Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0889 71 24 44; Loc Sastagne delle Carte, Postiglione; meals €15; pizzas from €3;
)
Easy to find, at the crossroad at the main approach to town with a front terrace,
plenty of parking and rustic cabin-like dining room with beams. On a budget? You can
share a pizza here for just three euros. No wonder this place is always packed. The main
menu includes plenty of hearty dishes with
fagioli
(beans) taking centre stage in dishes
like
zuppa de fagioli con porcini
(bean and porcini soup).
BUFFALA MOZZARELLA
A distant cousin of the North American bison (and no, it is doubtful that cowboys ever topped their T-
bone steak with a slice of mozzarella and a couple of basil leaves), the water buffalo was introduced to
Italy and, in particular, Cilento by returning Crusaders in the Middle Ages. Today these herds are
famed for producing distinctive milk with a far higher fat and protein content than cow's milk. This, in
turn, results in that superbly soft and creamy mozzarella that you taste all over the region and which
bears little resemblance to the leathery, bland product you find outside Italy.
In Cilento there are several farms producing
buffala
-milk (buffalo being the Italian word for buf-
falo), but only one organic producer, not just in Cilento, but throughout Italy:
Tenuta Vannulo
(
0828 72 47 65;
www.vannulo.it
; Via G Galilei Capaccio Scalo; 1hr tour €4, incl lunch €20)
is located
a 10-minute drive from Paestum. 'The mozzarella produced here is generally considered to the best in
the region,' says Franco Coppola, owner of Inn Buffalito restaurant in Sorrento, which specialises in
local produce. 'The fact that it is organically produced makes all the difference to the quality and
taste.'
Tenuta Vannulo makes its mozzarella exclusively from buffalo milk, unlike most producers who
combine it with cow's milk. Plus its cheese is unpasteurized. The farm is open to the public for tours
(in English and Italian) of the production facilities, buffalo stables and an agricultural museum. Visits
culminate in that all-important tasting; lunch is an additional option. Advance reservations are essen-
tial.
You can also stop by and buy fresh mozzarella here, though be warned that the demand for the
cheese is so high that it generally runs out by early afternoon. And that's despite the considerable daily
production of around 408kg of
buffala
mozzarella, enough for several thousand
caprese
salads….
Pasticceria Mery Diano €
( 0975 797 62; Via San Maria, Teggiano; gelato €1.50, cakes from €1.50)
Tucked
around the corner next to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore (note the magnificent
carved door), this small bar with its couple of outside tables serves the best ice cream in
town, as well as drinks and cakes.
GELATERIA
