Ischia, Provincia di Napoli, Campania is the beautiful island where Sal’s fraternal Calise and Lombardi families originate, and the reason for our visit. The island itself is larger than the more familiar island of Capri. While Capri is a favorite vacation destination for tourists, Ischia seems to be, where the Italians go on holiday.
The shops of Ischia 
The Port of Ischia
The Hotel Floridiana Terme is in the port of Ischia and was within walking distance to the beach as well as the shopping district. After we had checked into the hotel, we decided to check out the stores. Since it was the afternoon, we were surprised to find all the stores closed. In fact only a few restaurants were open. Apparently, the stores in Italy close at noon for lunch and reopen around 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, with supper later in the evening.
There were stores that sold beautiful pottery and hand painted tiles, interesting shoes, including an array of cowboy boots; great children’s outfits, stylish women’s and men’s clothes as well as unique jewelry. The prices were more reasonable than on Capri or the Amalfi Coast. All I can say, lesson learned, pack light with room to spare and a few extra euros! We found the atmosphere warm and welcoming, the people helpful and accommodating, and the scenery spectacular. Our mission in Ischia was to visit Forio, his grandmother’s birthplace and see if we could discover family. We did discover some clues; we now know to focus our efforts to find the Calise’s in Forio and the Lombardi’s in Barano. Before we return to Ischia, I plan to explore the ancestry sites for more concrete leads.
Road signs in Ischia 
A place to get out of the heat 
Views from the Ferry 
Since my plan for this trip to Italy was not only to make Italian connections, but to discover the secrets that lie behind preparing traditional recipes. With that in mind, the cooking class in Ischia was designed to highlight the following six dishes: Croccheranno di patate (potatoes croquette), Fiori di zucca ripieni (stuffed squash flowers), Parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmigiana), Tagliolini al limone (Tagliolini pasta with lemon sauce), Pollo alla boscaiola (chicken with tomato sauce, onions, mushrooms) and finally Limoncello Tiramisu. Mind you all these recipes to learn from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, now that’s a challenge! Our driver picked us up in the morning to bring us to La Casereccia Ristorante & Pizzeria in Forio to meet the chef and commence with the lesson. La Casereccia means “homemade” in Italian, this restaurant was opened in 1969 by the Colella family, who’s roots goes back over 200 years in Ischia.
Senora Colella 
Eggplant Parmesan 
Giuseppe Colella 
Croccheranno di patate Fiori di zucca ripieni 
Eggplant Parmesan & Rabbit 
Pasta and Broccoli Rabe 
Nutella Pizza
The owner and chef Senora Colella spoke few words of English, however her son Giuseppe acted as interpreter. While waiting for Giuseppe, I gave Senora Colella my cookbook and with my limited Italian and her limited English explained that it was a gift. Of course, we also had the photo album to share. I’m not sure how the lesson would have gone without the gift, but suddenly we were no longer visitors taking a lesson, but more like family. Giuseppe even called his wife to come with his sons to meet us. The lesson was fast and furious, as we made, Croccheranno di patate Fiori di zucca ripieni, Tagliolini al limone and patate gnocchi. In addition, I was able to watch her make a traditional rabbit dish, different pasta dish, and start to prepare octopus. Lunch consisted of tasting all the dishes that were prepared as well as drinking wine and topping it all off with limoncello. All the dishes were prepared with fresh picked vegetables and lemons from their own trees.
Lemons in Italy are large, bright yellow, thick skinned and oh so good. So, in adapting the following recipe I needed to increase the lemon zest and used light cream instead of half & half as the Italian half & half appeared to be richer. This recipe is so simple, delicious and elegant enough to serve to your guests. Enjoy!
Tagliolini al limone
- 1 pint of light cream
- Zest from 3 washed lemons
- 1 pound of angle hair, capellini, thin spaghetti
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Pour light cream into a bowl, add the zest from 3 lemons. Set aside at room temperature. Meanwhile bring 4 quarts of water to boil, add a teaspoon or so of salt to the water. Add pasta and cook according to directions for al dente. Strain the pasta and add to the bowl, toss the pasta in the sauce and add Parmesan cheese (at least a 1/4 cup) and serve.
Mangia With Micheline 