Antica Pizzeria Vicolo della Neve
Vicolo della Neve 24
Telephone: 3318695980
Always open for lunch and dinner
By Carmen Autuori
When news of the closure of theAntica Pizzeria Vicolo della Nevea local symbol of Salerno gastronomy which takes its name from the alley where snow was once stored in the basement and admirably represented in the poet’s verses Alfonso Gattoto the great disappointment and, perhaps also to the sense of emptiness, was added the fear that nothing would be as before and instead, thanks to three good entrepreneurs, the soul of this place which is exquisitely Salerno history and memory continues to live on.
Let’s talk about Fiorenzo Welcome And Gerardo Ferrari already owners of Umi, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Italy according to the 50 Top Italy guide, of a wine shop in via Masuccio Salernitano in the historic center and of a restaurant by the sea, La Crestarella in Vietri, with them also the chef Marco Laudato. And then there’s the lady Maria Caputo, Gerardo’s grandmother, who passes on her ancient wisdom to the boys of the brigade every day. The recipes that have always been offered at Vicolo della Neve are his, such as stuffed pepper, parmigiana in the Salerno style, i.e. with aubergines first dipped in egg and flour and then fried, spleen, pasta and peas with chunks of potatoes to give creaminess and then an ancient onion soup with egg which was once prepared for mothers who had recently given birth to encourage breastfeeding.
The rooms retain the most important elements of the original ones such as the stone arches, part of a painting by the painter Clemente Tafuri which represents a parrot which, it is said, once belonged to the place and the flames of Hell, an ancient refrigerator, open kitchen and on the walls some of the countless poems of Alfonso Gatto, a passionate frequenter of the ancient pizzeria where he loved to entertain guests illustrious how Eugenio Montale And Fabrizio De André, but also with ordinary people. The poet dedicated a beautiful poem, Il Vicolo della Neve, to his favorite restaurant.
This place suspended in time is not just a restaurant, but also a set of life paintings. Just close your eyes and imagine the solitude.”of the sad man who drinks his dried wine“, look out over the alley and see the balcony where it once looked out”boastful“one of the many women of ill repute who lived nearby, or even imagine”the smell of lobster pots” which flooded the ancient pizzeria which is then that of the sea which can be glimpsed at the end of the alley: all figures which hark back to a time gone by and which continue to live within the walls of this iconic place.
The place wants to be the red thread that, through the most authentic gastronomic culture, takes us back to our deepest roots – Fiorenzo Benvenuto tells us – and we do it while maintaining the genius loci of Vicolo della Neve which has always been a meeting place as well as a place of refreshment. Our cuisine is based on the purest tradition, both from the sea and from the land, under the banner of territoriality and seasonality and also rituality, I am referring to the typical dishes of the celebrated holidays, and on this grandmother Maria – the true soul of our kitchen – does not compromise. We have a small wine list, especially from Campi Flegrei, Benevento, Vesuvian, Cilento, but there is the possibility for customers to also be able to purchase other types of wine they like at our wine shop and consume them here>>
What you eat at Vicolo della Neve
Among the appetizers, the protagonist remains the stuffed pepper, strictly without meat. Very soft filling made with bread, eggs, capers and peppers rigorously removed from the skin.
Alongside it is the parmigiana, compact where the tomato and the dairy product are in perfect balance, one enhances the other.
And then the very soft meatballs, careful not with grated bread but with stale breadcrumbs, first fried and then immersed in a voluptuous tomato sauce: the taste has been the same for over a century. There is also the light version that grandmother Maria ‘spoiled’ for us: I prepare the sauce without frying the onion, in the meantime I make the meatballs and dip them, after having floured them, in the beaten egg which thus becomes the glue, I dip them in the tomato and let them cook. These meatballs are very suitable for children and those who want to keep things light>>.
Among the first courses, in addition to pasta and peas with potatoes, the legendary oven-baked pasta and beans, today called double cooking, was once an extraordinary recovery dish.
The second courses include pizzaiola-style meat, stuffed squid, ‘piattella’ anchovies, fried paranza and everything the season offers.
The flames of the wood-fired oven, admirably represented by Tafuri in his fresco, continue to gild the magnificent escarole calzone and the pizzas, as per tradition, Salerno style.
For dessert, Scazzetta di Pantaleone, lemon delights and pastiera.
In conclusion, the Antica Pizzeria Vicolo della Neve remains the stronghold of a sort of all-Salerno mythology where gods and goddesses are the peppers, the parmigiana, the freshly caught anchovies, the flour, the wheat of the pastiera and the perpetual smell of the oven switched on.
Antica Pizzeria Vicolo della Neve
Vicolo della Neve 24
Telephone: 3318695980
Always open for lunch and dinner
