Filicudi: When a Recipe Becomes a Memory

There are places where time seems to slow down. Not because everything stands still, but because every gesture still carries the weight of memory, of traditions passed down through the generations, and of stories that are passed from one generation to the next.

Filicudi is one of those places.

At sunset on Sunday, August 23, on the panoramic terrace of the Phenicusa Hotel, overlooking the deep blue waters of the Aeolian Islands, the presentation of “Recipes from Filicudi & Alicudi”, the new book by Giusi Murabito, became much more than a literary event.

It was a collective celebration of identity, memory, and that intangible heritage that continues to live on in the kitchens, in the hands, and in the stories of those who inhabit and love these islands.

Organized by the Phenicusa’s managers, Donatella Santamaria and Francesco Scaldati, the evening brought together residents, tourists, and the book’s featured contributors in an atmosphere that blended storytelling, music, flavors, and the surrounding landscape.

The book stems precisely from this: from the desire to preserve what is in danger of being lost.

Giusi Murabito, the driving force behind Walking Eolie & Sicily and a pioneer of experiential tourism, has collected recipes, ingredients, photographs, memories, and gestures belonging to the women of Filicudi and Alicudi, some of whom are accompanied by their life partners. These are not merely culinary preparations, then, but fragments of life. Ways of cooking that tell stories of families, seasons, hopes, needs, celebrations, and everyday life.

Because a recipe, after all, is never just a recipe.

It is a voice that echoes back. It is the memory of a mother or grandmother who encouraged one to observe, to take one’s time, and to learn by doing. It is the scent that transports one back to childhood. It is a measure passed down without a scale, entrusted to the eyes, the hands, and experience.

And it is precisely this dimension that moved the audience.

Moderated by journalist Patrizia Casale, the event featured numerous contributors to the book. Particularly memorable was the presence of Nunziatina Santamaria, born in Santa Marina Salina but raised in Filicudi—a true pioneer of tourism in the island’s harbor, where her first bar would eventually become the much-loved “Da Nino sul mare”.

Alongside her, symbolizing the continuity between generations, were Daniela Pace and Ilaria Cappadona with their daughters, Maria Mangano, Maria Luisa Campagna, Claudio Pronestì, Annuzza Cappadona, Lorenzo Barbuto, and, representing Alicudi, Michaela Rasp.

Different faces, different stories, united by a common thread: a sense of belonging.

The guest of honor and co-organizer of the event was entrepreneur Giuseppe Lacona, who has deep ties to Filicudi and who, together with his daughter Carlotta, has chosen over the years to restore value to the area by revitalizing agricultural land. During the evening, he offered tastings of his extra virgin olive oil Bisuolio and other local products, created not for commercial gain but out of a desire to share and give.

This gesture, too, fit perfectly with the spirit of the gathering: preserving, creating, sharing.

“Recipes from Filicudi & Alicudi” is a natural continuation of the journey that began with La cucina delle donne, written by Giusi Murabito together with Saverio Bruno, but this time the narrative takes on an even more intimate dimension.

“In a modern world marked by haste, where younger generations risk losing their connection to their roots, this book celebrates the sacredness of time and the preservation of knowledge,” the author noted.

These words captured the profound meaning of the work: not nostalgia, but responsibility.

Preserving memory, in fact, means preventing it from falling into silence.

It means ensuring that this heritage of domestic knowledge—seemingly simple and everyday—can endure through time and reach future generations.

And Filicudi itself seems the ideal place to tell this story.

An island that seamlessly blends landscape, sea, trails, silence, and culture. A place that needs no transformation to captivate, for its strength lies precisely in its authenticity.

This was also emphasized by Donatella Santamaria, who, through Phenicusa, aims to consolidate the property’s role as a cultural hub for the island, promoting opportunities that enrich visitors’ experiences and foster new ways of connecting with the local community.

The evening concluded with a meal, just as it does in families and communities when people truly wish to be together.

Caponatina, vegetable meatballs, eggplant casserole, bread drizzled with Bisuolio olive oil, and traditional cookies made with wine gave tangible form to the words spoken just moments earlier.

A cuisine far removed from gourmet pretensions, founded instead on quality ingredients, seasonality, simplicity, and respect.

A cuisine that doesn’t seek to impress: it seeks to evoke memories.

Accompanying the audience were the jazz notes of Sergio Munafò, Gaetano Riccobono, and Genny Lombardo, which made the sunset over the sea even more evocative.

And as day gave way to evening, a distinct feeling lingered on the Phenicusa terrace: that certain stories need to be told before they are lost.

Perhaps this is precisely the most precious gift of Ricette da Filicudi & Alicudi: reminding us that memory does not live only in books.

It lives in our hands.

In scents.

In gestures repeated a thousand times.

And in that simple, ancient, and universal phrase that spans generations:

“Watch and learn how it’s done.”