Once upon a time, Calabrians, including my grandparents, fled the southern Italian region to seek a prosperous life abroad while others stayed domestic and headed north where the future seemed more promising. That current has shifted in recent years, and Calabria has not only managed to lure some natives back but also entice northerners.
Take, for example, Luca Giuliano and Iconio Bagnato, the CEO and director of operations, respectively, for Mediterranean Hospitality, who returned to their native Calabria after stints in Paris and Milan. The management and consulting company oversees four Calabrian properties, including the boutique five-star luxury hotel Villa Poala in Tropea, a city on Calabria’s west coast that counts its PGI red onions, historic old town, and turquoise Costa degli Dei (Coast of the Gods) among its dozens of irresistible perks.
This June, Mediterranean Hospitality inaugurated De' Minimi, a 30-seat restaurant at Villa Paola overseen by chef Dario Marco Bettoni, a native of Bergamo, a city in Lombardy that’s about an hour northeast of Milan.
The lush grounds at Villa Paola. Photo: Villa Paola
A former convent inhabited by the Minimi order of friars, Villa Paola’s history is as intriguing as it is profound. The friars' cuisine, devised by Saint Francesco da Paola more than 500 years ago, is believed to be a precursor of the Mediterranean diet. Fish, vegetables, legumes, and cereals served as the basis of the cuisine for Saint Francesco da Paola and his followers.
Mediterranean Hospitality's Bettoni spent six months in Calabria before crafting De' Minimi's menu, meeting Calabrian farmers and breeders to familiarize himself with the territory, visiting small localities, and adhering to Slow Food principles. The dishes are crafted from well-known ingredients like 'Nduja di Spilinga along with lesser-known items like Pecorino del Monte Poro, Caciocavallo del Pollino, and carnaroli rice from the Sibari plain.
The view from Villa Paola's terrace with a section of the estate's garden in the foreground.
Villa Paola's terrace overlooks Tropea’s old town, hovering on a cliff above the azure Thyrennian Sea, which stretches as far as the eye can see. It's enchanting. Drawing one’s gaze downward reveals the estate’s gardens and citrus groves, where the friars once harvested their crops. Today, Giuliano’s father tends to the organic garden, which grows produce and herbs for De' Minimi restaurant, including tomatoes and the Tropea onion.
When it comes to the menu, Bettoni aims to let the raw materials speak for themselves, implementing enhancements that respect the integrity of their flavors without overpowering them. For De' Minimi's inauguration dinner, Bettoni crafted four courses that exemplified his philosophy, showcasing produce harvested onsite alongside some of the finest local ingredients. In the spirit of staying local, each course was paired with a wine from Cantine Benvenuto, a biodynamic winery just 25 miles north of the property.
Amberjack crudo with sea asparagus, wild sage, and candied tomatoes from the garden.
Dinner began with amberjack from the Aeolian Islands, Sicilian volcanic islands that lie less than 40 miles from Tropea and are visible on a clear day. Wild sage, sea asparagus, and candied tomatoes from the garden topped the crudo, which was paired alongside Bianca di Calabria IGT Mare Bio, a bright fresh, fruity, floral white wine made from the Zibibbo and Malvasia grapes. Bettoni fused his native north with his adopted south in a risotto composed of carnoroli rice from Calabria’s Sabari plain. The dish was whipped with almond water, topped with Mediterranean blue lobster, and completed with an essence of a local herb called macchia. Zibibbo Secco di Calabria IGT, an intricate, citrusy white wine with traces of minerality and the sea, was served alongside.
Risotto with almond water, Mediterranean blue lobster, and essence of “macchia.”
The last savory course comprised tender snapper cooked in charcoal salt with edible flowers; mashed potatoes from Calabria’s Silana plain; garlic from Papaglionti, a town about 12 miles away inland; and pickled PGI onions from the garden. Alongside it, we sipped IGP Calabria Rosato Celeste, a bright pink acidic rosé with strawberry and floral notes.
The meal finished with a ring-shaped biscuit encasing coconut, mulberry, extra-virgin olive oil, and garden strawberries topped with a frozen ginger ball and a glass of Tenuta Iuzzolini's Passito di Calabria TGI Bristace, a fruity dessert wine produced on the Ionian coast.
De' Mininimi restaurant at Villa Paola is open to the public every evening for dinner from 19.30 to 23.00 and on Sundays also for lunch from 12.30 to 15.00. Reservations required.