ancona
Lemarck’s Latin definition of the mytilus galloprovincia-
lis does not want to state the scientific name of a bird,
but a variety of mussel or better “cozze”. it is a diffe-
rent species of mytilus edulis widespread in the atlan-
tic ocean, which is typical of the entire Mediterranean
Sea and Black Sea, where it is widely grown. in taran-
to, there are the largest cultures in the world of this
bivalve, as well as in the sea off La Spezia and Valencia,
in Spain. However only in the adriatic Sea, especially
off portonovo, in the Conero area, the mytilus gallo-
provincialis breeds spontaneously and therefore it is to
be considered wild. From the southern border of the
passetto, in ancona, to the Scoglio del trave until you
reach the waters of Sirolo, the bivalve breeds in the
clear waters rich in plankton and phytoplankton. it can
be collected by the Cooperativa di pescatori di porto-
novo with the help of his authorized scuba divers. the
species is closely monitored and protected by a Slow
Food presidium. it is an important part of the culinary
tradition of ancona together with its special fish soup
and the Stockfish. along the Doric coast there exist
many recipes based on this wonderful marine animal,
they range from “alla marinara” sautéed and
“imporchettate” tomato soups to breaded and baked,
au gratin or stuffed with meat, beef and pork ones
then dipped in a red “guazzetto” (fish sauce). if you
stay on the riviera del Conero you cannot miss two
dishes: tasty spaghetti and big ciabattoni, the latter is
even better, with mussels in tomato sauce, seasoned
with garlic, parsley and basil. apart from the oldest
