Senise is a town situated on the edge of Europe's largest reservoir. Actually depending on who you speak to could be second largest or the largest made of beaten earth, no facts are actually fact here and that's all part of the charm. The Pepperoni of Senise, a dried, sweet pepper is probably one of the most delicious snacks produced in Italy. Released on an unsuspecting public it could do a lot of damage. Sweet, crisp with an explotion of flavour in the mouth. Deseeded and

What a pleasure it was to visit Chiramonte, a mountain top town about 40 minutes from Tursi. I was on the trail of some of best Salami, pancetta, Laredo produced in la Basilicata. As always a drama, in fact more than one. The road after Val Sinni was closed and so we were diverted across country, which normally is a disaster but on this occasion we arrived unscathed. Climbing up to this beautiful little town was a joy with glimpses of snow topped mountains and skies heavy wit

San Severino Luciano is in the Pollino National Park, the largest in Europe at almost 2000 square kilometers. Pollino is a wonderful Summer refuge from the searing July and August heat. Its dappled shade a welcome respite. It is also home to the oldest tree in Europe the 1230 year Pino. In the autumn and winter months it is a treasure trove of amazing produce, porcini, truffles, wild saffron and chestnuts. These are then preserved, dried or frozen to be available all year rou

Trecchina almost on Basilicata’s West Coast, close to Maratea is renowned for its fine sour dough bread. There are an assortment of bakeries selling from semi industrial to truly artisan loaves. I chose those that I liked the best to bring home for a tasting. One was outstandingly love at first right for me. However l tried each one, trying to remain unbiased, surprisingly they were all quite different from the colour of the crust to quality of the crumb. My favourite was fro

Basilicata is a region steeped in history and overflowing with marvellous produce waiting to be transformed into wonderful dishes redolent of this extraordinary part of Italy. Vaguely following the path of Rocco Papaleo and his band as they walk from Maratea on Basilicatas West Coast Tirreno Sea to a gig in Scanzano in the South and the Mare Jonio. The film Basilicata Coast to Coast highlights some of the towns along the way and the beautiful countryside that is la Basilicata

The Mandarin, in all its guises is one of the most photographed houses in la Basilicata. The Arabic arches, now fully revealed are just the perfect photo op for bride and groom. My first beautiful bride Federica, spent the night before her wedding day here with her sister, the morning of, photographed while hairdresser and make up artist worked and then family and close friends arrived to see her off in a shower of rice and loose change after feasting on homemade lemon tart,

2017 was a year of highs and lows as far as The Mandarin was concerned. The beginning of the year saw snow, the like of which in Tursi is only seen every 20 years or so. Temperatures of minus 8 every night for a week and well over a foot of icy, slipperiness. Followed by the inevitable burst pipes and influenza. Work stopped for a month. The Mandarin was just a shell; a husk with nothing inside. Problems too complicated to explain meant further halts in the work to iron out '

The Mandarin and The Kumquat are all about re loving, upcycling and reusing everything. Southern Italy probably invented recycling, many household items are remodeled and nothing is ever thrown away. Wire coat hangers for example are cut into pieces and shaped into S shaped hangers for curing salami, old skirts are fashioned into aprons. Historically hair from brushes was saved and sold, goodness knows what they did with it and used olive oil was given to the soap man in retu

It’s the start of April and l am on the beach, my biggest dilemma......deciding whether l should shed my jeans and expose my super pasty winter legs to the sun. It’s 9 o'clock and already quite warm. The sand is spotless after a winter with no visitors, the sun is making the sea sparkle like a thousand diamonds and a small fishing boat has just flashed past. A stunning day with the coastline of Calabria in sight and the still snow covered mountains of The Pollino National Par

At last l have discovered just what l enjoy doing with my life, restoring these beautiful old houses and sharing them with my friends. It’s just so wonderful when guests totally get the vibe. Ok for some it’s a bit strange without TV, but do we really need it in our life to bring doom and gloom into our 'front room'. Of course l know we should be informed about what is going on in the World. But maybe for a week we can live without it. Listening to music, watching the fire a