A grand caper that transformed a 17th century farmhouse
A search for pizza topping in Salina ended with this rejuvenated farmhouse
It’s Sunday morning on the Aeolian island of Salina, and Giuseppe Mascoli is cleaning mushrooms with his friend Sergio. “We’ve got about 5kg of porcini from the forest,” he explains. “I’ll freeze them so we can eat them through the winter.”
Mascoli has slowly been giving up a life in London as the co-founder and now brand director of pizza chain Franco Manca in favour of a slower pace of life on Salina. North of Sicily, the island is known for its lush volcanic landscapes and the bounty this fertile earth delivers, from grapes to olives to its world-class capers. “I came here originally to buy the capers for Franco Manca,” says Mascoli. “At first, I tried to communicate with people over the internet, but that didn’t work, so I came myself, and made friends.”
Home here is a farmhouse dating back to at least the 17th century that Mascoli bought in 2014. The house itself was in a poor state – “It just about had the roof on” – but was surrounded by vineyards that had been much better cared for, as well as a space for winemaking, which was the real draw. With the help of friends, he spent four months making everything habitable, renovating the four-bedroom main house and creating three adjacent apartments. It’s quite the social hub of the island now, with an open-door policy for visiting family and friends, as well as for neighbours stopping by on a whim. “It’s like an unofficial restaurant. People just drop by to see what’s going on.”
