Los sorrentinos

Reading Los sorrentinos by Virginia Higa is falling in love with that italian argentinean culture so palpable in the city of Mar del Plata. The book tells the story of the family behind the real restaurant Trattoria Napoletana, famous for the sorrentinos pasta dish which takes the name after the city of Sorrento in Italy.

I received the book as a gift and was surprised with the story, given that I have been going to the Trattoria Napoletana since I was a child.

My family used to spend every summer in Mar del Plata and, like the book says, everything tasted better there because of the water. So not only do I have a nostalgic relationship with this book but also, having Italian roots and being interested in immigration history, I think this book entails all that into an entertaining story that approaches the lives of different family members behind the famous restaurant.

There are certain rules of how to eat the different types of pasta and a tradition passed on from generation to generation. Only reading the descriptions will make you hungry and eager to make a stop in Mar del Plata.