SANTA Sabina is one of those little resort towns that the Thompson Holiday rep overlooked, a sort of Italian Southend on Sea, Blackpool with sunshine and a smaller tower. It is the one at the end of the harbour by the little tower, obviously. There is some confusion on TripAdviser where it is listed as 41 of 83 restaurants in Caravigno which is about 10km away and not at all in San Sabina itself.
The bigger restaurants on the front itself tend to handle larger parties of extended Italian families, but there is a break in the view so you still get a flash of the sea. Next door is their pizzeria, bar and gelateria too. One feels this family has catering in its blood. It is a Fiat 500 of a fish restaurant. The Vespa trattoria. Distilled Aperol spritz. It is open for lunch all year too.
Occasionally you come across a dish that no one has written about and is worth an entry on its own. And here in spring it was what translates as Calabrian sea asparagus served with the local maccu, the broad bean and ricotta puree, a marriage of sheer perfection that has not been fussed with, just steamed and dressed in oil. They have a lot of oil this far south. More olive trees than people.
Otherwise it is a fish restaurant, like this risotto
Or maybe with pasta as in this vongole
Often the very best restaurants don’t try too hard, like a golfer they just lay the ball up short of the hole, they are aware of what they are doing, mindful even, you might say. They make it look easy, which it is not. Open all the year.
Da Turichio di Greco, via della Torre 2, Torre, Torre Santa Sabina, 72012 Carovigno, Italy
Tel 0831 968237
101greatrestaurants.com 