Latest news with #Puglian
Filipino Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Kylie Verzosa acquires villa in Italy with friends
Beauty queen-turned-actress Kylie Verzosa has acquired a property in Italy with her friends. Verzosa revealed the purchase through an Instagram Story post, sharing photos of the newly acquired house located in Puglia, a region in southern Italy. 'Bought a house in Italy… She's finally ours,' she wrote, referring to the property named Villa Sogno or 'dream villa.' The villa, designed in traditional Puglian architectural style, features a stone façade, a central courtyard, landscaped gardens, and a turquoise pool. Its interiors blend rustic and modern elements, including arched windows, barrel-vaulted ceilings, a wooden farmhouse table, wicker chairs, and a four-poster bed with a copper bathtub. One of Verzosa's co-owners, Danish musician Tomas Barfod, gave a closer look at the property through photos on his Instagram page. The acquisition follows Verzosa's business debut last year, when she launched her shapewear clothing line.
Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Straits Times
Food Picks: A celebration of spring and summer produce in Italian restaurant Somma's new menu
Italian restaurant Somma looks to keep the momentum with its first menu change for what it calls its Solterra season. PHOTO: SOMMA Food Picks: A celebration of spring and summer produce in Italian restaurant Somma's new menu SINGAPORE – After opening to much fanfare in September 2024 at lifestyle cluster New Bahru, Italian restaurant Somma looks to keep the momentum with its first menu change for what it calls its Solterra season. Sol refers to the sun, while terra means earth. The intricate dishes celebrate spring and summer produce, and I find myself enjoying severa l vegetable elements across the menu ($268++ for six courses). There is a four-course Saturday lunch at $168++ too. As always, the meal starts with a couple of welcome snacks – this time presenting the artichoke in two ways. First, it is served as a warm broth from a 'flask' made of artichoke, followed by farinata (chickpea pancake) topped with crisp mammole artichoke and house-aged perch lardo spiced with fennel and black cardamom. The first course showcases grilled fava beans studded with pickled pine nuts and drizzled with burnt lemon thyme-infused tomato water, and a delicate elderflower dressing. Served with this is an 'asparago zebrato', named so for the striped glaze on the white asparagus. The glaze is made with soya beans, oolong tea and asparagus water, while the stripes are made of black shallots infused with lapsang souchong tea. Highlighting the sea is a plump mussel and grilled razor clams dish, followed by the return of my favourite carrot spaghettone with sea snails and a rich mantis shrimp bisque. Somma's mussels and grilled razor clams dish. PHOTO: SOMMA But while the meat main of grilled milk-fed lamb is finger-licking good, it is the 'peasant salad' that is truly memorable. It features a medley of 26 seasonal ingredients – from fresh, grilled and dried flowers and vegetables to delicate leaves – seamlessly tied together with a dressing of oregano, whisky vinegar and blueberries. If anyone can get me to eat and truly appreciate my vegetables, it is Somma's Puglian chef-partner Mirko Febbrile. A millefoglie of layered lamb tongue slow-cooked in mead and aged lamb heart grated over the plate round off the dish. Loquats star in the refreshing pre-dessert plated within a large ice cube. Yogurt and almond kernel panna cotta is wrapped in a delicate mochi skin, then topped with a chilled broth of lacto-fermented loquats, ginger, eucalyptus honey and osmanthus sorbet. To finish, the main dessert highlights three types of corn – South American purple corn, Italian yellow corn and Hokkaido white corn – made into paper-thin wafers and paired with American Pale Ale ice cream and brown butter. Where: 04-02 New Bahru, 46 Kim Yam Road MRT: Great World/Fort Canning When: Till Aug 16, noon to 1.30pm (Saturdays), 6 to 10.30pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays and Mondays Info: Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.
Times
05-05-2025
- Times
12 of the best family-friendly villas in Italy
Italy is all about the family — so where better to rent a multigenerational home-from-home with added luxury in the summer months? We've picked 12 of the best, so if you're a fly-and-flop bunch, check out the options with a generous pool, boules pitch, billiards table or stylish outdoor kitchen-dining-room space. If you require constant stimulation, some of the best options here offer art and yoga classes, ebike tours, truffle hunting and grape stomping in season. From a noble farmstead in the rolling hills of Val d'Orcia to a modernist villa with a helipad on Sardinia's northwestern coast, we have a family-friendly rental you'll love. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue £££ | POOL | Sleeps 18 This Puglian party house close to the rocky headland of Polignano a Mare has endless possibilities for sporty outdoor fun. The lawns of the 12-acre estate, generous enough for a rowdy game of five-a-side, come with football and basketball nets and a boules pitch, while an open-air kitchen offers both barbecue and pizza oven to cater supersized multigen get-togethers. A sea-facing terrace stretches the length of the house, giving onto a 13-metre pool with startling views of the Adriatic coast. Neutral interiors are sturdily furnished; each of the nine double rooms is en suite. • Discover our full guide to Italy £££ | POOL | Sleeps 12 The 3,700-acre Reschio estate is a legacy project with three generations at its helm. Benedikt Bolza, a London-trained architect, and his wife, Nencia, an artist, have transformed the crumbling Bell'Aria farmhouse in Umbria into a luxe six-bedroom villa with entertainment solutions for all ages, including a children's playroom, clay tennis court, pool — and an outdoor bread oven in case you've brought along your sourdough starter. There's a long list of activities available on the estate too, including horse riding, dressage lessons, ebiking, beekeeping, pottery and floristry, with truffle hunting in season and an outdoor cinema with international options. • Great Italian beach holidays £££ | POOL | Sleeps 10 If little ones are clamouring for a day at Gardaland Resort — an amusement park just a boat trip away down the lake — modern Casa Lawrence makes an excellent base on its western shore, in the Alto Garda Bresciano Park. Hiking and ebiking are on offer here, as are sailing, canoeing and fishing down on the lake, plus paragliding, tennis and golf close by. A half-day boat tour of Garda leaves from nearby Gargnano, while, back at the villa, there's a billiards table in the open-plan living space, and a fenced-off pool in the pretty terraced gardens. • Best hotels in Lake Garda• More great villas in Lake Garda £££ | POOL | Sleeps 5 In the hills northeast of Volterra, Borgo Pignano is a luxury estate with eight 'maisonettes' on site. Il Pozzo offers independence from the villa hotel with access to all its facilities: a children's pool for under-12s, Michelin green-starred restaurant, cookery, art and yoga classes, and tennis and basketball courts. The three-storey traditional workers' cottage has terracotta-tiled floors, white-painted beams and rustic furniture, plus a leafy terrace for dining. But children will love the Al Fresco restaurant, which majors on pasta and pizza, and has knockout views across the valley for the adults. • Best cities to visit in Italy £ | POOL | Sleeps 8 A three-minute walk from the modernist Villa Palma, the sandy Sicilian beach of San Lorenzo beckons — but even nearer is a shingle strand just 100 metres from its doors. The little ones in your party will be happy to play with a bucket and spade, while older kids can swim in the warm southeastern waters as parents supervise from the seafront terrace. Villa Palma's interiors are beach-boutique simple; for some over-the-top baroque, head for the overblown delights of Ragusa, Noto and Modica, all within easy reach. • Italy's best beaches ££ | POOL | Sleeps 8 A separate lower floor for independent teens — with a raised platform bed for TV lounging — is just one of the draws of this beautifully restored 19th-century baronial villa near the coastal town of Monopoli, in Puglia. Interiors here are immaculate: intricately tiled floors, vaulted limestone ceilings, pale antiqued furniture — and endless spaces to lounge. This is a place to switch off and luxuriate. The gardens are a sociable treat: alongside the 15-metre pool is a generously equipped summer kitchen-dining room, with a 17th-century Florentine fireplace in the outdoor lounge. A chef is available for catering, allowing you more time to dream the day away in the shady poolside pergola. • Best walking holidays in Italy for 2025 £££ | POOL | Sleeps 12 In the heart of Chianti country, this 15th-century monastery-turned-farmstead is all about the sport. Alongside a full-size synthetic grass tennis court and 13-metre swimming pool, turbo-charged holidaymakers can access a football/basketball area complete with nets and hoops, a fitness suite, billiards room — and even a ping-pong table. The mellow-stone villa provides a serene backdrop to all this activity, with its open-plan interiors and vast terrace promising low-key relaxation — and more than enough bathrooms to go round. Local experiences on offer include organic cookery classes, guided ebike tours, a Florentine treasure hunt and grape stomping at harvest time. • Best luxury villas in Italy £££ | POOL | Sleeps 10 Villa Ambra expects guests to arrive in style — and provides a floodlit helipad to help you do just that. The location, on Sardinia's northwest coast, is spectacularly remote, but what you get for that is a sprawling white villa with aqua hints in the lushest of grounds, a curvaceous swimming pool with its own sandy beach overlooking the sea, a hydromassage hot tub, a private gym and tennis court, and a professional outdoor kitchen with accompanying chef at your disposal. Alternatively, you can slip through the gate in the garden that leads into an excellent restaurant and order the catch of the day. • Best hotels in Italy's Cinque Terre £ | POOL | Sleeps 8 The outside — with five acres of grounds for children to run around in — is as sensational as the inside at this striking stone-clad villa five miles from Todi's medieval centre. With a summer sitting room and generous dining space on the terrace, plush sofas under a vine-clad pergola, a knockout 14-metre pool and a ping-pong table, you might never go indoors — but then you'd miss the sprawling modern kitchen (with a housekeeper who cooks excellent local dishes), two stylish sitting rooms, sculptural bathrooms and a master suite with canopied bed. Umbria has long been under the radar as a summer destination but with rentals like this one, it won't be for long. ££ | POOL | Sleeps 10 If trying out a trullo is top of your wish list, then rather than making for the Hobbit-house hub of Alberobello, opt instead for Rosmarino — an estate on the edge of elegant Martina Franca that has worked a couple of the conical-roofed Puglian huts into its whitewashed sprawl. It is immaculately designed, down to the last detail, whether that's the barrel-vaulted ceilings, sunken baths, courtyard fire pit, panoramic first-floor terrace or romantic walled gardens. Bag the sweet trulli — Fico and Olivo — early. • Find the best things to do in Italy £££ | POOL | Sleeps 12 This is the holiday house of dreams: a gracious farmstead deep in the Val d'Orcia that's still very much a family home — which makes it equally relaxed whether you're sprawling on the terrace on a lazy summer day, or curled up by the kitchen fire in the depths of winter. Villa Buonconvento eschews high design in favour of the layers of classy Tuscan taste built up here over decades: faded tapestries, squashy sofas and stout beds covered in lace abound. Outside, there's a shaded outdoor kitchen and a fully fenced pool, with a fire pit and boules pitch close by. ££ | POOL | Sleeps 14 Pretty in pink, the recently restored Il Gelsomino Bianco, in the hills outside Lucca, is a prime multigenerational retreat, where dolce far niente —– the sweetness of doing nothing — is all. With seven bedrooms split across the main villa and guesthouse, and a leafy courtyard drawing room in between, guests can come and go, meeting for an aperitivo to soak up the vineyard views before dinner prepared by the in-house chef. Interiors are replete with rustic charm: oak-beamed ceilings, terracotta floors, raw plaster walls and simple furnishings offset by a bold choice of art. The swimming pool on the lower terrace, in the shade of ancient olive trees, is particularly dreamy. • More of the best places to visit in Italy• Italy's best secret islands that the locals love
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Yahoo
Italian mafia gangs now target ‘green gold' as olive oil value surges
Police are hunting five masked men who forced a lorry driver off the road in southern Italy before detaining him at gunpoint and making off with his highly-prized cargo. The paramilitary operation in the Italian region of Puglia, best known for its Baroque treasures, slow food and breathtaking coastline, happened earlier this month and shocked the country. But there were no priceless artworks, jewels or drugs on board the lorry – only crates of fresh olive oil worth an estimated £260,000. This latest robbery highlights the alarming penetration of organised crime into the production of one of Italy's biggest agricultural exports. With olive oil now fetching up to €15 (£13) a litre, mafia gangs are targeting what's known as 'green gold'. In a region that produces 40 per cent of the nation's olive oil, producers are taking drastic measures to protect their olives at every stage of the production process. Coldiretti, the country's largest farmers' organisation, is urging its member to use helicopter surveillance, mount GPS tracking devices on olive oil tanks and demand police escorts to move the finished product across the region. Pietro Piccioni, the director of Coldiretti's branch in Bari, said: 'During the harvesting period, marauders across the countryside raid the olives that have to be guarded like diamonds at night and escorted during transfers to the olive mills. 'Then the oil mills are forced to notify the police before letting trucks of extra virgin oil leave.' Leonardo Palmisano, a sociologist and mafia expert, said: 'Puglian mafia organisations are hiring specialised international criminals to carry out these attacks. 'It is at such a high level that they send thieves from other parts of Europe, like they do with car robberies, and then they immediately move the stolen oil into the market for bottling and distribution. 'Olive oil can be stolen and sold for half the price, and sometimes the robberies are even commissioned by mafia-run businesses masquerading as legitimate companies.' But criminal gangs are also plundering Puglia's olive groves at source. Using sledgehammers to assault the trees, gang members can steal more than 30kg (65lb) of olives per tree in just a few minutes. The gangs drag nets under the olive trees as accomplices beat the branches to collect as many of the falling olives as possible, often causing irreparable damage. Coldiretti said these types of robberies had increased over the past three years but often went unreported because of the fear of violence. Officials are calling on producers to report the incidents to police, even anonymously, so they can tackle the spread of organised crime. Nicola Di Noia, the director-general of the Italian oil consortium Uniprol, said: 'Agriculture needs greater protection. 'Where there is economic opportunity, there is criminality, agriculture is just like anything else.' Olives are grown across more than 300,000 hectares (900,000 acres) in Puglia and generate more than €1 billion (£860 million) in annual sales. Widespread drought and rising production costs have contributed to a surge in prices, making it ripe for exploitation. Producers in northern Puglia are also facing a threat from the bacterium, Xylella, which has destroyed 21 million plants in the Salento region further south. The Italian mafia has a history of subterfuge involving the prized oil. In 2017, it was revealed the the 'Ndrangheta were exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the United States, simply re-labelling cheap olive pomace oil. 'Criminals don't have a problem smuggling children, animals or drugs,' said Mr Di Noia. 'We shouldn't be shocked to hear that they are going after olive oil, even though we are more accustomed to seeing assaults on armoured security vans than lorries. 'For these criminals who have no problem stealing, it doesn't matter if it is drugs one day or parmesan cheese another day or olive oil the next.' Lazzaro D'Auria, who grows tomatoes, fennel, wheat and olives near Foggia, has paid a heavy price for facing down the mafia. He has lived under 24-hour police protection since 2017 when a mafia boss put a gun to his head, demanding €200,000 a year in extortion payments. After two years of threats and intimidation, he went to the police and has campaigned against the mafia ever since. 'It takes strength and willpower,' Mr D'Auria said. 'The police do everything they can and we are fighting the mafia together. But it is so embedded in Foggia, it is difficult to destroy it or get away from it.' While the Sacra Corona, sometimes referred to as Italy's 'Fourth Mafia', is found in southern Puglia, local mafia groups dominate agricultural production in the northern part of the region around Foggia and collaborate with Albanian and other mafia. Renato Nitti, a highly respected prosecutor based in Trani, said recently the power of Puglia's mafia had been underestimated compared to other criminal organisations operating elsewhere in Italy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
13-04-2025
- Telegraph
Italian mafia gangs now target ‘green gold' as olive oil value surges
Police are hunting five masked men who forced a lorry driver off the road in southern Italy before detaining him at gunpoint and making off with his highly-prized cargo. The paramilitary operation in the Italian region of Puglia, best known for its Baroque treasures, slow food and breathtaking coastline, happened earlier this month and shocked the country. But there were no priceless artworks, jewels or drugs on board the lorry – only crates of fresh olive oil worth an estimated £260,000. This latest robbery highlights the alarming penetration of organised crime into the production of one of Italy's biggest agricultural exports. With olive oil now fetching up to €15 (£13) a litre, mafia gangs are targeting what's known as 'green gold'. In a region that produces 40 per cent of the nation's olive oil, producers are taking drastic measures to protect their olives at every stage of the production process. 'Olives have to be guarded like diamonds at night' Coldiretti, the country's largest farmers' organisation, is urging its member to use helicopter surveillance, mount GPS tracking devices on olive oil tanks and demand police escorts to move the finished product across the region. Pietro Piccioni, the director of Coldiretti's branch in Bari, said: 'During the harvesting period, marauders across the countryside raid the olives that have to be guarded like diamonds at night and escorted during transfers to the olive mills. 'Then the oil mills are forced to notify the police before letting trucks of extra virgin oil leave.' Leonardo Palmisano, a sociologist and mafia expert, said: 'Puglian mafia organisations are hiring specialised international criminals to carry out these attacks. 'It is at such a high level that they send thieves from other parts of Europe, like they do with car robberies, and then they immediately move the stolen oil into the market for bottling and distribution. 'Olive oil can be stolen and sold for half the price, and sometimes the robberies are even commissioned by mafia-run businesses masquerading as legitimate companies.' But criminal gangs are also plundering Puglia's olive groves at source. Using sledgehammers to assault the trees, gang members can steal more than 30kg (65lb) of olives per tree in just a few minutes. The gangs drag nets under the olive trees as accomplices beat the branches to collect as many of the falling olives as possible, often causing irreparable damage. Coldiretti said these types of robberies had increased over the past three years but often went unreported because of the fear of violence. Officials are calling on producers to report the incidents to police, even anonymously, so they can tackle the spread of organised crime. Nicola Di Noia, the director-general of the Italian oil consortium Uniprol, said: 'Agriculture needs greater protection. 'Where there is economic opportunity, there is criminality, agriculture is just like anything else.' Olives are grown across more than 300,000 hectares (900,000 acres) in Puglia and generate more than €1 billion (£860 million) in annual sales. Widespread drought and rising production costs have contributed to a surge in prices, making it ripe for exploitation. Producers in northern Puglia are also facing a threat from the bacterium, Xylella, which has destroyed 21 million plants in the Salento region further south. The Italian mafia has a history of subterfuge involving the prized oil. In 2017, it was revealed the the ' Ndrangheta were exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the United States, simply re-labelling cheap olive pomace oil. 'Criminals don't have a problem smuggling children, animals or drugs,' said Mr Di Noia. 'We shouldn't be shocked to hear that they are going after olive oil, even though we are more accustomed to seeing assaults on armoured security vans than lorries. 'For these criminals who have no problem stealing, it doesn't matter if it is drugs one day or parmesan cheese another day or olive oil the next.' Lazzaro D'Auria, who grows tomatoes, fennel, wheat and olives near Foggia, has paid a heavy price for facing down the mafia. He has lived under 24-hour police protection since 2017 when a mafia boss put a gun to his head, demanding €200,000 a year in extortion payments. After two years of threats and intimidation, he went to the police and has campaigned against the mafia ever since. 'It takes strength and willpower,' Mr D'Auria said. 'The police do everything they can and we are fighting the mafia together. But it is so embedded in Foggia, it is difficult to destroy it or get away from it.' While the Sacra Corona, sometimes referred to as Italy's 'Fourth Mafia', is found in southern Puglia, local mafia groups dominate agricultural production in the northern part of the region around Foggia and collaborate with Albanian and other mafia. Renato Nitti, a highly respected prosecutor based in Trani, said recently the power of Puglia's mafia had been underestimated compared to other criminal organisations operating elsewhere in Italy.
