Campania Stories: Giorno 3-Coastal Fire, Ancient Wines & the Soul of Falerno
Giorno 3 — Caserta Villa Matilde Avallone • Fattoria Pagano By Day 3, Campania no longer felt like a region. It felt like a living conversation. Every subregion carried its own rhythm, its own accent, its own emotional temperature. After the mountain tension of Irpinia and the rustic soul of Sannio, the road led us toward Caserta — where volcanic soils meet sea air, where Falerno still echoes through history, and where hospitality arrives as naturally as wine at the table. The morning returned us to the pulse of Vega Palace for another day of focused tastings and exchange, this time centered around reds with a scattering of rosé. But it was the late afternoon that stayed with me most. Golden light. Warm air. Cellars beginning to quiet as evening approached. And producers leaning across the table to explain not just a wine, but a decision, a vintage, a piece of family history. Falerno del Massico: The Ancient Voice of Campania Long before Barolo, Brunello or Super Tuscans existed, there was Falerno. The legendary wine of ancient Rome. The wine of Caesar and Cleopatra. Produced along the volcanic slopes surrounding Monte Massico near the Tyrrhenian coast, Falerno del Massico remains one of Campania’s most historic appellations. But unlike the elevated freshness of Irpinia or the earthy rusticity of Sannio, the wines here carry something broader and warmer. Sun-warmed fruit. Salty minerality. Mediterranean herbs. Volcanic depth softened by sea breezes. The climate here changes everything. Warm coastal air ripens the fruit generously, while cold winds descending from the Apennines preserve freshness and tension. Combined with volcanic soils, the result is wines that feel simultaneously rich and lifted — structured yet deeply convivial. This was the world of Villa Matilde Avallone. Villa Matilde Avallone: Reviving the Wine of the Romans Villa Matilde is not simply a winery. It is an act of resurrection. Founded by Francesco Paolo Avallone, the estate spent over a decade researching and reviving the ancient terroir and varieties connected to Falerno del Massico. What began as a passion project eventually became one of Campania’s most important modern estates. Today the winery is guided by siblings Salvatore and Maria Avallone, continuing their father’s vision with deep emotional attachment to the land. And that emotion is impossible to miss. At one point during the tasting, Salvatore smiled and said: “We, the people from Campania, are completely crazy. We live our land. We want to communicate our passion through the wine.” And honestly, that sentence captured the entire visit. Emotion. People. Land. Everything here revolves around that connection. The tasting began with Falanghina. The 2024 carried fresh citrus, apple, pear and saline minerality — bright and coastal in feel. Then came the Mata 2015 Falanghina, and suddenly the conversation shifted entirely. Ten years old and completely alive. Ripe peach. Biscuit. Dough. Dried florals. A wine proving once again how beautifully Campanian whites evolve with time. Salvatore compared the grapes almost like iconic Italian women. The 2025 Fiano di Avellino? “Audrey Hepburn.” Elegant. Refined. Silky. The Greco? “Sophia Loren.” More character. More presence. A touch of rustic edge. And honestly, he was right. The Contrada 127 Greco 2022 — produced with amphora, as the estate has done since the 1960s — carried remarkable grip and minerality, like “a hand on your shoulder,” balancing freshness with texture and serious aging potential. Then came Carracci. And this is where Villa Matilde truly revealed its soul. The 2020 Carracci Falerno del Massico single vineyard unfolded through honeyed dried stone fruit, herbs, salinity and lemon curd wrapped around subtle tannic grip. The 2008 broadened even further into caramel, dried grapefruit and toasted nuts while still retaining freshness. These wines felt ancient somehow. Meditative. Completely tied to place. The reds carried the warmth of the coast but never lost their freshness. The 2025 Roccamonfina Piedirosso was pure glou-glou energy — crunchy red fruit, bright acidity and white pepper spice. The 2020 Falerno del Massico Rosso — 80% Aglianico, 20% Piedirosso — felt closest to Salvatore’s heart. He described it as the wine that “communicates the voice of the land.” And it did exactly that. Savory. Volcanic. Layered with spice and lifted fruit. The Taurasi wines brought more structure and smoke, while Cecubo 2018 — blending Primitivo, Aglianico and Piedirosso — moved into darker, richer territory without losing Campania’s signature freshness. What struck me most was how clearly Caserta differentiated itself from the previous days. The wines here carried sunlight inside them. Fattoria Pagano: Drink the Terroir As evening deepened, we continued toward Fattoria Pagano. And suddenly everything became even more intimate. Founded in 2001 by Antonio Pagano, the organic estate stretches across roughly 24 hectares, with vineyards both in Falerno del Massico and Irpinia. The philosophy here is simple: “Drink the terroir.” Nothing polished for international style. Nothing overworked. Just wines tied honestly to volcanic soils, hand harvesting and the rhythm of Campanian hospitality. Antonio and Angelo welcomed us alongside tables already filling with local dishes and buffalo mozzarella made by Antonio’s uncle — firmer in texture than most mozzarella di bufala, originating from nearby Casedici. And once again, the food and wines became inseparable. The evening began with a 120-day Charmat sparkling blend of Greco and Falanghina — biscuit notes, fine bubbles and remarkable freshness. The labels themselves carried stories too, decorated with musical instruments representing the musicians who once gathered here. Even the rosé held personal meaning, dedicated to Antonio’s mother Rosa: 40% Aglianico, 40% Piedirosso and 20% Merlot carrying bright fruit and unmistakable volcanic minerality. The whites leaned generous yet precise. The Falanghina 2025 shimmered with bright minerality, while the late-harvest Falanghina carried rounder floral concentration. The Greco 2025 moved beautifully from tropical softness into rising minerality, while the Fabula Falerno del Massico Bianca 2025 showed serious elegance and structure. Then came the reds. The Piedirosso 2023 carried smoky violets, savory earth and elegant ripeness. The Aglianico bottlings balanced fruit intensity with remarkably soft tannins. But the standout was Gaurasi Falerno del Massico
Campania Stories: Initial Sips — Campi Flegrei & Irpinia
Campania Stories: Volcanic Soul, Mountain Tension & the Wines That Refuse to Be Forgotten Giorno 0 to 1— Campi Flegrei & Irpinia Salvatore Martusciello • Tenuta Cavalier Pepe • Donnachiara Campania does not ease you in gently. It grabs hold of your senses immediately — volcanic smoke in the air, salty Mediterranean breezes, mountain tension in the wines and conversations that stretch long past the final glass. This is not a region of quiet wines. Or quiet people. Campania Stories began the moment the plane touched down in Naples, where Salvatore and Gilda welcomed us not with formality, but with the warmth that instantly turns travel into something personal. Within moments, we were standing at the Solfatara crater in Campi Flegrei, surrounded by black volcanic earth and steam rising from the ground beneath our feet. And suddenly, everything made sense. This is where the wines begin. Not in the cellar. Not in the glass. But in the tension between volcano and sea. Salvatore Martusciello: Wines With Salt in Their Veins At the Salvatore Martusciello winery in Pozzuoli, the family’s role in shaping Campi Flegrei became immediately clear. Salvatore’s father helped establish the DOC in the 1990s, while his uncle Genaro identified Falanghina clones and created what remains one of the region’s defining viticultural references. The vineyards themselves feel wild and alive — ancient Alberata pergolas climbing skyward, wild chamomile lining the rows and some vines still untouched by phylloxera. And you can taste that energy in every glass. The wines moved between electric freshness and volcanic depth: Asprinio bursting with citrus and razor acidity; Falanghina layered with crushed stone, salinity and smoky aged complexity; Piedirosso vibrant with red fruit and coastal freshness. Then came OttoUvo Frizzante Gragnano — fizzy, joyful and unapologetically Neapolitan. “The most beloved iconic wine of the Neapolitan people,” Salvatore called it with a smile. At one point, I asked him what his favorite vintage was. “The next one.” That answer captured the spirit of Campania perfectly. No chasing trends. No imitation. Just wines deeply rooted in place and identity. Dinner among the tanks with Gilda’s homemade timbalo di Nerano, the buffalo mozzarella alongside the estate’s rustic cuisine, grounding the wines even further into place and tradition, the warm sfogliatella transformed the tasting into something even more personal. The wines opened further around the table, revealing Campania not simply as a wine region, but as a way of living. Into the Mountains: Tenuta Cavalier Pepe The following morning, the landscape shifted dramatically as we climbed into Irpinia. More altitude. More silence. More tension. Tenuta Cavalier Pepe unfolded across steep hillsides where cool nights preserve freshness and precision in every grape. Walking the vineyards with Milena Pepe, it became clear that everything here is built around stewardship — hand harvesting, massale selection and allowing the land itself to shape the wines. Milena structured the tasting vertically, revealing how beautifully Irpinia’s wines evolve with time. The Fiano di Avellino wines moved from fresh acacia and citrus into layers of roasted nuts, petrol, honey and salted depth with age. The older vintages carried remarkable energy and proved exactly why Fiano deserves to stand among Italy’s greatest white wines. The Greco di Tufo Riserva wines showed a sharper, more volcanic personality — smoky, savory and intensely mineral. Then came Taurasi. Young vintages carried vivid cherry and chalky tannins, while older bottles unfolded into leather, dried herbs, licorice and savory complexity. The 2011 La Loggia di Cavaliere Taurasi Riserva lingered long after the final sip — dried cherry, violets, leather and fine tannins stretched endlessly across the palate. Hauntingly beautiful. Throughout the tasting, one thing remained constant: Minerality and sapidity slicing through the wines, making you crave food immediately. These are wines built for long lunches, slow conversations and crowded tables. Turn the Page: Donnachiara Irpinia has a way of slowing you down. After the volcanic intensity of Campi Flegrei, arriving at Donnachiara in Montefalcione felt quieter, more introspective somehow. Perched at 400 metres above sea level, surrounded by chunky clay and fractured rock soils, Donnachiara has become one of the defining modern voices of Irpinia through organic farming, native varieties and wines rooted deeply in place. Named after Ilaria Petitto’s great-grandmother, the winery feels deeply personal from the moment you arrive. Ilaria describes her wines simply: “Elegant. Not banal. Wines that need time to show themselves.” That philosophy is everywhere here. Nothing is loud. Nothing is rushed. The wines unfold slowly and confidently, much like Irpinia itself. Alongside winemaker Marco Giulioli, Donnachiara vinifies entirely in stainless steel, allowing the purity of the terroir to remain untouched. The Fiano wines were mesmerizing — moving from fresh pear and white florals in youth into chamomile, honey, petrol, dried herbs and smoky complexity with age. The older Esoterica vintages carried extraordinary tension and depth, proving just how beautifully Fiano can evolve over time. The Greco wines leaned more volcanic and structured, layering smoke, spice, dried herbs and electric acidity into wines that demanded attention rather than easy charm. Then came Taurasi — elegant rather than overpowering, focused on finesse and purity of fruit rather than sheer weight. The older vintages unfolded into leather, balsamic herbs and lifted savory complexity, while the 2006 stood out for its remarkable elegance and freshness. What stayed with me most after this first day of Campania Stories was not simply the quality of the wines. It was the connection between landscape, people and glass. From the volcanic soul of Campi Flegrei to the mountain tension of Irpinia, every wine carried the unmistakable fingerprint of Campania itself. The afternoon shifted gears to the Reggia di Caserta: marble corridors, gardens unfolding like a map of the region, then the Sala Romanelli filling with voices at the opening conference. Over a light dinner curated by the Consorzio VITICA, introductions deepened into plans — collaborations forming as easily as smiles. And this was only Giorno 0-1! Day 2 would take us even deeper into the soul of southern Italy.