Food & Wine September 2016

IT STARTED, as the best meals in Italy often do, with a boat ride. Thirty minutes west of Positano, our launch sidled up to a rickety wooden dock. Stepping off the boat, we were met by Peppino De Simone and his daughter Antonia, who greeted us like old friends, even though it was our first visit. This, we learned, is how everyone is welcomed to Lo Scoglio. Set on a pier above a black-pebble beach in the village of Marina del Cantone, at the far western edge of the Amalfi Coast, the restaurant was founded in 1958 by Peppino's parents and is still a family affair. His daughters run the day-to-day of the business, but their father remains a constant presence—the happy and ever-hungry patriarch. Circulating the open-air dining room, he'll offer…

DINNER TABLE ETIQUETTE When I was growing up, my family was serious about manners. I always wanted to put my elbow on the table to prop my head up. I didn't understand how other people looked awake. My head felt so heavy after the whole day. MAN IN THE KITCHEN On Sundays my husband [race car driver Eugenio Amos] motocrosses with friends. Then they all come to lunch, and he cooks indulgent dishes like bone marrow risotto. COOKING LIKE A MISSONI I'm the only one in my family who doesn't cook, but I can do a Swiss dish called frittatensuppe. You make a thin omelet from eggs, flour and parsley, then roll and cut it in the shape of tagliatelle and add broth. It's a tradition we adopted. FASHIONABLE FORAGING My grandmother [Missoni founder Rosita Missoni] picks…

FIOR DI LUNA This shop has set the gelato standard for decades. The stracciatella—fior di latte (milk, cream and sugar) with chocolate ribbons—is lush but light. fiordiluna.com. FATAMORGANA Maria Agnese Spagnuolo's shops are go-tos for chocolate, from milk to dark, with unexpected infusions like wasabi and tobacco. gelateriafatamorgana.com. CARAPINA Florence native Simone Bonini opened his third gelato shop—and only Rome outpost—in the heart of the historic center. His citrus sorbets—especially blood orange—are stunners. carapina.it. SCIASCIA At this café near the Vatican, Pino Mondello makes incomparably smooth gelato to order with liquid nitrogen. The technique lends luscious texture to the intensely fruity strawberry sorbetto. Via Fabio Massimo 80A. IL GELATO DI CLAUDIO TORCÈ Rice, Gorgonzola and celery are unlikely flavors, but here in the EUR district, Torcè pushes boundaries. Don't miss his black sesame. ilgelatodiclaudiotorce.com. GELATERIA DEI GRACCHI Romans love pistachio more…

SOPRARNO SUITES This small and charming hotel, in a 16th-century palazzo, reflects the owners' affection for flea market and salvage yard finds. Most of the guest rooms have high frescoed ceilings and oversize windows. From $200; soprarnosuites.com. QUELLE TRE The Scardigli sisters design colorful clothing and accessories, which they sell in this hybrid shop and lounge. quelletre.com. MARINA CALAMAI The artist and former fashion designer creates dessert-themed sculptures, paintings, hats and jewelry. marinacalamai.it. BERBERÈ CRAFT PIZZA & BEER Farro, einkorn and other house-ground flours make for superb pies, topped with spicy "nduja and more inventive options. www.berberepizza.it. DITTA ARTIGIANALE COFFEE This modern café encourages lingering over coffee, American-style, rather than drinking on the run as the Italians do. Choose from Aeropress, siphon and pour-over brews. dittaartigianale.it. VIVANDA This cozy, slow food–minded wine bar focuses on…

DIY Writer Elizabeth Minchilli travels all over the country for her app, Eat Italy. The digital guides reveal her top picks for everything from lunch (butter chicken at Sostanza in Florence) to cocktails (a spritz at the Aciugheta trattoria in Venice). itunes.apple.com. DEEP DIVES In Emilia-Romagna, Yummy Italy focuses on visits to artisans, including salumi producers and makers of Parmigiano-Reggiano. At Rosola Dairy in Zocca, you can taste cheeses aged from 16 to 65 months. yummyitaly.com. BESPOKE Emily FitzRoy of Bellini Travel has cultivated an incredible network that gives her exclusive access to palaces, galleries and private homes. She might arrange a villa stay in Sicily or a boat excursion through the Aeolian Islands, during which your private chef prepares sea urchin just plucked from the Mediterranean. bellinitravel.com. Just for Ewe In a tiny…

CHEFS LIKE ITALY'S MASSIMO BOTTURA regularly hatch plans for new restaurants all over the world: They build in Dubai, launch in Vegas, test their culinary mettle in London. That's how dining empires are built. And that's the typical trajectory of a talent like Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana in Modena is No 1 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. But Bottura has other ideas about what it means to broaden his reach. The 53-year-old chef has decided to franchise compassion rather than high-concept cuisine. Last year, Bottura founded a Milan soup kitchen, Refettorio Ambrosiano, focused on zero-waste cooking. Through his and his wife Lara's nonprofit, Food for Soul, he's lending recipes and design ideas to a 60-year-old soup kitchen in Bologna called Antoniano. Most recently, he launched a project to feed…