Authentic Italy – DUCO Galleria

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FROM OUR KITCHEN
tortellini

In a region famous for being the culinary cornucopia of Italy and boasting many culinary stars, DMC Authentic Italy claims that one special element rises above the rest: tortellini. 

Gastronomic Points of View:
Tortellini is king!  Although many vie for the crown as most prestigious and most famous ingredient – from prosciutto di Parma to Parmigiano Reggiano, and from aceto balsamico to Bolognese sauce – tortellini is often the common denominator. No matter how many times we have been to the region, the memory which evokes the most smiles is from Chef Massimo Bottura’s pristine tables. The iconic pasta dish is a classic and we order it over and over as its expressions evolve in Chef Bottura’s provocative menus.  Regardless of the form it takes in his whimsical dishes, from “Six Walking on Broth,” to “Suspended Inside Translucent Globes of Broth,” to “Accompaniment to Five Textures and Five Ages of Parmigiano,” this dish is always refined, and at the same time, the essence of comfort food.

How would you suggest visitors best enjoy this dish?
If we had to choose one way, our favorite tortellini experience may just be sitting on the counter of the communal kitchen at Osteria Francescana with Chef Bottura and his wife Lara. Delight in the latest evolution of the Chef’s iconic dish accompanied by a glass of crisp, tart Lambrusco before dashing off for a private opera performance at the home-turned-museum of the great Luciano Pavarotti — the quintessential Emilia-Romagna experience!

For more information about Authentic Italy, click here.

FROM OUR KITCHEN
Calabrian Flavors

Marco Palermo from Luxury DMC Authentic Italy takes us on a tasty culinary excursion through the Italian peninsula’s southernmost region that leaves us with an appetite for more. 

The Story:
Calabria is exemplary of the “slow food” experience, and a journey from north to south tantalizes the  palate. Savor creamy mushrooms freshly foraged in the Aspromonte area, stunning caciocavallo Silano cheese, the legendary pure licorice made by the Amarelli family in Rossano Calabro, spicy peperoncino Calabrese, crispy and sweet Tropea red onions, and finally, her majesty, a fiery and fresh ‘Nduija sausage from Spilinga. And this is only a sampling of Calabria’s rich flavors!

A journey to Calabria is not complete until you have a Calabrese aperitivo with spicy soppressata salami with fresh homemade bread and delicate Crotonese pecorino cheese. To further satisfy your appetite, indulge in a delicious grilled swordfish steak in the lovely town of Scilla – caught by the fishmen that morning — paired with a glass of fine Cirò wine with a mesmerizing sea view. Finally, satisfy your sweet tooth with a creamy Tartufo di Pizzo gelato at Ercole’s (in the town of Pizzo Calabro) while sipping on a glass of the most stunning “Amaro del Capo” bitters or bergamot liqueur. 

This is the magic of Calabria: deep culinary roots tethered to fascinating history, culture, and natural beauties!

For more information about Authentic Italy, click here.

From our Kitchen
Veneto's Wine Country

Jennifer Schwarz from luxury DMC Authentic Italy shares a fascinating tale about Veneto’s wine country and a particular local tradition.  

Veneto is a famed wine region in Italy. Can you tell us about a particular gem?
Usually when one thinks of the Veneto region, the dream destination of Venice comes to mind, but the surrounding area offers so much more. The romantic Venetian waterway canals can be found in other reaches of Veneto, like the lovely town of Treviso. It is here that we find a 16th Century statue of a lactating maternal figure, La Fontana delle Tette, erected in response to a severe drought that struck the city. Red wine flowed from one breast of the statue and white wine from the other for three days to quench the Trevigiani’s thirst. This three-day tradition was repeated every time a new Podestà (mayor) was named. The wine ceased flowing after the fall of the Venetian Republic and was transformed into a crystalline water fountain.

How did you discover this particular treasure?
When my native Conegliano friend brought me to see the now-modernized nurturing female icon of Treviso, I was disappointed she was now only offering water, albeit potable and refreshing. “No worries,” she said, and in a flash, we were in her Fiat Panda and dashing up to the nearby Valdobbiadene hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 40 minutes, we were at Villa Sandi enjoying a flight of some of Italy’s finest bubbles, opening with “Opere Trevigiane” Rose’ and concluding with “Opere Amalia” Moretti.  Our craving for white wine was fulfilled, and our red wine craving would be satisfied the next day when we ventured towards the Allegrini winery in Verona to taste their award-winning deep Amarone wines.

Our evening was spent at Salis, a very comfy and very local restaurant and enoteca in the heart of Cartizze – a wine appellation in Veneto like Chianti or Burgundy. We reflected on the extraordinary selection of wines from bubbles, to whites to reds, and I smiled, thinking of La Fontana delle Tette and how her enological fertility surely blessed this land!

For more information about Authentic Italy, click here.

OUTDOORS INSIDER
BUDELLI ISLAND

Luxury DMC Authentic Italy unveils the Spiaggia Rosa of Budelli Island, a magical rose-toned coast along one of Sardinia’s lesser islands in the Archipelago of Maddalena. 

What makes it so special in this region?
Budelli’s pink beach is a fantastical, not-so-secret sanctuary for Miniacina miniacea—a tiny single-celled organism with a pink calcareous shell that washes up on the shore leaving their signature pink footprint. The beach was closed to the public in the 1990s, and the island was declared a national park in 2016 after a failed attempt by a New Zealander tycoon to purchase it. The blushing coast stretches over 12 kilometers and an uncontaminated territory of 25 hectares, currently inhabited by a single person: its guardian Mauro Morandi, who has lived alone on the island for more than 30 years.

How did you discover the island?
Those “in the know” knew to come here, especially after the beach’s starring role in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1964 film “Red Desert,” which appropriately was his first movie in color!

How can visitors best experience this gem? 
Hire a private boat for the day to cruise through the small archipelago, with many chances to snap some frame-worthy photos. Opt for diving or snorkeling in the crystal blue Mediterranean waters rich with granite and red coral and spot the acrobatics of dolphins and sperm whales as you sail across the horizon. 

For more information about Authentic Italy, click here.