This post is going to be a little different. Different is that I will be living surreptitiously through my sister in this story. Even though she lives thousands of miles away in a different time zone we keep in touch through all the current forms of communication. Not only do we FaceTime on our iPhone, we email, use Skype, WhatsApp and Snapchat. Giovanna and her husband Davide have just recently moved to the island of Ischia, located in the Gulf of Naples. Ischia is our mamma’s native island.
If you have been following my blog, one of my passionate topics I talk about is about my mom and Ischia. My mom, suffers from Alzheimers and can’t remember anymore and because of that we try to remember for her. Growing up we took many trips with my parents to Ischia taking for granted everything mamma told us. Both my sister and I remember bits of things that she has told us and we try to piece it all together by researching. We both read as much as we can about Ischia. I even belong to many Facebook groups that have to do with Ischia.
Now, I will make sure to take full advantage of Giovanna living there. I love taking virtual food tours of Ischia. If I see something interesting, Giovanna will go investigate and/or taste it for me. Not only is Giovanna having fun in Ischia imagining walking in our mom’s shoes and remembering her life but I am too.
Giovanna lives in Ischia Ponte where her apartment faces Il Castello Aragonese (the small medieval castle on a large volcanic rock connected by a bridge). The apartment is in the same neighborhood mamma grew up in. This area is where the “Crimson Pirate” was filmed in 1951 starring Burt Lancaster and Eva Bartok.
On New Years Day Giovanna told me she was going for a walk to Cartaromana. Cartaromana is a small beach about a 20 minute walk from Il Castello Aragonese. It’s a beautiful small beach complete with hot springs. Every time we visited Ischia we made sure to go there. Even when I was older I brought my children there and they had the pleasure of experiencing this beach. We always made sure to eat at Ristorante da Maria on the beach, which is still there. My mom loved for all of us to enjoy the coniglio Ischitana, the famous rabbit recipe that Ischia is famous for. There is nothing like Ischitana cuisine.
While Giovanna took her leisurely walk I asked her to take pictures along the way and share with me. And she did through snap chat! I saved the pictures so you can all experience the walk to Cartaromana through Giovanna’s camera lens and perhaps you will enjoy it as much as I did!
I came across Panettone di Ischia on Instagram. I asked Giovanna about it. She said she has been seeing them in all the bakery shops. I decided to make one so I can feel like I am there. So while I walk with Giovanna through Cartoromana I have been enjoying a piece of panetonne with a cup of espresso. Tell me if it doesn’t look the same! It was delicious. Here’s the recipe I used!
Panettone di Ischia by instagram voraciinsud
My version of Panettone di Ischia. Sip an espresso while munching on this panettone and let’s pretend we are with Giovanna and Davide in Ischia!
See my recipe for slow rise panettone.