Summertime sadness

There are magic places timeless and spaceless! They are not so far away but not for this less interesting! For this reason I would like to tell you about an island, very close to my hometown, in which I need to spend at least some days every year: Sant’Angelo, a little area on the Island of Ischia.

 

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View of Sant’Angelo from Serrara Fontana

 

Fishermen village, popular for a beach tongue between white houses and lots of bougainvillea. The main square, Piazzetta Sant’Angelo, is full of bars, restaurants and nice shops. The reference here is Dal Pescatore. A bar and a restaurant that serves a very good coffee. Paolo welcomes you, telling more about the cakes (around 50), that his mother, Signora Lucia, prepares every day. I love going there for my second breakfast (bad Milanese habit), coffee and croissant, both delicious or in the late afternoon, where the sunset colours reflect into the blue sea and I love drinking their homemade tea with some granita.

 

 

Signora Lucia and her morning sweeties

 

 

On the small port of Sant’Angelo, there are taxi boats to bring you to a wonderful and long beach, Fumarole  and Maronti, with a great view on the island of Capri.

 

View on Capri from Via Sant'Angelo

 

 

There are several beach properties. There is Ferdinando, who cooks a lot of dishes with the Volcanos comingout gas. You can have octopus, squid, rice and even some amazing stuffed figs. There is also Da Emanuela that serves anchovies stuffed with mozzarella. From le Fumarole to i Maronti, at Cavascura, there is a very popular small restaurant, Stalino, a very simple and traditional place. It is very small so you need to book in advance. They offer the most famous and typical dish, coniglio (rabbit)all’ischitana. The recipe is secret but it is not so difficult.The rabbit is marinated, seared and then cooked with tomatoes and spices in a large clay pot for long time.

If you wanna to relax with a massage or some hot springs, stop at Giardini Aphrodite-Apollon.

 

Taverna Pietro Paolo, better known as Stalino

 

 

Around 19 this part of the island gives its best. The sunset, orange, yellow red and the sea, deep blue, light blue, green:this is pure poetry! During this part of the day I love running, feeling completely part of the amazing nature around me.

 

 

 

You might be asking why Sant’Angelo is so special?Sant’Angelo is special because it gives the pleasure that only small things give…Note that cars are forbidden so be ready to look at the most magnificent sky you’ve ever seen.

 

 

Orecchiette improvvisate

Flight booked the day before the departure, luggage prepared few hours before landing…here we are, off to Villasimus. 

This is a magic place in which nature rocks: white beaches, light blue sea, blue sky, flamingos, fluo spider and good food in good company. 

Even in Paradise I can’t not cooking so I prepared this fragrant and quick recipe. 

100 gr broccoli (serving 4)
 70 gr Anchovies fillets preserved in evo oil 

150 gr goat ricotta

A clove of garlic

Fresh red chili

Wash the broccoli and cut them into big pieces. Put a saucepan over high heat with water. When It starts to boil, add the broccoli for 10 min then drain the broccoli and save the water to cook the pasta. 

In the meanwhile in a pan, heat up the oil with a clove of garlic, add the broccoli smashed into small pieces and the anchovies and some raisins you had rinsed before in warm water.

Pour 2,3 spoons of the pasta and broccoli water into ricotta to get a cream.

Once the pasta is cooked, mix with the ricotta cream and then toss with the broccoli sauce into the pan. 

Serve with some fresh red chili flakes.