For the past ten years the amateur theater group in the little town of S. Agata dei Goti, has been directed by my next door neighbor, the retired comedy actress Hilde Maria Renzi, who worked for many years with neapolitan author and actors Eduardo and Peppino de Filippo.

The plays are held inside the courtyard of the town’s 17^th century episcopio, or bishopric, and are always filled to the brim with men, women, children, and local dignitaries. Now in its 11^th season, this event is so well-loved that the show is prolonged for four days which allows the whole town to see it. Tickets are free.

This year’s offering, Fortuna Con la “F” Maiuscola (Fortune With a Capital “F”) was due to début on June 22nd.

But who could have forseen that Italy would still be playing in the quarter finals of the European Championship on June 22nd?!  By 8 p.m. people were arriving at the local bars, armed with chairs and flags, anxiously tooting their whistles, seating themselves in front of improvised screens made of big white sheets.   As I walked towards the theatre, I doubted if anyone would forgo this excitement in order to see an old Eduardo de Filippo play…

At 9 o’clock there were 10 old women seated in the audience, wading in a sea of empty green chairs. But slowly, in dribs and drabs, more people arrived. By 9:30 the episcopio was reasonably full. Full of women who had decided to come to the theater, leaving their husbands and sons to watch soccer.

As the lights went down an old woman looked around and chuckled to her friends: “It looks like we’re all widows for one night!”

It’s been three years since we moved to the Sannio and as memories of the big city fade, an ever-increasing regard for the process of Nature unfolds before me. While walking my dog I welcome the morning dew. I smell the earth, sense the weather and delight in the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables appena colti. Springtime is luscious in every sense: there is a promise of good things, in the greenness of the grass, the budding fruit trees, the climbing pea stalks and the sweet smell of jasmine.

Cantine Aperte takes place on the last Sunday in May and is a perfect occasion to appreciate all this in a single day and to learn what makes the wines in this area so special. For me and the wines of the Sannio, it is the roses…everywhere.

This might seem like a feeble attempt at waxing poetic, but it’s basically true. The oenological reality of this territory is still one of small, single-estate producers that heralds back to a time when families lived off the land and worked their orchards. And so it was that before the advent of metal wire, farmers used their fruit trees as a support for the grape vines. And since the different crops were hand-picked it was easy to harvest (for example) the pears without damaging the grapes and vice versa.

It is wonderful to see the vestiges of this tradition in the Sannio which is why a well-made Aglianico will taste of wild berries, violets, walnut and tobacco and a good Falanghina will speak of apples and almonds and the presence of jasmine and roses.

Our mission at Savour the Sannio is to extol the beauty, history and culinary wealth of the Sannio.

Happily, there is now a haven where the body and spirit can relax and recharge as well. What could be more conducive then an exclusive hideaway, deep in the lap of luxury and far from the chaos of smog and traffic? Inaugurated on June 1st, the spanking new wellness centre of Aquapetra Resort & Spa is a sight for sore city eyes.

Rebuilt from the ruins of a medieval borgo or hamlet and painstakingly restored (the landscaping alone took 11 years!) the centre overlooks immense groves of pristine oaks and silent olives. In the distance rises La Dormiente, or ‘The Sleeping Woman’ as the Taburno mountain is called, due to the resemblance of its outline to a female figure at rest.

It is a calm and gracious setting that gently envelopes you in its silvery-green landscape.

All rooms are equipped with SKY TV and wi-fi internet connection. Prices include a generous buffet breakfast, the use of the pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath and a top line of cosmetics. The complex has a large glass-panelled meeting-room which boasts a spectacular 360° panorama, ideal for motivational and executive meetings, along with beautiful dining facilities that offer regional, national and international cuisine.