Bytes of Italy

Gomorrah

When living in Italy in the nineties my primary exposure to Naples came in my infrequent visits to one of the many European factories of the company for which I worked.  My favorite and most memorable part of these trips was when our Naples plant manager would send me packing back north to Varese with a Styrofoam cooler filled with fresh and delicious mozzarella di bufala.  The only exposure I had to its darker side was when a co-worker had her purse stolen out of her car when she was stopped at a traffic light, with the assailant breaking the passenger window, grabbing the purse off the passenger seat and driving off on a Vespa.

I was vaguely aware of the Camorra, knowing they were Italy's oldest Mafia-like organization and that they were based in the Campania region and its capital Naples, but that's about it.  Matteo Garrone's excellent and award-winning film Gomorrah, based on the book and courageous investigative reporting of journalist Roberto Saviano, provides an unflinching look at the poverty, despair and brutality that is prevalent in Naples due to the toxic presence of the Camorra.  In his book Gomorra, Saviano brings into the light the international reach and large stakes of the Camorra in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs and toxic-waste disposal. He writes of the malign grip it exerts on cities and villages along the Neapolitan coast and shows why Campania has the highest murder rate in all of Europe and why cancer levels there have skyrocketed in recent years.

This excerpt from a New York Times review of the film provides a quick glimpse into Garrone's unglamorous depiction of organized crime.

The sense that you are visiting an alien world is critical to the film’s forceful grip, which immediately takes hold of you in the opening with images of some men bathed in dark blue light standing in what turn out to be sunbathing booths. With their goggles, shimmering bare flesh and strange metal pods, the men initially look like space travelers, an idea that vanishes when sudden gunfire adds blasts of orange and spurts of red to the palette. You never learn who the men are or why they died: death makes these details irrelevant. What matters is that this is a world in which people kill other human beings as casually as you take out the garbage because, for them, other human beings are fundamentally disposable.

Among the most imperiled are two teenage dimwits (Marco Macor and Ciro Petrone) who run amok while shouting lines from Brian de Palma’s "Scarface" (always a bad idea) and a delicate-faced 13-year-old (Salvatore Abruzzese) who joins the Camorra without realizing the price it will exact. Interwoven with these separate story threads are three others: that of a couture tailor (Salvatore Cantalupo) whose factory is controlled by the Camorra; a money runner (Gianfelice Imparato) who delivers weekly payments to mob families; and an urbane businessman (Toni Servillo) and his aide (Carmine Paternoster), who, by arranging for companies discreetly to (“ ‘clean,’ like they say in the United State”) dump their toxic waste in fields and quarries throughout the region, are literally poisoning its people.

Though the film is by no means uplifting, it is riveting, eyeopening and a worthy investment of a couple of hours.

Balls and Blood

Sports Illustrated recently did a feature on calcio fiorentino, a version of soccer first played in Florence in the 16th century and revived in 1930.  Saying it is soccer is a bit of stretch as it is more like a team ultimate fighting match than a soccer game.  It is a combination of soccer, rugby and australian rules football, with a bit of martial arts thrown in.  A brief description of the game from the article is provided below:

Two teams of muscular tattooed, bare-chested men are engaged in hand-to-hand combat over a ball, though with all the bodies flying, it's often impossible to say where it is.  A thousand spectators sit in the bleachers set up around the square, yelling with rapacious glee.  The melee is intermittently obscured by thick, red smoke, generated for the occasion by a machine, creating the illusion that all present - including old Dante - are peering into the fiery depths of hell.

The rest of the article can be accessed here.

The Monster of Florence

I just learned that Douglas Preston, an author who has written or co-written many thrillers I have quite enjoyed, has penned a new and very personal non-fiction book based on his experiences outside Florence.  This new book which will come out in mid-June is titled The Monster of Florence and is summarized as follows:

In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to learn more. This is the true story of their search for--and identification of--the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself. Like one of Preston's thrillers, The Monster Of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.

Sounds like a fascinating read and I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on it.

Lucullian Delights

If you are a foodie of any level and haven't yet visited the Lucullian Delights blog, you are missing out on something really special.  Ilva, a Swedish emigrant now living in Italy with her husband, three children and a dog, is the author of this blog which is primarily a diary of her culinary explorations, all accompanied by some of the most stunning photos you will find anywhere.

The photo on the left, which is of asparagus with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, is a great example of the beauty of her cooking as well as her skill in capturing exquisite images of her creations.

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.

A Sandwich in Rome

If you're looking for a casual place to grab a bite in Rome, give Il Forno Roscioli a try.  In this traditional family bakery located at 34 Via dei Chiavari, they serve up torta di mele, rustic pane di Lariano with raisins and walnuts and allegedly the best piazza bianca in Rome, baked in an 1824 oven.  With a little piazza bianca and some of their handcrafted mortadella, the guys at the counter will make you a perfect panino.

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.