As it's organized, Calabria seems to want to isolate places and people. Long roads cutting though void, ramshackle-studded landscapes lead the way to tiny, remote towns. But where a capillary network of physical connections is lacking, an extraordinary network of people has finally begun to make the name of Italy's most mysterious and closed region resonate. 

Carla Pacelli, who's based in Milan and runs the Tenute Pacelli organic winery with her family in Malvito in the province of Cosenza, has been coming here since was born. As a child, she vacationed there, while she now returns often for work. She knows that something has changed, and she gives some of the credit to women and young chefs.