Dried Tomato alla Sorrentina.
A Southern Italian Seaside Pasta in Kitashirakawa, Kyoto

How many people know the name Sorrento? It is a small cliff-top town about thirty minutes by boat south of Naples. Sitting at the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and facing the island of Capri, it is the kind of land where lemons, olives and tomatoes grow in the full light of the Mediterranean sun.

At Bello Vero, the Italian restaurant in Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, "Dried Tomato alla Sorrentina" is a dish that brings the air of southern Italy straight onto the plate.

Dried Tomato — Summer, Concentrated

Dried tomatoes (Pomodori secchi) have long been a pantry staple in southern Italian kitchens. Through the height of summer, when tomatoes come in faster than they can be eaten, they are halved, salted, and laid out in the sun. The water leaves, and only sweetness and umami remain. Even in the middle of winter, the flavour of a dry summer sun can reach the table — a small, crystallised bit of household wisdom.

At Bello Vero we revive the dried tomatoes in oil and build the sauce together with fresh cherry tomatoes. The light acidity of the fresh tomato layers over the deep sweetness of the dried, and two versions of summer flow through the same plate at once.

Mozzarella and Basil — the Mediterranean Trio

Finished with mozzarella and basil. The cheese half-melts as it meets the hot pasta and clings to the strands, while the green fragrance of basil lifts off the plate. Red, white and green — the three colours of the Italian flag, served just like that.

"Alla Sorrentina" originally refers to a home-style dish from the Campania region built on mozzarella, basil and tomato. It is the same idea that underlies Neapolitan pizza Margherita, transposed onto pasta.

Spaghettini or Tagliolini

The pasta shape is your choice: Spaghettini (thin long pasta) or Tagliolini (flat, narrow ribbons).

Spaghettini gives a light, everyday plate — the delicate sauce slips cleanly around the thin strands. Tagliolini, with more surface area, holds onto the mozzarella and dried tomato more firmly, and feels a touch more special. When in doubt, let the mood of the day decide.

A Quieter Edge of Kyoto — Kitashirakawa

Kitashirakawa is a distinctive corner of Kyoto where the tourist and the local overlap. Walk 10 to 15 minutes north from Ginkakuji along Shirakawa-dori, and you are here. It is also within 10 minutes' walk of the northern end of the Philosopher's Path. With Kyoto University and Kyoto University of the Arts just nearby, students and longtime residents have always mingled in these streets.

In a place like this, you can sit down to a seaside dish from Sorrento. Being a step outside the main tourist circuit is precisely what makes it possible to take your time, and really meet the pasta in front of you.

Pasta Menu

Bello Vero serves five pasta in total, including this alla Sorrentina.

• Arrabbiata
• Beef-Tendon Bolognese
• Dried Tomato alla Sorrentina
• Salsiccia & Lemon
• Neapolitan Genovese

Wine Pairing

Dried Tomato alla Sorrentina sits naturally with a white from the same southern Italy. A bottle of white from Campania or Sicily, opened slowly and drunk at the pace of the food, is the easy recommendation. Wine is served by the bottle only; Champagne is the sole exception and can be ordered by the glass.

From early afternoon into the evening, as the light outside the window slowly tilts, a white wine and a plate of alla Sorrentina. Even in Kyoto, it is a dish that lets you slip — just a little — into the Mediterranean.

Getting Here from Ginkakuji & Philosopher's Path

After visiting Ginkakuji, head north along Shirakawa-dori and you will arrive in 10 to 15 minutes on foot. From the northern end of the Philosopher's Path it is also within 10 minutes. The nearest bus stop is "Kitashirakawa" (about 2 min on foot), and from Eizan Railway "Chayama·Kyoto University of the Arts" station it is about 10 minutes.