Our cookbook of the week is Food of the Italian South by Rome-based culinary writer Katie Parla. To try a recipe from the book, check out: Manell’(fried polenta fritters), orecchiette con burrata, pomodorini e pesto (orecchiette with burrata, tomatoes and almond pesto) and cozze ripiene (stuffed mussels).

Stuck in a sheep traffic jam as wild horses gallop by and cows graze at the side of the road, Katie Parla has often wondered why she can drive for hours and not see another soul in Italy’s rural south. “You’re like, ‘Where is everyone? Why aren’t there more people exploring these places?’ and the simple reason is they’re all in Florence, Rome and Venice,” she says. “That’s what’s really cool about travelling through South Italy. You can feel like you’re having a true adventure; seeing things that few people on the planet have witnessed, especially Anglophone travellers. It’s such a fun experience.”