Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2019 (1)

GrottaPalazzese,Polignanoa Mare

It’spricey,true.Butit’sdifficulttoconjurea more

dramaticstagefordrinkinganddiningthanthis

naturallyformedcaveontheedgeofthesea,tucked

belowthewhitewashedtownofPolignanoa Mare,

betweenBariandBrindisi.“Sunsetis theperfect

excusetohangoutinthecliffsidebarjustbeforethe

restaurant,”saysMatera.Settleinfora sharedplatter

ofantipastidimaresettoa soundtrackofcrashing

waves,bestenjoyedwitha bottleorthreeofCantina

d’Araprì’sbrutspumante.ViaNarciso59, 70044

Polignanoa Mare, +39 080 424 0677, grottapalazzese.it

MARCHE

ClandestinoSusciBar,Portonovo

Twopagesoftightlyedited,mostlywhite,wines.

MorenoCedroni’smasterfulItalo-Japaneseseafood

mash-ups. And, of course, the outlook from the open

windowsontothemoodybluesoftheAdriatic.

There’slotstolikeaboutClandestino– just

12 kilometressouth-eastofAncona– whichcounts

OskarRossiandFedericaAndrisani,co-owners

ofFicoinHobart,amongitsmanyfans.“Itfeelslike

everyoneis onholiday,whichcreatesa naturallyrelaxed

atmosphere,”saysAndrisani.Stayuntiltwilight,when

verticalvintagesofverdicchioandhouse-packedtinsof

seafoodmakeformagicalaperitivi.LocalitàPortonovo,

60020 Ancona,+39 071 801 422, morenocedroni.it

ABRUZZO

DonGennaro,Pescara

Whena crowdbeginstohoveroverthelone

marble-toppedtableinsidethislandmark,century-old

bottleshopthepartyspillsoutontothestreetsinthe

historicheartofPescara,Abruzzo’sbiggestcity.“Thisis

one of my favourite places for aperitivo in the world,”

Settle inforantipastidi

mareset toa soundtrack

ofcrashingwaves,best

enjoyedwitha bottle

or threeofCantina

d’Araprì’s brut spumante.

126 GOURMET TRAVELLER

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES (GROTTA PALAZZESE).