L’ ITALIA ALL’ ITALIANA

If you are thinking of moving to Italy or if would just like to have an authentic Italian holiday or if you simply love Italian food, Italian culture, the Italian language and the Italian people then this site is definitely for you.

It is the mission of this website to introduce the beauty of Italy to as many people as it possibly can. We would like everyone to experience the vitality, colour and energy of this extraordinary country.

To begin with this website will focus on the Lazio and Campania regions of southern Italy as these are the areas of Italy which we have a regular connection with, but other Italian regions will be featured in due course.

If you are planning a trip to Italy, but are finding the price tags a little daunting, then do read on as we may be able to help; with its stunning beaches, its Mediterranean cuisine, its historical wonders and its innate sense of style at every level, the cost of a holiday in Italy is not low. But, take heart, there are still small pockets of Italy that are not over exploited as foreign tourist destinations and they are every bit as beautiful as Tuscany, Lake Garda and the Amalfi Coast.

Spectacular Sunset on Sinuessa Beach

The creator must have made Italy from designs by Michaelangelo

Mark Twain (American writer and lecturer. 1835-1910)

La Bella Italia

The main problem with trying to arrange a low cost yet authentic holiday in Italy is that the areas of Italy that have been developed for tourism are becoming increasingly over commercialised; that is why prices seem to get higher and higher every year. A villa in Tuscany for two weeks may be charming but it will cost the earth in August as would a package deal to the Amalfi Coast or Lake Garda. Of course we have nothing against Tuscany or Lake Garda: On the contrary; these and many other Italian tourist destinations are incredibly beautiful and should be visited as much as possible. But, aye! There’s the crunch. The price tag!!! The better known Italian beauty spots are being increasingly populated with foreign tourists en masse and consequently have price tags to match.

So, where can one go for a truly authentic Italian experience that will not break the bank?

Southern Lazio and Northern Campania are two such places. The beaches and remote islands in Southern Lazio are among the most beautiful in Italy. The charming medieval villages in northern Campania, with their traditional age old festivals, open air concerts in ancient Romans Theatres and weekly village markets are definitely worth a visit. And the price tag is lower than you think....for now at least.

Glider on Sperlonga Beach


Beautiful Luxury Beach Resort in the coastal town of Formia

Il Lazio e La Campania

If you would like to visit these areas of Italy, we could arrange a stay for you in the beautiful coastal town of Formia where you would be within walking distance of huge stretches of warm, golden sand and where you could swim in clear, blue seawater surrounded by shoals of tiny fish.

Or you could stay in the ancient, medieval town of Sessa Aurunca where you would be living in a building that is at least 300 years old, possibly older. In Sessa you would be surrounded by ancient monuments and artefacts which would totally overwhelm you. You would feel as if you had been transported back in time to another era altogether. AND you would have low cost or FREE access to a beautiful private beach resort on the levagnole coast.

If you would like the ‘villa’ experience, you could stay in your own ‘villino’ in the country a few km from the market town of Carinola. Like Sessa, Carinola has an ancient and illustrious historical past which cannot fail to capture your imagination, including the beautiful Convento di San Francesco, founded by St Francis of Assisi himself. But you would be totally private in your ‘villino’ and you too would be able to benefit from low cost or FREE access to the beautiful private beach resort on the levagnole coast. Depending on when you book, you may even be able to benefit from your own private swimming pool.

Low cost or free beach resort on the Levagnole coast

Buon Appetito

There is no love sincerer than the love of food

- George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright

I cannot create a website about southern Italy without mentioning the delicious and comparatively low cost meal options available to you. It is no accident that this area of Italy is known as ‘Il Giardino dell’Italia’, (the garden of Italy). The reason it has this name is that much of the fruit and vegetables Italy grows for export is produced in this area of southern Italy. The south of Italy is famous world wide for its healthy Mediterranean diet: vegetables, fruit, fish and seafood are at the heart of this diet. Restaurants in the Campanian villages tend to have very few dishes on the menu at one time, but what they do have is always excellent and is likely to be the best of its kind you are likely to taste anywhere. The freshness of the ingredients are the key to good cuisine in this area of Italy. As the foreign tourist market is still rather limited in these northern Campanian towns and villages, restaurants here tend to cater for the local residents and their expectations are high. The small, sweet San Marzano tomatoes that go on pizza are produced here; these are also the tomatoes that make the tasty tomato and basil sauce for pasta; these tomatoes make all the difference; combine them with the fragrant, tangy basil leaves grown in the arid soil of the Aurunci hills and olive oil from the Itri or Massico hills and you will create a taste to die for; restaurants that will serve you up a simple dish of real tomato and basil pasta are few and far between, alas even in southern Italy, but when you find one, you will never forget that taste, never ever.

The delicious and sweet San Marzano tomatoes (image from gourmetgarage.dk)


Tomato and basil pasta made with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil leaves (image from lunagalante.com)

The Campania region is also the home of Buffalo mozzarella. You can now buy good quality buffalo mozzarella in supermarkets all over the world; mozzarella for export has certainly improved in texture and even in taste, but once you taste your first bocconcino from a Caseificio in Campania, – not just in Italy but in Campania - you will realise that you hadn’t really tasted buffalo mozzarella at all before that moment.

Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (image from campaniameteo.it)

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity

François-Marie Arouet, better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher (1694 - 1778)

As for the fish, well all I can say about that is that the fish and seafood for sale at the fish markets in Formia and Gaeta must be seen to be believed; stall after stall of squid, octopus, sea bass, whitebait, vongole, mussels, giant scampi, langoustines, lobster and more. The freshest, tastiest fish imaginable; these markets are certainly worth a visit, even if you choose not to buy a giant octopus and cook it yourself at home (I can send you a really good recipe if you want to have a go). But if you would like to sample these seafood delights without the hassle of having to cook yourselves, then I recommend a visit to Zì Anna’s at the port in Formia, where they have fresh fish delivered every day and they store it live in their giant fish tank until it is ready to be eaten. You should try their ‘linguine all’astice’ or their ‘spaghetti alle vongole’.

But it is not just the quality of the food that makes eating in southern Italy special. Meal times in this area of Italy are very important. The meal is the focal point of the day when the family gets together and talks and laughs and shares. Southern Italians love eating and they love food. Whatever else is sacrificed it is rarely the precious moments spent eating and drinking with family and friends at least once every single day; so when you go out for a meal in Formia, Sessa or Carinola, don’t expect it to take 20 minutes. The food will be cooked for you freshly in this part of Italy not just reheated, so take your time to savour every mouthful and to enjoy the whole lengthy experience of truly eating ‘all’Italiana’.

“He who distinguishes the true savour of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise”

Henry David Thoreau - American author and philosopher (1817 - 1862)

Southern Italian Seafood Specialities (image from dkimages.com)

Le Feste e le sagre

What makes this area of Italy so fascinating for the foreign traveler today, is that these ancient towns still retain many of the rituals and customs which originated many centuries ago. These include the many festivals that all the towns and villages still have; some of these are linked to religious festivals, others are historical and others celebrate the local cuisine. Whatever their origins and whatever time of year these festivals occur, they are definitely worth seeing. A trip to Sessa during the Holy Week Easter Processions is like stepping back in time. It is an experience you would certainly never forget.

Dancers at the Festa in Sessa Aurunca

Our guests always agree on how alive and vibrant this area of Italy is and how warm and hospitable the local people are. Whether it is the hot, balmy weather or the beautiful natural surroundings or just being in such an ancient land bursting at the seams with its amazing monuments and countless historical wonders, life in southern Italy certainly makes you feel freer, less inhibited and more self assured.

"What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago."

- Erica Jong, American Author and Educator.

But why Here and why now?

What makes this an area of Italy still worth visiting today is that much of what I remember from the past can still be found there today. Obviously there have been some changes, just as there have been everywhere but this region has not yet been totally transformed by ‘progress’ as many others have. It may not be as shiny and as commercially amenable as those areas of Italy that have been economically developed for tourism, but it is real and genuine and still not too expensive. But for how long? That is a question I ask myself every year that I go there? I am sure that one day soon, some tourism giant will twig that this area of Italy has exactly the same tourist attraction and commercial appeal as Tuscany or Lake Garda and so the development will begin. One of the main UK Sunday papers recently dedicated its entire holiday supplement to the Campania region of Italy and focused on how it is set to become the new Tuscany. If this is the case you would be well advised to visit it NOW so you can enjoy its authentic nature and its low prices before it is too late.

Beautiful isolated beach a short walk from the Formia apartment


As a former student of mine wrote after her first trip to this area of Italy in 2004:

‘The trip to Southern Italy has been one of the best experiences of my life:  I have encountered a totally different culture and way of life.  I have eaten some of the most wonderful foods I have ever tasted.  I have met some of the nicest, most hospitable people I have met in my life and I have seen some of the most beautiful sights in the world.  I have also improved my ability to speak Italian and have grown more confident in the language and in myself.  I have fallen in love with a country and made such good friends that I now feel I must return there.’

Please read our comprehensive Guest Book for experiences other people have had in our holiday apartments in recent years.