Once upon a time there was the Kingdom of Naples…and it still is. Except that unlike the historical one, the current one is made of taste, flavors, colors, aromas, perfumes. And reign over the kitchen. Because Naples has conquered an absolute record this year: the Michelin guide, awarded it the highest number of stars of any other Italian city, awarding 5 great Chefs with two stars and 15 with one star. But it is not only Naples that excels. If we consider the gastronomic golden triangle that includes Naples, the islands on one side and the Sorrento-Amalfi coast on the other, we have the highest concentration of starred chefs, not only in Italy but in Europe.
And in any case, thanks to the stars conquered this year, the Campania with 37 starred restaurants it ranks second nationally, after Lombardy, surpassing Italian regions with a very long and ancient culinary tradition, such as Piedmont and Veneto.
But it wasn't just the Michelin Guide this year that paid honors to the great Neapolitan cooking school. At the Leopolda in Florence last month on the occasion of the presentation of the L'Espresso restaurant guide, Alfonso Iaccarino, the Grand Master of the rebirth of Neapolitan cuisine of excellence, at the helm of the legendary "Don Alfonso" restaurant in Sant'Agata sui due golfi, received the special career award in recognition of the great contribution offered in years of absolute dedication to the rediscovery and promotion of the flavors of a quality Mediterranean cuisine. And when he took the stage to collect the award, he was the subject of a standing ovation from all the greatest Italian starred chefs standing up to honor him.
The protagonists
If Paris is worth a mass, the five great chefs placed by Michelin guide on the highest podium of Neapolitan restaurants they are well worth a trip. Starting with Don Alfonso in Sant'Agata where the dynasty of Iaccarino knows no breaks of excellence. Of which the authoritative Touring Club guide directed by Luigi Cremona writes "in this luxurious restaurant is contained the whole story of a family that has become the symbol of Italian catering", and sorry if it's not enough! And Gambero Rosso speaks of "a paradise created over years of passionate work". Where the "Sweet and sour lobster zeppole", the "Cappelli pasta with chicken stew and black truffle", historic local dishes, are now joined by new interpretations such as the "Pizzogna sausage, pistachios, mozzarella, asparagus and black truffle with candied sauce”, interpretation of an ancient Bourbon condiment. All accompanied by a wine cellar, obtained from an ancient pre-Roman tunnel, which offers real rarities.
With two stars, Gennaro Esposito which has reigned for 25 years in the restaurant “La Torre del Saracino” a Sejanus, village of Vico Equense, and which can be considered the direct heir of Alfonso Iaccarino, confirms a fame that has now extended to the five continents. The Torre di lui is today a place of pilgrimage and worship for gourmets from all over the world. For Luigi Cremona it is a restaurant to visit absolutely to understand how Mediterranean cuisine evolves. According to Gambero Rosso here you can taste "an extraordinary cuisine that cites tradition and culture and popular customs made with an exceptional raw material". But for the good-natured and always smiling Gennarino – and this smile can be found in his dishes which always lead to a good mood of the spirit – words are insufficient to describe what sensations his masterpieces give, such as the “nocellara olive soup, puree of fennel and cutlet flag fish”, a reinterpretation of a dish from his youth or the “lemon risotto with marinated amberjack and young garlic” which makes Enzo Vizzari, director of the Espresso Guide exclaim: “it is a set of combinations of perfumes, aromas, balanced flavors, in an apotheosis of the taste of the sea of profound harmony".
And since Gennarino, like King Midas, turns everything he touches into gold before opening a restaurant, dedicated to "Mamma'" a stone's throw from the square which immediately receives a star, the third in addition to the two in the " Torre”, to reward a restaurant in which the tradition of regional cuisine, that of grandmothers, handed down from mother to daughter, is reinterpreted with respect, devotion, love, imagination and exciting taste.
Staying at Capri, here are two more stars to “L'Olivo”, reign of Andrea Migliaccio, located in the luxurious Capri Palace with a spectacular terrace. But the luxury of the restaurant and that of the hotel should not be deceived. Migliaccio, whom the Gambero Rosso guide defines as "talented, concentrated, thoughtful, who does not rest on his laurels but continues to enhance his thoughts on meals with a focus on raw materials", despite his modern interpretations he never loses sight of memories of tradition and health principles. His “San Marzano filet purée with buffalo ricotta and basil”, as well as the lemon tagliolini with burrata and sea asparagus” or the “carpaccio and Fassona tartare, raspberry, egg sauce and coffee powder” they are of an astonishing lightness. Enzo Vizzari suggests not to miss the "fireworks with the caprese as unrecognizable to the eye as it is explosive in the essence of chocolate".
You move to Nerano which overlooks the enchanting bay of Marina del Cantone celebrated for its top secret "spaghetti with courgettes" of which each inn keeps its own original recipe to find the other two stars deposited by the Michelin on the restaurant "Four Steps” by Antonio and Rita Mellino. Here fish reigns supreme, in many variations often combined with the flavors of the land and the garden. How it's used around here. And here are the "linguine di Gragnano alla Nerano", the "calzoncelli stuffed with ricotta", but also some flights of fancy such as "potato gnocchi stuffed with lobster, banana and thyme" or the "tweaking of cuttlefish on broad bean cream with warm seafood salad”. "Exact cooking, technique and well-dosed creativity" are for Gambero Rosso the watchwords of the Mellinos who today divide their time between Nerano and London where they have opened their own restaurant.
Two stars again for the “Taverna Estia"of brusciano, a small village in the hinterland 20 km from Naples between Nola and Acerra. A bit out of the way to tell the truth and in a not exactly attractive area but the brothers Francesco and Mario Sposito have managed a miracle: making it a destination for gastronomic travel. Here we see ourselves being offered the “cuttlefish ink cream puff stuffed with burrata mousse, purple prawns and tarragon oil”, the “Poché cooked imperial red snapper with sea urchin sauce, confit shallots and vegetables” or spaghetti, water of tomato, lacquered eel and linseed”. And then those that Vizzari defines as "masterpieces of concentration of flavour" such as the "smoked artichokes with pecorino, pork cheek and black truffle emulsion". In short, you immerse yourself in a "tasting journey that interprets, as Luigi Cremona states, Campania gastronomy in a contemporary way". And to close, while the likeable Mario in the dining room entertains the customers with great affability, from the kitchen Francesco, who is also a pastry chef, will be able to bring a Babà to the table to remember for time to come.
Among the 32 stars that have awarded the Neapolitan-Campania chefs, it is worth mentioning the restaurant again "Palazzo Petrucci” located in one of the most popular squares of Napoli, San Domenico Maggiore, with the church that the Aragonese sovereigns chose to house the royal remains, an obligatory passage to visit the chapel of the disturbing prince of Sansevero which houses the statue of the veiled Christ with its mysteries. Here in a fifteenth-century building Lino Scarallo proposes in a refined and eclectic style a poetic "prawn lasagnetta and buffalo mozzarella" or impalpable "fidelini with red mullet, leek and lime sauce". Also not to be overlooked are the chickpea soup, scampi, coffee and the scent of rosemary” and the “maruzze with mussels stuffed with zucchini, cheese, pepper and lemon”. In short, a tradition revised with great intelligence that suggests, sooner or later, a probable second star. And it is no coincidence that the TCI Guide considers it "one of the best addresses in the city".
We move towards the sea to go up to the top floor of the Romeo Hotel, once the headquarters of Commander Achille Lauro, the controversial shipowner, politician, publisher, mayor-patron of Naples and of Naples, who from this terrace could observe the arrival in port of his fleet. AND "Commanding” is the name of this restaurant led by Salvatore Bianco, who, perhaps inspired by the history of the building, looks very far with his cuisine, opening up to unexplored shores and combinations. So next to a "Mescafrancesca" (mixed pasta with broccoli, lemon and mussels) or the "ricotta cannelloni with anchovy mayonnaise and broccoli cream", of territorial inspiration, there is an "anise marinated pigeon with hibiscus sauce , pear and foie gras” or the “cuttlefish with citrus cardamom emulsion and soy milk”. As if to say that you sail around the world while remaining anchored in Naples.
And while we're talking about views, how can we not mention the restaurant”Rossellinis" to Ravello with a breathtaking view, inserted in one of the most beautiful Italian hotels, Palazzo Avino, where the chef Michele Di Leo who inherited the kitchens from the great Donato Marzolla who flew to the Baglioni in London, manages to combine his origins from Torre del Greco with the modernity needs of an international clientele. And here we see the light of an “old cappellaccio” or a ravioli stuffed with confit rabbit and served with sweet pecorino fondant, anchovy potato mousse, oil and black summer truffle (a dish that starts from the Mediterranean and Neapolitan tradition – observes Gambero Rosso – to veer on creative paths and combinations that are an expression of sensitivity and technique". And Enzo Vizzari confirms by underlining that "in a constant game of alternation and balance between tradition and creativity, his dishes often offer combinations that are at first glance risky which then turn out to be surprisingly harmonious" .
In short, every restaurant in this area of Italy reveals a surprise for gourmands. Long gone are the days when noon was the Cinderella of Italian cuisine. And it is not only Naples that has placed itself in the spotlight of the national and international gastronomic limelight. There is Abruzzo with the three-starred Niko Romito of the Reale restaurant in Castel di Sangro, which has exploded in recent years like an atom bomb of space inventions. There is Sicily with personalities of the caliber of Cuttaia Pine, two Michelin stars, who set out from Licata to conquer the most demanding international palates, by Ciccio Sultano of the "Duomo" in Ragusa, by Vincenzo Candiano of the Locanda San Serafino in Ragusa Ibla, by Massimo Mantarro of the Principe Cerami at the San Domenico Hotel in Taormina, all with two stars. And you can be sure that the next innovations for future years will arrive from the South.
