Is Calabria, Italy the New Amalfi?

We didn't say it, they did. Make this tortellini meatball soup.

Very loud laughter flowed down the hall into the living room.

“Amore, guess what they said about Calabria? I’ll send it to you,” exclaimed Giuseppe.

I opened my messages and stared into this article by Telegraph.co. I chortled with glee. Ah, they’re finally catching on.

Everyone has sort of been waiting for Calabria to have her big moment. Italians know about the region and so do a lot of Europeans (we get a lot of German and British travelers).

And if you head to places like Naples, Sorrento, or Puglia the locals will begin a monologue about the beautiful beaches, delicious food, incredible people, and wild ruggedness of the region.

They know specific towns, like Le Castella, which is fascinating considering the population is only about 1,000 people!

Calabria is in red.

So what’s taken so long?

First, it’s a pain in the butt to get to and across Calabria. Italy has a transportation issue. It’s easy to travel north and south but very hard to travel east and west.

For example, there is no high-speed train or real multilane highway from Calabria to Puglia. (The regions that produce 64% of the olive oil in the country don’t have a real highway. HELP.). This is a bummer because a Lecce, Matera, Golfo di Squillace (Calabria) is truly an EPIC road trip.

In Calabria, you can fly in and out of the coastal cities but there aren’t very efficient forms of transportation, like high-speed trains and highways, to really get into the meat of the region. But this is also what makes Calabria special.

The train from Rome to Tropea, we finally have highspeed options!

Second, Calabria has had a terrible publicist and zero marketing budget. We’ll leave it at that.

Third, young people are moving back to Calabria. They’re opening cafes, restaurants, stores, and B&Bs. And they’re extremely active online so are staying connected and more up-to-date on modern marketing.

They’re also taking over family businesses, such as restaurants, and completely overhauling the menu and dining experience. The best example of this is La Tavernetta in Sila. The owner’s kids have taken over as sommelier and chef. They now have one of the best wine lists in Italy and are on the track for a Michelin star.

See the full Michelin restaurant recommendation list for Calabria, Italy here.

Fourth, there’s a boom of interest in Calabrian products such as Calabrian peppers, wine, olive oil, and more!

What’s next for Calabria

Growth, the expansion of businesses, and more tourism. Not just from Italians but Americans. Many who are looking to explore their roots, want to try something new, or just like less crowded beautiful places.

Change, and updates to existing businesses as the younger generation(s) takes over.

TLDR; We want to see Calabria have her main-character, hair blowing in the wind moment. And it sort of feels like that time is almost upon us. *Almost*.

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Let’s plan your trip to Calabria, Italy

Calabria is an amazing place to vacation but isn’t exactly Googleable. If you’re planning a visit to Calabria (or southern Italy) within the next year let us help you.

Giuseppe and I can review and customize your itinerary to your interests to ensure your trip is incredible and more importantly, easy. This includes making sure you don’t miss any must-see sights, activity planning, and full restaurant recommendations (which is v much needed, trust).

If you’re planning a visit to Reggio Calabria make sure you check out this guide. To schedule a call email us today : )

TLDR; Giuseppe and I can help you make your trip to and through Calabria unforgettable. E-mail us today: hello@exauoliveoil.com

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before trimming vs after trimming

Trimming Trees on Property #1

It’s been a long time since we’ve done a campagna update! There’s a lot to catch up on. As a refresher, property #1 is the property where EXAU, the brand, got started. Remember, Giuseppe is a 3rd generation olive oil producer : )

The largest and oldest trees were planted by Giuseppe’s grandfather, almost 100 years ago. The next round of trees were planted by Giuseppe’s father 30 years ago. Then he planted more trees about 15 years ago. This takes us into our current timeline…

• 2017: The olive trees are beautiful but looking a lil nakie, they need proper pruning and some nutrients.

• 2018: Giuseppe and I started to rehabilitate this olive grove. We trim the trees back so much our neighbors tell us they’re dead, LOL.

• 2019: We plant 30 trees filling in any empty spots in the rows. Some of the trees die (you’ll see why).

• 2020: PANDEMIC. And we find a literal never-ending flow of SALT WATER on the property which was causing our baby trees to die : ( We install drainage, some trees come back to life. Nakie trees start to bud : )

• 2021: We had a fire that scalded an entire row of trees, we couldn’t harvest them : ( BUT then our customers came through and make sure we sold out of in-stock inventory and moved us into pre-orders early <3

• 2022: The property is almost fully rehabbed!!

• 2023: The trees are trying to turn the property into a tropical jungle, we politely but aggressively trim them back.

It took 5 years and it’s been a hell of a ride! You’ve been here the entire time <3 Thanks for that. Watch what we’ve been doing below!

exauoliveoil

A post shared by EXAU (ex-ow) Olive Oil (@exauoliveoil)

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Tortellini with Brodo + Meatballs

Just when we thought we were done with the fireplace for the season we had a rain spell here in Calabria! Here’s a soup that will warm you up and keep you full, tortellini with brodo and meatballs.

Reduce, recycle, reuse the Italian meatball (vrasciole) recipe from this post. Lina usually makes them in bulk and divides half for vrasciole fritte (fried Calabrian meatballs) and half for brodo.

Ingredients

Broth

• 3 to 4 leftover beef bones

• 1 small onion cut into large chunks (2 inch)

• 2 carrots cut into large chunks (2 inch)

• 4 celery cut into large chunks (2 inch)

• 2 ripe tomatoes, optional

• Leftover parmigiano reggiano rind (1 inch)

• 500 grams tortellini

Italian Meatballs

• Full list of ingredients here

Directions

Italian Meatballs

1. Follow the instructions to make the meatballs here.

Broth

1. Add the beef bones to a large pot, then fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 60 to 90 minutes.

2. Add the chopped vegetables to the pot and continue to boil for 15 minutes on medium heat. Lightly salt to taste.

3. Gently add the meatballs one by one. You can use a slotted spoon or tongs. Once the water comes back to a boil cook for 40 to 60 minutes on medium heat.

4. Salt to taste.

5. Bring a medium size pot to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt then add the tortellini. Cook for 2 minutes then drain the water. Quickly add several ladles of broth to the medium size pot as well as the cooked tortellini. The tortellini should be well covered with broth. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 more minutes.

6. Serve the tortellini immediately. Top each bowl off with more broth if desired. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and a hefty glug of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

7. In the same bowl serve the meatballs in more broth as the second dish, or secondo. Top with extra virgin olive oil if desired.

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Thanks for hanging with us till the end : )

A presto,

-Skyler & Giuseppe

P.S. Are you following on TikTok? We’re having fun over there. Also, we wrote a book called The Olive Oil Enthusiast, pre-order today!