carciofi con la nonna

'terronia' is as much an idea as a place, the south of italy as an independent nation. our history is not the same as that of the north, as our land extends out into the mediterranean on a series of peninsulas and islands. sooner or later this place was invaded by every culture to have had a stake in the mediterranean, which, before 1491, meant just about everyone. ('mediterraneo', 'the middle of the earth').
as 'workers of the soil', or 'terrrone', the pejorative for anyone from the south has recently been reclaimed here as the pin on which we hang our modern, collective identity. our cultural heritage is different, our ethnic-make up, our world view. our land. our food.
and you can taste all of this in every drop of our wine.

Silvestro is Director of the Awaiting Table Italian Cooking School of Lecce Italy. The school offers small group Italian cooking classes that include market, winery and cultural visits as well as special courses on the wines of southern Italy and extra virgin olive oil.