Puglia Autentica

When one thinks of Apulia, one cannot fail to mention his majesty pasta. A symbol of family, cheerfulness and conviviality, it is among the things that best represents us in the world. When it comes to pasta we have always stood out, as the Apulian company CASA MILO teaches us.       The story begins in 1870 in Bitonto, a town that enchants with the beauty of its historic center and delights with the goodness of its extra virgin olive oil. It is a story of family and passion, of hard work and courage, but it is also a story of respect and trust. Casa Milo for four generations has been among the ambassadors of Puglia in the food sector.       A path that began first with oil and then followed by pasta and baked goods, the creation of which took over for good in 1994. In all these years, Nicola Milo, president of the company, flanked by his four children Giuseppe, Marida, Saverio and Giovanni, has constantly invested to offer consumers quality products processed in accordance with the most authentic and genuine Italian tradition.       Quality that is also expressed in the refinement of raw materials, indispensable elements to obtain an extraordinary final product. This philosophy of theirs is materialized through the pact made with Coldiretti to create an entirely Apulian product made with selected durum wheats, with full respect for the land and those who cultivate it.       A true act of love for mother earth, for its natural cycles and for those vigorous arms that care for it and work it. A "simple" parcel of Milo pasta encapsulates a world in which lush sun-kissed wheat fields, the salubrious wind and a thousand-year-old farming tradition coexist.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   100% Filiera Puglia dry pasta is made from stone husked wheat and natural, quality ingredients that allow it to be porous, rough and tough enough to hold every sauce. Available in many specialties made only with bronze dies, this category also includes the Caserecce line that offers all regional formats inspired by the ancient techniques of homemade pasta.       Fresh egg pasta 100% wheat of Puglia is a type of pasta that invites the consumer to touch it, before tasting it. When looking at Casa Milo's pasta, it is hard not to think of our grandmothers' homemade version. The intense yellow of tagliatelle, fettuccine, pappardelle or lasagna is accompanied by a fragrance that smells of long tables and family conviviality.   One line of Casa Milo's production is also dedicated to baked goods, where respect for craftsmanship is the preponderant element. Taralli, mini breadsticks and bruschetta with EVO oil are the perfect bread substitutes at any time of day to refresh yourself with fragrant and irresistible flavors or to create creative combinations for special aperitifs.       Tradition, innovation, sustainability and reliability. All values perfectly embodied by Nicola Milo and his four sons, who bring the tastiest and most authentic Puglia to the consumer in the form of pasta and baked goods.    

"A splendid and exciting adventure"     When we ask Michele Clemente, President of Olearia Clemente, to tell us the entrepreneurial story of one of Italy's largest oil companies, he answers exactly that: a splendid and exciting adventure.     It can only be otherwise for a company with a hundred years of activity that ploughs through the years and was founded in Manfredonia, in the heart of the Gargano, amidst olive trees with imposing foliage and intertwined trunks, a perfect tangle that is only Mother Nature's.     We arrive at the farm through vast expanses of olive groves where the green of the leaves and fruit dominates the existing land. The dense foliage of the olive trees is barely moved by a light breeze that smells of the vegetation and saltiness of the nearby Adriatic Sea, which reaches our sense of smell, conciliating our senses.     In this unspoilt landscape, barely touched by anthropisation, lies Olearia Clemente. The history of Olearia Clemente is that of a family that has been dedicated to the agricultural and olive-growing tradition for five generations.     It was inaugurated in 1895 by Berardino Clemente, the great-grandfather of the current owners, siblings Michele, Antonello, Carla and Ilenia, with the precise aim of offering the market an excellent product that would enhance the cultivars of this area.     This objective was pursued through the direct management of the entire production process, starting with the fruit, harvested perfectly healthy, often by hand, and processed using special technologies that allow a product unique in taste and aroma to be obtained. Olearia Clemente should be credited with the ability to give extra virgin olive oil the value it deserves, disrupting the belief that it is just a condiment but making it, instead, a cornerstone food of the Mediterranean diet.     The experience gained over the years is the key to producing pure and natural extra virgin olive oil. In Olearia Clemente's sublime olive pressing we have Apulian cultivars, such as Coratina, Ogliarola Garganica and Peranzana, monocultivars that have their own specificity with explosive organoleptic qualities that taste of herbaceousness, sweetness, fruit and nature.     From respect for the latter comes the line of organic oils including 'U Polp', extra virgin DOP Dauno del Gargano with a unique flavour and packaging that in its colours and designs winks at the veracity of Apulia.     A precise bouquet of scents and flavours is what 'Zagare' oil gives, a 100% Italian cold-pressed oil named after the flowers surrounding the Gargano citrus groves.     The Zagare line is a historic line, now launched in a modern version that symbolises the fifth generation of Olearia Clemente. In this oil, whose fruits are kissed by the sun and blessed by the air, the company's centuries-old tradition is combined with the impetus towards the future represented by the very young Eliana, Leonardo, Berardino and Rosistella, who are eager to take Olearia Clemente to as yet unexplored frontiers.    

The journey to Noci (ba), a small town in the pleasant Murgia hills where Cantine Barsento is located, is studded with natural landscapes that stretch as far as the eye can see, breathtakingly beautiful. In this unspoilt territory, a winery was born more than fifty years ago that, as the current Sole Director Rocco Colucci tells us, 'translates the essence of Puglia into wine'.     Cantine Barsento is a lively winery founded in 1969 with a visionary mission for the time: to promote quality wines from the Nocese countryside alone. What makes this winery so special and unique is something that, once you cross the threshold of the establishment, you do not expect to find: about one thousand square metres of underground cellar dug into the limestone rock and 15 metres deep.     A true oenological jewel that amazes for its unexpected beauty, with its tunnels and perfectly organised cells that enclose true and precious treasures of our winemaking tradition. The function of the underground cellar is to obtain a wine aged in the rock cellar, ensuring that there is precise control of temperature and humidity.     The indigenous grape varieties are Primitivo, Malvasia and Negramaro: grapes chosen for their expression of territoriality, authenticity and specificity and whose quality is further sublimated through an exclusively manual harvesting process.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   Cantine Barsento's labels (they are divided between IGP and DOC) are not simply wine products, but are much more: they represent the passion for quality grapes and their bond with nature, the sole creator of the rare characteristics of each raw material.     Intense and generous is the Paturno, a ruby with a complex and at the same time sweetish bouquet typical of the Primitivo from which it comes, or the Ladislao, a pure Negramaro that is impenetrable, almost gloomy. It has mature, decidedly virile aromas, is aged in oak barrels and is a wine for those who love to surprise and be surprised.     If we wanted to give it a personification, Casaboli would certainly be a woman with an elegant appearance and refined intelligence. Made from Primitivo, this DOC is a wine of depth that blends its pleasantness with tannicity. Playful, fresh, sweet. This is Primitivo Malicchia Mapicchia, a meditation nectar of great vinosity on the palate, aged for a year and pleasant for any culinary combination.     Cantine Barsento's winemaking tradition also runs on the catering track through the Bamì restaurant. The mission? To fuse two incredible arts: the art of cooking and the art of winemaking and bring them together in one form, Bamì. The restaurant is located inside Cantine Barsento and espouses the concept of enhancing raw materials and dishes that respect the organoleptic properties of the ingredients. A concept that, if we dare say so, is clothed in sacredness.     The same that has always accompanied those who, in various forms, work the products of the earth with respect and devotion.    

A typical mildly hilly Murgia landscape, made more barren by the paths of the karst blades that furrow its path. We are in ACQUAVIVA DELLE FONTI (ba), a small village in Puglia that, like a precious ancient mosaic, delights visitors with its beauty.     In this area that encloses ancient farms surrounded by the inimitable dry-stone walls, trulli and underground caves, the Iannone Farm was founded in 1996, producing the Red Onion and the Red Sponzale of Acquaviva delle Fonti flanked by the Black Chickpea of the Murgia Carsica, a triad of goodness that over the years has won the coveted Slow Food Presidium.     Leading us on this journey that speaks of traditional and incredibly territorial productions is Vito Abrusci, farm manager, whom we meet directly in the field in one of the districts that hosts the cultivation of onion, sponzale and black chickpea following the dictates of organic farming.     One can speak of a genuine advantage that such areas offer to this type of product due to the uniqueness of the organic richness that positively impacts the land. The excellent quality of the deep, potassium-rich, well-drained and aerated soils allow these crops to be born and grow abundantly, preserving all the incredible organoleptic and beneficial characteristics contained by nature.     The cultivation and harvesting of the Iannone company's red onion is manual, and the product is distinguished by its flattened shape and weight that are difficult to replicate. In this vegetable, the outer color is clearly distinguishable, evoking a palette of beautiful shades ranging from red to magenta almost purple and then showing the pale pink interior fading to white.     The sweet taste and intense aroma make the Red Onion perfect for fresh consumption or as a processed product. Speaking of red onion, we cannot fail to mention the sponzale, which is the bulb that is born by reproduction from the mature onion. The company cultivates it according to traditional methods, and the sponzale, also known as sponsale, keeps the delicate and light flavor of the onion intact.     An ancient vegetable whose name of Latin origin evokes the flatbread that was eaten during the sponsàlia, the ceremony that celebrated the future spouses. To think that the black chickpea of the Murgia Carsica has gone into space is something that leaves one astonished. The space chickpea, in every sense of the word, was chosen for its incredible properties for astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's soup.     It is different from other legumes because of its dark color and hooked, wrinkled shape. Already known in the nineteenth century, Vito explains that Black Chickpea has always been the staple of the agricultural diet as a substitute for meat, at that time a food prerogative only of wealthy families.     The "poor man's meat," as the legume was once called, is palatable and very rich in fiber and iron. A peasant food that opens the door to a wonderful land.    

Immense marble quarries surround the vineyards of CANTINE LE GROTTE, a winery in Apricena (fg).     The small village, located close to the Gargano, is famous for the quality of its stone and its excellent wine, and is appreciated for its fertile soil and pleasant climate. At the winery we breathe the scent of centuries, of the history that has made this area important and of the tradition that survives and makes its way through progress.     Guiding us on this journey between stone and wine is Biagio Cruciani, the winery's sales manager, who tells us about a strongly identity-driven enterprise whose birth is inextricably linked to that of the town. Apricena is "attached" to the history of its stone, and that of Cantine Le Grotte embraces the local marble tradition.     It is in the Dell'Erba family quarries that the vineyards from which the wine is produced are planted. The family's marble-making tradition is also imprinted on the company logo: a large block of stone split by a vine, two elements of nature that coexist with each other.     It is from the living rock, from the fertile earth, that the story of Cantine Le Grotte's plant was born, immersed in nature and surrounded by greenery. It is a palette of colors that is presented to our eyes. The white of the nearby stone quarries allows the green of the landscape to triumph with its immense seasonal hues, while the blue of the sky divides the green of the sea from Lake Lesina and the Tremiti Islands in the background.     The vineyards are located in the foothills of the Gargano and are rooted in mineral-rich limestone soils, the same soils in which the best Apricena stone is grown. The winery produces excellent native red wines such as Nero di Troia and Primitivo along with international varietals such as Merlot and Sirah that have adapted well to the area's warm, temperate climate. Respect for the area of origin is one of the characteristics in which the winery continually invests.     Its philosophy espouses a concept of cultivation in which nature does the work. The link with Apricena is also told through the names of the wines.     Petrata, for example, is vinified in red from the Nero di Troia grape variety or in white from Bombino and is the "Italianized" version of the dialect term for quarry. The red has powerful hints of blackberry, while the white is finer and fruitier. Selva della Rocca, vinified in red (Primitivo and Nero di Troia), rosé (Nero di Troia) and white (Falanghina) is named after the Santa Maria Selva della Rocca Sanctuary in Apricena, probably built between the 8th and 9th centuries by Benedictine monks, and all are fine wines with intense, fruity and floral aromas.     Not to be missed are the bubbles in Charmat and Merlot Classico versions, and completing the line is the Sico high catering version identified by a label depicting a medieval coin called "Sicone" from the Lombard period found in existing vineyards. Wines that symbolize gratitude and respect for this land and are inspired by it to offer the consumer all their goodness.    

In the heart of Brindisi, a thriving land rich in millennia-old archaeological wonders, the Cantine Pandora winery was born.       Officially, the history of the business begins in 2017, but that of its founder has somewhat more remote origins. The owner, Francesco Fumarulo, owes his fortune to the land and his work as a farmer. With pride and transportation, Francesco explains that his passion for winemaking began as a child, and then over the years became a real profession culminating in the creation of Cantine Pandora.       The establishment stands in the midst of nature, among majestic olive trees, grazing animals, long rows of grapes and vast expanses of fields. Cradled by the healthy, placid air of Brindisi, Cantine Pandora's grapes turned into excellent red, white and rosé wine are almost all from Salento.       Francesco's willingness to contribute to the growth of his area is attested to by a very specific choice: to use largely native vines of Primitivo, Negramaro, Malvasia Nera and Malvasia Bianca grown according to organic standards.       With incredible respect for tradition and the aid of modern winemaking technology, Cantine Pandora is now a successful winery. The bottles are a small masterpiece that encapsulate the hard work, the love of the land, the work in the vineyard and in the cellar and, not surprisingly, they can all bear the IGP label.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   As the legend about the ancient Pandora's Box tells us, uncorking a bottle from this winery is tantamount to discovering all the good and beautiful of the land of origin.  Wine, otherwise also known as "nectar of the gods," for Cantine Pandora has an actual connection with divinity, to the point of deserving names that recall mythology.       To one of the "kings" of Salento, Primitivo, is dedicated Zeus, appellation of the highest Olympian deity. Zeus is a purplish-colored red produced from hand-picked grapes in the area's ancient vines, soft and enveloping with hints of red fruit.       Negramaro and Malvasia are the vines from which the grapes of Prometeo come, another red wine made from historic vines bred to trees that give the wine a delicate, broad, intense and pleasantly dry and full-bodied flavor. Then we find Ermes, Negramaro del Salento vinified in purity with the traditional method, tannic and structured to the right point. To Athena and Aphrodite are dedicated two of the rosés, both obtained from Negroamaro grapes and with intense fruity and very balanced scents. Among the whites we find Gea, a Malvasia Bianca del Salento wine with a refined, structured and persistent character or the charming Era, created from Chardonnay grapes that stands out for its golden hues and fine, dry but harmonious flavor.       Cantine Pandora's flagship product is the red '71 IGT, aged 6 months in French oak barrels. Strong, generous and intense are its aromas, so reminiscent of dried figs, which in this wine produced from Primitivo vines give it an original and strong-willed character.       Wines that fascinate the consumer for their overpowering and vigorous content, just like the territory from which they come.    

The destination of our journey is the OLEIFICIO COOPERATIVO CIMA DI BITONTO, a proud bastion of a thousand-year-old tradition in our Apulia region. We are in Bitonto (ba), a few kilometres from the Apulian capital, in the heart of Puglia's extra virgin olive oil production.     An expanse of olive trees as far as the eye can see appears before the eyes of those travelling through the Bari hinterland. Once there, we cannot help but breathe in the intense scent of vegetation, as if we were immersed in an expanse of centuries-old olive trees. After all, nature is not so far away from us here, with the lush greenery of the adjacent Lama Balice, a treasure trove of wild flora and fauna biodiversity.     Waiting for us is Pasquale Mastandrea, President of the Oleificio Cooperativo. From his very first words we sense his boundless love for this generous land and its fruits. The Cima di Bitonto Cooperative has a history of more than sixty years and with its 350 members manages to pursue the incredible commitment of obtaining the best 'olive juice' made in Puglia.     A commitment clearly manifested in the Oleificio's logo, in which the word 'Puro', referring to oil, stands out against the elements of nature. Sun, rain, earth and the fruit that is born: all very important aspects to give the consumer an oil that tastes of tradition. In its years of activity, the Cooperative has managed to safeguard the land and the farmers thanks to a synergic work established with its numerous members.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1} From them comes the promise to preserve the olive cultivars and to make the area in which they grow known. It is no coincidence that the cultivated varieties are 70% Ogliarola and 30% Coratina: both originate from the growing area and are processed within a few hours of their harvest.     The agronomic methods used by the Cooperative's members are inspired by ancient local traditions and those notions handed down over the centuries that allow the plant to grow healthy and robust. The pruning system adopted allows the best nourishment to the shoots and young branches, so as to obtain a truly exceptional juice.     Cima di Bitonto brand oils are all extra virgin. The decisive character of the Coratina is mitigated by the sweetness of the Cima di Bitonto and the result is an extra virgin oil that combines the peculiarities of both cultivars, resulting in an intense yellow oil with a balanced presence of fruit and herbaceous hints. In addition to the classic extra virgin olive oil, much appreciated for its medium fruitiness, in the Oleificio's product basket we discover the D.O.P Terra di Bari, a harmonious, slightly spicy extra virgin with herbaceous fragrances.     From organic farming comes the 'Biologico' extra virgin olive oil. In this oil, the olive, with its strong flavour, and the almond, which is more delicate, stand out very well and do not alter the taste of a dish but, on the contrary, enhance it as it deserves.