Puglia's Gargano Peninsula
/One of the goals for our October trip to Italy was to visit less frequented parts of Puglia. A few years ago, I had never heard of the Gargano Promontory (or Promontorio del Gargano). Considering the shape of the country as a boot, Gargano is the spur. I was reading a travel essay on Italy and the writer remarked that the area was like the Amalfi Coast without the crowds. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful, but the crowds of visitors can be overwhelming. The area sounded like the perfect place for a few days.
After a Frecciarossa high speed train from Rome to Bari, we took a taxi with Luigi from the train station to the airport. After a bit of conversation in Italian and English, he was excited to know we were from Albuquerque, since “his dream” was to visit Route 66. Maybe we’ll see Luigi again some day in ABQ?
In our rental car, the drive to Vieste was indeed as winding and as scenic as the road from Sorrento to Amalfi. The curvy, mountainous road was thankfully free of tour buses. Sadly, there were very few places to pull over on the narrow, two-lane road, so I don’t have any photos from the drive.
We chose a small B&B in the old town, overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Tra Cielo e Mare is a gem, recently renovated, very comfortable, a patio with views and a world-class breakfast prepared by the owners, Andrea or Valeria. Unfortunately, it rained with significant winds during our three days there, so breakfast on the patio was not possible. The owners were very helpful with information for parking and eating. Every restaurant they suggested was outstanding.
A word about rental cars and sleeping in the historic center of small towns, which we did several times. All of the hotels & B&Bs were very good about giving us good directions about checking in and suggesting places where we might park our rental car. If you park on a street or in a parcheggio (parking lot), blue lines mean you need to pay, usually by getting a ticket from a machine using your credit card. White lines mean the parking is free, yellow lines are restricted to taxis, disabled people and, in some towns, green is for residents only.
If the number of campgrounds for RVs is any indication, Vieste is not an undiscovered part of Italy, at least for Europeans who flock there in the summer. In October most of the campgrounds were closed. We were there the weekend of October 18, and a few of the restaurants were closed and a few more were closing after Sunday night for the remainder of the fall and winter. Still, we had a lot to choose from and had great pizza, charcuterie, orrechiette with cima di rapa, and lots of fresh seafood.
To the west of Vieste is the Foresta Umbra (shade forest), a large provincial park that is nearly 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres). The Umbra forest boasts over 2.000 plant species and is the largest Italian deciduous forest with beech trees, with heights of over 40 meters and diameters greater than one metre. Before you arrive at the forest, you pass through acres and acres of olive groves.
We were there during the olive harvest and were able to visit a frantoio, where they press their own olives for oil and also for other olive farmers in the area. We’ll take a deeper dive into Puglian Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a future La Gazzetta.
M'tucci's Cookies & Crostatas Holiday Box is available at all M’tucci’s.
It contains 6 Chocolate Crackle Cookies, 6 Biscochitos, 2 Cranberry Pineapple Crostatas, 2 Strawberry Rhubarb Crostatas, and 2 Cream Cheese and Blueberry Crostatas. The box is only $25 and is only available at the restaurants. In-person purchase only. Sorry, no online or phone orders.
Best Italian for the 8th Consecutive Year!
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
Mushroom & Ricotta Ravioli - Chanterelles, Caramelized Onions, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Duck Brodo, Arugula, Herb Goat Cheese Crème $27
8 oz Picaña - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $33
Pan-Seared Barramundi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $33
Espress/Cherry Braised Pork Collar - Pickled Fennel Slaw, Black Truffle Polenta $25
Weekend Cocktail
Naughty Toddy - Old Forester 86 Bourbon, Honey Cayenne Simple Syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice, Hot Water
M’tucci’s Moderno
6 oz. Black Angus Filet - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Broccolini, Italian Salsa Verde $39
Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Broccolini, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $33
Balsamic Chicken - Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, Spinach & Spaghettini Pasta $23
Weekend Cocktail
Absinthe Mind - Old Forester 86 Bourbon - Kahlúa, Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters, Chocolate bitters, Absinthe Whipped Cream
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Chicken Piccata & Tortelloni - Spinach, Asparagus, Alfredo, Lemon Butter, Capers, Scallions $21
Pan-Seared White Sea Bass - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Zucchini, Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $33
24 oz. Porterhouse - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Creamy Horseradish Remoulade $47
Weekend Cocktail
Winter Spiced Sangria - Paul Masson Brandy, Allspice Dram, Cranberry Juice, Honey Simple Syrup, FreshLemon Juice
M’tucci’s Bar Roma
Pan-Seared Swordfish - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula with Garlic, Seared Stem-on Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $37
Lasagna di Vitello - Classic Mirepoix, Ground Veal and Tomato Ragù, Aged Mozzarella, Braised Greens $24
Weekend Cocktail
Feeling Passionate - Tito’s Vodka, Aperol, Liquid Alchemist Passion Fruit, Vanilla Torani, Fresh Lime Juice, Wycliff Sparkling Float
Live Music for December
M’tucci’s Bar Roma - 6:30pm Wednesday & Noon Sunday
12/15 Cali Shaw
12/18 Javier Ortega
12/22 Shane Wallin
12/29 RJ Perez
M’tucci’s Moderno - 6:30 Thursday & 7:30 Friday
12/13 Michael Rascon
12/19 Shane Wallin
12/20 Robb Janov
12/26 Gilbert Uribe
12/27 Cali Shaw
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - 6:30 Thursday & 7:30 Friday
12/13 Robb Janov
12/19 Cali Shaw
12/20 Gilbert Uribe
12/26 Myles Chavez
12/27 Michael Rascon
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!