Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Antipasto
A hot or cold appetiser. For a tasting plate of different appetisers, request an
antipasto misto
(mixed antipasto).
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Primo
First course, usually a substantial pasta, rice or
zuppa
(soup) dish.
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Secondo
Second course, often
pesce
(fish) or
carne
(meat).
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Contorno
Side dish, usually
verdura
(vegetable).
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Dolce
Dessert; including
torta
(cake).
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Frutta
Fruit; usually the epilogue to a meal.
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Nostra produzione
Made in-house; used to describe anything from bread and pasta to
liquori
(liquers).
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Surgelato
Frozen; usually used to denote fish or seafood that has not been caught fresh.
The Campanian Vine Revival
Revered by the ancients and snubbed by modern critics, Campanian wine is once again
hot property, with a new generation of wine-makers creating some brilliant drops. Produ-
cers such as Feudi di San Gregorio, Mastroberardino, Terredora di Paolo and Mustilli
have returned to their roots, cultivating ancient grape varieties like the red Aglianico
(thought to be the oldest cultivated grape in Italy) and the whites Falanghino, Fiano and
Greco (all growing long before Mt Vesuvius erupted in AD 79). Indeed, Feudi di San
Gregorio created waves with the release of its delectable red Serpico. It's all a far cry from
1990, when wine critic Burton Anderson humiliatingly wrote that Campania's noteworthy
winemakers could be 'counted on one's fingers'.
Campania's three main wine-producing zones are centred around Avellino, Benevento
and Caserta. And it's in the high hills east of Avellino that the region's best red is pro-
duced. Taurasi, a full-bodied Aglianico wine, sometimes known as the Barolo of the
south, is one of southern Italy's finest labels and one of only three in the region to carry
Italy's top quality rating, DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita; Con-
trolled & Guaranteed Denomination of Origin). The other two wines to share this honour
are Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo, both whites and both from the Avellino area.
Other vino-producing areas include the Campi Flegrei (home to DOC-labelled Pied-
irosso and Falanghina vines), Ischia (whose wines were the first to receive DOC-status)
and the Cilento region, home to the DOC Cilento bianco (Cilento white) and to the
Aglianico Paestum. Mt Vesuvius' most famous drop is the Lacryma Christi (Tears of
Christ), a blend of locally grown Falanghina, Piedirosso and Coda di Volpe grapes.
And while vines also lace the Amalfi Coast, the real speciality here are the fruit and
herbal liqueurs, with flavours spanning mandarin, myrtle and wild fennel, to the ubiquit-
