A DOSE OF Il Bel Paese

To fully experience It aly means appreciatiNG her long history, says Italian Ambassador Rubens Anna Fedele

It is amazingly easy to fall in love with Italy—just talk to her ambassador, Rubens Anna Fedele, who has been at his post for three years now. After spending an afternoon with him and his wife Cosetta, one gets a thorough appreciation for
their country’s history. His best advice? “When you go to Italy, you must not have an itinerary. Just rent a car and follow your inspiration.” To fuel your own inspiration, here are a few ideas about il bel paese (the beautiful country).

What is your favorite vacation spot in Italy?
Rubens Anna Fedele: My wife and I don’t take many holidays because of our way of life. When we have a period of free time we go to our home in Rome. When we go “on vacation,” it usually means going home to Italy to be with our two children.

What places would you recommend for first-time tourists?
RAF: With Italy you have to consider its unique history. In the late Middle Ages, small villages were considered separate states and all independent from each other. So they developed their own languages, culture, and even cuisine. A lot of these places like Gallipoli were there 800 years before Christ.

Cosetta Fedele:
We try to explore Italy as much as we can because it is just an endless round of places to see. If it is your first time in Italy, it’s inevitable you see Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome. There are also many small places in Tuscany.

What about off-the-beatentrack places?
CF: A friend recently was driving north of Rome and ended up in the tiniest of towns, which is also one of our favorites. It is called Civita Di Pagnoreggio and is on a mountain of tufaceous rock—until only a few years ago, separated from surrounding land only by a hanging bridge. The town dates back to Etruscan times and you can still see pre- Roman structures like an olive press. There is a family-run taverna where you can sit and eat simply prepared, delicious food. And on foggy days when the mountain is covered, it looks suspended in air.

What food should visitors try?
RAF: No matter where you go, one fundamental characteristic about Italian food is the importance of the taste of the ingredients.
CF: Italians will be particular about, for example, the tomato they buy. One is not similar to another. And you will buy one type of tomato for one dish, another type for another dish.
RAF: It’s very Italian to be sophisticated in choosing your ingredients. The cooking itself is very simple. There is no food in Italy that you need to spend more than half an hour cooking (laughs).
CF: Something very simple to do is this: a few ripe, red, cherry tomatoes—we call them Paquino tomatoes, from a region in Sicily—chopped up, mixed with a little olive oil, and sautéed with a bit of
garlic. Add a basil leaf and then top over your pasta. It’s as simple as that. There are no elaborations, so each single ingredient must be good, otherwise it will taste awful. Your tomatoes must be sweet,
your pasta must be al dente and of good quality.

What is a good souvenir or gift to buy?
CF: People like our leatherwear—it is renowned around the world. We have beautiful styles and the finishing is good. There are also glassblown pieces from Murano, Venice, and our Deruta, Pietri, and other ceramics and pottery.

When is the best time to visit Italy?
RAF: Not summer time as it gets very crowded, and not winter as it is too cold or rainy. So spring and autumn—from April to June or September to November.—