1999 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina

This dry white wine, produced from 100% falanghina grapes, is full of bright citrus aromas with citrus fruit and almond flavors. It is wonderfully refreshing and has great balance of fruit and acidity, an excellent match with seafood and light pastas. $8.50 glass $4.25 half glass $33 bottle

1998 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato

Produced from 100% aglianico grapes, this dry red wine is bright ruby red in color with intense, rich aromas and flavors of ripe berries, violet and spice. The wine's velvety finish and excellent balance make it a nice match for grilled or roasted meat or game. $8.50 glass $4.25 half glass $33 bottle

Gianpaolo Putzu
Chef-Partner Il Fornaio

hen I think about Campania, I immediately think about tomatoes and mozzarella. We eat tomatoes everywhere in Italy, but they came to Campania first, so this region is at the root of so much Italian food. Most people automatically think about pizza when Italian food comes to mind and pizza was born in Campania. It is said that the best pizza in the world can be found there. My favorite pizza has always been the simplest: a round of dough, slices of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, just out of the wood-fired oven. But there is no limit to what you can put on a pizza.

"Early in my career, just out of Restaurant and Hotel School, I cooked side by side with a chef from Campania. The people from Campania seem to travel all over the world, and they introduce their style of cooking wherever they go. Then, when they return to Campania, they bring back with them cooking from where they've been. Because of this, they seem to create an endless variety in the kitchen. I think that Campania has one of the best variety of foods in all of Italy. When I came to the United States to cook, I brought the style of my Campanian friend with me, and continue to introduce it to my kitchen staff and restaurant guests.

"Campania should be on every traveller's itinerary of Italy. It is a beautiful region Ð Amalfi and Sorrento are two of the most beautiful places anywhere. And the pizza in Naples and seafood along the coast are the best in the world! The people are hospitable and have a the passion for life and food that makes this region come alive. So, please enjoy this introduction to the wonders of Campania."

Buon Appetito!

ampania is one of the best known of Italy's southern regions. It is home to the bustling port city of Naples, the breathtakingly beautiful Amalfi Coast and infamous Mt. Vesuvius. In culinary terms, it is the proud originator of pizza, buffalo mozzarella and macaroni.

The warm climate of the south and fertile soil of the region mean that the growing season lasts practically all year long. Beans, cabbage, broccoli and tomatoes grow between rows of olive and fruit trees. Grapevines grow, draped over the trees, producing wine grapes and creating a trellis. Campanian cooking is nearly synonymous with Neapolitan cooking, and pizza is probably the single food most associated with Naples. Even the Pompeiians ate pizza (without tomatoes, which did not make their way to Europe for another 1500 years after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.). There is no limit to the variations of pizza-making, as demonstrated by the pizza section on our daily menu.Here you will find five pizzas including Pizza Margherita (mozzarella, oregano, fresh basil, tomato sauce), the classic Neopolitan pizza.

With the introduction of tomato seeds to the rich Campanian soil (brought back from Peru by returning sailors), tomatoes began to find their way into many dishes. It is one ingredient commonly recognized as being definitively Campanian. Tomatoes are so abundant in the region that they appear in over half of the dishes on this menu. Macaroni is also associated with Naples. Naples started to manufacture macaroni in the 15th century and today is the capital of this national staple. Rigatoni con Ragu Napoletano (pasta tubes with ragu of prosciutto, pork, carrots, garlic, celery, and onion) is just one way to prepare this classic pasta shape.

Another especially Neapolitan ingredient is mozzarella, buffalo or cow's milk cheese. The water buffalo was originally imported into Campania from India about 600 A.D. and herds thrived along the coast. The texture of fresh mozzarella is quite different from the common supermarket variety, as you will taste in Spiedini di Mozzarella, fresh mozzarella skewered with roasted peppers, and Scaloppine Caprese (thinly-sliced veal with fresh mozzarella and fresh tomato-garlic sauce).

When it comes to desserts, Neopolitans tend toward extravagance and the variety is endless. Pastiera Napolitana (ricotta cheesecake with orange and lemon zest) is just one highlight from the Neopolitan dessert cart. And who hasn't heard of Neopolitan ice cream and spumone?

The liveliness of Campanian food reflects the magnificent sites throughout the region. The ruins of Pompeii, the perilous hairpin turns along the steep cliffs of Amalfi, the indescribable color of the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri are only the beginnings of a great adventure through this colorful and abundant part of Italy.