“My great-grandparents Giovanni and Angelina were from Ferrazzano,” Robert De Niro has stated time and again. Ferrazzano is a town in Molise, a mountainous region along the Adriatic Sea that’s north of Puglia, south of Abruzzo, and east of Campania.
The actor always speaks of his origins with pride, which renders some Italians to believe that Ferrazzano, a small town just a few miles south of the region’s capital Campobasso, is more famous in the U.S. than in Italy. This stance is fitting for Molise, though. The discreet, understated region arrived on the radar in early 2020 when the New York Times included it in its annual round-up of 52 places to visit that year, which, as we all know, was then eclipsed by the pandemic.
As is often the case, beautiful surprises conceal themselves behind discreet exteriors, and Molise is no exception. The seaside city of Termoli plays host to MACTE (Museum of Contemporary Art of Termoli) which houses a collection dedicated to the region’s "three ecologies" - nature, ethics, and nutrition.
There’s no doubt that Molise has moved forward. On one hand, it’s irresistibly vintage, as one can walk alongside the shepherds on the Tratturo Magno, a grassy path on which animals grazed and migrated for centuries. On the other hand, it’s unapologetically current with innovative endeavors such as Molise Food, a shop dedicated to the region's specialties, selling artisanal cheeses, wines, oils, and other traditional foods like caciocavallo made with goat rennet and pizza e minestra (pizza and soup), a dish with humble origins comprising corn flour and vegetables – canned versions of it are sold in Roman food shops. Molise Food's founder, Francesco Caterina, promises that Molise will soon be on the level of Madrid, Toronto, and even New York, given the success they have achieved. For instance, Ariana Rockefeller, the great-granddaughter of the oilman, adores the caciocavallo Macchione.
Stefania di Pasquo set up shop in Agnone – the chef honed her talent under chef Niko Romito, chef of the three-star Michelin-rated Ristorante Reale in Abruzzo. Di Pasquo applied his philosophy to her restaurant: to make a small village large, one must offer something very good. Her menu at Locanda Mammì strikes a balance between tradition and evolution, serving dishes like pea soup with hazelnut crumble and caciocavallo is a great example.
"We strive to make our land attractive in every sense," explains Manuela Cucoro, whose offerings at Locanda Alfieri in Termoli reflect this tenet.
Cover photo: Empty alleyway in the Old Town of Termini. Credit: Getty Images/Westend61