In the summer of 2024, my partner and I travelled the southern part of Italy, starting and ending in Rome. From there we travelled to Naples and Salerno in Campania, further down to Cosenza in Calabria, via Basilicata to Taranto, Lecce and Bari in Puglia. From there up north through Molise to Pescara and Scurcola Marsicana in Abruzzo. The last stop before heading back to the capital of Rome. Doing everything by public transport! For us this was quite a project and there are many subjects to report about, therefore below article is about the first part of our trip. Read all about our adventures of Lazio, Campania and Calabria!
Both of us are very drawn to the rich culture of this part of the country, along with its many archaeological sites, intense flavourful cuisine and stunning nature! During the summer the temperatures can reach very high levels, but if you follow the pace of the Italians, you should be more than fine.
Our trip started in Rome, the city of La Dolce Vita, where we did stay for about 3 nights in order to explore as much of this beautiful city as we could! We stayed in Numa Rome Linea, a few blocks from the train station Stazione di Roma Termini and only a few km to touristic attractions such as the Trevi Fontain, Colosseum and Piazza di Spagna. The hotel does offer the option for dinner, but of course there are many dinner possibilities out there!
Numa Roma Linea
Via Giovanni Amendola 85
Stazione Termini, Roma
The origin of Romes culinary history can most likely be found in Testaccio for its ‘Cucina Povera’ or the cuisine that allows affordable ingredients to be turned into a real delicatesse due to excellent kitchen skills. Basically, what poor people would be able to afford back in the day. It is an important pillar of the Southern Italian cuisine. In the district of Testaccio (the old slaughterhouse) it became very popular to created excellent dishes with heads, tails, organs or feet of animals. Think of Coda alla Vaccinara or oxtail. The cuisine of the city can show influences from the Jewish cuisine as well, due to the Jewish inhabitants throughout the years. This reflects mainly in the use of artichokes, fried in olive oil and served as an antipasto or primo. Other dishes the city and greater region of Lazio are famous for is the Gnocchi alla Romana, Fave al Guanciale and of course Spaghetti alla Carbonara.
Rome is often referred to as the city of La Dolce Vita, as in the sweet life and has a long-standing tradition of pastry and gelato. Try out the Torta di Ricotta, a cake made of ricotta cheese with lemon and cinnamon.
Lazio as a wine region is not as significant as other regions in Italy, but it sure has some beautiful wines that are an exception. The region does produce more white than red, with a focus on white varieties such as Malvasia and Trebbiano, sometimes Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. For the red wines we can find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and the local Cesanese grapes. In total Lazio has 3 DOCG and up to 27 DOC appellations.
DOCG Frascati Superiore is made of Trebbiano, Malvasia and Greco, along with local Bellone and Bombino grapes. There is also a late harvest version, DOCG Frascati Cannelino.
DOCG Cesanese del Piglio features the local Cesanese grape, with some other local varieties in the blend. It can be made dry red, sweet and even sparkling!
The most well-known DOC is the DOC Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone for the Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes. Coming from the town Montefiascone north of Rome, producing a dry, light white wine.
When in Rome, do visit the highlights such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fontain, Piazza di Spagna, Pantheon, and of course Vatican City. Try to visit these sites as early in the morning as you can, while everyone is still asleep. You will be thankful for the peace and quiet. We visited the Vatican at 7 in the morning, when it just opened, and there is no greater feeling than walking across an empty and quiet St. Peter’s Square!
From Roma Termini you can take a direct train to Naples. If you have never been to Naples, you must take into consideration that it is a city that you have to get to know before you can really appreciate it. It is a rough, loud and chaotic city, but so much culture and vibrance that will mesmerize you every time you go! We stayed in Hotel del Real Orto Botanico, which is right across the street from the Botanical Gardens, so right in the centre of the city. In our opinion the hotel can be labelled average to good, it was still a great location to explore the city.
Hotel del Real Orto Botanico
Via Foria 192
80139 Napoli
The Botanical Gardens across the street are very well maintained, and the hotel is at walking distance from the ‘Quartieri Spagnoli’ the Spanish Quarter. This refers to the Spaniards that build the streets in this district in the 17th century. A district with high density and vibrance, gives you a clear image of Naples as a city, but stay near the Via Toledo, as the smaller streets can be unsafe. There are lots of connections with the Camorra (local mafia). Further down the Via Toledo you can find the ‘Galleria Umberto I’, a beautiful gallery that represents Naples back in its fancier days. It has been rebuilt after the second World War, and today the city works hard to clean it up. From Naples you can take a short train ride to visit the epic sites of Pompeji, the town that was wiped off the map after the Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
Just at a 2-minute walk from the hotel, you can find the best fish restaurant in all of Naples, ‘A Figlia d”o Marenaro! Where you can eat all the best seafood that Naples and Campania has to offer!
‘A Figlia d”o Marenaro
Via Fiora 180/182
80137 Napoli
Of course, it is considered a crime to visit Naples and not having a world-famous Neapolitan pizza! This pizza is known for its thin crust and the usage of San Marzana tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and basil. No other toppings are needed! The best one you can find at l’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, that is even mentioned in the Michelin guide! You do have to wait in line quite some time to order, and then receive the actual pizza, and choices are limited (the Margharita is one of the best anyway). But for a very democratic price, we paid EUR 6 at the time, you will eat pizza like never before! The toppings are just melted, not over the top, but the crust will feel like heaven for your taste buds. The creamy, floury mouthfeel, along with the toppings is one to stick to your mind for the rest of your life. You can eat inside, where may need to share a table, or you can just sit on a bench down a side street, which is what we did, and it enhanced the experience.
l’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Via Cesare Sersale 1
80139 Napoli
Apart from the pizza and seafood options, you can find some excellent meat dishes as well such as Tagliata de Manzo (sliced entrecote with balsamic), Pasta alla Genovese (slow cooked beef with onions and pasta). And the for the sweet tooths we also have the Babà al Rum (small cakes dipped in rum and served with whipped cream).
The terroir of Naples and the greater region of Campania is under great influence of the volcano the Vesuvius, which reflects beautifully in their local wines. Apart from that, there is a high concentration of limestone as well and the region features the white grapes of Fiano, Greco, Falanghina and the red grapes of Aglianico and Piedirosso. In terms of appellations the region has 4 DOCG and 15 DOC. Two of the DOCG are centred around the grape of Aglianico, DOCG Aglianico del Taburno and DOCG Taurasi. Taurasi is found a bit more land inwards from Naples, in the province of Avellino, which is considered the best wine region of Campania. The wines are deeply coloured and have a firm tannin structure; however, the acidity ensures a beautiful balance. No more than 30 % of Piedirosso can be used here. A bit more west, along Benevento we find Del Taburno, that is made of 100% Aglianico.
The most well-known DOCG of the province of Avellino is of course DOCG Fiano di Avellino with 100% Fiano grape that has a structured minerality, aromas of canned apricot and age worthy potential that will give us burned hazelnuts in time. Staying in the same are we find the last DOCG appellation, DOCG Greco di Tufo, which refers to the main grape variety (Greco) and both to the town of Tufo and the tuff stone in the soil. This tuff stone also is used to construct many buildings in the old city centre of Naples. The wines are crispy and mineral, with a touch of flint.
A DOC worth mentioning is the DOC Vesuvio or Lacryma Christi. The grapes grow on the slopes of the volcano Vesuvius and is produced in many styles; the white may be the most interesting and is made with Coda di Volpe (foxtail) and Verdeca.
From Naples we took the train further south in Campania to Salerno, which is a fisherman city that we used to relax from travelling, because travelling can really be exhausting! The train ride takes about 40 minutes, if you go by car you can drive to the island of Capri, which is a very famous holiday destination. The island has of course beautiful cultural sites such as Doric temples and has an appellation for winegrowing as well. The island lies just a boat trip off the mainland and the boat leaves at Sorrento, the town known for its high-quality lemons for limoncello. From there you can drive the stunning Amalfi coast all the way to Salerno.
Because we mainly used Salerno as a resting spot and the accommodation was not really that great, we will not mention it further in this article. From Salerno we then took the train down to Calabria, more specifically to the city of Cosenza, a 4-hour train ride.
We arrived in Cosenza on a Sunday afternoon, and we did not understand why the city was so dead, it literally felt like a ghost town. The train station was almost completely abandoned, no one was seen in and around the apartment buildings and the local shopping centre only had about 10 people walking around, with one grocery store open. We checked into the hotel and made our way up to the city centre, but still not encountering lots of people. In retrospect this is a thing that can be expected as during the afternoon the temperature rose well above the 35 degrees Celsius, and the region is still highly religious, leading to closed businesses on a Sunday and counting the fact that the greater region of Calabria experiences an abandonment of parts of cities and mainly villages due to a lack of opportunities. However, the city has beautiful landmarks, and the natural scenery is absolutely stunning. Because we were travelling by public transport, we were somewhat stuck in the city. The heat kept us inside the hotel, that did not offer many facilities. So, I would recommend visiting during the spring or autumn and renting a car so you can get around. When you do visit, make sure you grab a coffee and cornetto or even an aperitif board at Gran Caffè San Francesco, one of the better pastry places in town!
Gran Caffè San Francesco
Piazza Europa 12
87100 Cosenza
The larger region of Calabria is not very well-known for its high-quality wine, but there has been wine making culture going back to the time of the ancient Greeks. Today we mostly see wine production for local consumption, but the process of increasing the quality has been on the agenda for several years, with winemakers working hard to achieve higher quality. There are no DOCG and 9 DOC, with DOC Cirò being the most famous. Here on the east coast of Calabria wine is produced with the white Greco variety, leading to beautiful acidity and crisp citrus fruit. For the reds, the local Gaglioppo is chosen. This rare variety does extremely well in dry climates and develops red fruit aromas such as red raspberry and strawberries, along with an herbaceous touch in the aftertaste.
After visiting Cosenza in Calabria, we took the train along Basilicata towards Puglia. To read the second article about our travels in Southern Italy, click here Travelling Southern Italy: Puglia & Abruzzo
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