Coast with the most

Food writer AMBER GUINNESS transports us to the shores of Italy's Tyrrhenian Sea by way of delicious helpings of pasta, fish and limoncello.

- AMBER GUINNESS

It was as I bobbed in the crystal-clear waters off Punta Scario beach on the island of Salina that I truly began to appreciate the magical and restorative powers of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

It had been a tough few months - I was juggling three jobs at the time and felt like I was being pulled in a million directions - but as I swam out towards the island of Vulcano, I felt all my worries drain away," says Tuscany-based food writer Amber Guinness in her new book Italian Coastal, a love letter to the cuisines and curiosities of Italy's west coast. "Yes, I was on holiday, so of course my mood was bound to lift, but as I floated there, I realised that so many of my favourite spots in Italy have something in common: they are all scattered across this particular body of water," she adds.

Guinness was born in London but raised at Arniano and has worked as a cook in both London and Italy. As she sees it, all major destinations of the Tyrrhenian retain their own distinct style of cooking. "Campania, the tomato-growing capital with Vesuvius at its heart, has a more fiery and playful palate. The Aeolian Islands, so remote and cut off from the rest of the world, have developed a cooking style that celebrates the produce of the islands: capers, oregano and lemons. And Sicily, conquered over millennia by every major civilisation, enjoys a kaleidoscopic blend of cuisines and influences: Italian food with an African, Greek, Arabic and Moorish twist."

Prosecco, limoncello and basil Spritz

SERVES 6

"This light citrusy Spritz has been popping up all along the coast over the past decade, particularly in Sicily," says Guinness.

Ice cubes, to serve

Handful of basil leaves

90 ml limoncello

1 bottle good-quality dry prosecco

Soda water, to taste

6 lemon slices