Eating Up Italy : Harper Perennial : 9780007214815 : 0007214812 : 20 Jun 2005 : Italy's tumultuous history can be traced through its food. In an epic scooter trip from the Ionian Sea to the far north, distiguished food writer Matthew Fort explores the local gastronomy and culinary culture of a country where regional differences are vibrantly alive. In no other country is food so much a part of everyday life as it is in Italy. Matthew Fort's plan is a simple one: to travel by scooter from Melito di Porto Salvo - the southernmost town in Italy and where Garibaldi landed in 1860 to begin his conquest of Naples - to Turin in the north, eating drinking, talking and noting as he goes. Passing through Calabria - rich in spices, Arabian-influences of almonds and dried fruits, as well as Spanish chocolate (Fichi al Ciocolatto, mostacciolo) - and on to Campania - from where the historic Nepalese pizza has become infamous - Fort discovers the rich connection between historical tradition and cui