Italy | Eat, Drink, Calabria
Escorted by Executive Chef Riccardo Momesso
Experience Calabria's Diamante region's fiery history and spicy cuisine with this food and wine adventure personally guided by local Melbourne chef, Riccardo Momesso, Executive Chef from Sarti, Melbourne's 'one hat' modern Italian (Calabrian) restaurant. Over ten days Riccardo will forage for the best produce from the Calabrian region to share with his guests. Think red onions from Tropea, chilli peppers from Diamante, fresh anchovies, spicy sausage and citrons from the Riviera dei Cedri. The tour also features four private cooking lessons where Riccardo will share the secrets of his favourite dishes, like Cavatelli, nduja and prawns, and grilled tuna, prickly pear and broad bean salad. You'll also enjoy the Diamante "Peperoncino" Festival.
| Duration: | 10 Days |
|---|---|
| Tour Code: | ITW673 |
| Trip Style: | Moderate - 3 star |
| Departure Dates: | 03 Sep 2012 |
| Price: | $5,700 |
| Single Supplement: | $1,400 |
| Places you'll visit: |
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Ideal for Solo Travellers
As a special interest tour you will be with like-minded people who are interested in food. There will be a mix of couples and solo travellers.
Trip Details
Aquamarine waters, Dresden blue skies, ruby red chilli peppers and gaily painted houses all make Diamante a very striking town, its vibrancy and colours irresistibly cheerful. Diamante is a real Calabrian gem, a fishing village set on the rocks immediately above the sea and offering breathtaking panoramas for miles around. Wander through its maze of narrow streets and alleyways and admire the many walls painted with murals; even today renowned artists turn up to leave their mark on the village walls.
And of course, no visitor to Diamante could fail to notice the town's other consuming passion - red-hot chilli peppers. As well as finding these peppers in many local dishes, you'll see them on sale in every shop and market stall, hung outside doorways and even strung across alleyways on clothes lines, drying alongside the household linen! In September the town holds its annual "Peperoncino" Festival complete with numerous tastings, concerts, demonstrations and musical events.
The Diamante "Peperoncino" Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Calabria with people coming from all over Italy and further afield to take part in this unique celebration of the area's chilli peppers. From the countless different varieties of peperoncini to wonderful traditional hot cuisine, from theatre and satire to cinema and literature, medicine and folklore.
Not only will you find over 500 different types of chilli pepper on display, discover who wins the chilli pepper eating contest and see a collection of "live statues," you will also be able to take part in gastronomic workshops, catch some films and perhaps even be a winner in the "lotteria del peperoncino."
This year, a team will also attempt to break the world record for the longest ever peperoncino garland, the record for which is presently held by a team in Pisa whose garland measured in at an incredible 200 metres. And all of this is held in the open air, in the town's historic centre and along Diamante's panoramic sea front.
Food and Wine
Learn more about the region's typical products, alongside Riccardo Momesso, Executive Chef and Partner from Sarti Restaurant, Melbourne's only Calabrian restaurant accredited with a ‘one hat' from the Age Good Food Guide Awards. With Riccardo you will learn of all things wild and wonderful that could be taken from the Calabrian landscape and into a kitchen. Think red onions from Tropea, chilli peppers from Diamante, fresh anchovies, spicy sausage and citrons from the Riviera dei Cedri.
Then spend time in the kitchen with Riccardo and prepare dishes inspired by Calabria's fiery history and spicy cuisine. Riccardo will share the secrets of his favourite dishes like cavatelli, nduja and prawns and Grilled tuna, prickly pear and broad bean salad.
Enjoy an excursion to a hot chilli pepper farm where you'll discover more about the process of how these hot peppers are conserved and made into garlands. And spend some time at the Peperoncino Festival in Diamante's town centre sampling countless varieties of chilli pepper and devouring a delicious selection of local specialties.
The wines of Calabria are almost as old as the land itself. Some of the grape varieties such as Gaglioppo and Greco were first introduced to Calabria by the ancient Greeks around 700 BC and now produce some excellent D.O.C. wines. Ciro, Bivongi, Verbicaro, Savuto and Melissa are all excellent examples of these, not to mention some of the "local" wines, all made without preservatives, which can be enjoyed in the many family Trattorias and Agriturismo.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Diamante
Arrive at Lamezia Terme airport and transfer to "Fattoria Aristea" in Diamante. Cocktails on arrival then a brief visit to the centre of Diamante followed by a welcome dinner. ( D )
Day 2 - Maratea, Scalea, Blue Grotto
After breakfast we visit Maratea with it's imposing statue of the Christ high above the town. Along the way we stop at Scalea a tourist centre and seaside resort and visit the historical centre. We also stop at Praia a Mare and Isola di Dino where we can take a short boat trip to the Blue Grotto. Lunch will be at Maratea, after which we visit a local farm. Return to villa for dinner. ( B D )
Day 3 - Cooking class, Chilli Festival
Riccardo will introduce our first Calabrian cooking "Class." After a visit to the local market to buy some produce we'll return to the villa where Riccardo will demonstrate how to make traditional stuzzichini (Calabrian small plate designed to share). This first course will include oven roasted figs with prosciutto and Calabrian Chilli crab. Followed by spaghetti, anchovies & capsicum conserva. The afternoon and evening are dedicated to the Chilli Festival where you will have the opportunity to sample some of the various foods from the many stalls. ( B L )
Day 4 - Cooking class, Paola, Chilli Festival
After a "light" breakfast we visit Diamante to buy the ingredients for your second cooking class, and lunch where Riccardo will show you how to prepare and cook Swordfish agrodolce (Calabrian style sweet & cour swordfish).
After lunch we will take a short trip to Paola, and visit one of the most important sites of religious tourism in Italy, the Sanctuary of Saint Francis of Paola where we walk along the Path of Miracles and visit the Chapel. Return to villa for dinner, "passegiata" in Diamante and enjoy some of the attractions at the Chilli Festival. ( B L D )
Day 5 - Rossano, Sibari
Breakfast will be followed by a sightseeing excursion to Rossano, one of the most significant centres of the Byzantine civilisation in Calabria with the 11th century church of St Marco and the Diocesan Museum where the 6th century "Codex Purpureus" is kept.
After lunch of local food and wine at an Agriturismo, we then proceed to Sibari, the most beautiful of the ancient Greek cities from the Magna Grecia period between 8th and 3rd centuries BC. Return to villa for dinner. ( B L D )
Day 6 - Diamante, cooking class
This day is completely dedicated to food, food and more food, and of course wine. We will visit local farmers, cheese makers, a winery and olive grove to purchase fresh produce for your third cooking class where you will learn how to prepare and cook a specialty from the region - ‘pizza ripieni' (Pizza filled with turnip tops, wild asparagus, pork sausages and spicy pork sausage). We also have the possibility of a fishing trip depending on weather and availability. Dinner will be the food you have prepared followed by a passegiata and "digestivo" in Diamante. ( B L D )
Day 7 - Cosenza, Camigliatello
Today we visit Cosenza, the third largest city in the region of Calabria and then on to Camigliatello, one of the most charming villages in the Sila Grande mountain range. Depending on conditions we will go foraging for mushrooms, berries, and other fruits of the forest. We will visit a food preserving plant and see first hand, methods for preserving Porcini mushrooms, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capsicum and of course chillies that have been handed down through hundreds of years. Lunch at local Agriturismo then return to Villa and later to Diamante for the Chilli Festival. ( B L )
Day 8 - Cooking class, Diamante
After breakfast we will continue with your cooking classes. Today Riccardo will demonstrate how to make some of the famous Calabrian desserts, perhaps using some of the fruits you picked at Camigliatello. Then it's time for you to show us what you have learnt. You will have the opportunity to design a menu, go to Diamante to buy the ingredients, and then return to the villa where you will prepare a sumptuous four course dinner. B D )
Day 9 - Pizzo, Tropea, Capo Vaticano
After breakfast we leave for the seaside town of Pizzo where we visit the Aragonese Castle and the Little Church of Piedigrotta, and of course its most famous attraction, the Tartufo ice cream made to the same recipe for over 100 years. Then on to Tropea, the Pearl of the Mediterranean - a lovely town that cascades down the hillside, a mass of red tiled roofs culminating in a broad terrace overlooking the sea 200 metres below.
After lunch we continue on to Capo Vaticano for one of the most spectacular views looking out to the Aeolian Islands and the still smoking Volcano of Stromboli. Return to villa for dinner.( B L D )
Day 10 - Farewell
After a hearty Calabrian breakfast transfer to Lamezia Terme Airport to continue your journey. ( B )
Inclusions
- Transfer to and from Lamezia Terme airport
- Accommodation in Agriturismo "Fattoria Aristea" twin share
- All meals and drinks including wine
- Food for cooking lessons
- Professional tour guide
- All entry fees and charges where applicable
Terms & Conditions
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