18-11-2022

No more than a week ago, before saying goodbye for the winter holidays, we decided to embark on a journey to spend some time together away from work and take the opportunity to learn something but always with that lightness that distinguishes and binds us. We left for Naples and the Amalfi Coast where, upon our arrival, on 4th November , 2022, it was exactly 24 degrees. We spent four days together exploring the area and meeting men and women who love their land and take care of it every day: winegrowers, master pastry chefs and starred chefs.

We crossed the volcanic hills around Avellino where Donna Teresa welcomed us preparing her dishes for us. Delicious home cooking still cooked on the old stove. This is how we discovered Cantine Petilia and its owners who produce excellent varieties of Greco di Tufo, Fiano, Aglianico and Falanghina. Excellent wines that accompanied our lunch (which ended canonically at 18!?!?).

In one of the photos opposite, you can see us next to an over 400-year-old vine. Its dimensions simply leave you speechless. Dr. Bove welcomed us in the countryside of the Amalfi Coast where in his Tenuta San Francesco he keeps these secular vines dating back to the period before the phylloxera. These vines embody the tradition of European vines from over 400 years ago, as well as the knowledge of great experts who work on them every day with care and disproportionate passion. Speaking of the raids that the Saracens perpetrated in Amalfi and which forced the inhabitants to move the vines up the hills, we have the honor of the visit of the master pastry chef Sal De Riso who brought us his very famous Lemon Delights. Having the pleasure of speaking directly with the Master was exciting for everyone. In his humility he is an example of how we should cultivate our talent.

Not happy, we didn't even miss the heart-pounding experience of a tasting in the cellar right ABOVE AN ACTIVE VOLCANO!! Mr. Moccia welcomed us in complete tranquility, informing us in detail of the place where we were and of the dangers of the volcano... and of the recent earthquakes. Despite the fear of having a super volcano under your feet, the wines of Agnanum at Campi Flegrei in Naples have been a real discovery! One better than the other.

To round off our trip we were guests of Chef Gennaro Esposito, two Michelin stars in his restaurant Torre del Saracino. The opportunity to enter the kitchen, to speak with the Chef and to taste his menu was like a university lesson condensed into the time of a dinner. The refinement of the technique in union with the Campanian tradition has managed to amaze us and inspire us for our work at the Baia.

Every time we travel together it's a moment of growth for everyone. We learn by leaving the walls of the restaurant, relaxing a bit and knowing that we will come back enriched by the discussion and the stories of great people who, like us, try to do better every day and add a brick to their reality.

- Alessandro