That’s Amore Cheese founder Giorgio Linguanti on the best places to visit in Italy
Italian-born cheesemaker Giorgio Linguanti has one vital tip that he shares with anyone considering a trip to his homeland.
Giorgio Linguanti has some simple advice for travellers seeking a true taste of Italy: eat local. Born in Sicily, the founder of That’s Amore Cheese, one of Australia’s leading artisan cheesemakers, is passionate about his birth nation’s food.
“Every region and every province in Italy has food, ingredients and recipes that are unique to that area. So everywhere you visit you should find out what the local dishes are and make sure you try them,” Linguanti says. “For instance, on Sicily’s west coast in Trapani, which is close to Tunisia, the local dish is a couscous, while the island’s east coast has its own traditional dishes like an orange, fennel and onion salad.”
The affable Linguanti says it wasn’t until he moved to Australia in 2004 that he discovered his talent for making cheese. With a background in advertising and no English-language skills, Linguanti worked in a Melbourne fruit shop before taking a job in a cheese factory run by a fellow Italian.
Finding his boss a little too secretive about some of his production techniques, Linguanti asked his Florence-based brother to send him an Italian book on cheesemaking. “Once the book arrived I started to put together all the information I was missing from my job at the cheese factory, and then I started to make cheese at home. I realised I was a talented cheesemaker. For me it comes easy; I go by feeling, smell and taste.”
Encouraged by the response to his first product – a bocconcini leaf mozzarella – Linguanti leased a space in a cheesemaking business and in 2008 launched That’s Amore Cheese. After successfully producing two products missing in the Australian market, gourmet mozzarella and gourmet ricotta, he added a relatively new Italian cheese, creamy burrata, to his range in a move that helped fuel his company’s growth. Operating from a dedicated factory in Melbourne, That’s Amore Cheese now produces 62 cheeses and employs more than 140 people.
The award-winning Linguanti last year secured a significant retail contract with Coles supermarkets and recently published his first cookbook, Burrata, which showcases Italy and its artisan cheesemakers, and features more than 60 burrata recipes. Linguanti describes his book as a homage to “the most beautiful cheese to see on a plate”. “We were the first people to bring burrata to Australia, so who better than us to tell the story?”
How to get around Italy
Italy is really well connected with many airports and train lines but one suggestion I always make to visitors is to explore Italy by car because every little town has something special to offer. It might be a particular church, a type of food or a group of artisans. If you rent a car you can take your time and stop in each little village to discover its offerings.
Best hotel at Lake Garda
On my last trip to Italy I discovered Hotel Piccola Vela in Desenzano del Garda, a little town on the shore of Lake Garda in northern Italy. The hotel has an enchanting atmosphere and the service is delightful. It’s very central; you can easily do an excursion on the lake or explore the restaurants and bars in the village. I recommend trying the local dish, alosa agone, which is a unique sardine-style fish that comes from the lake. It’s very special, as Italian fish usually come from the sea.
Where to eat in Sicily
My favourite restaurant at the moment is Corallo in Marina di Modica on Sicily’s south coast. It’s all about fish. They purchase the best fish every day, super fresh from the Mediterranean, and they even make cured meats from it like a prosciutto of tuna. That was a new experience for me.
Must-see island
My mum comes from Salina, which is the second largest of the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily and I love it there. The waters around Salina are pristine. The fish taste amazing and the island’s capers are the best in the world. I recommend dining at the restaurant Nni Lausta in Santa Marina on Salina. It’s owned by a very talented chef, Fabio Giuffre, and the menu is seasonal, so he might offer fish or perhaps a basil flower frittata. I also enjoy La Pinnata del Monsu, which features very good-quality local foods including fish, capers and tomatoes.
How to explore the Aeolian Islands
It’s great to explore the Aeolian Islands by boat as you can see the volcanoes and find beaches that are inaccessible by land. But the island of Salina also has a beautiful walking track that takes you up to the top of Monte Fossa delle Felci, an extinct volcano that is about 1000m above sea level. It’s the taller of Salina’s two mountains and the highest point in the Aeolians. From there you can see all the islands as well as mainland Sicily.
What to buy in Sicily
I’m in love with Sicily’s famous testa di moro ceramic heads, so I import them to sell at our cheesery. They’re very popular since they appeared in the TV series The White Lotus, and they’re iconic in Sicily as they are based on an old local legend. Every artisan decorates them in different ways, so they are always interesting. I try to buy new ones every time I go back.
Burrata is published by Hardie Grant Media; $59.99.
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