We are pleased to present some of our favorite places to eat and stay in Italy. We have enjoyed each one personally. We’re always looking for new finds in great food and accommodations. Please feel free to share your finds by emailing us at info@purelyorganic.com. Whenever possible, we’ll go and visit them.

Grazie mille,
Carl & Camille

Places to Eat

Places to Stay

Things to Do

Places to eat

Figli di Papà
Via della Marra, 7
Ravello (SA)
Tel & Fax: 089 858 302
www.ristorantefiglidipapa.it

A nice discovery using our technique of asking the locals, “Where can we eat well and pay less?” A standout dish was “scialatielli sorrentino,” a local variety of home-made pasta with tomato and fresh mozzarella. The eggplant parmigiana was extremely light and tasty, the best we have ever had. Great location near the closest car park to the main piazza, with friendly service.

Badia a Colitbuono
Loc. Badia a Coltibuono
53013 Gaiole in Chianti (Siena)
Tel & Fax: 0577 749 031
ristbadia@coltibuono.com
www.coltibuono.com

Out of this world, is really the only way to describe this magnificent place. It is both a bed-and-breakfast and one of the great restaurants of Italy. Badia a Coltibuono (which means Abbey of the Good Harvest), dates from the middle of the eleventh century. In 1051 the monks of the Vallombrosan Order founded the Abbey and also began planting the first vineyards in the Upper Chianti area. It is a serene, unspoiled spot, surrounded by mountains, forest and the abbey’s farm. The menu changes constantly, based on what is in season, and most of the ingredients come from the farm. They make their own Chianti Classico wine and olive oil. Their handmade ricotta ravioli with a pumpkin and rosemary veloute was straight from heaven. We also sampled some of the local fresh goat and sheep cheeses that were truly spectacular. We very much enjoyed a simply-prepared dish of swiss chard sautéed with a little garlic and fresh tomatoes.


Il Margutta
Via Margutta, 118
00187 Roma
Tel: 06 3265 0577
Fax: 06 321 8457
www.ilmargutta.it
staff@ilmargutta.it

A place of pilgrimage for vegetarians in Rome. Lunch is a vast buffet of freshly-made specialties from all over Italy. Dinner is from the menu, more expensive but beautifully prepared. The restaurant is also an art gallery, with a constant turnover of new exhibitions. Via Margutta is a fascinating street between Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and Piazza del Popolo. It has many antiquarian dealers in such things as ancient Roman sculpture, rare books, fine art, and antiques.

Sora Margherita
Piazza delle Cinque Scole, 30
00186 Roma
Tel: 06 687 4216

Located in the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood of Rome, one of our favorite places. It is another great find that came to us from asking the locals where to eat. We had planned to eat at another restaurant that served Roman Jewish specialties, but it was closed. We asked a nice lady who was carrying her shopping bags across Piazza delle Cinque Scole (one of Rome’s loveliest little piazzas with a fountain having a lovely story behind it), and we asked her for a recommendation. She pointed across the piazza to a doorway that looked like it could be the entrance to an appliance repair shop; it certainly didn’t look like a restaurant. No sign, nothing. Feeling a little doubtful, half suspecting that an innocent-looking little old lady was putting one over on us, we went over and peered in. It was jam-packed with jolly Italians who were obviously eating very well. There was a waiting list, so we whiled away a half hour in piazza until they had a table for us. The place was tiny, crowded, and loud. The aromas coming from the open kitchen were extremely promising. We squeezed into our seats, and our waitress started telling me that they are not actually a restaurant, but a cultural association, and that we needed to fill out membership applications. At least that’s what it seemed like she was telling me. My Italian is passable but not perfect, and I have been known to get things hilariously wrong. But sure enough, our waitress brought us simple membership applications, which we filled out and signed. We were then presented with our very own Sora Margherita membership cards. It seems that the Roman health authorities did not like the restaurant’s cramped quarters, and closed it down. They reorganized themselves as a cultural association, and went back to serving the finest Roman Jewish cuisine imaginable. One of the most famous specialties of the neighborhood is artichoke deep-fried in olive oil, which are excellent, but the more typical carciofi alla Romana were even better: Tender, juicy and delicious. The home-made fettucine was spectacular. The Romans make terrific bean dishes, and the “fagioli all’occelletto” is not to be missed. We are hanging on to our membership cards for many return visits!

Trattoria Cadorna
Via Raffaele Cadorna, 12
00187 Roma
Tel: 06 482 7061

This is the place to go for real Roman cooking. It is a bit out of the way from the more heavily-visited area of Rome, but well worth the effort. The main street leading to via Raffaele Cadorna is lined with decorative orange trees! We did not see a foreign tourist the entire evening. They are famous for their “zuppe” (soups), which are really thick stews. We tried the zuppa di farro and pasta e fagioli. Both were outstanding. Be sure to order the pane fritto, which comes with a light tomato sauce.

Ritrovo di Porta Marina
Via Porta Marina,1
84063 Paestum (SA)
Tel & Fax: 0828 722 835
stebarlotti@tiscali.it

Most people go to Paestum for the Greek temples, which are certainly well worth the visit. However, it is a great area for food, and above all, fresh mozzarella di bufala. Ritrovo di Porta Marina is a wonderful family-style restaurant, and everything we ordered was excellent. The home-made pasta is a must-try. Next door is a “caseficio” (cheese maker) that makes mozzarella di bufala fresh every morning, using the milk of free-range water buffaloes. Get there before 11 in the morning, or you’ll miss out. Try both the big and small balls of mozzarella, as well as the ricotta, which is soft and warm, like baby food. Be sure to eat it all that day, as this type of cheese does not improve with age!

Ristorante Novecento di Alessandro Lamorte
C. da Incoronata
Melfi
Tel: 0972 237 470

Melfi is way off the tourist track, but in an area well worth visiting. The region of central Basilicata is called, “Vulture” (pronounced vool-toor-ay), after the extinct volcano that has created the rich soil of the region. The Aglianico wines are superb, and the fresh vegetables, fruit and cheeses are all to be had in abundance at Allessandro Lamorte’s restaurant. Reservations are advised, as days of opening are irregular. It really doesn’t matter what you order—everything is out of this world.

Diciannovesima Buca
Via Lombardi, 3
75110 Matera
Tel: 0835 333 592
Fax: 0835 256 049
info@diciannovesimabuca.com
www.diciannovesimabuca.com

This restaurant is located under the main square of Matera, between the two sassi, or rocky ravines that comprise the unique historic district. Part of the restaurant is an ancient cistern with a spiral staircase leading into its depths for inspection and cleaning. The cistern no longer has water, and is now an informal lounge. The restaurant also features a virtual golf driving range, which is really quite incongruous in this ancient setting. We had a fantastic six-course dinner, which included a traditional pasta of Basilicata, “orecchiete strette,” (stretched orecchiete) in a sauce of tomatoes, hot peppers and black olives. The restaurant is famous for its selection of local wines.

L’Archetto
Via dell'Archetto, 26
Roma
Tel: 06 678 9064

This was our first great find in Rome. The menu is evenly divided between about seventy spaghetti dishes and seventy different pizzas. Some of them sound a bit outlandish, but they are all good. L’Archetto also has a very good buffet of grilled and pickled vegetables to complement the pasta and pizza. In good weather sit at an outdoor table on tiny via dell’Archetto. When it’s cold or raining, the downstairs is quite charming. The prices are reasonable, and the place is quite popular with knowledgeable travelers.

Pizzeria I Due Fratelli Terremoto
Largo Tringiale
loc. Casatori
San Valentino Torio (SA)
Tel: 081 939 132

Food of the gods. I asked my friend Giuseppe Napolitano where to get the best, most authentic Neapolitan pizza. Naples is the home of pizza, and great pizza abounds. He took me to the place that gets all the awards from the Neapolitans themselves for the best pizza. It’s a modest place, but the pizza is anything but. We had both a simple pizza Margherita, and a fancier pizza with a variety of cheeses and vegetables. The crust is made without yeast, and allowed to rise over a period of two to three days. San Valentino Torio is a village contiguous with the town of Sarno, in the heart of the San Marzano tomato district. Needless, to say, the pizzas were made with the finest San Marzano tomatoes and freshest local cheeses. Giuseppe brought his young son, the sindaco (mayor) of San Valentino Torio, and a history professor from the local university. We had a long, fascinating and hilarious evening. The family of the owners just smiled, occasionally joining in the conversation, and took care of the steady stream of customers, all of whom knew everyone else.

Il Pizzaiuolo
Via de’ Macci, 113/r
Florence
Tel: 055 241 171

A real Neapolitan pizza place in Florence, run by a family from Naples. The name means, simply, “the pizza maker.” This little osteria became our daughter’s favorite while she was studying Renaissance art in Florence. Dinner reservations are advisable. Closed Sundays.

Eat With An Italian Family

If you want to meet an Italian family and eat in their home, here is a wonderful program we read about in The New York Times. We have not tried it ourselves, but it appears to be a reliable service.
www.homefood.it
travel.nytimes.com

Ristorante La Giostra
Via Borgo Pinti 12/r
Florence
Tel: 055 24 13 41
Our daughter Julia was studying Italian in Florence, and introduced us to this fine restaurant. It has a varied selection of in-season choices for vegetarians like us, and plenty for everyone else. We especially like the pear and pecorino ravioli. The atmosphere and service are great. A lovely place for a long evening with friends.
info@ristorantelagiostra.com
www.ristorantelagiostra.com

Places to stay

Sanseb Suites
Lungarno Archibusieri, 8
50122 Firenze
Tel: 39 347 2666708 Fax: 39 349 5933211
info@sansebsuites.com
http://www.sansebsuites.com/LENG/C4050-1/hhcm-Home.html

Perfection is the only word to describe these two exquisite apartments overlooking the Arno River, Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The apartments are on the 5th mezzanine floor of a seventeenth century building with an elevator. Tastefully designed and decorated with a mix of modern and antique furnishings, they are extremely comfortable and fully equipped with the highest quality appliances and cookware. The owners are extremely considerate, and take great care to make their guests feel at home. Our favorite place to stay in Florence!

Azienda Agricola Savignola Paolina
Via Petriolo, 58
50022 Greve in Chianti (FI)
Tel & Fax: 055 854 6036
info@savignolapaolina.it
www.lamole.info/savignola.htm
www.savignolapaolina.it

A vineyard in the heart of the Chianti district of Tuscany between Florence and Siena. It’s a little hard to find, especially, as we discovered, at night. But once there you are welcomed by Carlo Fabbri and his daughter Ludovica. We were ushered up the long flight of steps to the second floor apartment, which has three bedrooms, two baths, living room, kitchen and terrace. There are wonderful walks around the property. One path takes you up the hill to the villa that was the location for Kenneth Branagh’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.” In fact, Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson lived in the apartment at Savignola Paolina for the duration of the shooting. You will need to supply your own paper products, and take your trash to the recycling containers on the edge of Greve in Chianti. The kitchen is very well equipped, and it’s lots of fun to buy your ingredients at the local market and whip up your own Italian feast.

Albergo Margherita
Via Roma, 72
19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP)
tel. 0187/808002
fax. 0187/818392
www.hotelmonterosso.it
margherita@hotelmonterosso.it

This boutique hotel just opened last year, and quite by accident we happened to stay the first day they opened. It is a fantastic location, and a great jumping-off point to explore the Cinque Terre.

Casa Villa d’Arco
Via G.B. dalla Riva 5
Loc. Corno Alto
(vicinanze Boscomantico)
37139 Verona
Tel: 045 851 0154
Fax: 045 851 8651
www.casavilladarco.com
info@casavilladarco.com

This is an intimate little bed and breakfast just outside Verona. The beautifully restored building is part of a little “borgo” an ancient, self-contained agricultural village with a villa, houses, barn and chapel. The owners, Roberto and Vittoria Girelli, are perfect hosts. Vittoria’s breakfast is one of the wonders of the western world. Forget about the calories, just dig in! Everything was spotless, comfortable and quiet. You’ll need a car to get in and out of Verona, but it’s worth it to stay in such a wonderful place.

La Casa di Lucio
Via S. Pietro Caveoso, 66
75100 Matera (Matera), Italy
Tel: 0835 312 798
Fax: 0835 318685
info@lacasadilucio.com
www.lacasadilucio.it

Imagine the total silence of sleeping in a cave! This is the experience of sleeping in a bedroom at La Casa di Lucio. This is a small, very choice hotel in the heart of the historic sassi of Matera. Lucio himself is a very hands-on innkeeper, and will do whatever it takes to make you comfortable. I had left my camera in a restaurant the night before, and had to leave Matera before the restaurant opened. Lucio called the owner, who had someone meet us at the restaurant and find the camera. Lucio regaled me with tales of life in the sassi before the government-mandated mass migration to the new city. Lucio’s family lived in the sassi for many generations, but for his parent’s generation, any association with the sassi was a source of shame. When Matera was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and he started buying properties there for next to nothing, his family figured that he had gone mad. Crazy like a fox! Lucio is now a wealthy man for having taken a chance on the future of Matera as a tourist destination.

Azienda Agricola Biologica Torre Colombaia
06072 San Biagio della Valle (Perugia)
info@torrecolombaia.it
www.torrecolombaia.it
Tel: 075 878 7341

Alfredo Fasola is one of the original organic farmers in Italy. In fact, his was the first farm to be certified by Suolo e Salute, the oldest organic certifier in Italy. Alfredo has created a paradise for visitors to his farm. The accommodations, both in the main building and the outlying buildings, are very comfortable. One delightful spot is a mini-castle built by Alfredo’s grandfather as a gift for his wife. It is a kind of country lodge, and about as charming as any place we have stayed. The farm is host to cultural activities, including concerts. Saturday night is organic pizza night! Alfredo is a lifelong yoga enthusiast, and offers retreats for yoga instruction and meditation.

Hotel Santa Maria
Vicolo del Piede, 2
00153 Roma
Tel: 06 589 4626, 589 5474
Fax: 06 589 4815
www.hotesantamaria.info
info@hotelsantamaria.info

If you’re a lover of the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, this is the ideal place to stay. It is located on a quiet side street only a couple of blocks from the heart of the area, the piazza and church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The hotel is a restored 17th century cloister. The cluster of single-story rooms, each with its own private entrance directly from the garden, surround a quiet courtyard that is an oasis in the heart of Rome. To our knowledge, this is the only hotel of its kind in Rome.

Things to do

Tour of Matera
Amy Weideman
Tel: 339 282 3618
aweideman@libero.it
40 Euros for a two-hour tour

While in Basilicata you must see the fascinating “sassi” of Matera, which are basically two rocky ravines that have been continuously inhabited for about 9000 years. In the beginning the inhabitants lived in the natural caves in the soft tufa walls of the ravines. A little over a thousand years ago, monks of St. Basileus came from Asia Minor to make the area a hermitage site. They enlarged the caves and carved out beautiful chapels. Later Matera became a wealthy trading city, and the caves were fronted with handsome stone facades. It is a strange sensation to pass through an ordinary-looking door and immediately find oneself in a cave! By the middle of the 20th century Matera had completely lost its prosperity, and people were living in conditions of abject poverty; large families living with their animals in caves without running water or sanitation. It was Primo Levi’s book, “Christ Stopped at Eboli,” that brought the situation to the world’s attention. The Italian government, embarrassed by the publicity, designed and built a modern city on the outskirts of old Matera, and forcibly moved everyone out of the sassi. About 20 years ago, after decades of neglect, the area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Property was absurdly cheap, with houses selling for a few hundred dollars. Those who were far-sighted enough to have purchased property in the sassi now own immensely valuable assets. The area has been beautifully restored, with private residences, hotels and restaurants.