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There is an Apulia you don't know, made up of history, culture and flavors that arouse unique emotions: from Easter events to patronal festivals, from the paths of the soul to the flavors and aromas of gastronomy and wine excellence.

 

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Municipalities of the month

30 April 2021

VICO DEL GARGANO

The Village of Lovers

The Lovers' Village   A village with an ancient heart, VICO DEL GARGANO (Fg) stands in a privileged position in the Sun Mountain (ancient name for the Gargano), on a rocky promontory between the sea, with San Menaio and Calenella, and the Umbra Forest.   It is one of the nine Apulian municipalities that bear the mark 'The most beautiful villages in italy'. Its fine hilly air tempers the summer heat and softens the winter cold. It is an ancient town built on prehistoric settlements, in fact it owes its name to the Schiavoni called by Otto I around 900 AD.   Vico del Gargano enchants visitors with its historic centre, built on the three main nuclei of Civita, Terra and Casale. Its past is dense with prehistoric evidence (the necropolises of Monte Tabor and Monte Pucci are of considerable interest).   The Norman-Swabian period marked the development of Vico del Gargano. Evidence of that era is the Castle, probably built by Frederick II of Swabia's men around 1240, and the town walls that also include watchtowers and several small churches. The old town centre consists of narrow streets, old 'a pujedd' houses (terraced houses with an external staircase, with living quarters on the upper floor and a space underneath used as a stable or store), the remains of walls and towers.    The 'Trappeto Maratea', an old mill for pressing olives that preserves a wooden press dating back to 1317, is worth a special visit. Palazzo Della Bella, a curious early 20th-century building inspired by the 14th-century model of the Florentine Palazzo Vecchio, completes the walk through Vico's historic centre. {IMAGE_6}{IMAGE_2} Just outside the town is the suggestive Convent of the Capuchins with a centuries-old holm oak (17 metres high by 5 metres in diameter) and, inside, a miraculous Crucifix as well as paintings by Vaccaro and Borghese. The Convent of Santa Maria Pura, also outside the town, is a monumental complex of great value that is believed to rest on much older structures, perhaps the Temple of Chalcis.   During the Easter period, the processional events of Vichese Holy Week are one of the most eagerly awaited moments in Vico del Gargano, where five ancient Confraternities have been guarding a heritage of rites, chants and traditions since time immemorial, which finds its most authentic manifestation in those days.   On 14 February, Lovers' Day, Saint Valentine has been celebrated since 1618, acclaimed Patron Saint of the town and its orange groves (Igp). The Saint's relics are kept in the Collegiate Church of the Assumption and are carried in procession through the streets of the town.   On that day, lovers from the surrounding area taste the juice from the blessed oranges as a propitious love potion and exchange sweet effusions in the Kissing Alley, a narrow street in the old town only 50 centimetres wide.   A few kilometres from Vico del Gargano, one descends to the splendid seascape of San Menaio, a small fishing village, which with its vegetation rich in pine and orange groves and its well-equipped beaches is a destination for summer holidaymakers.   Places to visit: Old Town, Castle, Church Matrice, Church of the Misericordia, Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Church of San Pietro, the Umbrian Forest, San Menaio.       Photos by: Pasquale D'Apolito / Gaetano Armenio / Text by: Francesco Paolo Saggese    

cities

30 April 2021

CASTELLANA GROTTE

The night of the fanóve

 The Night of Fanóve     CASTELLANA GROTTE (ba) stands on the limestone plateau of the Murge and belongs to the tourist area of the caves and trulli.   Near the town are the famous Grotte di Castellana, karstic cavities discovered in 1938 by Professor Franco Anelli, assisted by Vito Matarrese (who discovered the wonderful Grotta Bianca the following year), which are the area's main tourist attraction.   Among the popular traditions that characterise the town, the first one is the Night of the Fanóve. Burning every year on the night of 11 January are more than 100 majestic stacks of wood scattered throughout the town, all the way to the most remote district of the city.   The Night of the Fanóve has been lighting up the City of Caves since 1691. The most impressive Fanóve are now made by young people full of enthusiasm who almost compete to surpass the art and skill of the traditional Fanovisti, who have always been masters at building grandiose bonfires in the small square of the Chiesa Matrice and in Largo Porta Grande. Tons of wood are burned here under the astonished gaze of the people of Castellano and those arriving from neighbouring towns. As in every popular festival, the gastronomic part is not missing.   It is difficult not to be tempted by the samples of taralli, chickpeas and roasted broad beans, olives, focaccine, pizzas, fritters, bruschettas, meat, fish and a glass of generous primitivo, all offered by the fanóva organisers. Since 2019, thanks to the intervention of the Apulia Region, the 'Fanóve' of Castellana Grotte, the 'Focara' of Novoli and the 'Fracchie' of San Marco in Lamis have formed the 'Network of fires of Apulia'. {IMAGE_4}{IMAGE_7} THE FANÓVES. Documented by historical sources, the story tells of the liberation of the citizens of Castellana Grotte from the plague. It was the year 1690 when a terrible plague epidemic spread through the area. It is said that, on the night of 11 January 1691, two priests prayed incessantly under the altar of Our Lady of the Angels placed in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi so that, through her intercession, the people of Castellana would be cured of the plague.   One of the two priests dreamt that Our Lady of Vetrana, worshipped at the time in a small church, would free Castellana from the plague, while the other dreamt that the small church would be enlarged and become a place of worship where the end of the epidemic would be celebrated. By anointing the boils of the sick with oil from the lamp that burned perpetually next to the painting of the Virgin, the citizens of Castellana were cured of the plague.   In this way, and by setting fire to everything that had been in contact with the disease, from that 12 January no one in Castellana died of the plague any more. From that day on, no more deaths were recorded, as attested by the diary of the doctor of the time, Dr Giuseppe Valerio De Consolibus, and everyone attributed the miracle to the Virgin of Vetrana. Since then, the town of Castellana Grotte has dedicated the Fanóve to its patron saint.   To visit: in addition to the marvellous caves of Castellana, the Chiesa Matrice San Leone Magno with Renaissance-era works by Aurelio Persio, the Santuario Maria SS. Della Vetrana and the Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi with the stupendous sculptures by Fra Luca Principino.   Photo: Mimmo Guglielmi, Giandomenico Laera, Pasquale Ladogana, Gaetano Armenio    

cities

30 January 2023

TERLIZZI

The city of flowers and ceramics

The city of flowers and ceramics     The recent recognition of Terlizzi as the city of ceramics exalts the centuries-old tradition of working with clay, which in these districts, in the heart of Apulia, has been able to achieve art forms of unusual beauty. Terlizzi is also the city of extra virgin olive oil and other agri-food delicacies, including the 'Mingo Tauro' florin, candidate for IGP denomination, and above all it is the 'city of flowers', with the hundreds of companies operating in the area and in the district, all well established on national and foreign markets by virtue of their excellent and much sought-after products: a true treasure of biodiversity.   But Terlizzi has many 'flowers', and all to be discovered, in an emotional journey that smells of both the ancient and the modern, where modernity is under everyone's eyes and the ancient is well portrayed, up to the point of reliving, in the pages offered by passionate scholars such as Don Gaetano Valente and arch. Michele Gargano, accustomed to immersing themselves in the documentary papers as in the maze of narrow streets and paved widenings of the medieval village enclosed by the 'stradone', overlooked by the elegant residences of the families that have made history in the city. {IMAGE_4}{IMAGE_7} At the edge of the mediaeval town, one can admire the elegant bulk of the neoclassical Co-Cathedral dedicated to St Michael Archangel, built on the 13th-century Collegiate Church that bore the signature of Anseramo da Trani, whose refined portal set in the Church of the Rosary can still be admired. In continuity, as if guarded by the tall bell tower with its bulbous, oriental-style termination, is the Church of the Immaculate Conception. It houses, amidst stuccowork and ornate Baroque ornamentation, a sequence of canvases depicting stories from the Old Testament and the life of the Madonna painted by Domenico Antonio Carella.   But what literally takes your breath away is the celebrated Adoration of the Shepherds by Corrado Giaquinto around 1750. A stone's throw away is the Pinacoteca Civica, which houses the rich legacy of works (over a thousand) by Michele de Napoli (1808-1892) in the same rooms as the artist's residence. It leads to Terlizzi's main square, dominated by the austere bulk of the Norman Tower, a strategic defence work, today the Clock Tower, crowned by civil architecture, including the Palazzo del governo cittadino (town government building) in conjunction with the Millico Theatre, and religious architecture, the churches of San Gioacchino and Santa Lucia with the War Memorial by Giulio Cozzoli in the centre, without neglecting the memory of illustrious Terlizzi citizens who fought for freedom and were slaughtered at the Fosse Ardeatine: Don Pietro Pappagallo and Gioacchino Gesmundo, whose commemorative monument is in Largo La Ginestra.   Your gaze along the Corso lingers on the imposing façade of Palazzo de Gemmis, with Vanvitellian-style inventions, and on the nearby church of Santa Maria la Nova, which was the forge of culture and theological knowledge of the Friars Minor Observant. It houses first-class works of art, such as the Nativity (1540) by Giovan Girolamo Savoldo (1480c-1548) and the Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Francis of Assisi (1532-1533) by Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis, known as Pordenone (1483c-1539).   An authentic oasis of peace and spirituality, along the routes of the Francigena, the Borgo di Sovereto encloses and preserves, as a precious pearl, the sanctuary of the patron Virgin whose icon was found, according to ancient legends, by a shepherd in a cave. Ѐ the Marian effigy of the Theotòkos (Mother of God), which every year, in the ritual commemoration of the mythical discovery, crosses the main streets of the town hoisted on the mammoth 'triumphal chariot' for the 'major feast' on the first Sunday of August, sealing one of the most beautiful and exhilarating feasts to be witnessed in Apulia.   THE TRIUMPHAL FLOAT   Terlizzi's triumphal float represents the symbol in which the entire community recognises itself. It is a festive machine with a wooden supporting structure and a 22-metre-high canvas covering, which every year parades along the main city streets, pushed by more than fifty men and driven by four helmsmen in traditional dress, directed by a head helmsman who skilfully leads it through the traditional and spectacular curves of the city centre.   It carries in triumph the icon of Our Lady of Sovereto and the statue of Saint Michael, the city's main patron saints, as well as a large number of children, seated on the steps leading from the 'carretta' to the 'throne' on which the sacred image of the Virgin is placed.   In Terlizzi, the tradition of the triumphal cart, attested by some documents from the 16th century, is intimately linked to the birth of the cult in honour of Our Lady of Sovereto. Its symbolism is imbued with content that refers to the legend of its discovery: the image of the Virgin was found by a shepherd who, while trying to free a stranded sheep, noticed the icon in an underground cavity. The shepherd was from Bitonto, while the icon was found in the Terlizzese countryside. The problem immediately arose as to which of the two municipalities the icon should belong to. It was thus decided to entrust the fate to the 'judgement of God'.   The image was placed on a cart drawn by two oxen, one from Bitonto and one from Terlizzi. The latter prevailed, blinding the ox from Bitonto with a horn. The cart thus arrived in Terlizzi, constantly changing its appearance. In 1868 it took on its final shape, both in its supporting structure and in its architectural and decorative components, handed down to the present day, thanks to Michele De Napoli, a great neoclassical painter who had become mayor of the town, who designed a new festive machine.   The operational construction of the float was entrusted to set designer Raffaele Affaitati from Foggia. Since then, the float has remained virtually unchanged in its stylistic components and continues to deeply move people on the first Sunday of August each year.   Places to visit: Co-cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo, Church of Santa Maria la Nova, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Church of the Rosary and Portal of Anseramo da Trani, Medieval village, Norman Tower (or Clock Tower), Palazzo di Città and 'Millico' Theatre, 'Michele de Napoli' Art Gallery, Sanctuary and village of Sovereto, Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Cesano.   text by Franco di Palo / photos by Francesco De Chirico

cities

30 April 2021

MOLFETTA

The Gateway to the East

The Gateway to the East     Here you are MOLFETTA (ba), cut in stone, made of sharp edges like a diamond, born flush with old walls, tiny and complicated. You have arrived in a labyrinth of streets, in the meander of houses of our old town, you are in the lock of these walls. You are the key to enter the city through the historic gate of Via Piazza. Turn your gaze, beyond the rooftops, towards the sea that bathes the stone beyond the green windows, the famous Green Molfetta shutters, where our two silent and thinking towers stand out, one a bell tower and the other a lookout tower.   These are the towers of the Dome of San Corrado, built between the 12th and 13th centuries with the main architectural features of the Apulian Romanesque style. Cross Piazza Municipio, which leads to the streets without arrival, tunnels carved into the soft, pale stone on which the reflections of the sea arrive.   Gateway to the east swallows us all, bathes these wayfarers in dreams. Walls of white and rosy square protect from the sea the curious eyes and you unsuspecting passers-by plunge your hearts where the gaze dare not look choose to elevate your spirits, choose to fly or like kites carried by the wind like thoughts whispered to the waves.   Look at the mother of each one's time. A hole in the heart that hides history, everyone's home, a glimpse of the future, of our past preserves memory a precise point, open and deep our PULO is one and the centre of our world. The dolina del Pulo di Molfetta, a karst sinkhole inhabited since the Neolithic period, where two 'idols' were recently found, is one of the most important natural monuments visible along the stretch of coastline in the north of Bari. {IMAGE_4}{IMAGE_6}
  It is home to an example of industrial archaeology as evidenced by the nitrate-rich caves and the presence of the most important nitriera of the kingdom of Naples and the Bourbons. Come to Molfetta and try to enter where music mixes with the waves and stone is bathed in light, in a history of art, tears, faces, stones and the sea.   Where words, hidden between interstices of walls, fight the darkness of world history, is the birthplace of Gaetano Salvemini. Light footsteps but deep furrows, of a Man and a Saint who taught a concrete Peace by walking beside us here, Don Tonino Bello. Feel the history, listen to the buzz of years gone by that mark the face with hard hands of earth soiled we season our palates with taste.   Puntarella chicory is our queen, close to PGI recognition. Skilful hands artfully knead heart, water and salt, filling our palates with flavour, whether calzone, triddo or scarcella, our cuisine inebriates not only the senses. Stop here, stop now, in front of the Torrione overlooking the sea since 1512. The Torrione Passari, initially a cannon house, later became a watchtower and is now world-famous as a precious casket for contemporary art exhibitions. And then there are the events of the Easter tradition, with the processional rites of Holy Week or the suggestive sea festival for the Patron Saint's Feast in September.   Choose to dream prisoners of ecstasy to be stone embraced by the sea, to be heart embracing a dream. Stop now and let yourself be lulled by the sweet melody of those who have always sung with the sea. Molfetta awaits you.   Places to visit: Dome of San Corrado, Cathedral, Old Town, Diocesan Museum, Archaeological Museum, Pulo, Passari Tower, Templar Hall, Fish Market, Basilica of Our Lady of Martyrs with the Crusaders' Hospital .    

cities

30 April 2021

GALATINA

The Pasticciotto, where it all began

The Pasticciotto, where it all began     GALATINA (Le) is also referred to as the Umbeliculus of Salento because it is equidistant from the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea.   Famous for its confectionery art, Galatinese cuisine owes its goodness to the simplicity of its ingredients and the wisdom of its preparation. It is established history that the origin of the artisanal production of Salento's best-known dessert, the 'pasticciotto', dates back to the ancient workshop of the Ascalone family, in 1745.   The succession of generations has ensured that the original recipe, handed down orally, has generated a confectionery tradition, giving rise to many other craft businesses with a specific product quality.   This has allowed Galatina to be referred to as the undisputed capital of the pasticciotto. The cake is composed of shortcrust pastry and custard that, through a special baking process, achieve a perfect balance. The oval shape has a typical upper roundness, suitably burnished by a baking process that leaves the shortcrust pastry compact and makes the cream's aroma soft and persistent.   Among the uniqueness of pastry production, mention should also be made of the African, also called apostles' fingers, which date back to the 18th century, and the P.A.T. certified ice cream mafalda, which owes its name to a street in Galatina. {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1} The experience of visiting Galatina, going through the old centre, fills the senses with beauty. The alternation of courtyard houses, the expression of a popular urban architecture, with the splendour of the dozens of historic and noble palaces, with their richly decorated portals, offers a path in which the gaze is lost in place and time. The architecture of the historical centre is complemented by the countless churches, among which the Minor Papal Basilica of St Catherine of Alexandria stands out for its absolute beauty.   It is one of the most distinguished monuments of Apulian Romanesque and Gothic art in Apulia. Its frescoes of the Giotto and Sienese school, dating from the late 14th and early 15th century, cover the entire wall surface. For the vastness of its pictorial cycles, the Galatinese basilica is second only to the basilica of St Francis of Assisi.   An explosion of dancing to the rhythm of the 'pizzica', perfumes and folklore accompany the celebrations of the Patron Saints Peter and Paul on 28, 29 and 30 June. Until the 1980s, the chapel of San Paolo was home to the tarantati, who for three days and nights alternated sleeping phases with moments of choreographed dancing to eradicate evil.   This rite, which has now disappeared, is revived in a folkloristic key with spontaneous patrols and traditional processions with colourful scenery.   St. Peter's Square, with the majesty of the façade of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, welcomes and bids farewell to guests, like a postcard from the world.   To visit: Basilica Pontificia minore of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the Chiesa Matrice of Saints Peter and Paul that preserves the stone on which St. Peter sat, the 18th-century Corte Vinella, Palazzo Tafuri- Mongiò with its rococo lines, Museo Civico Pietro Cavoti.     Photo by Alberto Russi, Gaetano Armenio

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the Producers 

30 April 2021

Mastrototaro Food

"From field to table' for Mastrototaro Food is not an abstract concept but a real promise the company makes to the consumer.     We are in BISCEGLIE (Bat), a flourishing land lapped by the waters of the Adriatic Sea. It is precisely between the land and the sea that the preserves of Mastrototaro Food are born, products that symbolise the authenticity of Apulia and the genuine flavour of tradition.     The company has a long entrepreneurial history behind it, which began in 1956 and runs in the agricultural sector.     In 2008, Mastrototaro Food decided to further enhance the raw materials produced on the company's land by transforming them into excellent agro-food preserves. Three decades of expertise in the sector did the rest.     Today it is the three brothers, Mauro, Giulio and Roberto, who with skill and ingenuity run the company, which is certified organic and one of the few in Italy to organise production from scratch. The cicerone of our journey through the delicacies of the Mastrototaro brand is Mauro, who, amidst vast expanses of olive groves and vast fields of cultivated land, tells us about the great effort made to offer the consumer a product in which quality is the undisputed queen.     The cultivation of vegetables according to the ancestral customs of our ancestors and love for nature are the winning elements of the company, which harvests the raw materials by hand and transforms them into preserves in just a few hours.     This makes it possible to preserve the organoleptic qualities of the vegetables, which unleash their goodness and taste delicious just by looking at them. Aubergines, artichokes, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, olives and courgettes are the raw materials that go well with the extra virgin olive oil produced by the company.     Looking at the farm shop, we seem to be looking at a slightly larger version of grandma's classic larder. A triumph of colours is what presents itself to our eyes as visitors, where we gaze in amazement at the different nuances of the jarred vegetables.     With pride, Mauro explains the company's precise philosophy: to recover the ancient recipes for preserves in order to make them known beyond the borders of Apulia. And so we discover the 'Pric 'o prac', an ancient Molfettese sauce, now impossible to find, made from peppers and tomatoes, or the biscegliese antipasto with artichokes, champignon mushrooms, peppers and olives.     We cannot fail to mention the exquisite artichokes available in several versions. Grilled, stemmed, 'della mamma' or 'pugliese' style: all are exceptional with their tender heart dipped in the golden yellow of extra virgin olive oil. Tradition yes, but also innovation, like the refined lentil and sun-dried tomato mousse that combines the nutritional properties of the legume with the lively flavour of sun-dried tomatoes.      Mastrototaro Food's list of products is a long one. Mauro explains that a company like his, which puts the consumer before turnover, is the result of great teamwork. A team that wins because it plays well in the field. That field that Mastrototaro Food brings in jars directly to our.    

Oil mill

30 April 2021

Clement

"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.    

Winery

30 April 2021

The Ancient Winery San Severo

"You have to love what you do to want to do it every day" With this love comes achievement!!!!!  In the picture you don't find the producer, the president, a leader. You find the cross-section of a community-our own!"   An almost 100-year-old winery and an area naturally suited for the production of rich and fine wines. These elements would be enough to describe L'ANTICA CANTINA DI SAN SEVERO (fg) one of the most dynamic and long-lived Apulian wineries in the region.    Telling us the story of Antica Cantina is Ciro Caliendo, the winery's president, whom we meet in the San Severo plant. Behind him, as has happened numerous times before for other historic businesses like this one, is a wall crowded with awards and recognitions, many of which are true historical relics.   The Antica Cantina di San Severo is actually a social winery founded in 1933 and, just as it was a vine, it has its roots in local culture and culture. It is no coincidence that San Severo saw the first Apulian DOC recognized in 1968, a tangible sign of a peasant and winemaking custom that to define millenary is reductive.   The strong point of the Antica Cantina's wine production is not only the synergic and joint work with its members who confer the quality grapes, but it is also represented by a thousand hectares cultivated according to a system of company certification and traceability that contributes to producing wines that represent the harmonious, joyful and elegant synthesis of the typicality of this land.   In the fertile Daunia, the dream of many farmers has come to life: to offer the consumer the sensations that express at the same time the pleasantness and passion that the land of San Severo offers.  It is the way to get to know our history and the culture of the land, toward which all the locals nurture a boundless passion, the same as there is in San Severo DOP.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   San Severo Bianco as early as 1932, was recognized as a typical local wine. Castrum San Severo Bianco is made from a blend of Bombino, Trebbiano and a touch of Malvasia. Rosso and Rosato round out the San Severo DOP offering. The Castrum Rosso is a wine with just the right structure. It releases aromas of plums and black cherry that blend with the floral of violets and cyclamen. Castrum Rosato" with its delicacy offers a fruity, intense bouquet with hints of peach to satisfy even the most sensitive palate.   With the Nobiles line we find the typical varietals. Noble and positively austere is the Nobiles IGP obtained from Nero di Troia grapes, one of the native vines of lands cultivated on the slopes near the Gargano. With its almost impenetrable color, Nobiles Nero di Troia has a full-bodied but refined structure and a taste of red fruits and spices that intrigue and intoxicate the palate.    

Winery

30 April 2021

Pandora Cellars

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.    

Liquor factory

30 April 2021

Fiume

It was the beginning of the 1960s when Vittorio Fiume made his first experiments with liqueurs and almond milk in a small artisan laboratory.   Animated by his passion for Puglia, at the time he was probably unaware that those artisanal attempts of his would have transformed over time into an Apulian brand known throughout the world. The history of the Fiume brand is a story that speaks of love.   Love for Puglia, for herbs, spices and infusions. Located in the industrial area of Putignano, a town famous for its ancient Carnival, the Fiume plant today produces highly appreciated drinks in the liqueur and non-alcoholic sector.   The Fiume brand liqueurs communicate the link with the territory, starting with the raw materials. As Caterina Fiume, Vittorio's daughter and brand research and development manager, explains to us, one of the first liqueurs to bear her father's signature is the "Elisir dei Trulli", whose name evokes a miraculous potion and amazes with the enveloping flavor of the alcoholic and aromatic notes.   Chocolate, rum, hazelnut and coffee are some of the scents of the Elisir dei Trulli, which offer the consumer a sensory journey that delights the palate with warm and intense flavours. The "Amaro Pugliese", famous contemporary of Elisir dei Trulli, is famous because it conveys Apulian character not only in the name but also in the choice of raw materials.   And so in the Officinal Teriaca of Amaro Pugliese we discover mint, fennel, sage, artichoke, citrus fruits and so on. All raw materials from the area, transformed to create a amaro that speaks of customs and collective memory.   While she tells us about Amaro Pugliese, Caterina takes out a small box with some of the herbs used. And so, next to the mint, a native herbaceous plant, we notice the China Succirubra which instead comes from Ecuador, the Rhubarb, typical of China and the Quassio of Jamaica. And it's incredible how a single liqueur can contain entire portions of the world while remaining tied to tradition.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   Tradition that is also expressed in the "Limoncello", produced according to the ancient recipe of Caterina's grandmother and which seals a little secret handed down from generation to generation. Remaining on the side of alcoholic beverages, "Amarum" is another Fiume brand creation that mixes territoriality and international influences.   In Amarum, Jamaican rum sublimates the infusion of local spices and nuts. A amaro so precious as to be recognized at the SIAL in Paris in 2008 as one of the 100 most innovative products, and awarded at the 2020 Rome Bar Show for being able to make the most of the excellence of the territory.   For those who don't like alcohol, there is a decidedly tasty alternative. It is the "Almond Milk", born as a syrup, now also in the delicious ready-to-drink version, Mandorlè, and which is produced by extraction using only and exclusively sweet Apulian almonds.   Yet another trait of attachment to its origins of a brand that, with one foot in Puglia and one in the world, takes its drinks beyond national borders.    

Liquor factory

30 April 2021

Gargano Delizie

A wonderful village, known as the Pearl of Gargano, stands on a bluff overlooking the crystal clear sea, kissed by white sand and embraced by towering rocky cliffs.     We are in Peschici, and in this incredible landscape that smells of salt and Mediterranean vegetation, GARGANO DELIZIE® was born, an artisan distillery that shares the history of the territory through its products.      Started in 2002 by Michele and Patrizia Caputo, the couple immediately based their production on quality and craftsmanship, resulting in a series of unique creations. Crossing the threshold of the small laboratory, we are immediately attracted to the tanks containing delicious infusions and delighted by the contagious enthusiasm that Michele and Patrizia have for their work.     Production takes place in Ischitella (fg), a town a few kilometres from Peschici, but the salespoint is found in the historic city centre of Peschici (fg), in an area brimming with tasty shops full of local goodness. The Peschici shop also offers other local specialities and traditional gastronomy, such as jams, preserves, pâtés, and much more, offering a variety of products that fully reflects our culinary culture.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1}   Sharing all the unique characteristics of a territory, passing down its traditions and unearthing its cultural heritage, is a great undertaking. Each liqueur by Gargano Delizie (of which there are about forty) is born from a careful study of the local traditional recipes, but most importantly from the scrupulous search for raw materials that are processed according to the artisanal and homemade methods used by our ancestors. Michele and Patrizia tell us about their flagship product, the "Amaro della Suocera", a sweet elixir from 1900 also known as the “cherry of the grandmothers".     "Amaro della Suocera" is made with local Primitivo wine and black cherry juice, and it was their 90-year-old uncle who shared its ancient secrets with them. Patrizia also tells us about their "Amico", another greatly enjoyed liqueur dedicated to their customers to celebrate 18 years of production.     The idea came from a childhood memory of her grandfather dunking a slice of peach into his glass of wine. That's why "Amico" is made with Falanghina PGI wine and Gargano peaches, an elixir in which the goodness of the fruit is enhanced by the alcohol. In this family-run workshop, two other products must be mentioned: the "Lemolivo", a lemon liqueur made with local orange peels and olive leaves which infuse it with a green colour reminiscent olives, and the "Gargano's” artisan beer, developed from a recipe by Michele and Patrizia that includes, among other ingredients, peels from the Gargano bitter orange.     A product that symbolises the territory in its very label: a pearl resting in an oyster with a historical “trabucco” fishing machine, with citrus fruits crowning the beautiful Pearl of Gargano.  

Fireworks producer

30 April 2021

Chiarappa Fireworks

In 1940 PIROTECNICA CHIARAPPA, an Apulian company known worldwide for the scenic beauty of its fireworks displays, was founded in San Severo (fg). Eighty years in business and four generations of entrepreneurs skilled in the art of light and fireworks displays make PIROTECNICA CHIARAPPA a benchmark in the fireworks display industry.   The company produces all kinds of pyrotechnics in full compliance with the safety standards dictated by the European Union and tests products following the guidelines of accredited institutes. The incredible craft of fireworks preparation is carefully and passionately handed down from father to son and has evolved to the point where it offers the public incredible and breathtaking fireworks shows.   Pirotecnica Chiarappa has lit up the skies all over Italy, bringing Apulian mastery to Europe as well, such as the numerous participations in Germany, Croatia, France, and Austria, winning numerous contests and receiving many awards and recognitions.   Separate mention deserves the participation of Pirotecnica Chiarappa in the opening party of Matera 2019 European Capital of Culture. The consequentiality of the images that suddenly appear high in the sky and that mix designs of luminous fountains, streamers that descend slowly, stars that burst dividing into many other little stars and so on, are all games that are not random but studied at the desk by real experts who know the secrets of pyrotechnics and who know well the effects of a certain path and how to achieve it.   {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1} The study is not superficial but very detailed and thorough. Like a director, Nicola Chiarappa, the last of the lineage, has to foresee times, causes and effects so that a performance can be executed planned in every detail. Not only tradition but also and above all innovation.   Chiarappa Pyrotechnics offers classic "ground" shows and radio-controlled displays, with remote programming and computerized start-up. Shades of color are obtained by calibrating and mixing various types of chemicals until the desired result is achieved.   It is a job that requires meticulous care of the products handled to ensure that each shade and nuance is exactly as requested by the client. As in all craft businesses, there is a meticulous method of preparation to achieve the desired colors and results: the "recipe" jealously guarded, has been handed down from father to son for decades.   Thanks to the family's creativity, experience and desire to take the spread of the art of pyrotechnics ever higher, Pirotecnica Chiarappa has opened a store dedicated to the marketing of products for all kinds of parties.   Between fireworks, streamers and gadgets, Pirotecnica Chiarappa makes incredible shows and performances that will make you daydream. Today Nicola Chiarappa holds the reins of the company to propel it into an increasingly promising future.    

Oil mill

05 June 2023

Oil mill Paparella

LÓLIO Fruity succeeds in convincing all palates. On tasting, the oil offers a fragrant and complete bouquet, with a light and balanced character, characterized by a low acidity content. In the shadow of centuries-old olive trees and in the heart of the Tavoliere di Puglia, Frantoio Paparella was founded in 1891 in Barletta (bat). A place where roots and traditions are virtuously intertwined with innovation in transformation processes and the careful selection of the best fruits. The Oil Mill is currently equipped with 5 extraction and processing lines that allow it to reach a production capacity of about 200,000 tons of olives per season. Investments for the improvement of quality and quantity of extraction are constant and result in the implementation of new machinery from year to year. Great attention is paid to all stages of production, from olive harvesting to oil storage; during these processes the olive is selected and followed until it is transformed into a product of absolute excellence, under the careful supervision of the owners and numerous panel tests held by professional tasters. {IMAGE_0}{IMAGE_1} The extra virgin olive oil milled by Frantoio Paparella is cold-pressed by mechanical and highly innovative methods at a temperature never exceeding 27°C, from Italian olives grown in Puglia. The olives are processed directly at the mill within a maximum of 12 hours after harvesting thus preserving all the chemical and physical characteristics of the oil and avoiding oxidation. Now in its 130th year, Frantoio Paparella looks to the future with the confidence of those who believe that quality is the only choice for a better and more sustainable future. To date, the main production waste i.e. pomace and pomace stones are used to feed part of the production cycle. The Oil Mill adopts the circular economy approach and is committed to achieving production with 0 environmental impact in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. The extra virgin olive oil "LÓLIO Intenso Monocultivar Coratina" is the essence of Apulian tradition, flavors and lifestyle. Derived from the careful selection of the best olives of the typical Apulian cultivar called "Coratina". "LÓLIO Intenso - Monocultivar Coratina" presents itself to the observer with a true green color, like the olives from which it is extracted. On the palate it shows character and elegance, giving and intense and fruity notes for a strong and spicy aftertaste. The bitterish taste of extra virgin olive oil extracted from the "Coratina" cultivar is indicative of the very high concentration of polyphenols, powerful antioxidants and inflammatory agents. The extra virgin olive oil "LÓLIO Fruttato" is a magical harmony of flavors and scents of Puglia. Derived from a wise selection of Apulian cultivars such as Peranzana, Coratina, Ogliarola and Leccino, LÓLIO Fruttato has a vibrant green color enhanced by bright yellow highlights.  

Winery

30 April 2021

“Cantine Barsento” factory

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.