Tr avel report NAPLES
walkways near Antica Pizzeria Port Alba - reportedly the oldest pizzeria in the world.
Established as a street vendors stand in 1738 - replaced by today’s pizzeria in 1830 - the place still acts as a beacon for locals, a meeting place for incomers and natives.
Stepping inside is like a walk back through time - they don’t even have a website. Why would you need one, when the pizza itself is good enough to become legend?
The classic chewy base and charred crust plays host to simple toppings in the restaurant upstairs. The downstairs kitchen is a hive of activity, overseen by the huge pizza oven lined with lava rocks from Vesuvius.
Simplicity is a theme when it comes to the food we find here. Nowhere more so than the Limoncello di Capri Factory.
There are lemons. Lots and lots of lemons, And very little else is needed to make the 9,000 bottles a day that roll of the production line here. It’s a largely mechanised from Camden who served up their now infamous pizza fritta and Café Cannoli, serving authentic Sicilian cannoli from the UK’s only cannoli cart.
Maurizio Cecco, festival founder and owner of Salvi’s said: “We were thrilled to be able to bring Festa Italiana back to Manchester after the incredibly successful first year. This year’s event was process, but endearingly, at the end of all the machinery, stands one man, putting the blue bottle top sleeves on. The human touch. even bigger and better than before and we are very proud to bring Manchester’s Italian community together and create a space where we can celebrate and enjoy everything that Italian culture is all about. We’re already planning for next year!” ■■Festa Italiana was organised by Salvi’s restaurants and Manchester’s Italian community.
Wander through the gift shop for more lemon-themed items than you ever thought possible and find your way to the bar, where you can grab shots, cocktails, or even limoncello slushies.
It’s definitely my kind of interactive tour experience, and I leave there feeling far more enthused about lemons than I ever thought possible.
Also - the lemons here are massive. As big as your head. Impressive.
That morning, we’d visited mozzarella factory Caseificio Cascone - not something you’d necessarily look forward to after a night exploring the local grappa. It was an unexpected hit, as the fresh warm balls of cheese make their way through the giant silver machines and plop satisfyingly into their final resting place of a water bath. Eaten fresh, there’s nothing much that compares to it.
The food tour is courtesy of Festa Italiana - which rolled into Manchester last week, showcasing the best in regional Italian cuisine.
You can see why there’s a desire to showcase more than just your average pizza and pasta - wandering around the charming streets of Sorrento or the ancient squares of Pompeii, there’s a rich history here and a strong sense of community underpinned by food and drink.
Taking in a late night espresso is given extra grandeur in the beautiful Espresso at Gambrinus. It’s about as far away from your average Costa Coffee as you can get - the sweeping and ornate bar top displays bursting with cakes and pastries give way to a red carpet that leads you inside the most beautiful tea room.
Nobody in this region just sells food. They eulogise about it. They curate it.