Until a few years ago, I’d only had the odd holiday in Italy. So last year I committed to travelling from north to south, exploring the landscape and culture that have nurtured and inspired pasta down the ages. In many ways, my extended Italian sojourn was like finding my true culinary home, a place where day-to-day life often revolves around the dining table, with ideas of family and tradition adding extra flavour to the cooking.
My food trail started in Verona (where I also took the time to get married) and ended in Monopoli, taking in Bardolino, Portofino, Florence, Modena, Positano, Ravello and Ostuni en route. At every stop, my husband and I tried to eat the most local dishes we could find. We were never disappointed.
In the northern hills of Bardolino, we were served the richest game ragu. This was followed by stuffed squid in a 16th-century former Benedictine monastery that is now the Belmond Hotel Splendido, overlooking the Ligurian Riviera in Portofino. Then we took a detour to Modena to sample the modern tasting menu at the renowned Osteria Francescana – Nonna’s food, reinvented.
I called Da Adolfo, a remote and ramshackle beachside restaurant only reachable by boat, 37 times in order to bag the last available table (right by the toilet). It was worth it for the pistachio and green pepper pesto tagliatelle alone.
In fact, the only time we strayed from the local was at our wedding, just south of Lake Garda, when we decided to serve an array of dishes inspired by our travels. For me, dishes and meals act as markers in time: so many of my memories are of meals and the places, people and conversations involved in the enjoying of them.
Our wedding dinner was a four-course affair with huge sharing platters: an incredible fennel, truffle and quail’s egg salad to start followed by a risotto course (both seafood and that incredible pistachio, green pepper and pesto from Da Adolfo). Next came a freshly made pasta course of ragu and ravioli, a platter of fresh citrus salads and large dishes of tiramisu. Finally, guests were set to graze on cheeses accompanied by bountiful amounts of local honey and truffle.
I was so passionate about the meal that I’ve since stayed in touch with the family-run catering company that created it. When I look over our wedding pictures, at least half of them are pictures of the food – with pasta in various forms as the star.
Anna Barnett is a food writer and cook.
