From Olives to Oil; A Week of Tradition

Benvenuti a Napoli! Dan and Maria extend a warm welcome as you arrive in the vibrant city of Naples.* Our journey begins with a quintessential Neapolitan experience—a stop for un caffè and a delicious sfogliatella, a pastry that originated in this historic city. From Naples we make our way to the enchanting medieval town of Sant’Agata dei Goti, where our home for the week awaits: the magnificent 17th-century Palazzo Rainone Mustilli.

Nestled in the heart of Sant’Agata, the palazzo is surrounded by rich history and serene beauty. The chants of cloistered nuns can sometimes be heard emanating from the nearby convent. The palazzo is a short stroll from the original Mustilli winery, the birthplace of the renowned Falanghina wine. The Mustilli family, particularly Paola, will be our gracious hosts, offering us an intimate glimpse into their centuries-old winemaking tradition.

In the late afternoon, Paola will lead us on a private tour of the original centuries-old wine cellar, which reaches a maximum depth of over fifty feet and was made by tunneling into the tufo rock. We’ll learn the winery’s history and take part in a wine tasting in the cantina (wine cellar) of the original winery sampling some of the famous Mustilli wines.

The wine cellar that we tour, the Falanghina that we taste today, and Paola herself were featured on Tucci in Italy (Season 2, Episode 1, Naples & Campania). See the trailer on Instagram.

After our tasting, we’ll head to a family-run pizzeria located in Sant’Agata’s historic center to start a hands-on pizza-making class. Under the guidance of our pizzaiolo Vincenzo, we’ll knead the dough and learn the secrets behind the perfect crust. Once prepared, the dough will be left to rise overnight, ready to be baked into your very own pizza tomorrow.

Afterward, we’ll return to the palazzo to relax before our welcome dinner, a true farm-to-table experience prepared by Signora Maria, a local massara (homemaker). Her dishes, crafted with ingredients from her farm, promise to be a highlight of our first evening together.**

*The program starts at noon on Monday at Naples Capodichino Airport, regardless of when you arrive in Italy. Dan and Maria will be at the airport arrival area late morning.  If time permits and you are staying in a local hotel, we will do our best to arrange to meet you at the hotel, rather than have you make your way back to the airport.

We suggest that you plan on arriving in Naples before the first day of the program to get the most out of your Vita Villaggi experience. If you’re interested in a pre- and/or post-extension trip, you can find more information here. If you’re simply looking for a place to stay in Naples for a night or two, we recommend the following hotels there: Hotel San Francesco al Monte and Starhotels Terminus.

**Note: In Italy, dinner is typically enjoyed later in the evening, around 8 pm or so. We’ll be dining in true Italian style throughout our stay.

Today, we delve into the rich history and culture of Sant’Agata dei Goti. After breakfast, we go on an historical and gastronomic tour led by Rosangela, our very knowledgeable guide eager to share her hometown. The tour starts with coffee and cornetto (a typical Italian breakfast) and an introduction to Italian coffee culture. As we stroll through the heart of the town’s historical center, Rosangela will share stories of the town’s past and its hidden treasures. We’ll visit local churches with historic frescoes and mosaics. We’ll also stop at family-owned eateries to savor local specialties such as the local taralli called Nfrennule and ravioli made with the prized mela annurca–apples only grown in this area.

Our tour culminates with a lunch traditionally prepared for field workers, known as a colazione. Ours will be prepared by Marisa at her small gastronomic bottega using heirloom and local products. Marisa prides herself in offering products particular to the local farming area that are organically grown and ethically sourced. Our lunch will include a slow-rise bread made with stone-ground native non-GMO grains and an over thirty-year-old sourdough starter. The bread will be used to make two types of sandwiches, one with prosciutto from the famous black pigs of Casertano that are semi-free range and one made with eggs (a pane e frittata) from a native species of ancient hens of the Sannio that are raised strictly free-range. Marisa will also provide us with samples of some excellent local olive oil.

After this lunch, the afternoon is yours to relax and explore the town at your own pace. In the evening, we make our way back to the pizzeria we were at last night and complete our pizza-making adventure, making pizza with the dough we prepared the night before.

Today, we explore two villages of the Sannio region, each with its own unique charm. This morning after breakfast, we depart for Cerreto Sannita, a small town of approximately 4,000 people. The town itself dates back a thousand years but the buildings we see date back to “only” 1688 when the town was rebuilt after it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake. We will make our way to the family-owned La Mozzarella d’oro, an excellent local caseificio (a place where cheese is made). Ana Cenicola and her family are opening their laboratorio so we can see milk be transformed into the iconic mozzarella, as well as other specialty cheeses.

After our tour, we will make our way to the Ceramic Museum. Cerreto is known for its master ceramicists and potters who maintain traditional pottery making techniques and color palettes. The museum is housed in a 17^th century building originally built as a convent for cloistered nuns. Through the years, it has also served as a monastery and even a jail. Today, it houses this gem of a museum, the town hall, and a courtyard which is often used for concerts and art exhibits. After a brief tour, we will meet a master potter for a demonstration of these traditional methods. After our visit, we wind our way through the Matese mountain region to the small hamlet of Pietraroja.

Here, we visit a very well-regarded, family-run prosciuttificio (i.e., a place where prosciutto is made). The Di Biase family continues the centuries-old method of producing prosciutto, creating what has become the gold standard in the Sannio region for this delicacy. We will have a tour of the cellars where the prosciutto is cured in a controlled environment. Our lunch will feature their famous prosciutto and other local specialties cooked by the Di Biase family in their surprisingly tiny kitchen. We’ll also sample the family’s olive oil. We will dine in the cozy, ancient home turned restaurant/museum that has been lovingly maintained by the family.

On our way back to Sant’Agata de’ Goti, we’ll visit the studio of Salvatore Troiano, a talented local artist who transforms clay into modern interpretations of traditional Neapolitan symbols, such as the horn and the Pulcinella mascot. Salvatore’s classically trained in multiple disciplines including sculpting, painting and photography. He embarked on a journey of working with terracotta and creating traditional Pulcinella and the iconic cornicchio (horn) after studying the history of these symbols and their importance in Neapolitan folklore. We love his work.

We return to Sant’Agata where you can either rest or explore more of the town before we go out for a light dinner.

After breakfast, we will take a short ride just outside Sant’Agata to a tiny medieval hamlet where we’ll have a cooking class. Led by massare (local homemakers), in their own homes, cooking traditional dishes, it will make for an undeniably authentic experience. Each massare will also share some of their own olive oil, made from olives grown in their own orchards. We’ll also enjoy the fruits of our labors for lunch at one of these homes. The menu will be decided that day by the massare. Rest assured though that it will feature the freshest seasonal ingredients.

For dinner, we’ll head to Melizzano for an exceptional multi-course dinner at a delightful Michelin-mentioned “zero-kilometer” restaurant. The menu offers traditional dishes elevated to new heights made from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients by the owner-chef Angelo D’Amico who has worked in top restaurants, both in Italy and abroad. The contemporary Mediterranean-style décor and the large windows offering a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains offer the perfect setting.

Today we get to see an activity unique to Sant’Agata dei Goti. We will go to a melaio where we see and learn about the “mela annurca”. This native apple is unusual in that it requires being ripened after it has been picked from the tree. In the melaio, thousands of apples are laid out so that each is exposed to the sun and has room to breathe. Each of these apples is then rotated one-quarter turn each week, by hand. The apple is used for medicinal and culinary purposes. We will almost certainly be enjoying some local dishes made with these apples during our lunch.

We’ll have lunch at another exceptional nearby agriturismo. Here, all of the farming is done organically. In addition to the typical vineyards and olive groves, this agriturismo has orchards and bee hives and is well known for the outstanding honey it produces. We’ll also taste their excellent organic olive oil. If we are lucky the local massara will lead us in a hands-on class and make a local dish with the mela annurca.

Dinner will be at an excellent osteria in the historic center of Sant’Agata, where we’ll enjoy a tasting menu showcasing the best of the region’s culinary offerings, including the much-loved pane cotto.

It does not get more authentic than today’s adventure! After breakfast, we travel to San Lupo, yet another village in the Sannio and where Dan and Maria have their home. We are greeted by Adele at her B&B Le Coste in this tiny hamlet, where we will participate in the olive harvest in the surrounding olive orchards! We will pick olives, lunch under the trees, and go to the mill to make oil.

The oil is processed continuously during the harvest to accommodate all the growers in the area. While we wait our turn to make oil from the harvested olives, we will be enjoying specialties made for us by the bread shop in town. Concetta, Antonio, and Giuseppe run the family shop and will be making us a typical lunch for day laborers helping with the harvest. Lunch will include their delicious breads! Local wines will accompany our rustic meal, including some award-winning ones.

In the afternoon, we’ll walk to the nearby mill, learn about the process of making olive oil, including the making of different grades, and watch olives be pressed into olive oil-that enduring staple of the Mediterranean diet. Afterwards, we will return to Le Coste for a tasting with a local expert in olive oil.

Our evening will be a real treat. We will have a celebratory dinner, which is often done in the Sannio to conclude a successful harvest. We will dine at Le Coste with a dinner prepared for us by a local cook, which will be sure to feature olive oils from the area!

No visit to the Sannio is complete without experiencing a traditional mercato, or outdoor market. On Sunday, Sant’Agata dei Goti becomes even more alive with an outdoor market, where locals shop for everything from fresh produce to artisanal goods, clothing, and more. After breakfast, we’ll spend the morning browsing the stalls, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere and, in all likelihood, picking up a few treasures to take home.

After the mercato, we’ll stroll on over once more to the cantina of the original Mustilli winery (the site of the wine-tasting on Monday) for another hands-on activity that should not be missed: a pasta-making class. Signora Maria will be our guide. We’ll learn the art of crafting pasta by hand, which will become the heart of our Sunday lunch.

After a leisurely afternoon, we’ll gather for our farewell dinner at a restaurant in the heart of Sant’Agata dei Goti, inside the Palazzo Viscardi. This restaurant is the creation of the siblings Gabriele and Gianna Piscitelli and offers an elevated dining experience. Chef Gabriele will prepare a creative menu based on seasonal ingredients. The wine selection is extraordinary, and Sommelier Gianna will share her extensive knowledge and provide excellent suggestions. This dinner will serve as a fitting end to our unforgettable week in the Sannio.

We have our final breakfast together before departing for Naples Capodichino Airport. Time to bid farewell to the Sannio and return home with memories of a week filled with history, culture, and incredible food. Whether you’re going back home or taking advantage of a trip extension, safe travels and arrivederci!