Agriturismo L’Aria Fina – at 700 m – still has that refreshing mountain “good air,” “l’aria fina.”
Lina still turns out the goodness in the kitchen while husband Carmine greets the guests.
And son Giambattista still helps out, serving at table, making espressi at the bar.
Lina and happy clients
Son Giambattista now taller than his papa’ Carmine
But he’s shot up – he’s seventeen now – since we last stopped here two years ago. The only change (thankfully) at L’Aria Fina.
Oh, yes, one more: a spunky new waitress, Antonella,flanks Giambattista, dashing back and forth from swinging kitchen doors to guests, plates of Lina’s Calabrian goodness lined up on her forearms.
Smiling Antonella serves up the goodness from Lina’s kitchen
Lina’s capretto alla cacciatora – ever tried goat’s meat cacciatora? – is still worth the seven-hour drive from Assisi. And roasted quail on the menu this time, too.
Antonella brings us capretto, quail
Capretto alla cacciatora.
Roasted quail
And this area is famous for porcini mushrooms, too: one young client, Mario, savored them on homemade pasta.
Mario ready for his pasta ai porcini.
Homemade pasta with porcini
And Carmine still won’t tell me what’s in the buonissimo sauce of that scialatelli all’aria fina besides their own fresh tomatoes, lots of garlic, finely-chopped parsley. He winks mischievously, “There’s another herb in it – a mountain herb we know where to find. It’s made this our signature pasta dish since 1965. Sorry, we can’t share the secret.”
Scialatelli all’aria fina – che buono!
We always stop here on our way to Palermo. Two years ago, we stopped on our way back to Assisi.
If we do that again this year, maybe I can talk Carmine into sharing the recipe.
Read more about this area of Calabria
