Regions

San Daniele is located in the northen Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, on the eastern side of the Tagliamento river. Despite the fact that the city is inhabited by less than 9 thousand people, its name is well known all over the world. This is due to the famous raw and dried ham of San Daniele, which is handmade locally, following century-long traditions. This makes it a product with a protected geographical name.
Arianna has shown Flóra the preparation of the ham in the Prolongo ham factory. It was Arianna’s grandfather who laid the ground of the multi-generation family business and the technique of ham-aging. This technique hasn’t changed much since, courtesy of the outstanding terroir of the San Daniele valley, which is a key to the succulent ripeness of the ham as we all know it.

Conegliano lies next to Prosecco in the Veneto province of Treviso region. The city of 35 thousand inhabitants boasts a great cultural and architectural heritage, it is much more famous however for its vineyards. This is where prosecco, this fairly young and popular drink is made. What’s more, the strictly regulated Prosecco Superiore DOCG, which is protected under PDO (protected designation of origin), is only made in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene axis, which is well-known for its’ high quality land. The plantations can be found 50 kilometres northwest from Venice. They mainly have calcareous soil. Because of the steepness of the hills in this area, parcels are usually organized into graduated terrace steps. The whole regions is 13 000 hectares, 5200 of which is regarded as high quality land. Flóra has visited this place and she was accompanied by Domenico to the dunes and to the bottling plant of Vigne Doro.

Corno di Rosazzo egy kis község Udine környékén, Friuli tartományban. Az alig háromezer fős kisváros a lankás dombok és szőlőültetvények között húzódik meg a kicsit nagyobb Cividale város szomszédságában. A két város között találhatóak Antonio Volpe, a Le Due Torri borászat ültetvényei is. Cividale, Friuli tartomány talán legszebb kisvárosa, a kétezer éves település számos értékes műemléket rejt zegzugos utcái között, de mindenekelőtt sajátos hangulata, csodálatos fekvése és kitűnő borai miatt kihagyhatatlan látnivaló.
Az Udinétől 15 km-re keletre lévő Cividale del Friuli legnevezetesebb műemléke a világhírű, ősi longobárd templom, a legfelejthetetlenebb élmény azonban a céltalan bolyongás az óváros szűk utcácskáiban, sikátoraiban, egy pohár kitűnő helyi bor élvezete valamelyik hangulatos piazzán, és természetesen az Ördög-híd nem mindennapi látványa.
Flóra is bejárta ezt a városkát, hogy aztán elfogyasszon egy, az olasz szokásoknak megfelelő aperitivot. Itt ismerte meg a Frico Friulano-t is, melynek szerencsére a receptét Alessandro meg is tanította neki.

Castelfranco is located in the Northern Italian region of Veneto, close to the Alps in the Treviso province. Around 35 thousand people live in this city, which is famous for its untouched medieval castle wall and dome. The famous Italian Reneissance painter, Giorgione (a.k.a. Giorgio di Castelfranco), the Venetian master was also born here.
Flora tasted the sweetest Italian desserts in this wonderful city. She experienced state-of-the-art pastry making in the Fraccaro Spumadoro Spa confectionary with the guidance of Paolo Pietrobon, Luca Fraccaro and Michele Fraccaro.

Cortaccia lies close to the Northern Italian city of Bolzano, in the mountains next to the Austrian border. One can strongly feel the Austrian influence in traditions and customs, and of course in the presence of the German language. In Cortaccia, where apple and grape act as ambassadors, people know each other well. Not only because it is a small village, but also because the Kurtatsch winery functions as a cooperative with 120 winemakers as members.
Two members of the Kurtatsch Kellerei, Michael and Andreas showed Flora around the vineyards and the centuries-old wine cellars.

Asciano is located in one of the most beautiful regions in Italy – Tuscany. This breathtaking Mediterranean city amuses visitors with its’ lovely houses, architecture and the landscape. The hilly Tuscan view reminds us of the movies: cypress trees along roads leading to Tuscan villas surrounded by olive trees and vineyards.
The Podere Albrese agriturismo, led by the family of Lucia, looks just like that. They produce wine and olive oil, and they welcome all tourists. During Flora’s visit, Lucia guided her around and showed her the making of the Chianti wine.

Those who arrive in this gothic city in the heart of Tuscany will find narrow streets, medieval buildings, churches and lovely piazzas. Sienese people embraced their historical heritage not only in the cityscape, but also in the Paliot horse riding and flag throwing competition. In this bi-annual event, young people from the different districts of Siena pit themselves against each other, surrounded by the rolling crowd. This is their way to honour this ancient tradition.
Flora visited this place with Lucia, whom she met at Podere Alberese. Fabio explained to her the making of olive oil and the art of olive oil tasting.

Torrita di Siena got its’ name from the rectangular shaped towers, also known as torre in Italian. It is an ancient, thousand-year-old city with four towers and three gates in the city wall, which preserved the intactness and constancy of the city throughout centuries.
Flora explored the city on her scooter. Youngsters practived flag throwing here, and everybody was extremely welcoming, from Giorgo the bus driver to Roberta, the manager of the Belli butcher, who all provided Flora a glimpse into locals’ hospitality.

The city of Grosseto lies very close to the sea on the southern part of Tuscany. It is surrounded by medieval city walls, harbouring such historical gems as the San Lorenzo dome, the Dante Alighieri piazza and countless little streets. It’s a wonderful mixture of history and smaller artisanal stores.
Here in this magical place one can find the Nannoni distillery, where probably the most delicious grappa is being made. Flora visited the head distiller herself, Priscilla.

Padua is located in the Veneto region, on the northern part of Italy. It was the place of several historical milestones, here rests Saint Anthony of Padua and it is a popular pilgrimage destination. Its’ university was among the first ones in the European continent, founded in 1222. It made Padua an important cultural centre, even Hungarian students enrolled. The institution is proud of its’ famous teachers throughout the centuries, among them Galileo Galilei.
Padua is also a source of outstanding quality wheat flour , which serves as the base for all pasta and bread made in Akademia Italia. Flora visited the Quaglia mill as well, which is expanding since generations. They produce the world famous Petra flour too. The colleagues at the mill showed Flora not only the flour grinding process, but also the state-of-the-art pizza making at the pizza and pasta academy nearby.

On the south-western part of sunny Sicily lies the coastal town of Sciacca, which lures tourists with its’ charming old city. Due to the proximity of the sea, fishing, beautiful beaches and delicious seafood have become the hallmarks of the city.
Olive oil is a typical product of the region, and Flora was fortunate enough to discover the best of them with the help of Desire, who works in the Regno dei Ulivi factory. They visited the mystical ancient olive tree, and they harvested and tasted the different flavours as well. The famous street vendor of Sciacca, Calogero showed Flora the pistachio street food, which is really popular in Sicily.

Marsala is located on the Western part of Sicily. It is a typical fishing village and an important wine centre. With just 140 kilometres from Tunisia, its’ original name was Marsa Allah, which literally translates to “God’s Harbour”. The hallmarks of this special town are the marsala wine and the sea salt produced nearby.
The best winery of Sicily (and probably of the whole country) can be found here as well: the Donnafugata winery. The Rallo family owns and cultivates various vineyards in Sicily and on the Pantelleria island since 1851. The winery produces red, white and sweet wines. Flora explored the facility with the manager of Donnafugata, José, who made her taste the best wines of the house, and who told a lot of stories about the divine marriage of wines and music.

Lecce is the capital of the province of Lecce in the middle of the Salentine Peninsula. It is one of the main cities in the Puglia region, sometimes referred to as the “Florence of The South”, due to the baroque architecture. This magnificent place is like an open-air museum. Everyday life is interwoven with the beauty of history.
The Contizecca winery is located outside Lecce. Flora arrived just in time for harvesting, so after participating in the process, she could savour the delicious wines too. She visited Signora Ada, who showed her all the local delicacies, like the Pittule Leccesi and the chickpea cream. She made sure to explore the heavenly desserts of Lecce as well.

Bari is the capital of the Puglia region, located in the “heel” of the Italian boot. It is the second biggest city in South Italy after Naples. Lying on the shores of the Adriatic sea, the city is several hundred years old. The local feel is dominated by the sea, the small villages nearby and the olive oil plantations.
The De Carlo olive oil factory has more than 10 000 trees in this region. It is a multigenerational family business, owned by the De Carlo family, who invited Flora for the olive harvest. They even taught her how to savour the olive oil, and how to prepare a wonderful vegetable pasta with it.

At the “ankle” of the Italian boot, about 30 kilometres from Naples one can find Gragnano. It is also called the “The European Capital of Pasta” by the locals, because the process of slow pasta drying was invented here. They left the fresh pasta to hang outdoors, and the winds blowing through the city slowly dried them. A pasta like this is more delicious and alive: it breathes because of its porous surface, it swells more in hot water and it embraces sauces better. Another unique ingredient is the water of Gragnano. With its source on the Fation mountain, this fresh water hardly contains calcium, making it ideal for pasta making.
Flora visited the old pasta factory in Gragnano, the Antica Fabbrica della Pasta di Gragnano, where Antonio enlightened her about the history of pasta making. While at it, she prepared an amazing seafood spaghetti with the chef of the Azzurro restaurant in Amalfi.

Naples is the lively and beautiful capital of the Campania region at the foot of the Mount Vesuvius. The numerous ancient and medieval monuments and streets are filled with life by street vendors and markets. Ships leave to the island of Capri, which is just visible on the horizon. The elegant buildings on the promenades become paradoxically charming, courtesy of the loud and lively crowd on the streets. Also called as the pillar of the Italian gastronomy, Naples is famous for mozzarella cheese and pizzas.
Flora also visited the hills of Agerola, close to the sea, to learn about the production of mozzarella (made from buffalo milk), and the fior di latte (made from cow’s milk). She didn’t miss the fish market of Naples, and was able to top this exciting experience with a genuine local margherita pizza.

Mondragone is a city close to Naples by the sea. It is popular among Italians mainly for its’ beautiful beaches. On the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the city’s history goes back to Ancient Rome and it established its current form in the 14th century. It is home for cosy beaches, lemon trees and limoncello, which is a popular digestif among Italians.
Flora was accompanied to the plantations of the Petrone liqueur factory by its young manager, Andrea. The area has a magical atmosphere. It is surrounded by hills with Roman ruins on one side, and with the sea on the other. The lemon liqueurs and the limoncello are made from lemons produced here and from purely natural ingredients.

从Vesuvius向山脉区很短的车程里，你会发现Capania地区的郁郁葱葱的Irpinia。 它也被当地人称作南意大利的托斯卡纳。 可以在该地区找到许多较小的村庄，由那些交叉缠绵的小道连接着。 Montefalcione距离阿马尔菲和那不勒斯都只有半小时的车程，周围环绕着葡萄园和山脉。
它也是Donnachiara酒庄的家乡，典型的在这个区域，产生白葡萄酒和红葡萄酒。 这是一个相当年轻的酒厂，小于10岁，但它的名字来源于曾经拥有该片土地创始人的曾祖母。 该公司由Petitto家族经营。 领导者是Umberto，当地人会称他“教授”。在Petitto家庭的热情招待下，Flora享受了一次愉快而欣喜的周末午餐。

The Caffé GM coffeemaker factory in Montepulciano is led by Maurizio. He showed Flora the different methods of producing coffee specialties. He orders the coffee beans from all parts of the world and roasts them in a genuine wood-fired oven.

Parma is a way of life, so they say. You go to opera, you know Verdi by heart, you eat bread and charcuterie in trattorias, you stroll on the small streets of the city centre, you drink aperitifs, you talk with a dialect, you ride bikes and participate in cultural events.
And who hasn’t heard about the Parma ham? The secret of the Prosciutto di Parma’s success lies in the well-bred animals of the valley, the excellent ingredients and the careful, traditional aging process. Flora experienced this first hand with the help of Lorenzo, the son of the manager at the Bosch Ham Factory.