Rome: a week-end in the Capital

"The Colossaeum or amphitheatre built by Flavius Vespasian, is the most stupendous work of the kind which antiquity can produce", "Travels through France and Italy" T. Smallet 1765

Rome is an endless source of pleasures, wonderful views ... of whatever might impress your mind. It's beautiful even just to stroll out between streets, traffic, people and...the past that is still here and well preserved. Wherever you go, you can find something that will catch your attention. Rome, is full of Churches: I was walking downhill towards Via Cavour and my attention was caught by a wall completely green with an arched door, completly blue, the blue of the sky. I climbed up the stairs and found out, on a square the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli... but wherever you go you can find plenty of cathedrals, churches, and if you go in, you can find nothing but a big surprise.
I go on and reach Via dei Fori Imperiali:  all this area, that was built on the Palatine, Quirinal and Capitoline Hills where the first settlements date back to the 2nd millennium B.C.,  is full of ruins of the ancient administrative-political centre of the town called Forum. To walk among all this ruins is something magical and to think how long they have been here and how they have been built and they have survived up to now. Have a look at the Forum of Caesar, Trajan and Nerva...the ancient market, the temple and also some examples of ancient domus (homes). 

This area is surrounded by a lot of important monuments: first of all the Colosseum the Anphiteatrum Flavium, built in the 72 A.D. by the Emperor Vespasiano. This was the scenery for gladiators fightings and exhibitions and it has preserved its grandeur and its majesty. Nowadays it is still possible to visit it and its interior spaces and from the arches it offers beautiful gashes of Rome. It is a monument to itself and to the human intelligence that has survived the passing of time. I run through Via dei Fori again to reach Piazza Venezia where the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) previously known as Vittoriano stands.

This monument was built in honour of the King Vittorio Emanuele at the beginning of the XX century to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Italian Freedom. At the end of the I World War, inside, the tomb of the unkown soldier was built and so the complex is better know as Altare della Patria.  

For lunch, I decide to go to Monti district that is not far away from here and is full of very good trattorias and wine bars where to taste some of the best Roman dishes... 

I stopped at "Ai tre scalini" in Via Panisperna, 251 - http://colosseoorg.wix.com/aitrescalini/home and order something with cacio, that is a typical cheese of the region and a good glass of wine!

CARCIOFI ALLA ROMANA

Ingredients:
10 artichokes;
2 cloves of garlic;
oil (as much as you like);
some parsley;
some leaves of mint;
1 lemon.

Take away the outer and harder leaves of the artichokes, cut the stems and put them apart. 

Put the hearts of the artichokes in cold water with slices of lemon for one hour and let them rest.

In the meantime, prepare a mix of garlic, oil, parsley and some leaves of mint and of the middle of the stems that you should have already peeled.

Then take the artichokes and start opening them from the outer so that you can pour some of the mix in them, between leaves. 

Put them in a casserole upward, where you have put some water and oil, cover it with the cap and let them cook for an hour.

Just serve them ...enjoy your meal!!!

Umbria: along Via Francigena from Monteluco to Marmore Falls

Spoleto can be considered a good starting point from where to explore the plenty of beautiful places all around.

In the morning, our destination is Monteluco: the name is composed of Mount +  Latin word lucus that stands for Sacred Woods for Jupiter to witness the religious importance of  this place since ancient times. At the entrance of this wood you can find an inscription that is a typical example of wood standards to prevent desecration of holy sites.

Here you can find an ancient monastery that has been handed down from different orders of monks. At the beginning of the XIII century, Saint Franciscus estabilished the Chapel of Santa Caterina. 

This destination is very nice for picnicking and for doing a nice walk in the wood of evergreen holm oaks that is so atypical of places far from the seaside. By walking you can meet also a lot of hermitages and caves, among which the one of Saint Antonio from Padova. 

From the side of the wood and the monastery you can admire the whole valley that Saint Franciscus remembered as a mosaic of cultivalted Spoleto fields "Nil Iucundus vidi valle mea spoletana".

There are some bars and a very wide lawn on which to lay down to observe the blue sky and, why not, eat something! Italy is known all over the world and wherever you go, you will be offered "Anything to eat?!"

BRUSCHETTA 

It's something really very simple. Bread in this part of the region is unsalted because it is said that under the Pope, salt had to be bought directly from the Church even if it was much more expensive. Citizens were forbidden to go on buying salt from their habitual supplier and so they decided to stop using it and the tradition is still preserved.  

Going southwards, from Spoleto you can find a little village called Strettura where a special bread is produced using the crystal clear water of the near springs and cooked in bricked ovens fueled by scented wood of the Mediterranean area.  The result? A very long shaped loaf of bread...deliciuos.

Ingredients:

Some slices of bread;

Garlic;

Extra virgin oil.

Cut the bread in slices and toast them on the fire. Rub a clove of garlic on the surface, add oil and if you cannot do without it, some salt.

Otherwise you can dice some tomatoes and season them with oil, salt and oregano. Pour them with a little bit of the sauce on the toasted slice of bread.

The next stop is the southern part of the region, we want to reach the Marmore Falls and it would be nice to follow the Via Francigena* that is very well signalized. Otherwise you can go by car and admire landscape always beautiful and relaxing. I think that one of the deepest feeling that these natural spots convey to me is peace and serenity... the green hills that silhoutte themselves against a blue sky is something so ... enchanting!!!
By the main road you can admire little towns perched on the hills, a river flowing nearby...
There are a lot of beautiful spots with Medieval characteristics to stop by: the ancient abandoned Umbriano that can be reached walking through the wood; Scheggino with its medieval church or Ferentillo with its Museum of mummies, that were discovered in the crypt of the ancient church. The last one is in the district of Terni, in the so called Valnerina, that is the valley of the Nera river that divides the town in two parts. This river originates from Sibillini Mountains and crosses this part of the region to flow in the Tevere, by Orte.
This area is really very green and naturalistic and here you can find also associations that can let you discover the beauties of nature from another point of view: from the water. 
We reach Marmore and the Marmore Falls: a men-made water fall created by the Romans that appear like a roaming water column distributed on 3 drops in a 165 meters high game. It has been considered one of the greatest phaenomena of nature and it has attracted a lot of intellectuals along the routes of their Grand Tour in the past centuries and streams of tourists nowadays. The right time to get here is when the falls are opened in order to attend to the release of the water. For further information, have a look at their home site: http://www.marmorefalls.it/indexen_GB.php

*This is a part of the ancient path that from Perugia takes you to the Piediluco lake passing by Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Trevi, Ferentillo and Arrone.

Umbria: to get up surrounded by green hills...

For breakfast you cannot renounce to one o the delighs of Italian pastry... Go to Tebro in Via Minervio, 1 or to Zampolini, Viale Trento e Trieste, 24 to taste one of the best maritozzo of the town... It seems to be so big but never mind it will finish in a hurry.

After having restored yourself with so many calories you can face the ascent to the fortress, La Rocca. Our tour today is downhill but we must start from the upper part of the town: Sant'Elia hill. The building goes back to the XIV century when the Pope, who lived in Avignon, wanted to build some mansions in the lands belonging to the Church. Later it became the residence also for the Lords of the town and its walls were painted with many frescoes. Nowadays you can visit the interior even if you won't find them completly preserved since in the XIX century it became a prison and most of the decorations were covered. After going out of the fortress you must make a tour around it. The locals are used at doing it very often and it's so nice because from here you can see the whole town, and you can reach the entrance of the Tower Bridge that you can cross. After this you can start your descent, you will cross a little park and you will and take the street downhill.

On your right you will see a difference in level that will lead you to the Dom of Spoleto also known as Cathedral oh the Holy Mary. It's a typical example of Romanic architecture built in the XII century, apart for the Renaissance porch and the interiors. Inside you can admire some masterpieces from Pinturicchio and Bernini. After going out, turn right and get off the stairs, follow the street and you will reach the Church and Cloister of San Nicolò that in the past were acknowledged as one of the most important Italian cultural centres.
Spoleto is known all over the world for the 

Festival of the Two Worlds (www.festivaldispoleto.com), an international musical, artistic and cultural show that attracts visitors from all over the world. It takes place every year in the second half of June and lasts  3 weeks. One of the most famous event is the final concert held on Dom Square.
Spoleto is the right location because you can find a lot of theatres and places where artists can perform. Hereafter, you can find some exapmles:
- The Roman theatre we visited yesterday: the right location for ballet;
- Theatre Caio Melisso that is located next to the Dom: for prose performances;
- The courtyard of the fortress: for concerts;
- The New Theatre, the biggest Italian Style theatre in Umbria, dedicated to the patron of the Festival, Giancarlo Menotti. The interior of this theatre and the private rooms are something astonishing.

You can relax here and there and find out beautiful spots where to rest and to absorb the peace that this place can offer you.
Moreover you can taste in all trattorias the typical products this land can offer you.

OMELETTE WITH ASPARAGUS
Ingredients:
2 eggs for each person;
a bunch of asparagus;
garlic;
chilli pepper;
oil.
Fry the garlic with the oil in a pan and add the chilli. In the meantime you will have washed and cut in pieces the asparagus; pour them in the fry, add some water until the vegetables are cooked. Pour the beaten eggs in the pan and cook the omelett until both sides are golden.

Umbria...towards home, like at home!

"Spoleto is the most beautiful discovery I made in Italy" ... "there is such a wealth of  unkown beauties, mountains, valleys, forests of oaks, monasteries and waterfalls." H. Hesse

We leave Sicily unwillingly but ... we must, beautiful thing have always to end to rejoice about new things to come.
The travel is too long and so we decide to profit by my relatives living in Spoleto, one of the most famous Umbrian town. 
Umbria is like home... when I was a child, I did not like to go there because it always meant boring things but now I cannot ignore the beauties of this region.
So let's start with Spoleto...

"I climbed up to Spoleto and was on the acqueduct which also serves as a bridge between the two mountains. The ten arches of brickwork have stood there so calmly during the centuries, and water still gushes forth everywhere in Spoleto. This is now the third structure I have seen, all of them with the same grandeur of design. A second Nature, one that serves civic goals, that is what their architecture is, and thus arose the amphitheater, the temple ad the acqueduct;..." Italian Journey, J.W. Goethe

We approach the town from South and, travelling along the Via Flaminia, we face one of the masterpiece of the Roman architecture: the Ponte delle Torri, that was built as an acqueduct and now it rapresents a link between the town and the mountains on the other side of the valley.  It's amazing how it stands there in all its majesty...so high, so great and so beautiful!
Before passing it, you can have access to the town and following the main road you will start finding on your right the ancient walls that still stand there to divide the eldest part of the city from the most modern one.  
You can enter the town from the main entrance in Garibaldi Square and go uphill till the Fortress. Some years ago escalators have been installed in the Eastern side that takes you directly under the fortress but a nice walk is noteworthy.
Spoleto is full of Romanic churches and the first example can be found in Garibaldi Square. with San Gregorio Square. After having visited the whole Sicily, it's surprising how essential and minimalist the architecture becomes... I like it much more because it looks like much more cleaned, simple even if the details of Baroque churches are impressive.
We start doing our "vasca" as the locals are used to call the continuous walk back and forth along the so called "Borgo", that is simple a street full of shops that leads you to the upper part of the town but, if you come here at about 6 o' clock in the evening it gets so crowded that it gets difficult to walk.
At the end of this street you can see the Porta Fuga (Escape entrance), whose name dates back to the III century B.C., when Hannibal was scared off from the inhabitants as proved by the inscription you can see in the arch:

"Annibal caesis ad Trasimenum Romanis urbem Romam infenso agmine petens Spoleto magna suorum caede repulsus insigni fuga portae nomen fecit". 



Just before it, on the left, you find Palazzo Vigili with its Tower, the only one that still preserves its original height.
The so called Oil tower dates back to the XIII century when it was used as a defence system from where, in case of attacks, boiling oil was poured down from the small slots. 
It's lunch time and we want to reach the old Market square because every day, during the week, Serafino stands there with its van and you can taste on of the best "Panino con la porchetta" of the town. I still wonder how is it possible that every day he succeeds in selling the whole pig!!!!
The square market, in the morning, is full of farmers who sell their products. On the left side you can admire the Spring of the square and it follows the Roman habit of "water exhibitions". 
On the left side of the fountain you can find the ancient "Roman house" of the I century A.C. that was found under the current City Hall. Decorations, Mosaics and the houseplant let us think that this was an example of an original Domus Romana belonging to a wealthy family. 
After the visit of the Roman House, go out and cross the Market square till the opposite side and pass under the Arch of Druzus that was build in 23 A.D. in honour of Drusus, the son of the Emperor Tiberius and it rapresented the entrance to the ancient Forum. 
Then turn right and start the descent and you will reach a little square, Piazza della Libertà where, in the corner, you can admire the ancient Roman Theatre, whose entrance is in Via S. Agata.
It's getting late and tonight my aunt is going to teach me to prepare Stringozzi, a typical kind of pasta that is very common in this part of the region even if it can have different names, such as pici, ciriole,...
But let's start with the

STRINGOZZI ALLA SPOLETINA

Ingredients (for 4 people)
For the pasta
4oog flour:
1 egg;
water;
salt.

Pour the flour on the work surface, like a fountain. Add the eggs, salt and water enough not to have a too liquid dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes and start to roll it out in a single pastry. Pour the flour on the surface because it has not to stick neither to the rolling pin nor to the surface. Roll it up on itself and start cutting it so that, once hung, you get a sort of long pasta. 
In the meantime, prepare a fry of oil, garlic and chilli. Finally add the diced tomatoes and cook it until tomatoes are completly wilted. Serve the pasta with the sauce.
Another flavouring that is very typical is with black truffle: grate the truffle with half clove of garlic; add salt, pepper and abundant olive oil. In a pan, fry two cloves of garlic with other oil that, once hot, pour it on the mixture of truffle. Use it to season the previously in boiling and salted water cooked pasta.
Enjoy it!

Liguria: Camogli and ... the fish festival

12th May 2013

Weather is not our accomplice but we decide to leave for Camogli nevertheless. Every year, on a Sunday in May, the local tourist association organizes the Fish festival and all the citizens make their best to achieve great results. 

Liguria is one of the preferred destination for Northern Italians who haven't got any other access to the sea so, particularly during the summer, beaches and towns are really very crowded. 

Typical spots look like little villages perched on the mountains with a lot of coloured houses that create a sort of rainbow collage reflecting upon the sea. 

The origins of the fish festival date back to 1952 when, on occasion of the celebration for Saint Fortunato, the Patron of fishermen, the lawyer Degregori decided to fry some fish on the main square of the town to be served for free to the tourists. The event became always more and more successful and the organizers proudly built a stainless steel pan, whose dimensions allowed it to become the biggest  pan of the world. 

After having obtained our ticket to get fried fish, we decide to come back later because now the queue is too long. You can decide to visit the Church that dominates over our heads and that is the product of different rebuildings. The interior, in Baroque style, is divided into 3 naves and it's characterized by fine golden stucco, polychrome marbles, and chrystal chandeliers. 

Camogli is really very close to Recco and a must of recco is the Focaccia of Recco that is filled with cheese...it's something delicious you cannot miss. And if you decide to rest some hours on the beach, just behind the church there is a pelnty of bakers, one of which allows you to stare at men preparing this special and delicious kind of bread.

FOCACCIA DI RECCO
Ingredients (for a 60cm diameter pan):
500g "00" flour;
50g extra vergin olive oil;
natural water;
salt;
1kg fresh cheese, like squacquerone.

Work together the flour, the salt, the oil and the water until you get a soft and smooth dough. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes in a recipient covered with a cotton cloth. Then take a portion of the dough and start rolling out the dough with a circular movement paying attention not to break it because the result must be 1mm high. Put the pastry on a previuosly greased pan. Distribute the cheese with the shape of a nut over the dough to cover all the surface homogeneously. Take the other portion of the dough and work at it in the same way of the previous one and lay it down on the the other to cover the focaccia.
Weld the edges of the to sheets to prevent the leakage of the cheese during cooking. Nip the surface to create some holes. Sprinkle olive oil and, at your leisure, pour some salt on it.  Cook in the oven, preheated to 270-320°, for 4-5 minutes until the surface goldens.

The sun seems to peep and so we decide to approach the harbour and take a boat to the Monastery of San Fruttuoso. It could be reached also by trekking on the mountains  since this part of the region belongs to the ground and marine Park of Portofino. While approaching the little bay, you can admire it, overthere occupying most of the bay itself with the blue transparent water in front. The complex was built in the X century by Greek monks and rebuilt and restored during the following centuries. It became property of a Genoa family, the Dorians, that in the XX century donated it to FAI - Italian Environment Fund.
You can enter the complex and visit the cloister, the tomb of the Dorians and a museum. Once entered, it will seem to be in a little village with fruit trees typical of the coast. Then you can exit and take the stairs up to the tower where ancient jewels are exposed.
Enjoy a drink on the terrace of the bar nearby facing the wonderful movements of the sea. We go back to Camogli because we have to eat our fry...

We have to go back to Milan, the way is long and the evening is approaching... let's go!
We go up the very narrow streets to flow out on the main street of the town that is full of artesan shops.
Enjoy this region because, particularly during summer, it's a wonderful source of beautiful spots where to rest and to taste very good food!

Siciliy: where the Mediterranean and the Ionian seas talk to each other

15th April

This morning we get up early, because we want to discover, first of all the street market of Siracusa: a blaze of colours, smells, flavours and a lot of delicious things to taste. It would be so nice to have our own apartment just to try to cook all these kind of fish, using so many spices, tomatoes and cheeeeeese!!!

Soon afterwards we take the car and we reach the Greek theatre, located out of the youngest part of the town. This is a typical example of hellenistic theatre that was built taking advantage of the position of the hill, that could guarantee a perfect sound system and a wonderful view of the harbour and of Ortigia.
Soon after the visit to the theatre, we leave towards the south. As you move from the city, the landscape changes, becomes more arid, in some traits it looks like a border counrty, nearly African. We want to reach the most southern point of the island, Capo Passero where the flows of the Ionian sea and of the Mediterranean sea are going to meet..."who knows what they say to each other???". The place is wonderful and the view is spectacular, the sunset here is something astonishing, you cannot miss. From the beach, you can swim to reach the island or, otherwise, you can ask for a boat to take you there. On the island it is still possible to see the remains of a Medieval fortress dating back to the age of Charles V. In the past, the Mediterranean sea was full of Pirates and such towers were used as part of a sighting system. 
We spend all the day on the seaside, it's really very quiet and the beach is provided with all you may need even if it is characterized by dunes and low vegetation.

On the way back, we go and look for vineyards where to buy some bottles of Nero d'avola, we pass by Pachino, the homeland for a sort of very little tomato that is really very delicious and tasteful for the sauce and not only....
The final stop before reaching Siracusa is Marzamemi, that looks like a fishing village of days gone by and whose name derives from Marsà al-hamam, meaning "Bay of the turtledoves" since these birds are used to pass hereby during their  migrations. This little village is known as a fisher village, that was born around the little harbour and it is provided with a tuna fishery, one of the most important in Sicily, dating back to the Arabians settlements. This part of the region is really very interesting and amazing not only for the landscapes you can delight your eyes with but also for the nice routes you can follow:
1- Archeological: starting from Syracusae with the amphitheatre, the temples, the dolmen near Avola, following to Eloro and Villa del Tellaro,...
2 - Naturalistic: natural reserve of Vendicari (from which you can see a tuna fishery), of Plemmirio, of Priolo and the last but not the least the different crops of this part: oranges, olive, strawberry, lemon, grapes, tomatoes,...
3 - Medieval and Renaissance: the Castles and the buildings in Syracusae, the Swabian tower and the one of Capo Passero,...
4- Baroque: don't forget Avola, Pachino, Floridia, among the best known,...
I think tha you have just to choose the one you prefer!!!

For our last dinner in Syracusae we decide to go back to Piero again and tonight we are going to taste



PASTA WITH PISTACHIOS AND SHRIMPS

Ingredients:
200g Pachino tomatoes
20 prawns
100g piastachios from Bronte
dry white whine
2 cloves of garlic
oil 
salt
400g short pasta, like busiate, fusilli, penne

Boil the prwans for 3-4 minutes in salted water and drain them. Put them apart. In a pan, pour some olive oil with a drop of water and add the two cloves of garlic. Let them fry for 3 minutes and remove them before adding the prawns. Sprinkle with a dash of white wine and salt everything. Then add tomatoes, that you previuosly have diced in 4 parts and the coarsley chopped powder of pistachios. Cook for 5 minutes, till the tomatoes have completly whitered.

In the meantime cook pasta in boiling salted water for the cooking time indicated on the box and serve it with the previuosly cooked sauce!

Enjoy your meal because it's the last one we are going to try in Sicily.... we are moving on!

Sicily: Towards SIRACUSA passing by Noto

14th August

Today we are going to reach Siracusa, we fall in love with. But we want to stop in Noto, even if we should visit also Scicli, Piazza Armerina and...many others but the time at disposal is nearly over. The landascape all around is noteworthy and it's typical of the Iblei Mountains: olive trees, barren expanses, fences and masserias...

We arrive in Noto that is surrounded by walls, we park the car not too far and we venture in this network of little parallel streets interspersed by scenographic squares and impressive staircases that connect terraces and slopes. Everything was built with the local soft golden and pinkish coloured stone that conveys to the city a hearty aspect. You can walk along the main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and find a series of churches and noteworhty buildings.

It's so nice to stare at them and to stop to observe them because they all have something spectacular... Look at these balconies, for example. They are on the facade of Palazzo Nicolaci that stand in a side street very close to the Dom. And they stand for its peculiarity: curved iron grates supported on stone corbels with grotesque figures rapresenting mermaids, sphinxes, lions, unicorns, winged horse and many other... So take a couple of hours to wander in Noto and find out such masterpieces. One of the typical products of this part of the region are the almonds and you can see them getting dry on the side of the streets.

In the afternoon we leave for Siracusa that is just 30km from here but it's on the seaside and we will stay there for some days in order to discover the eastern coast of Sicily. Riding the motorway, we pass by very green landscapes, here there are a lot of vineyards but in the distance we can admire the sea.
Siracusa, exactly like Ragusa, is divided in two different parts: the most recent part of the town and the eldest one: Ortigia.
First of all, try to get an accomodation in Ortigia, it's a litte bit unconfrotable because you cannot go in by car but the atmosphere you can breathe is something unique.
Wherever you go you can find a crowd of beautiful spots, artisans' workshops, so beautiful foreshortenings. You wander along Via Cavour, full of little osterias and restaurants (The one I must suggest you is "Tavernetta da Piero" in Via Cavour, where you can taste some of the best fish dishes of the town) to emerge on such a wide square, whose brightness and warmth leaves you open mouthed!!!
First of all the Dom standing out against a deep blue sky: the contrast between the white marble and the shining sun reflecting upon it. The inner part of the church preserves the most ancient styles and architectures while the facade was completly rebuilt after the eartquake of the 17th century, in accordance with the Baroque standards. 
On the southern part of the square there is the Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badia, just follow the street next to its right and you will reach the coast and the Fonte Aretusa.
From here you can also admire the Castello Maniace, one of the most ancient Swabian fortress against the attacks coming from the sea, later transformed in a residence.
The seaside here is not so easy to reach and there are no big beaches so, tomorrow morning ... let's go exploring the country nearby.
Siracusa is full of B&B and so it's easy to find confortable accomodations, very close to the centre. Otherwise, along the coast of Ortigia, there is a plenty of beautiful hotels, facing the sea.
Grand Hotel Ortigia 5*, Viale Mazzini 12 
Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel 4*S, Via Vittorio 93

GROUPER RAVIOLI WITH SCAMPIS 
(see above picture)

For the pasta:
300g flour
3 eggs
salt

For the filling:

500 g fillet of grouper
1 potato (about 100 g)
1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese
1 sprig of marjoram
500 g prawns

For the sauce:
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 cup of dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

First of all, start preparing pasta for the raviolis: pour the flour on a plain, giving it a fountain shape. In the middle add the eggs and a pinch of salt. Work it until you get an homogeneous dough and let it rest.

Boil the potato for half an hour, peel it and reduce it to a puree with a potato masher. Clean the gropper fillets by removing the bones and chop them. Mix the fish with the potato, the majoram and the cheese and finally add salt and pepper.

Start flattening the dough and stretch the pasta with a rolling pin. Arrange little balls of the mixture on the pastry not to close to each other. Cover it with another pastry and cut them with a pastry wheel. Go on doing it until both dough and mixture are over.

Finally prepare the sauce: put in a saucepan 1 clove garlic, previuosly chopped, with 2 tablespoons of oil and let it fry slightly. Add the diced tomatoes and the prawns and tinge with white wine.

Cook the ravioli in abundant boiling salted water just for 2-3 minutes and drain them. Pour them in the pan of the sauce and mix everything together.

Garnish the plate with some leaves of mint.