THIS LIFE - Sofia Di Ciacca Tana

We caught up with the Scots-Italian family who have turned a tiny hamlet in Lazio into a destination for food and wine lovers

- Gillian Welsh

Italy has had a huge influence on Scotland’s eating habits. After the First World War, thousands of impoverished Italians emigrated in search of a more prosperous life. They found it in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and across the whole country, wherever they opened fish and chip shops and ice-cream parlours.

This is the story of I Ciacca, a hamlet near the town of Picinisco, halfway between Rome and Naples, where the same well-worn path has been taken – only this time in reverse. A Scottish family, albeit one with Italian roots, have set up a vineyard, winery, farm and boutique hotel there. Sofia Di Ciacca Tana, who runs the business along with her mum, dad and brother, explains that getting involved in this remote mountain-top hamlet stems from more than just ancestry. “Nostalgia, passion and madness all played big parts,” she says with a smile.