The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania

Although I have been working in northern Italy I bought the book because I have an interest in the south. The food and wine of the south is rich and flavorful- the people are just as spicey. This book is a great guide. For instance I visited the Castello Ducale in Castel Campagnano (Caserta). The castel is the home to a winery and they produce some excellent wine that is now being 'discovered' by Americans. Mr. Donato has 15 fantastic rooms that look out over a courtyard and are over the cellars which not only house his wines but an ancient byzantine church (newly discovered) that has intact frescos! The graciousness of the owner was remarkable. Not like the Toscana counterparts who are visably tired of Americans, these people actually welcomed my family in the town! A few towns people showed us an ancient bridge, took us to orchards and even invited us to their home for dinner! The food of the area, particularily the mozzerella was delicious. We followed the book's advice and descriptions as we toured- What more can I say? Look at the cover- Can you see the pride?

Fantastic resource for planning gastronomic adventures in Campania. We are using this guide to help us plan for an upcoming trip to a less-traveled area in southern Campania. This amazing book provides great insight for food and wine lovers who want to know where to go, and what to eat and drink when you get there. There is simply no way I could have compiled this information on my own.

We have lived in the Naples area for the past year, but found more wonderful local sources for food and wine in one weekend using this well-researched guide than we found in the whole previous year! Much of life in Southern Italy is governed by word-of-mouth, and Carla Capalbo has done the hard work for anyone interested in the wonderful array of local food, wine, and olive oil available here. Brava!

I consider myself fortunate to unexpectedly pick up this book the day we left for southern Italy. At the last minute, I decided I needed guide book(s) and this caught my eye. Because of The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania, we experienced far more of the excellent food and wine of the area than we would have ever done on our own. And we met wonderful, warm Campanians anxious to share their fresh and delicious food and hospitality with us. This book directed us to a wonderful agritourismo where we spent two nights and had outstanding meals, with most of the food fresh from the farm. We dined in restaurants off the beaten path, sitting with locals and savoring the experiences made possible by this exceptional guide book. One small drawback is finding some of the locations recommended in the book. Get a good map (as the author suggested) and be prepared to ask directions. And carry an Italian language guide as you may encounter areas and situations where English may not carry you far. But don't let that deter you-follow the author's recommendations and you will be rewarded. If you are looking a guidebook touting the usual sights and recommendations, this is not for you. If, however, you want to experience a slice of southern Italy that will leave you aching for a return trip, this is it!

What a fabulous book! We just returned from a trip to Calabria and Campania and I only wish that Carla had done for Calabria what she has for Campania! Her book provided us with actual maps for eating our way through the countryside and for understanding the uniqueness of the foods that we were tasting. We glanced at her book at our small hotel, Palazzo Torre Barbara, in Vico Equense. It mentioned La Tradizione, a spectacular alimentari just down the street, but which we had missed entirely. We're just happy that La Tradizione had copies for sale next to the fresh pecorino ricotta, wines, salumi, bread and much more. Carla's writing enticed us to explore lots more of Campania than we had planned. She led us to places way off our own map. Grazie, Carla.