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My aim has been, and still is, to walk in the footsteps of Giuseppe Garibaldi on Aspromonte, where one of his main battles took place in 1862; this after having written my PhD in history, partly on Italian unification and nationalism. So far, I have not arrived at Aspromonte. However, last week I went back to Calabria, more precisely to Strongoli and Strongoli Marina, in the province of Crotone.

An artist and long-time friend of mine, Savina Tarsitano, invited me to come to Lamezia Terme, Calabria, and to thereafter continue to the towns of Strongoli and Strongoli Marina by the Ionian Sea. We spent a couple of days in Strongoli Marina, where Savina introduced me to Piero Romano, Martino Barretta of Gal Kroton, Gian Franco Blandino, and many others. Gal means Gruppo di Azione Locale, which is a sort of group or cooperative that provides support to local rural development and works mainly through EU funding and funding from regional administrations.

Day One, at the agritourism Fattoria San Sebastiano

As always during my visits to Calabria, I discovered new, interesting, and beautiful places and got to know extremely nice, sweet people.

Our first stop last Tuesday afternoon was at the fairly new agritourism, Fattoria San Sebastiano, owned by Piero Romano, where the restaurant is open Friday to Sunday.  He also organises special events upon request and produces local olive oil.

He works in close connection with Gal Kroton, of which Martino Barretta is a key figure. My first encounter with Piero and Martino blew me away with their hospitality and the wide variety of typical dishes and products they offered for dinner soon after my arrival.

We started off with an aperitivo, while Piero was preparing the different dishes, with the Rosato Spumante Brut R01 from Russo & Longo, a winery in the Serpito locality in Strongoli.  This was followed by various local cold cuts, mozzarella, pickled olives, locally produced cheese, beer gelatin, and meat roulades, served in steady succession.

Another wine of the evening was ’A VITA Riserva 2008 from the local winery ’A VITA. This Riserva 2008, with almost amber-coloured edges, while the centre of the glass was still mostly ruby red, had the particular aromas of black cherry, wildflowers and smoked notes mentioned in the Corriere della Sera review last year. The tannins, a typical trait of the Gaglioppo grape, were not too dominant in this wine, but rather refined.

Happy and full of food, wine, and laughter, we were escorted to the apartment where we were to stay, owned by PR Immobiliare and just 20 meters from the sea. In the morning, it was fantastic to wake up, open the terrace doors, and have a spectacular view of the beach and the sea. PR Immobiliare rents out different flats in the area, so if you have never been to Calabria, this is definitely a part of the region to discover.

Day Two

Another full immersion in local food and culture awaited us on the second day in Strongoli Marina, beginning with a quick stop at the Birrificio Blandino, where Gian Franco Blandino produces beers such as Denis, Janet, and the soon-to-be-released Amadeus.

The next stop was at Torre Melissa, before we were invited again to an aperitivo and dinner at Fattoria San Sebastiano. On this particular Wednesday evening, Piero Romano had outdone himself, offering a complete feast of seafood dishes. It all started with a long line of antipasti featuring clams, red mullets, prawns, octopus, swordfish, and more. These antipasti were paired with a Greco bianco wine.

Thereafter, we had pasta with prawns and clams paired with a white Pecorello from Ippolito 1845. The Pecorello is a native vine variety of Calabria, with a fruity aroma mainly from citrus, and a slightly mineral and savoury aroma and taste.

The main dish consisted of various delicacies decorated with a floral pattern, paired with a Grisara from Ceraudo. This wine is also made from 100% Pecorello, with aromas of wildflowers, as well as fruity and mineral notes.

Day Three

On the third day, our last, in the area around Strongoli, we toured several small towns to visit historical sites. Our main stops were Santa Severina, with its beautiful castle and main town square, and the wonderful hills and mountains surrounding it.

The tour continued to Caccuri, where we had a guided tour of the castle and the fairly newly constructed nature area, Serra Grande, with agritourism and an artificial lake above Caccuri. The local Gal Kroton has sponsored these developments.

A visit in the ’A VITA winery

Being passionate about wine, the best time of the day for me was, of course, the visit to the ’A VITA winery in Ciró Marina that is owned by Francesco Maria De Franco. Francesco started around 5 years ago, when he took over the family vineyard and began focusing on a biological approach. He wants to re-evaluate the local territory, the soil, and the cultivation of Gaglioppo, as mentioned in Corriere della Sera on January 31, 2014.

Francesco took us on a tour of his small but fascinating winery and talked about his production. We then had the opportunity to taste two of his Rosso Classico wines, still not ready, and one, the 2014, that still had to undergo the malolactic fermentation. It was very interesting to have this opportunity in order to follow the development of his wines.

Francesco and his winery are emerging and quite well known in wine circles. When I talked about having visited a small winery in Calabria close to Crotone, sommeliers and other wine friends and contacts immediately asked if it was ’A VITA. Francesco has been mentioned and reviewed in the New York Times, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, and other publications.

Before saying goodbye to Francesco and his wife, Laura, Savina and I bought an ’A VITA Riserva 2010 and a Rosato 2013. We are excited to taste these wines with our friends in Florence and elsewhere.

All in all, it was a great week: meeting new people, seeing fantastic new places, and tasting traditional dishes and wine. 🙂

Written by Katarina Andersson and proofread by Susan Holman