Dear Italy...
Gourmet Traveller|March 2020
Four writers recall the moment they lost their hearts to Italy – and the regions that stole them.
Nicky Pellegrino, Emiko Davies, Joanna Savill, David Prior
Dear Italy...

A love letter to...

BASILICATA

By Nicky Pellegrino

This place isn’t mine but I feel like I belong to it. A pale-pink house with its back to bare-ridged mountains and its face turned towards the sea. Green lizards lazing on warm rocks, bougainvillea rioting over a pergola, a shingle beach at the end of the garden.

It took me a while to fall in love with Basilicata. At first, it was only the little pink house that drew me back thanks to the cousin who has kindly let me have it whenever I asked. But year after year I kept returning until eventually there was nowhere else I would rather be.

Basilicata lies in the south of Italy, the instep between the toe and the heel of this boot-shaped country. It doesn’t have the showy appeal of other better-known regions; not the swagger of Naples, the riches of Florence or Rome, the romance of Venice. This is a land touched by poverty. It is a place of scarred beauty.

My corner of Basilicata is the Costa di Maratea, a short stretch of rocky coastline that nudges Calabria at its southern end. Around the coast, there is a road made of hairpin bends with dizzying views across the Tyrrhenian Sea. A road that leads down to a small harbor with a cluster of seafood restaurants, with fishing boats moored alongside sleek yachts and old men sitting beneath trees, playing card games on summer evenings. A road that veers upwards to Maratea itself, a hilltop town of steep, narrow lanes and 44 churches, some dating back to the 15th century.

High above, on the peak of Monte San Biagio, is a giant statue of Christ the Redeemer, 21 dramatic meters of reinforced concrete and marble, standing with its arms stretched wide. Illuminated at night this tall, white figure seems to hover over the small town.

Esta historia es de la edición March 2020 de Gourmet Traveller.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición March 2020 de Gourmet Traveller.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE GOURMET TRAVELLERVer todo
From personal experience
Gourmet Traveller

From personal experience

Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.

time-read
8 minutos  |
September 2024
Kimberley Moulton
Gourmet Traveller

Kimberley Moulton

Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
Tom Wallace
Gourmet Traveller

Tom Wallace

We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2024
Best in class
Gourmet Traveller

Best in class

The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
A taste of refuge
Gourmet Traveller

A taste of refuge

Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
BE OUR GUEST
Gourmet Traveller

BE OUR GUEST

Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation

time-read
6 minutos  |
September 2024
Barcelona BUZZ
Gourmet Traveller

Barcelona BUZZ

A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
HEATHCOTE BOUND
Gourmet Traveller

HEATHCOTE BOUND

MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
The art of...relishing restaurants
Gourmet Traveller

The art of...relishing restaurants

Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
HEART AND SOUL
Gourmet Traveller

HEART AND SOUL

Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 2024