VICO EQUENSE

VICO EQUENSE

Aequana was probably discovered by the Romans, who found its steep, sunny slopes perfect for cultivating grapes, before the Goths razed it in the V century. (The area's wine production has since moved further up the hill to Gragnano where a tasty, slightly fizzy red is still produced today.) The town of Vico Equense was resurrected in the XIII century by King Charles II of Anjou.
The privately owned Castello Giusso (not open to the public) looms inescapably over the town, its fanciful crenellations a 19th-century addition to the original 1284 medieval building. The Renaissance section above was added in the mid 16th century.
To the south, in via Puntamare, the church of the Santissima Annunziata(open 9-10.30 am Mon-Sat; 9am-12.30pm Sun) overlooks a dramatic drop to the sea, making it an essential photo opportunity. The Annunziata was Vico's cathedral until the bishopric was abolished in 1799 when the last incumbent, Michel Natale, was hanged for his over-enthusiastic support of the Parthenopean Republic. His portrait is missing from the medallions of former bishops in the sacristy: instead, there's a painting of an angel with its finger raised to its lips, inviting onlookers to draw a veil of silence over Natale's unwise choice. Some Gothic arches from the original 14th-century church are in the side aisles.
Along viale Rimembranza, the baroque church of San Ciro(open 8.30am-noon, 4.307.30pm daily) has a pretty tiled dome. Nearby, in via San Ciro, the Museo Mineralogico Campano has a collection of some 5,000 bits of rock, including fluorescent ones that glow under ultraviolet light; there are a few chunks of meteorite and some fossils, too. Inside the town hall, a collection of artefacts from a local necropolis (seventh- to fifth-century BC) are displayed in the Antiquarium.

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For 4-6 servings:

• 400 g spaghetti
• 400 g walnuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 handful breadcrumbs
• 100 g cream
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt
• nutmeg

Shell the walnuts and remove the film which covers them by plunging them into boiling water. Pound them in a mortar with the garlic clove and then add the breadcrumbs which have been moistened in some water (or milk) and squeezed dry, and a handful of salt. Use the pestle like a spoon to mix the ingredients together to obtain a smooth cream. In a saucepan, warm the nut mixture over a moderate heat, diluting with the ... continue