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  • About me
  • Polignano sensory food tour
  • Private workshops
  • PUGLIA – the book
  • e-shop
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe to my newsletter
  • Contacts

Podcast

I talked about Puglia also on podcasts.

On Untold Italy travel podcast:

  • Murgia: bread, burrata and James Bond! (Apple podcast; Spotify)
  • A Taste of Puglia: Local Dishes and Flavors to Try (Apple Podcasts; Spotify).

And on Eat This Podcast by Jeremy Cherfas:

  • Puglia.

Enjoy!

Contact

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me. / Privacy policy

spaghettiabc
Essential bestiary for an autumn Sunday. This morn Essential bestiary for an autumn Sunday. This morning I was woken by the sound of cowbells from the mules of Turi (half horse, half donkey), peacefully crossing the bridge over the small canyon below my home. It’s an agricultural tradition celebrating the end of the threshing season. Devoted to Saint Vitus, the mules walk all the way from the inland town of Turi to the shores of Polignano for a ritual dip in the salty sea. They are adorned with silver banners featuring symbols reminiscent of medieval Apulian church portals: dolphins, foxes, birds. On the feast day of Saint Francis, patron saint of animals, I begin to pay closer attention to them. Stepping into the main church of Polignano, they are everywhere: spirit guides, bearers of values, vices, and virtues. Lying at the feet of saints as loyal companions — Saint Vitus is the patron of dogs — or serving as the incarnation of sinful desires. Rampant greyhounds on heraldic coats of arms and industrious bees buzzing across the altar’s majolica tiles. Mysterious and magical beings who speak languages unknown to us, yet capable of connecting with anyone who, like us, seeks to open new paths of listening.
Raccontare l’extravergine significa innanzitutto c Raccontare l’extravergine significa innanzitutto conoscere chi siamo come azienda. I nostri valori, la nostra mission, il nostro posto nel mondo, e a chi parliamo. Solo allora potremo narrare il nostro ecosistema, i nostri prodotti, al nostro pubblico, con un tono di voce coerente. Felice di aver guidato olivicoltori e olivicoltrici (che sono tante e sono delle vere role models) del Sud Italia per @fioi.olivicoltoriindipendenti in un laboratorio di due giorni sui temi della comunicazione e del branding. Tanti esercizi pratici, partecipazione e dialogo, in sessioni corali di confronto fra pari. Grazie a @fioi.puglia per l’invito a @olio_ciccolella_ per l’ospitalità e a tutte le aziende che si sono messe in gioco. Farete grandi cose, oltre che grandi olii 🫒💚
Oggi su @repubblica_bari con una mia riflessione s Oggi su @repubblica_bari con una mia riflessione su turismo, identità ed enogastronomia. La Puglia che vorrei, continuando il dibattito avviato da @nick_difino qualche giorno fa
Every time we taste an artisanal cheese, we savor Every time we taste an artisanal cheese, we savor a piece of the land where it was produced, its agricultural history, and the identity of the community that created it. This weekend I was in Agnone (Isernia) for @casearia.fiera , a fair dedicated to Italian cheeses. And I’d like to tell you about a few of them. Testun - Piedmont A raw milk cheese typical of the Cuneo area, featuring a white rind—showing the imprints of the cloths used to press it during production—and a melt-in-your-mouth interior. @caseificiopersia Pecorino di Farindola - Abruzzo The only pecorino in the world to use pig rennet, which gives it a distinctive aroma and flavor profile. Consorzio Pecorino di Farindola Aromatizau - Sardinia A raw milk Sardinian pecorino with a brown rind that shines like leather thanks to a treatment with extra virgin olive oil. Made using vegetable rennet, the cheese is naturally smoked over Mediterranean maquis leaves, giving it complex tertiary aromas that are simultaneously vegetal, caramelized, and smoky. @azienda_erkiles Ovine-Caprine Cacioricotta - Molise A historical cheese from the Molisan transhumance traditions, reinterpreted with a contemporary twist. It combines the creamy texture typical of ricotta with the complex aromas of sheep and goat cheeses. In this version, it is aged with mallow, cornflower, marigold, and rose petals. @albaaziendamultifunzionale Polvere - Campania A soft-paste cow’s milk cheese aged with gin, powdered rosemary, and pink peppercorns. Designed specifically for pairings with cocktails and aperitifs. @kasannafamily Caciocavallo - Campania Among the winners at the Casearia Awards is the caciocavallo by Luigi and Enza Di Cecca, who have made this cheese their flagship product. Also famous in the version called “Il cocciuto” (“The Stubborn One”), encased in an unbaked clay pot and designed to offer a home-aging experience. @il_fienile_cheeseacademy Il cocciuto @il_fienile_cheeseacademy Cheese can also be an ingredient in cocktails. Especially when crafted by @brunovanzan_official , who manages to capture the essence of @biancometa_ goat’s milk blue cheese in a cocktail made with Calvados, Williams Pear Cordial, and Fino She
A stroll through the Independent Republic of Madon A stroll through the Independent Republic of Madonnella, suspended between the glow of sunset and the first hours of the night. During the week in which, for nearly five years now, an artists’ collective performs a grand neighborhood laundry installation. The sheet hanging from the windows of 1920s buildings don’t smell of Marseille soap, but of ink, tempera, and acrylics. An open-air exhibition to take in with your head tilted upward, leaving the waterfront and its Rationalist architecture at your back. @ilmattinohaloryinbocca , final week of August, Madonnella neighborhood, Bari.
Nella speranza di fuggire ad una felicità sovraffo Nella speranza di fuggire ad una felicità sovraffollata, mi sono fatta guidare da istinto e improvvisazione. Seguendo i colori abbaglianti delle facciate rosa fragola e tuorlo d’uovo. Evitando l’esalare caldo dell’asfalto che non si placa neanche di notte, ho risalito a ritroso un refolo attraverso il passaggio stretto tra due case. Per trovarmi nel baretto nascosto dell’ultima pineta superstite di una nota località balneare. Ho rubato fichi nella notte, con le stelle che precipitavano alle mie spalle e i sandali polverosi di terra ruggine. Ho captato il profumo agrodolce dei gigli di mare sulla costa rocciosa, più adatta agli zoccoli piccoli di una capra che ad una persona. Vegliato anziane spose bassotte che si lasciavano attraversare, con gli occhi socchiusi, da correnti d’aria salmastra. La cucina era satura del sugo di pomodoro fresco, di finocchietto e ricotta fermentata. Ho guadato sorgenti ghiacciate, comprato meloni gialletti da un ciclopico fruttivendolo che arrostiva il suo pranzo in una radura circondata da canne, sul ciglio della strada. Qualche giorno dell’estate 2026. Non geolocalizzata.
“There is no real female self-determination until “There is no real female self-determination until women are freed from economic dependence.” In an Italy where, even in 2026, 37% of women do not have their own personal bank account — holding only a joint account with a partner or family member — the words of @cristinarizzo60 , director of @le_costantine_ , resonate as a reminder echoing through the walls of the weaving workshop in Casamassella. “Amando e Cantando” (Loving and Singing) is the motto emblazoned across the main façade of the Foundation, nestled within an agricultural estate rooted in Steinerian philosophy, where ancient grains, legumes, and fruits are cultivated according to biodynamic principles. August newsletter is out. Read it in the link in bio
Il cielo di fine luglio. Che se ti avvicini di più Il cielo di fine luglio. Che se ti avvicini di più, puoi caderci dentro. Luna piena in Aquario, il giorno prima #putignano #fullmoon #puglia
L’elevator pitch è una brevissima presentazione ch L’elevator pitch è una brevissima presentazione che dura tra i 30 e i 60 secondi. Il tempo per parlare della tua idea di business ad ipotetico investitore che viaggia in ascensore con te, catturandone l’attenzione. In televisione è esattamente lo stesso. Avantieri ho pitchato i prodotti del territorio di Polignano su @rai1official nel programma Camper - Osteria Italia, condotto da @peppone_calabrese e @marioacampa . E credo che gli sporcamuss abbiano lasciato il segno. Felice di aver contribuito al racconto enogastronomico del mio paese con Giuseppe Pellico @_ipdomenicomodugno_ e Bartolo L’Abbate. Un grazie speciale a chi ci ha dato supportato in tempo record, sotto il sole di luglio, con prodotti, logistica e gentilezza: @casaorecchietta @pescherialoscoglio @terredisanvito @morus_ristorante , ortofrutta Il Portico, la panetteria di Marilù. E al Comune di Polignano @vitocarrierisindaco.polignano Ospiti con noi, l’artigiano Giuseppe Leogrande e la band @skanderground #rai1 #polignanoamare
Produrre un olio extravergine d’oliva di eccellenz Produrre un olio extravergine d’oliva di eccellenza richiede competenze agronomiche, investimenti e una profonda conoscenza del territorio. Tuttavia, la qualità del prodotto da sola non è più sufficiente: un’azienda agricola deve saper posizionarsi sul mercato, comunicando in modo chiaro il proprio valore. Saper raccontare l’identità del proprio extravergine è una competenza strategica che si può acquisire attraverso strumenti pratici e mirati. Per questa ragione, @fioi.puglia organizza un percorso formativo specialistico dedicato alle imprese del settore. 📖 FORMA, IDENTITÀ, VOCE. Come raccontare l’extravergine. Un workshop pratico progettato per dare alle imprese dell’olio gli strumenti per raccontarsi. Un laboratorio concreto di scrittura e identità aziendale per definire il proprio pubblico, mettere a fuoco i punti di forza e trovare le parole esatte per descrivere il proprio lavoro. Con la sua esperienza ventennale nella comunicazione del cibo, Flavia Giordano @spaghettiabc ti guiderà passo dopo passo a trovare la tua voce unica sul mercato, per tradurre il valore del tuo olio e della tua azienda in storie capaci di raccontarti al tuo pubblico ideale. 👉 Sfoglia il carosello per scoprire il programma delle due giornate (11 settembre in presenza presso il Frantoio Ciccolella a Molfetta e 18 settembre online), i costi e i dettagli operativi. ⚠️ I posti sono limitati per garantire lo svolgimento ottimale delle esercitazioni pratiche. 📞 Per informazioni e prenotazioni: Invia un messaggio WhatsApp o chiama il numero 347 539 0822 #olioevo #olivicoltura #fioi #comunicazionedelcibo
48 hours in Berlin. A few photos and a few address 48 hours in Berlin. A few photos and a few addresses. A glass of wine at @weinladenberlin Coffe and meeting at @michelbergerhotel How thick the Berliner Mauer? Thin enough to divide deeply @cinnamood_ for cinnamon rolls lovers (velvet, tiramisu, pistachios) Cargo bike and dogs everywhere @stoke.berlin izakaya The Spree DDR bubbles: Rotkäppchen sekt. Not my thing but had to try. Puglia workshop at the urban gardens: how talented my guests? Grazie @mariella_bln for the hospitality! @tazzadoroberlin for an Italian espresso. @silinbln not included :) @viani.de shopping for your favorite Italian groceries Ciao Berlino!
L’enogastronomia locale può essere inclusiva? Ne L’enogastronomia locale può essere inclusiva? Ne ho parlato oggi come docente del Master in Cultura e management del turismo enogastronomico di @treccaniaccademia Le special diets sono un punto di vista unico per scoprire la cultura regionale, oltre che un vantaggio competitivo nella gestione di un’experience. Lieta di aver lavorato in classe con un pubblico attento, di sommelier, imprenditor*, operator* turistic*. Grazie al team per avermi coinvolto in questa avventura. Ci rivediamo alla prossima edizione!
Urban rituals: foraging capers on the city walls. Urban rituals: foraging capers on the city walls. Buona notte di San Giovanni 🌱 #capers #puglia 📹 @davide_fabio_colaci
🇬🇧 ARE - TERRE DEL NEGROAMARO FEST 🍇 > Visiting Sa 🇬🇧 ARE - TERRE DEL NEGROAMARO FEST 🍇 > Visiting Salento this July? Join our FREE Food & Wine Walking Tour in English on Saturday, July 18th in Guagnano old town! Led by Flavia Giordano, food writer and sommelier, you’ll discover the roots of Negroamaro wines and the producers while navigating the best food & wine stands. ✉️ Info & Booking: info@arefest.it 🇮🇹Sarete in Salento a metà luglio? Sabato 18 luglio, a partire dalle 20:00, nel centro storico di Guagnano, si terrà la seconda giornata di /ARE Fest, il Festival del Negroamaro dedicato alla valorizzazione del patrimonio enogastronomico e culturale del territorio, tra degustazioni e momenti di approfondimento. Quest’anno sarò presente anch’io per accompagnarvi in un tour esclusivo in inglese alla scoperta del festival e della città di Guagnano, tra vini, produttori e storie. La partecipazione è gratuita. Per informazioni e prenotazioni: info@arefest.it 📹 @simone_cremis
Micorriza: è la simbiosi speciale che si crea fra Micorriza: è la simbiosi speciale che si crea fra tartufo (con il suo micelio) e le radici della pianta ospite (leccio, roverella, fragno). Si tratta di un vero e proprio scambio mutualistico in cui due organismi vivendo a stretto contatto traggono benefici reciproci: il tartufo riceve zuccheri e in cambio fornisce alla pianta acqua e sali minerali. La micorriza è stata la chiave di lettura del @giurdignanofest , 4 giorni dedicati alla cultura del tartufo inteso come ecosistema fatto di persone e luoghi. Di reti e connessioni. E cambio narrativa. Un Salento tridimensionale e complesso. In cui c’erano sì “sule, mare, ientu” ma anche, megaliti, barbatelle, luminarie. Passeggiate nei boschi con i lagotti ed esplorazioni nel sottosuolo - suoli umidi e fungini - tra frantoi e chiese ipogee. Vini salmastri e piatti cuciti intorno al territorio. Contenta di aver portato il mio racconto con il libro PUGLIA. Grazie a @michele4740 e a tutto il team di @pugliaexpo , ai Comuni di Giurdignano e Calestano e alle persone con cui è stato un piacere intrecciare storie, ife e spore in questi giorni. Ph. Credits @paolo_laku_photo
Cantina Moros: the outsider of Salice Salentino A Cantina Moros: the outsider of Salice Salentino A cooperative winery founded in the 1950s, built beside the railway tracks to ship vast quantities of bulk wine out of Puglia. Today, from a single hectare of vineyard, it produces just 6,000 bottles a year. The story of Cantina Moros in Guagnano is one of contrasts. Here, Negroamaro, one of Puglia’s oldest grape varieties, is vinified in a winery that feels strikingly contemporary. Once a place of production. Today, also an art gallery and cultural hub where people gather to read, talk about art and listen to music. Canvases climb the walls of the barrel cellar. Artworks converse with the concrete fermentation tanks, stained by the indelible tannins of Negroamaro. The project bears the signature of the Quarta family. First Claudio, now his daughter @quartaquota . In between came the transition to the @tommasi_wines family who chose to preserve its identity with @masseriasuraniwines During a vertical tasting of Salice Salentino DOC Riserva — Negroamaro with a small percentage of Malvasia Nera — I tasted the 2020, 2017 and 2015 vintages, watching time at work. The tannins soften. The acidity remains vibrant. Aromas stretch from Mediterranean scrub towards liquorice root, balsamic notes and menthol. Then you descend into the underground cellar. Among craters and oinochoai dating back to the 4th century BC, wine reminds us of its oldest purpose: bringing people together. The Greek word symposium means exactly that: drinking together. Perhaps this is also the role of a winery today. Not simply to produce wine, but to become an open place, crossed by people, ideas and stories. A place that belongs both to those who live this land and to those who arrive to discover it. Hyper-local soundtrack @luciamancamusic #presstour #invited
You only live twice. Once as a food writer in Aust You only live twice. Once as a food writer in Australia. Once as wine grower in Umbria. Five years ago, @annie.c.conley and her husband @reschs , sommelier, traded one life for another. At the foot of Todi, among the bends of the Tiber River and the rolling Umbrian hills, they created Beulah Violetta, a biodynamic farm that reflects their shared vision of hospitality, farming and wine. Here, wine growing is part of a much larger ecosystem. A microcosm cultivated according to regenerative principles, where vineyards, olive groves, orchards and insects coexist in a dynamic balance. Inspired by agronomist @adrianozago_ concept of garden vineyard: a living landscape where vines engage in constant dialogue with everything around them. The century-old farmhouse, reimagined by @lazzarinipickering , preserves its rural soul while embracing a contemporary sensibility. At its centre, the kitchen is the beating heart of the house, where harvests, bottles and people meet. I visited on Annie’s birthday. A lunch beneath the pergola, surrounded by her closest friends and family. For the occasion, chefs @morgygalinha @jeffeclaudio @james_edward_henry_ created a menu celebrating Umbrian spring: zucchini flowers, peas, garden vegetables cooked over embers and served with the estate’s olive oil, balsamic vinegar, truffles and free-range chicken. Dishes designed to harmonise with the wines of Beulah Violetta. Stesso Stesso, a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Merlot. Juicy and supple, with soft tannins and notes of red mulberry, the tree that shades the farmhouse. Panda Rosa, a bright, crunchy Ciliegiolo, made for summer evenings when the light lingers over the hills and the pergola becomes the only place you want to be. A few kilometres away lies Todi: a slow city of steep lanes, hidden gardens and medieval churches. And then there is Paolo, the barber in Corso Cavour. His shop has been open since 1869, one of the oldest in Italy, where time seems to move differently. A little like life here. Ph. credits: me, @beulah_violetta @nik_to @carlottavittoriab
Angelo Milano has so many ideas they leak out of h Angelo Milano has so many ideas they leak out of his brain and stick to everything around him: walls, tiles, fabrics, tables, canvases — covering them in patterns and colours. He calls them “ste robe” (“this stuff”). I’d call it creative infestation. This month’s newsletter takes you inside @studiocromie , a print studio and art gallery based in Grottaglie (Taranto). Recipe of fusilli, sweet potatoes and provolone included. Scroll to enter. #grottaglie #studiocromie #artgallery
It was 2018. I was living in Sweden, running my It It was 2018. I was living in Sweden, running my Italian cooking school and organizing food tours in Puglia to introduce the best local artisans to a Swedish audience. Back then, Vito was working in his family dairy. He used to tell me about his dream of opening a place of his own—a cheese bar hidden in the Mercadante forest. Eight years later, here we are at @baby.dicecca , the place @cheeseinside and @robertadelia brought to life together, and where today I presented my eighth book: PUGLIA. All these years later, we still share the same love for our region and the same desire to tell its story—honoring our agricultural roots, our peasant heritage, our ancestry of shepherds and massari. And, of course, cheeses made the proper way. Thank you to everyone who came to listen, talk, and embrace us—from Puglia, the United States, Canada, Belarus, and the Czech Republic. To @rossanalaera , for guiding the conversation with us. And naturally, to Vito, Roberta, and the whole team. Long live Amore Primitivo (that beautiful goat blue cheese aged with Primitivo wine and sour cherries), the wild cardoons of the Murgia, the terrines of gratinated beet leaves with scamorza, and those coffee desserts dancing on their little saucers. (Last photo: Flavia and Vito on tour back in 2018, together with the coolest people and friends from the Malmö and Lund food scene. Miss u.)
Fractals are geometric forms defined by self-simil Fractals are geometric forms defined by self-similarity. Complex patterns found in nature, repeating themselves across different scales. The iridescent scales of a red mullet, the sharp spines of a sea urchin, the delicate membranes of a fig leaf. The same textures wrap around the bottles of @pugliapop , a winery nestled in the countryside of Martina Franca, where design and a fresh, vibrant voice have become a signature. Here, among the rows of vines encircling a winery framed by trulli, grow the whites of the Valle d’Itria (Verdeca and Bianco d’Alessano) crisp and mineral-driven. Alongside them the red Susumaniello, generous and full-bodied, and Primitivo di Manduria, soft and velvety. The winery itself is a white parallelepiped, wrapped in ivy, standing monolithic against the sky. Inside, the fermentation tanks trace the rhythm of the space, while in the barrel room time slows down. You linger over a private tasting, gazing through guillotine windows onto the Apulian countryside. Puglia POP is conceived both as a place of production and as a place to gather, for aperitivi set to music, for the simple pleasure of being together. A place to enjoy wine as something that connects, guided by a quietly hedonistic, bon vivant spirit.
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