Slow Food is above all linked with its charismatic founder, Carlo Petrini, but from the very beginning, Vito Puglia equally pulled his weight. Twenty years on, this true pioneer doesn’t reside in a busy head office in northern Italy, but under an olive tree at his exceptional restaurant Perbacco in southern Italy. Only ‘noses’ and insiders know where it is. This restaurant is the playground of Vito Puglia, born and raised in Cilento, a little known region of southern Italy. Vito grew up to become one of the first pioneers and founders of the Slow Food movement. However, Vito is no marketing lad or savvy businessman. On the contrary, despite Slow Food being one of the most important culinary movements of all time, Vito prefers to stay small and keep a low profile. After all, Slow Food is all about going back to basics, back to the essence, with respect for local produce and the environment. Perbacco is not a conventional eating establishment of which there are so many. Foodie snobs who expect to find trained sommeliers and white tablecloths are better off staying away. Perbacco, as a tribute to Bacchus, is something special. A few tables scattered beneath centuries-old olive trees overlooking green hillsides and beyond the shimmering Adriatic Sea. This unknown corner of southern Italy seems to bathe in an impressive light cast over the surface of the sea, the olive trees and the historic villages where time seems to stand still. Which is why Vito has not built an ordinary restaurant here with four walls and a roof. His guests sit outside, under ancient olive trees, or in bad weather, in a kind of covered, furnished barn. Vito makes the view of the Adriatic Sea the protagonist in his decor. In a modest house beside the terrace you find the bar and Vito’s office.

For 23 years Vito has pursued his mission to preserve unadulterated tastes and products in his own restaurant. In combination with a club for Epicurean friends, Perbacco was first a wine bar serving food, then a small tavern where in the 1990s live music was played late into the night and today it is one of the finest restaurants in the region. Vito leads the restaurant with his team of two chefs, Ramon and his wife Cristina, who lovingly translate Vito’s culinary philosophies. The main ingredients on Perbacco’s menu mostly come from Cilento, which forms part of the Campania region, and are always seasonal. The local anchovy is a big favourite and the fish is served here in numerous variations.

Thanks to Slow Food, the alici di Menaica stands on the list of protected products, and a presidium has been set up to ensure this delicacy does not disappear. These small fish are still caught here in the old-fashioned and traditional way. In the past, this technique was used across the whole Mediterranean while now it is only along the Cilentan coast that fishing continues in this small-scale manner. Local fishermen go out in their boats at night to catch the anchovies with nets. Only the larger fish are caught in the nets while the smaller ones escape to continue growing. The fishermen immediately discard the head and viscera of the anchovies and store them in wooden crates, without refrigeration or ice. On arrival back at port, the fish are immediately washed with seawater and then layered with salt in terracotta pots for at least three months. Menaica anchovies are recognizable by their pale pink colour and intense, delicate flavour. They are the perfect accompaniment for many of the fresh pasta dishes on the Perbacco menu. Go for the vermicelli Marina Campagna with wild fennel, sweet little pepperoni verdi, mini tomatoes and of course anchovies. Vermicelli is typical in these parts and often served with wild fennel. The beauty of this dish is that there is no heavy sauce involved. The pasta is pure and remains light. The taste of the fennel and the alici dominate, while the sweet peppers and tomatoes remind you it’s still summer in Cilento.

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The matriarch of the kitchen
The huge, heavy wooden door swings open and Leda, our Cesarina for tonight, is standing in the hallway with a bright smile. She’s a frail appearance with a sleek bobcat hairstyle and of course the obligatory white apron tied around her waist. Her dining room is already set: lace linen, fine crockery, silver cutlery, crystal glasses, ..  Next door there’s the kitchen where Leda is the Cesarina, the matriarch, the empress. Her husband stays wise fully away. Leda’s ricotta cheese ravioli appetizer has cheese from the nearby village of Campo di Giove. These handmade ravioli are lovely delicate squares bathing in a bright red sauce sprinkled with pecorino and finished with basil. Next is the secondi, a delicate lamb simmered for hours in a egg and lemon sauce. A local recipe, what else. Leda, just like all other Cesarine of the Home Food network, cooks only with local products. Just like their mothers and grandmothers did. Food exotism is banned in their kitchen. According to the founder of Home Food, Italian mothers often know more than chefs. The roots, the origins of the Italian cuisine can be found in the family, in the kitchen and in the pots of la mamma.

The Verdict
A Home Food lunch or dinner, can be very easily booked via the website. First, you have to register for free and then you receive a confirmation of membership. You choose location, date and time and check whether your Cesarina is available or not. Payment is via PayPal. Easy. Home Food will immediately send you a confirmation with all details like address and telephone number of the Cesarina. There are Cesarine all over Italy, from the North to the South with a concentration in the cities. The cost for an evening Home Food is about 40 euros per person, wine included. A steal!

WWW.HOMEFOOD.IT

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I know, it’s winter and it’s cold but can I still entice you with a stripe of Mediterranean blue and this amazing, new hotel in Greece….? We were here when it just opened and had the opportunity to spend some time here to shoot and experience this new Aman hotel. After two years of building, Amanzo’e opened in August 2012 on a huge plot of land along the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. It is near the coastal town of Porto Heli and only a boat ride away from the jet set islands of Spetses and Hydra. When in 2006 Adrian Zecha was taken to this spot, the hilltop of Aghios Panteleimonas, he said, “This is an Aman site.” It took Aman Resorts and their partner/investor several years to buy more than 50 plots of land from different owners needed to make Amanzo’e possible. Not only pieces of farmland on the hillside but also a plot of land near the sea, in the bay of Korakia, where the Aman Beach Club is situated.

It’s an ambitious project, costing over 100 million euro, with 38 guest pavilions and a dozen of villas that will be sold in the near future. Once again, Aman Resorts turned to Ed Tuttle, the renowned American architect, who has already designed several other Aman Resorts. Tuttle studied the site for two years and came up with a very striking and rather dramatic concept. A resort with the looks of an ancient Greek village, with a grandiose temple-like décor, high ceilings with giant pillars, colonnades and lots of marble and local stone. All this interpreted in a contemporary, clean style with modern furniture and accents. It’s like a smaller, 21st century version of the Acropolis. All the rooms have a courtyard entrance and a large living area opening onto a secluded private pool and pergola-shaded terrace. Glass doors slide away into recesses for comfortable indoor-outdoor living and the contemporary, custom-built furniture is locally made. The six-meter long cool pool is made of dark green marble and there is enough space on the terrace to throw a small garden party.

A 20-minutes drive along winding roads you will find Korakia Bay where a handful of elegant yachts and sailboats are bobbing in a tranquil sea. It’s here that you will the beach club of Amanzo’e. The eye-catcher in this bay is without a doubt the Wally One powerboat, the only prototype in the world. This 740 hp (with a 90km/h topspeed) is a dream come true for every boat lover in search of sophisticated sailing. You can charter it for the day and make boat trips to Spetses and Hydra, explore the bays and secluded beaches along the coast or even take a romantic sunset cruise.Lots of glamorous yachts anchor in the Korakia bay so that guests can come and eat lunch next to the huge swimming pool. Freshly grilled octopus, locally caught shrimps from the nearby fishing village of Kilada, heavenly grilled bread topped with local herbs…The Amanzo’e menu lists all the local producers by name and where they are located. This local food approach, quite new for the Aman Resorts group, is thanks to executive chef Rick Gonzalez and his Greek sous-chef Ilias Doulamis. “We have worked very hard to present a menu with very local products,” explains chef Gonzalez. “For months we looked for producers close to the hotel who can supply us with the best products. We believe that the local community and small businesses and farmers should also benefit from a big project like Amanzo’e.” To show what they mean, Gonzalez and Doulamis take us to the farm of Pascale, who is in charge of supplying Amanzo’e with the best eggs you have ever tasted. Pascale has a farm of 400 chickens in the hamlet of Arki. He gets the special seeds for his grass from New Zealand. “Only the best for my chickens!” says Pascale who lived for more than 18 years in New York but came back to Greece because he missed the sun. Now he sells eggs, lots of eggs to Amanzo’e where Gonzalez and Doulamis turn them into the most fantastic breakfasts, served with local greens and beans. When Pascale has too many eggs, he makes pasta. “We should create some new dishes together,” he suggests to the two Amanzo’e chefs. “Why not? Come over to our kitchen and let’s see what we can make together!” says chef Doulamis. After the chicken farm, the two chefs take us to their fish supplier in Kilada and to Ermionis, the beekeeper next-door to the resort. All these small producers seem quite happy with their new client. It is encouraging to see that the smile of Pascale, the charismatic egg supplier, is as wide as the smile on the face of the well-heeled, foreign guest of Amanzo’e when he is having his 100% Greek and perfectly poached egg for breakfast. They might live totally different lives, but it’s here under the Greek sun that they are both happy and content.

HOW TO GET THERE

From Athens, it is a 2,5 hour drive to the area around Amanzo’e. The road until Corinthia is a fast and newly built tollway. The drive from Corinthia to Porto Heli is beautiful, passing through coastal villages and the interior of the region. Do not be afraid to drive in this part of Greece. It is only in big cities that you may encounter more southern-style driving habits. A weeklong car rental with Sunny Cars, all taxes and all extras included, starts from 142,00 EUR per week.(289,00 for a convertible)
Amanzo’e is open until January and reopens again in April 2013.
The best periods to visit Greece are in spring and autumn when the temperatures are lower and the Saronic islands are quieter.
Room rates at Amanzo’e start around 825 EUR per night for a double room, plus 7% tax.
Take advantage now from the Amanzo’e Spa Retreat offer ;
You stay for three nights or more at Amanzo’e from 1 October through 23 December 2012 and you will enjoy:
• Complimentary breakfast
• One 60-minute massage per person per day
• Daily 60-minute yoga or Pilates group class
• Daily group stretching class
• Olive harvest excursion
Rates starting at 825 euro a night for this package.

WWW.AMANRESORTS.COM
WWW.SUNNYCARS.COM

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Terra firma

We visited two of the most famous trabocchi / seafood restaurants. Trabocco Punto Cavalluccio and Trabocco Pesce Palombo near the village of Rocca San Giovanni. While Trabocco Punto Cavalluccio had the best al fresco seating, Trabocco Pesce Palombo clearly stands out for the beautiful and tasty food. Bruno, the owner of Trabocco Pesce Palombo, and his family owned different trabocchi for more than a century. His wife Giluiana is mostly found with some other bella donnas in the kitchen. Reservations are required because full is full. Almost all trabocco work with a fixed menu where wine, water and coffee are included. You pay around 50 euros for an overdose of delicacies from the sea with free-flow local wine. First a parade of anti pasti, calamari, grilled small fish and octopus. Then comes the pasta with fish or shellfish. As a main you will be served a rich seafood soup that has to be eaten with lots of bread. Eating on a trabocchi is a must-do for any seafood aficionado. After another bottle of delightful pecorino wine, you might start to feel even a bit philosophical. Trabocchi are extensions of the land into the sea. No unstable water where you feel the waves, but terra firma, deeply connected with the sea.

HOW TO GO

Fly to Pescara, a half an hour drive from the Trabocchi coast or fly to Rome, which is 2 hours driving from the Adriatic Coast of Abruzzo.
In collaboration with Slow Food Abruzzo an annual event is organized to put the trabocchi in the spotlight. A fantastic opportunity to try local food from Abruzzo like wines, cheeses, olive oil to everything from the sea. There are laboratorio del gusto, workshops, cultural visits in the cities, …

 The trabocchi restaurants are only open during the summer months, the first restaurants open around late May and remain open until around the end of September.

WWW.CALALENTA.COM
WWW.TRABOCCOPESCEPALOMBO.IT
WWW.TRABOCCOPUNTACAVALLUCCIO.IT

WHERE TO STAY

Rifugiomare is the perfect guesthouse on a stone’s throw from the trabocchi, in San Rocco Giovanni – Abruzzo.
A double room with great breakfast (ask for the classetouriste version) from 90 euros per night.

WWW.RIFUGIOMARE.IT

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WWW.MARETTIMORESIDENCE.COM

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WWW.HERMES.COM
WWW.WALLY.COM

UPDATE AUGUST 2012
We just tried out the prototype of the Wally One at Amanzoe Resort, Greece.
A new breed of sleek tender with 740HP, with a stunning topspeed of 90km/hour, or 50Kn.
You can charter the tender at 1600EUR a day. Or book a sunset (or should we call it sunjet) cruise at 500EUR.
Check out some recent photos on our Facebook page!

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