 75 euros.

The food in Naples isn't bad, either. After all, there are a mind-boggling 12,000 pizzerias in town. You can't go wrong with Pizzeria di Matteo (94 Via Tribunali; 39-081-455-262) and L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele dal 1870 (Via Cesare Sersale 1/3; 39-081-553-9204), which serve two types of fresh pies (marinara or margherita) with perfectly thin crusts for about 4 euros.