Peperoncino
Festival 2004 in Calabria, Part
3 of 3
Our ultimate Hotel Recommendation for Diamante
This year
we stayed at the Ferretti Hotel. It is the third hotel we got to
know in Diamante, and as far as we can tell, it is absolutely the
best in town.
The Ferretti
is located rather quietly a little south of oldtown Diamante, and less
than 10 minutes walking takes you to the center of the village. It is
hard to believe that the Mediterranian coast still has spots where
hotels don't line up wall to wall. The house has a private beach. Rocks
in the water, but ideal for sunbathing (we found umbrellas and
lounge chairs free of charge - rather rare in Italy!), for swimming
(half a mile off the beach, you can still see the ground in the
crystal-clear water) and for snorkeling.
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All
rooms at the Ferretti are positioned to give full sea view.
They're furnished neatly, and most of them have terrace access or
a private balcony. On a lower level terrace, breakfast was
served while we were already enjoying a beautiful seaview.
As
appropriate for a four-star house, the hotel is elegant. But
service is not snobby at all, and very helpful, competent and
friendly. Since my wife Renate and I just started learning
Italian, we appreciated the fact that the owners, concierge and
some other staff members spoke English - you don't find that often
down here in the south.
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From
our room it was hard to resist taking pictures of every night's
sunset.
If
this little description of the Ferretti almost sounds like a hotel
brochure, the reason is simple -- we fell in love with this place
and we'll stay here again on our next trip to Diamante.
Ferretti
Hotel Via Poseidone 171, 87023 Diamante(CS)
Web (also English and German) : www.ferrettihotel.it
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Restaurant Recommendation for Spicy Food Lovers
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Also,
we got to know a great Restaurant we'd like to share with you. Just
a little further south than the Ferretti Hotel, the next village
is Belvedere Marittimo. Bordering between the two, you'll
find
Sabbia
d' Oro ("Golden Sand"), just like the beautiful
beach there by the same name. |
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From
the Restaurant' s beach patio, you can enjoy a great view of the
sea and of Diamante. To the right, that's our
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peperoncino
pal Massimo. We met for lunch with Massimo and his wife, Enzo and
his wife, as well as our friend Nunzia. Massimo brought homegrown
red Habaneros - in the kitchen, the potent pods quickly converted
into a simple but fiery-hot and flavorful salsa, chopped finely
and mixed just with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Note
Massimo's
devilish smile...
Inside
the restaurant, murales (wall paintings) by
famous local cartoonist
"Passpartout" are hinting at a good sense of humor,
and also at attitude. Like the picture to the
right, which shows how guests are pampered by the
staff, and the artist is not exaggerating (they don't have
gnomes, though). Service
is attentive and friendly, and chileheads can feel
particularly welcome in this place that loves to cook hot
and spicy. Now for the food. |
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Peppered
presentation: Check out the chile star decoration on this
beautiful plate of Gnocchetti Sabbia
d'Oro.
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The
plate that Sabbia's owner Palmino Raffo (left) is showing off with Enzo giving a hand is
the restaurant's signature dish. Back in 1997, it was a winner at La
riviera nel piatto ("the coast on a plate"), a
Calabrian food contest organized by the Accademia Italiana del Peperoncino.
Hungry? See recipe below,
or come to Ristorante Sabbia
d' Oro! |
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As
our second course, we enjoyed chile-crusted Pesce Spada
(swordfish) - the fish nice and juicy, the crust crunchy and spicy
as a nice contrast. One mural documents how extremely fresh the
restaurant's fish comes to the table...
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Another
great treat was Nido di Mare ("sea's nest") -- grouper
covered with crispy "potato spaghetti", drizzled with
hot chiles. The
dessert was another house specialty: Crostata del
Diavolo. "Devil's Tart" is a kind of fruit tart, a
crispy shortcrust pastry, filled with a mix of peperoncino jam and orange marmalade.
For our photo, Massimo decorated the tasty tart with some tropical
red habaneros. Recipe, anyone? Check
here! Accompanied
by a good cup of espresso, this tart is the perfect finish for a
great meal. We'll be baaack... |
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Fortunately,
I had a copy of my German
2005
Chili
Pepper Calendar in the car to
show my appreciation to our host, Palmino Raffo.
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If
you are traveling Calabria, don't miss this
friendly and fiery restaurant! |
Sabbia
d' Oro, on the beach right between Diamante and Belvedere Marittimo,
Tel. (0039) 0985 88 456
If you come by car: Take SS18, exit south of Diamante
Recipe
Gnocchetti Sabbia
d'Oro
As
pictured above, this is the signature dish of Ristorante Sabbia d'Oro,
the deluxe version of the one the restaurant served at the Peperoncino
Festival. Gnocchetti are simply small Gnocchi, i. e. little flour-potato dumplings that are cooked
and used like any other pasta.
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700
g (24 oz.) gnocchetti, homemade from about 4 parts cooked potatoes,
1 part flour and some water, boiled in water for about 3 minutes *
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300 g
(10 oz.) pomodorini ( small or cherry tomatoes), chopped coarsely
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200 g
(7 oz.) shrimps, shelled
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30 g
(1 oz.) rucola (= arugula), chopped coarsely
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30 g
(1 oz.) radicchio, chopped coarsely
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2-3
fresh hot chiles, chopped coarsely
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5
tbs extra virgin olive oil
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2
cloves of garlic, chopped
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salt
*
If in a hurry, you may find fresh gnocchetti on the refrigeration
shelves of Italian food stores or upscale supermarkets.
In a frying pan,
heat olive oil and sauté the garlic. Add the shrimps, arugula, radicchio, chili, tomatoes and salt.
Cook the gnocchetti separately in boiling water for about 3 minutes (or
according to instructions in case of storebought gnocchetti), drain and toss in the frying pan with the sauce.
Serve hot. Enjoy!
Now that's all, folks! See you at the next Peperoncino Festival!
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