"A special family lives in Furore: the Ferraioli family. Of this tiny and wonderful village on the Amalfi Coast, the Ferraioli have built the recent history, that of the last century, with Raffaele Ferraioli as mayor for almost forty years. A much-loved mayor, even outside the administrative boundaries, among the founders of the Wine Cities, creator of the murals that paint the walls of Furore, attentive to the sustainable tourist development of the place and manager, together with his wife Erminia, of one of the restaurants that have made culinary history on the coast. He ran Bacco from 1981 to 2010, taking over as the third generation in a restaurant with a hotel that has existed since 1930. Today, running this corner of paradise is his son Domenico, a nice guy, kind and attentive to guests' every wish, also hopelessly attached to Furore like his father, full of enthusiasm for bringing to the table dishes that have always been feminine here: first Angelina, then Letizia and now Domenico's mother, Raffaele's bride, Erminia.

"At Bacchus's you eat like God," wrote a well-known local journalist years ago.

"At Bacchus's you stay like a God: we write. Not only do you eat well but you are welcomed with a sincere spirit, you are taken on a discovery of this place where, even today, although years have passed, you feel, at every step, what it means to have been administered by a person of great ethical morals, that beloved Raffaele Ferraioli!"

So we recounted in 2022, right at the very beginning of the establishment of Amodo-the network of ethical restaurants-the thoughts and actions of the Ferraioli family, a family that, you may have guessed, is intertwined to the core with its land and its community, to which it seeks to give voice through hospitality and care. The basics are among the simplest you will ever encounter, but also the most resilient.

Raw materials and people

We wanted to talk to them, delve into their working methods, sensitivities, just as we have done in recent months with so many other restaurateurs affiliated with the network. Reminding ourselves of one thing, which by the way is well related to many other articles in this issue of the magazine: other people's experiences are always a useful resource for growth. In this spirit, we heard the conduct of Domenico Ferraioli (flanked by his tireless wife Imma), his family, and his business.

"Raw material and people are the cornerstone of our activities," he tells us, with his warm and pragmatic manner. 

"When I say they are priorities I mean that before anything else we stop to know these elements. Knowledge is always the momentum point for any personal or collective project." 

How to blame Domenico? Although it seems a triviality, today we trace attitudes far removed from knowledge - true, sweated, intentional - of things just about everywhere. It is enough to scroll through some menus to encounter dishes covered with sauces arranged in the same way, ingredients used without knowing their origin, cultural imprint, method of preparation. This is not a rule, let me be clear, but it is evident that the models to follow are others. To have a future with healthy prospects we need to Devote time, then delve deeper.
"In our family and hospitality businesses we are used to getting to know people, whether they are suppliers, employees or customers. I'm talking about the former, meanwhile: we buy from people who work in the area. With Raffaele Afeltra, who runs the kitchen, we decided to continue in the same vein. We like to enhance what is right here, just a stone's throw away; the lemons of the Coast, inevitably, the squid of Furore, the pasta filata cheeses of Agerola ... and I could go on and on. But in addition to a territorial relevance what we value is the connection with the hands that work them. They are not necessarily only long-standing suppliers; sometimes they are new, and in that case we invest time to understand their modus operandi, their history. The other aspect concerns the collaborators (we have 18 of them) with whom, in addition to having a direct relationship, we have respect and gratitude. Finally, the customers: even in relating to them we always put respect first. Respecting a guest also means being self-critical, listening and remedying any mistakes. This is how we have learned over the years."

History is not anachronistic
Innovation, modernity, contemporary-these are all expressions that are in vogue today. They inspire freshness, agility, smell clean ... but at a turn of the clock they can already be considered outdated. In such an accelerated context, it is increasingly complex to assert one's own history, especially if it is long-standing. Domenico Ferraioli does not fear it and does not ignore his own origins, far from it.
"Opening the door of a business to the fourth generation is not easy. On the one hand, the great changes taking place, on the other hand, the issues that concern management, interaction with customers, with the new world. I think of intolerances and allergies for example, or communication systems. But the secret, in my opinion, is. Always be proud of what we have behind us and find the best way to enhance it. We chose the path of the conjugation of history and modernity, both in the restaurant and in the hotel branch, consisting of the painted hotel (a truly original formula) and the albergo diffuso, two spaces we hold dear. Keeping up with current events is helped by our study, our desire to always modernize, and also by the presence of so many young people in our team. They bring enthusiasm and certainly a new vision, which we try to reconcile with our solid foundations."

We find that in recent weeks they are working on modernizing the hall to provide an increasingly functional and welcoming environment. Domenico said it: continuous research--the prerequisite of a place that wants to be a way.