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Italian wines are traditionally produced as a nourishment themselves as well as to meet the rich and variegated culinary offer which changes from town to town. To really understand a wine, especially the italian ones, you cannot split them from the local food and recipes.

So, I find interesting to also share the “starred” dishes we had on the occasion of the recent Vesuvio wine tour (in Campania, Southern Italy) and that I have already reported (here and here).

  • Day 1: Torreplatta restaurant of Villa Buonanno (Cercola, NA), the Villa is a real oasi in a chaotic district (the province of Napoli).

Here I have to mention a super dish of baccalà: codfish with friarielli (local broccoli) very soft and tasty. It might sound weird to have codfish (generally used salted to preserve it longer) in an area which faces the sea and bases its culinary tradition on fresh fish but Campania is one of the main importing areas of (salted) codfish from Northern Europe with its peak in the town of Somma Vesuviana.

  • Day 2: the eclectic chef Paolo Gramaglia of the restaurant President in Pompeii (1 Michelin star)

    paolo gramaglia (president, pompeii)

After a flambè snapper with almonds and citrus fruits also very iconic (see cover pic), I love to mention a very tasty pasta mista (mix sizes of pasta, typical in this area) in crustaceans broth and algae sauce, simple and savoury.

pasta mista in crustaceans broth – by paolo gramaglia (presindet , pompei)

 

  • Day 3: the chef Luigi Salomone of the restaurant Piazzatta Milù in Castellammare (1 Michelin star), the youngest starred chef in Campania region.

luigi salomone and the wine&food critic luciano Pignataro

Luigi has the power to perfectly balance tradition and presentation, taste and simplicity; I was very impressed. After his “fake pizza” with a crunchy ring, raw tuna, buffalo burrata (fresh and soft cheeseand piennolo cherry tomatoes…

fake pizza by luigi salomone (piazzattà milù, castellammare)

 

… he prepared a superb first course: pasta mista with chickpeas and squids, dried lemon and algae on the top. My favorite one.

pasta mista with chickpeas and squids – by luigi salomone (piazzetta milù, castellammare)

 

I know, you all want to come to Vesuvio now!

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