Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan’s journey from the north to the south of Italy starts in the sun-kissed vineyards of Monforte d’Alba, a municipality known for its production of Barolo 40km east of Cuneo in the Langhe region. Here they talk about Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera, local wines and some of Italy’s most famous.
There’s time for a quick photo opportunity at Villa Saluzzo Mongiardino, an early-18th-century palace in Albaro, a district in the eastern part of Genoa, where a commemorative plaque informs us that this is where Lord Byron lived in 1822.
The colourful buildings of Camogli overlooking the Paradise Gulf, east of Genoa, are the pair’s next stop. Nearby, the fishing village of San Fruttuoso provides the perfect setting for a second culinary break on the beach.
They then visit the last stretch of the Levante Riviera, just before the border with Tuscany, which they travel to by boat and is known as the Gulf of Poets. Lord Byron was lulled into it, Mary and Percy Shelley lived here for many years, as we are informed by a plaque fixed to the wall of Villa Magni, a historic residence on the coast of San Terenzo (Lerici) at the foot of the Marigola promontory (SP).
As they head south across Tuscany’s rolling hills, Coogan and Brydon stop off in Pisa for lunch and then in Pievescola, a district of Casole d’Elsa (SI), where they stay at the Relais La Suvera, which dates back to the Late Medieval period when the building served as a fortified castle. Steve and Rob enjoy a cocktail in the gardens of the hotel and then have breakfast there after Rob ropes in one of the female members of staff to help him hold an audition.
The pair of Brits are greeted by traffic in Rome, as they pass by Piazzale Flaminio, the Protestant Cemetery (an obligatory stop to see Shelley’s tomb), and Via Margutta where Gregory Peck stayed in Roman Holiday, with just enough time for a quick bite in between.
As they continue further south they come to the Amalfi Coast, but not without paying tribute to Pompei first. Their visit to Villa Cimbrone in Ravello (SA), and the view from the Terrazza dell’Infinito, a natural balcony affording a spectacular view over the Amalfi mountains and the underlying gulf, takes the two visitors’ breath away.
A brief unplanned stop in Naples takes Steve and Rob to the ‘poor little souls’ collection of bones at the Fontanelle in the Sanità district. The ferry takes them to Capri, but not before they take in the Gulf from Naples, with Castel Sant’Elmo in Vomero and the foreboding Vesuvius on the horizon. The elite location of Capri instead gives them a wonderful boat ride and one last memorable lunch.
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan’s journey from the north to the south of Italy starts in the sun-kissed vineyards of Monforte d’Alba, a municipality known for its production of Barolo 40km east of Cuneo in the Langhe region. Here they talk about Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera, local wines and some of Italy’s most famous.
There’s time for a quick photo opportunity at Villa Saluzzo Mongiardino, an early-18th-century palace in Albaro, a district in the eastern part of Genoa, where a commemorative plaque informs us that this is where Lord Byron lived in 1822.
The colourful buildings of Camogli overlooking the Paradise Gulf, east of Genoa, are the pair’s next stop. Nearby, the fishing village of San Fruttuoso provides the perfect setting for a second culinary break on the beach.
They then visit the last stretch of the Levante Riviera, just before the border with Tuscany, which they travel to by boat and is known as the Gulf of Poets. Lord Byron was lulled into it, Mary and Percy Shelley lived here for many years, as we are informed by a plaque fixed to the wall of Villa Magni, a historic residence on the coast of San Terenzo (Lerici) at the foot of the Marigola promontory (SP).
As they head south across Tuscany’s rolling hills, Coogan and Brydon stop off in Pisa for lunch and then in Pievescola, a district of Casole d’Elsa (SI), where they stay at the Relais La Suvera, which dates back to the Late Medieval period when the building served as a fortified castle. Steve and Rob enjoy a cocktail in the gardens of the hotel and then have breakfast there after Rob ropes in one of the female members of staff to help him hold an audition.
The pair of Brits are greeted by traffic in Rome, as they pass by Piazzale Flaminio, the Protestant Cemetery (an obligatory stop to see Shelley’s tomb), and Via Margutta where Gregory Peck stayed in Roman Holiday, with just enough time for a quick bite in between.
As they continue further south they come to the Amalfi Coast, but not without paying tribute to Pompei first. Their visit to Villa Cimbrone in Ravello (SA), and the view from the Terrazza dell’Infinito, a natural balcony affording a spectacular view over the Amalfi mountains and the underlying gulf, takes the two visitors’ breath away.
A brief unplanned stop in Naples takes Steve and Rob to the ‘poor little souls’ collection of bones at the Fontanelle in the Sanità district. The ferry takes them to Capri, but not before they take in the Gulf from Naples, with Castel Sant’Elmo in Vomero and the foreboding Vesuvius on the horizon. The elite location of Capri instead gives them a wonderful boat ride and one last memorable lunch.
Brydon and Coogan’s journey is a tribute to the delights of Italy, starting with its food and wine.
Their first culinary stop, in the Langhe region, has them tucking into bagna cauda (which literally means ‘hot sauce’ in Italian), a local gastronomic speciality, with vegetables and stuffed onions, tajarin (fresh egg pasta made according to old Piedmontese traditions) with meat ragu, quail and roast rabbit wrapped in lard, all washed down with a good glass of Barolo of course.
They also stop off in San Fruttuoso in Liguria, where the beachside menu includes a mix of fried seafood, and more specifically octopus with potatoes.
Among the dishes on offer in Tuscany in Mazzolla, a district of Volterra (PI), is a plate of ravioli. Then in Campania they dine on linguine with fish and fresh tomato along with handmade ravioli with redfish and pepper.
Their journey ends in Capri with another memorable dish on the seafront: sea urchins, scallops, calamari, Italian seafood salad, bonito sashimi, grilled octopus, linguine with prawns and courgettes, paccheri pasta with anchovies and a local vine, Furore.
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan are sent on a mission by newspaper The Observer to travel Italy in the footsteps of English romantic poets Byron and Shelley to write about food. They travel through Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, across Rome, down the Amalfi Coast and over to Capri.
