When you get off the ferry or the hydrofoil at the Ventotene port, you’ll see a landmark: mustached Vincenzo in carefully-ironed cotton shirt and shorts near his Ape (literally, “bumble bee”), piled high with island goodness. He always parks his little putt-putt right outside Mare Pizza, where his wife Antonietta and daughters Anna and Lucia…
Nothing like a “heart-healty,” low-in-gluten farro salad on a hot summer night. And you can even prepare it the day before and refrigerte. There are a couple essential steps to a stellar farro salad: cook the farro to al dente (“to the tooth”) in salted water – and use only TOP extra-virgin olive oil. Here’s…
Yesterday afternoon in the main square of Ventotene, a police car and a couple cars of local officials were parked in front of the crenellated ochre Municipio. A group of firemen gathered under a pine tree, conferring. Under a scorching August sun, two sweaty municipal workers scrambled up ladders to change two of the 28…
In Ventotene’s port, sailboats and yachts rock at anchor and swim-suited vacationers stroll the curvy walkway serpentining alongside the boats, dotted with umbrella-covered outdoor tables for lunchtime or dinnertime snacks. Often during our stay on the magical island of Ventotene, we’ll stop at Mare Pizza for an aperitivo before a lunch or dinner. Daughters Anna…
Why do I love Ventotene? “Let me count the ways…” as Elizabeth Barrett Browning put it. This island’s kaleidoscopic colors are certainly one of the enticements. Scroll through the rainbow hues: [slick-slider design=”design-1″ category=”43″ show_content=”true” dots=”false” arrows=”true” autoplay=”true” autoplay_interval=”5000″ speed=”1000″ effect=”false” sliderheight=”480″] Read more on Santo Stefano and on Ventotene and why we love it…
Every Ventotene stay means daily visits to the Aiello Forno (“bakery”). As I walked in this visit, past the refrigerator with ice-cream cakes and turned towards the cash register, I’d hoped to greet elderly Tonino, owner – and once the island baker. He wasn’t there. Son Gioacchino was at the register. “We lost our papa’…
The Feast of Santa Cristina, patron saint of Bolsena, is celebrated con passione by all the townspeople at the end of July. A festival not to miss if you’re near Lake Bolsena then. You won’t want to miss dinner here either. Nor the “saintly” taste of those gelati made by Giulio at the ice cream…
…and on roll the lazy days on the magical island of Ventotene, passed in reading, walking the alleyways, savoring the seafood creations – and not only! – of the chef at Ristorante Da Verde……and swimming in pristine water in magical coves. Anything misssing? Read about a favorite spot on Ventotene, Ristorante Da Verde Read about…
Returning to the tiny island of Ventotene – off the coast, just south of Rome – is always a bit like coming home. I feel it as soon as we stepped off the hydrofoil at Ventotene’s port yesterday evening. Pino just ahead of me, pulling our small suitcase, At the port in veiled evening light,…
On August 2nd, Piazza Inferiore San Francesco was closed off, Italian police of various branches and military surrounded the piazza, eyes roving everywhere. An entourage of armored cars with darkened windows pulled up – and Italian visitors under the piazza porticoes asked each other quizzically, “E’ qui la Regina Elisabetta?” No, it wasn’t the Queen…