While Ferraris, food and wine make Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region one of the world’s favourite locales, a collection of local winemakers are passionate about adding the humble and almost forgotten Famoso grape to the list. Sitting in a farmhouse kitchen in Emilia-Romagna, Giovanna Randi pours me an espresso. I ask for milk and she waggles her […]
I used to think paradise only came in shades of one colour – blue, blue and bluer … all of it with golden or white sandy edges and a few whitecaps for good measure. But, I’ve recently discovered the calming effect of mountains that tower over 3000 meters high and the liberating knowledge that there […]
Everyone has their favourite “splurge” food. For me, pushing my sweet tooth aside, it’s pizza; specifically, a thin crust, wood-fired oven one. I knew I’d be eating a few slices in Italy, but I hadn’t actually set out to eat it every day, never mind FIVE in one day. To be fair, pizza served in […]
After ten minutes walking the shaded, limestone laneways of Monopoli, I get it. This is where Italy comes to spend the summer. We're on the 'heel' of the boot, along the gleaming azure coastline of the Adriatic, in Puglia. Known for its warm southern climate and outstanding food (even amongst Italians), the region stretches from […]
It’s almost midnight and I’m staring at a mostly dark Mediterranean. The lights of Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam shimmer silvery-white on the dark water as we glide almost silently towards Naples. You can hear the wash of the sea like the gentlest of spin cycles scrubbing the hull below. Earlier in the evening
