Italy is known to follow the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating plus olive oil and a glass of red wine, among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The diet includes :getting plenty of exercise, eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil, using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods, limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month, eating fish and poultry at least twice a week and drinking red wine in moderation.
We left Friday morning at 8:15 for Cilento. It was about a four hour bus ride. The whole schedule for the entire weekend was packed with activities and tours that I knew I was going to be in for a long weekend. We arrived at an Agricultural Farm in the Cilento area. We first started off with a five course meal of appertivo, pasta, bread and mozzarella di buffalo cheese, buffalo, pizza, than dessert. After our big lunch, we got to see the buffalo that makes the mozzarella di bufala cheese. We saw males, females, and baby buffalo. We also got to see the winery where red and white grapes are grown to make Campania region wine.
The next place we ventured to was a sea port in Cilento. This seaport is a major fishing area where there are many fishing boats that go out and catch fish for the restaurants nearby as well as to sell in the fish markets. The fisherman had just gotten back from their fishing trip for the day so we got to see all kinds of seafood from the Mediterranean Sea. We saw sea bass, monkfish, squid, clams, mussels, crayfish, lobster, and shrimp. It was interesting to see that most of the fish that were caught were still partially alive.
Dinner was at a family run pizzeria close to our hotel. We had more bread with mozzarella di bufala, pasta, and margherita pizza. We were at dinner for about 3 hours because there was karaoke. We sang and danced to Italian and English songs with the owners and had a blast. This was probably the best dinner we have had as a group. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company all night.
Saturday was a long day. We first went to Vannulo Production of Mozzarella di Bufala. Vannulo. Vannulo is an all organic farm where they don't use any pesticides are chemicals in their food productions. This was a much bigger production set up of buffalo mozzarella. They had so many buffaloes that they use for their milk to make the buffalo mozzarella. They also produce ricotta cheese, pudding, and yogurt. The most interesting thing that I learned there was that the female buffaloes are more important than the male buffaloes because they produce the milk. The male buffaloes are only good for mating with the females so they when the males have done their job, they sell them for their meat as well as their hide to make leather goods. I also saw how they form the mozzarella into balls to be sold. The farm also produces their own flavors of yogurt and pudding, so I bought some dark chocolate pudding and it was amazing!
We then went to Pioppi, another area in Cilento, and went to the Mediterranean Diet Museum and Museum of the Sea. This place is where the inventor of the Mediterranean diet did his research. The main part of the museum however is learning and seeing different types of sea creatures that come from the Mediterranean Sea. The museum was located on the beach of Pioppi so we got to sit by the water and take pictures of the beautiful landscape.
After lunch we went to Paestum Archeological sites. Paestum was originally a Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. Today, the city has been turned into a place for visitors to see Greek and Roman architecture. The most important places to see are: the Roman amphitheatre, numerous ancient houses, and the three magnificent Doric temples: the temple of Hera, the temple of Athena and the temple of Posiedon. Then we looked at a museum about the sites and some of the designs of the temples along with the artifacts found in the area.
Dinner that night was at Fabbrica dei Sapori which is a famous pizza factory/restaurant in the Campania region. They are known to make 15 different pizzas with regular flour and 3 gluten free pizzas. A gluten-free diet is a diet free of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale. People who have celiac disease or are intolerable to gluten cannot eat foods with those ingredients. This restaurant makes their own gluten-free flour known as antioxidant dough for people with this problem. We were able to see the ovens and processes that go into making pizza and then see a demonstration of a chef making the Regina Margherita pizza from scratch.
For dinner we were given samples of some of their pizzas. We tried the Regional Margherita (basil and mozzarella di bufala), Stranapoli (olives and spicy tomato sauce), one of their gluten-free pizzas with vegetables, Jeans (stuffed pizza with cheese and ham), and Nutella pizza. They were all delicious! My favorite was the Stranapoli pizza.
Our last day in Cilento was spent in Salerno. Salerno is a city in the Campania area in South-West Italy. It is a town located on the Amalfi Coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea. We first stopped at Giardino di Minerva, a botanical garden in Salerno. During the Middle Ages it was used as a garden for teaching students at the medical school in Salerno. The garden is special because it is dedicated to the medical herbs from the Mediterranean to help cure anyone that is in need of medicine. Monks wanted to cure their pilgrims, travelers, and other people all year round so they created this garden that was accessible to anyone. When we first arrived, they gave us a sampling of their tea, which they make from their gardens with mint, licorice, and rosemary. It was really interesting because it started out kind of bitter then at the very end you get a hint of sweetness without adding any sugar. Afterwards, our guide showed us around the gardens and pointed out certain plants to take note of. There was a variety of different herbs and plants that they grow along with flowers and some orange trees. They even had a plant that is apparently used to make gin. It was a gorgeous garden and had a great view of the Amalfi Coast.
We then had some free time to hang out at the beach and enjoy the beautiful weather. Before we headed home, we enjoyed our last meal in Cilento at a Pizzeria. Everyone was able to order their own pizza. I got a pizza that had tomato sauce, artichokes, olives, and peppers. It was amazing and probably my favorite pizza I have had in Italy.
As you can see from my blog, we basically ate all weekend, but it was all fantastic and yummy! This week my friends Mallory and Jenna are visiting. For Easter, I will be spending the weekend in Cinque Terre and Florence. I cannot wait to sit on a beach and get some sun!!
Ciao Ciao!
-Marisa
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