Customer Reviews

The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania

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Any food lover planning (or daydreaming about) a trip to Naples or the surrounding area ought to buy The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania with plans to place it in their carry-on right after their passport.

This easy-to-read and information-packed volume makes for a pleasurable handbook to one of Italy's most fascinating regions. The texts are simple, effective, to the point, and, most importantly, very accurately described. So far I've eaten at around a dozen restaurants recommended in the book and I found every one to be excellent and unpretentious. The information about wines is similarly on the mark -- both in terms of what to expect when visiting wine makers and also when popping the cork on the products of their labors. And the food-oriented shops the book mentions have in my experience been charming and worthwhile. I have not used writer Carla Capalbo's advice on hotels in the region, but I can't imagine it would not be excellent.

The book also makes for entertaining reading: filled with anecdotes about the regions traditions, history, tastes, and smells. The book's commitment to high-quality quality photography means that a heavy, glossy paper stock is used. That results in an unusually heavy book, but just glancing through the pages reveals photography that brings many spots to life and make carrying around an extra 500 grams (1 pound) or so worth the effort.

At the book's heart is a simple, passionate, and refreshing advocacy for the area it covers. It can be addictive.

That said, there are a couple of things I'd encourage editors to improve in future editions of the book.

First, I'd suggest staying away from specific mentions of prices when giving examples, as this sort of thing is almost always outdated before a book even hits the shelves. For the most part, Ms. Capalbo sticks to general price categories (when discussing the relative cost of restaurants or hotels), and that seems a much safer bet.

More importantly, I would have liked to see more and better maps with the locations of recommended locals marked on them. In urban areas, restaurants are often on remote side streets that can be hard to locate. And in the countryside, Campania's knack for poorly identifying rural roads can make tracking down wine producers, restaurants, or hotels a challenge -- albeit a challenge that is worth the trouble.

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!

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.

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.

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?

The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania is an exceptional and thorough handbook to the cuisine of the Naples and Campania region in southern Italy. Capalbo has spent the past 10 years as the leading expert in Italian food. With a passion for all things Italian and the occupational skills of a book editor, Capalbo spent three years in Southern Italy to research this digest. Filled with color photographs, restaurant guides, wineries, gourmet shops, history and explanations of Italian cooking, Capalbo has shown us an Italy that only a native would know. The author's love and enthusiasm for Italy can be felt within this guide through her thorough and complete explanation of the region's food as well as her fervor for Southern Italy. There is no other comparable work available, so this almanac is an excellent addition to all libraries.

I had the pleasure of meeting Carla when we both lived in the tiny Irpinian hamlet of Nusco while she was writing this book in 2005. That she was wholly imbedded in the culture of Campania, living in Nusco's centro storico as well as that of Cetara on the coast for a serious contrast, comes through in each page. it is still unique among english guides in its ability to go way beyond the typical tourist book in availing to any reader places to find truly authentic products and the joy to be had just meandering through the varied region of Campania with its little medieval hilltowns and beautiful coastline. What comes across to me every time I reference it is the depth of work that went into publishing this wonderful source of information. Any traveler to the region ought to have a copy in tow, especially if you want to venture beyond the well known beach towns and absorb what it is to be in the Mezzogiorno.

We live in Naples and this was one of the books we picked up as we prepared to relocate. After a year here, I don't even know where the other books are, but Carla's book is all we need. Her recommendations are unfailingly excellent. We have actually planned weekend trips around recommendations in this book to explore areas of Campania we have not visited yet, confident that we will eat well and visit the best wineries, cheese makers, craft stores, etc.

Although this book focuses on food, she also has excellent recommendations for hotels, wine makers, olive oil producers, and many other craftsmen. In the introduction, Carla states that she has visited each establishment and summarizes her personal experiences. This is not an exaggeration - every place we have visited has been exactly like her description. Many times, the owners or proprieters even remember Carla and ask if they can make copies of their review in the book to pin up in their shops or restaurants.

Additionally, this book provides information that is not available ANYWHERE else, such as opening hours, phone numbers, whether they accept credit cards, whether they speak English, and general price ranges. The listed operating hours are especially useful, and even though they can change a little, we have found her listings to be pretty accurate. Good luck finding any Naples restaurant hours posted online or at the storefront!

If you plan to spend any time in Naples or Campania, I recommend this be the first guidebook you purchase. You will not regret it.

This is the book to have during your visit to Naples! The author's recommendations are spot on. If you are looking for excellent restaurants off the beaten path, buy this book!