by Gretchen Bloom (for Italian Notebook)

Sant’Agata dei Goti, founded by the Goths in the 6th century, boasts some of the deepest cantine (basements) in Italy. Its location on a rock spur between two streams made the old town virtually impregnable…and thanks to the cantine, villagers could store supplies for quite a while. One story speaks of a nine-year siege, in 1038, survived by all!

To understand these cantine dug into the volcanic stone (tuff), one can visit the Mustilli wine cellar, 15 meters deep (45 ft.) and 13 degrees C (57 F) at its deepest point. When the Mustilli purchased the property in the 18th century the cantina was not lit nor was there any proper flooring. Then before the electrical lighting added in the ‘60s, Leonardo Mustilli (pictured below) removed layers of debris with the light from a gas lamp… and found nine deeper holes, presumably for grain storage. He has left one untouched for further archaeological research.

In the old days, the wine was brought up to the neighboring hosteria through an underground tunnel… cleverly avoiding the road tax! During WWII, when the town was bombed, villagers also took refuge in the cantine. Fortunately, the Mustilli daughters Paola and Anna Chiara now use them once again for their original and ideal purpose, storing and aging wine.

An Italian Notebook original article.

“First impressions are so important. And in Naples it’s the vegetable antipasti that belt our a trumpet fanfare for the dishes that follow.

“The bright and shiny skins of tomatoes from northern Europe promise much but deliver only bland and wooly interiors.  Instead, make a food pilgrimage to Vesuvian soil and savor the pomodorini grown in Campania.  What’s so special? The siren song of volcanic minerals in every local vegetable.

“If not bruschetta, or a platter of eggplant, carrots or zucchini presented under a film of olio al peproncino (chili oil), choose a plump, delicately-scented mozzarella combined with prosciutto.  The local white wine. Falanghina, provides essential counterpoint.

Or order any vegetable antipasto della casa, most often a self-serve buffet affair, and brace yourself for a veritable Hallelujah Chorus to set before you!”

Just when you think the heat has taken its final toll on the countryside, when the trees are wilting with thirst, when the high grasses are nothing but a tinderbox, when you can’t stand another day of brutal sunshine, the rain finally arrives.  Soft and gentle, it soothes and cools and relieves your anxiety, giving way to a physical feeling of release and renewal.   People here describe it as sense of grace.  When you live in southern Italy it’s easy to see the ties between the people, their land and livelihood, natural and supernatural phenomena, and religion.  Events that are promoted by the Church are often tinged with a little paganism, such as in the food festivals that take place throughout the year: there is the cherry and apple sagre at S. Agata dei Goti, the wheat festival at Foglianise, even the mushrooms are feted at Cusano Mutri; all these crops are anxiously awaited and their bounty celebrated.  A case in point is the Festa dell’Uva at Solopaca.

Solopaca is a small town (population just over 4000) located at the base of the Taburno Mountain and has been known for its wines since the 12th century although its origins date back to pre-history. Like many towns in Campania, it was invaded by the Normans after the fall of the Roman Empire.  In the 15th and 16th centuries it came under the rule of feudal families such as the Monsori, the Lagonesse and the Caraccoioli.

Grapes and wines represent the mainstays of the local economy, so this is a really important event.  Mayors from all over the region are seated on a raised platform strategically placed before the main church, accompanied by the city’s police force carrying their colorful municipal banners.  Solopacan’s parade along the main street in period costumes, solemly pacing ahead of the sbandieratori (flag throwers). There are brigands and pulcinellas, peasants playing the putipù, kings, queens and damsels, gayly defying the brooding clouds that are gathering over the mountain tops.

Hundreds of people line the streets, young and old, eating sausages, broiled corn and ice cream, waiting to see the giant floats as they pass by (which will then procede to Naples to be displayed the following day).   But they all have one thing in common: they are completely covered and carefully inlaid with grapes: green, gold and black.  First come the various wine producers with their logos interpreted as mosaics of grapes.  Then comes the triumphant Madonna, elegantly cloaked in black and gold (grapes).

Then follow the bigger floats with subjects running from political satire to television shows.  My favorite had a sign boasting, “Non farti prendere dal panico, futtite ‘na bottiglia e Aglianico” (”Don’t get yourself into a panico, relax and drink a bottle of Aglianico”).

I enjoy participating in these events where the sacred and profane intermingle quite naturally.  A nun strolls with a woman in excruciatingly tight pants; priests and politicians pose amicably in front of the church. Life is too damn short and everyone wants to enjoy the last summer sun… as Winter is just around the corner.

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.

It all depends on what you’re looing for.

If your idea of a vacation is a place full of people, a whirlwind of activities and outlet shopping malls, this is not the place for you.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for somewhere quiet, far from the madding crowd, yet within easy access of Rome, Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, then this is the place for you.

Mesogheo (pronounced me-SO’-gheo) is a marvelous bed & breakfast inn, surrounded by lush centuries-old olive groves at the foot of the Camposauro mountain in the province of Benevento. It started as a renovated farmhouse for its owners Fabrizio and Lucia. On the ground floor they opened a small restaurant which offered Lucia’s creative cooking based totally on local produce and food sources. With small intimate rooms and a well-stocked library, the atmosphere was at once subdued yet warm and friendly, ideal for making and meeting friends. Their guests were so taken with the location that they were reluctant to leave and always asked if they had rooms. They therefore decided to build three isolated ‘dependences’ with 10 drop-dead gorgeous rooms (all ensuite with fireplaces) and added two swimming pools.

The area is perfect for pleasant walks and excursions. Among the rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves it is easy to tour the medieval towns and cities as well as the major tourist sites. It is also a stone’s throw away from the thermal baths of Telese.
A stay at Mesogheo makes for a very special kind of vacation. Nothing is imposed but everything is at your fingertips: good food, good company, relaxation, culture and extraordinary beauty.

Visit Fabrizio and Lucia’s website at www.mesogheo.com to read more and see pictures of this extraordinary estate.