Ciao a tutti!
Picture this. On a warm Sunday morning, men head swiftly down a Sicilian high street. Their purposeful stride may make you think they are going to work, even though it is a feast day. But no, their intent is another one - to secure a golden tray full of small cakes and pastries for their Sunday lunch.
Ending the main meal of the week with delicious, tiny desserts is a time-honoured tradition in Sicily and it is one that our columnist Pat Eggleton has taken on board with gusto. And no wonder. Few places can rival with Sicily when it comes to pastry making. In an article that is guaranteed to make you hungry, Eggleton retraces the origin and evolution of Sicilian patisserie, explains why convents played a crucial role in preserving dessert-making skills and reveals the bittersweet tale of Sicily's most famous pastry chef, Maria Grammatico.
Now, their pastries may not be a patch on Sicily's honey-, ricotta- and almond-rich concoctions, but the sweet end to Sunday lunch is a tradition in other parts of Italy too. I have very fond memories of eating minuscule fruit tarts and éclairs at the end of the Sunday lunch throughout my Sardinian childhood, and recall busy patisseries doing a brisk job in Treviso one winter Sunday, as bejeweled churchgoers poured out of Mass and headed straight for the sweets counter. Shame that, unlike Sicily, other regions are sing to bow to a faster pace of life and giving up on the Sunday pastry rite.
Incidentally, if you are after a good snapshot of Italy as it is today, get a copy of Speak the Culture Italy. This unusual guidebook provides a realistic insight into Italian culture, society and lifestyle. You will not find rose-tinted stereotypes here. Instead, the authors give a concise but perceptive account of all that matters in Italy today - art, food, wine, but also television and pop music - and are not afraid to air views that may make them unpopular. Perhaps best of all, though, is that the book delves beyond the obvious of Renaissance art and Ottocento opera to shed light on Italy's contemporary culture, and does so with a witty, often humorous style.
One of the very Italian customs that Speak the Culture highlights is the passion for second homes. "Rather than move up the housing chain," they write, "many Italians will persist with a city flat or modest house, and spend any surplus money on a coastal or countryside property to escape to".
Add to this that many foreigners look to buy a property in Italy and you see why the country's second home market, while slower than at boom times, continues to tick on. One interesting development that may attract interest from international buyers is Borgo della Nave, near the village of Campofilone, in Le Marche. Although it is a new build, it appears centuries old, as architect Roberto Frolla and his team carefully recreated the look of a traditional hamlet with a grand country house and its vernacular casa colonica. The handful of apartments for sale blend traditional details (handmade bricks, open fireplaces) with modern style (fitted kitchens, open plan living) and make the most of the panoramic views across Le Marche countryside to the Adriatic Sea. Oh and they make a perfect base to go and visit two of Italy's best restaurants - Moreno Cedroni's Madonnina del Pescatore, in Marzocca di Senigallia, and Il Clandestino Susci Bar, in Portonovo.
It would take a little longer to drive from Le Marche to Furore, in Campania, but the journey is well worth your while. Not only is the village of Furore one of the most scenic in Italy, rising as it does above a narrow fjord, but it is also home to the lovely Hosteria di Bacco restaurant, where Erminia Cuomo works lemon-scented wonders in the kitchen. If a visit to the Hosteria is not on the cards, try one of Cuomo's yummiest recipes at home. Fresh anchovies with lemon juice is an easy dish that is full of flavour. Your boned anchovies may not end up looking as pretty as Cuomo's, but if you secure fragrant lemon and fresh fish, they will be just as good.
Buona settimana.
Carla Passino
Editor
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