Advent Calendar Day 8: Lampascioni in Mozzerella

For the holiday season 2025, Dream of Italy is celebrating Advent by revealing one of our favorite travel treasures for each day.  See list of all days. 

Day 8: Visiting Palazzo Margherita in the southern Italian region of Basilicata gave Kathy not only a chance to meet director Francis Ford Coppola in his ancestral hometown but to try some of his favorite local dishes including – lampascioni in mozzarella. Lampascioni are bulbs, kind of like wild onions, that grow spontaneously in the dry and limestone soils of the Mediterranean. Local cheesemaker Leonardo Parente showed us his craft!

Meet Francis Ford Coppola and see more of his favorite region in the Basilicata episode of our Dream of Italy TV series.

Book a trip to Basilicata!

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