Tagliatelle with Scallops and Beans

There is a town in Apulia, south-east Italy, called Noci. It is a few kilometres from the coast, a coast of formerly picturesque fishing villages, now vandalized by hideous modern development. In late March when I was there the almond and cherry trees were beginning to blossom. The vineyards were neatly ploughed. The olive groves glinted lead-green in the sun. On the coast you ate fish. Mainly octopus, squid, clams and a myriad of small bony fish indifferently deep-fried or grilled. And in