lounging around on the Amalfi Coast

From Naples we drove (brave people that we are) down to the Amalfi Coast. We rented an apartment just outside of Positano, so our first order of business was to meet up with the landlord and squeeze our car into one of the more impossible parking spots I’ve ever seen, perched on a small cliff next to a boulder and through a teeny tiny gate. Then from the main road we walked through another gate and down a wandering staircase to our apartment which was built into the wall of the cliff. The glass walls of the kitchen and living room retracted until the rooms were practically outside. The view alone was enough to keep us entertained for weeks.

We rented the apartment through Summer in Italy. I was a little nervous about having to pay for the stay in full before we even arrived, but the apartment was absolutely delightful. I highly recommend the rental agency, and would happily use them again.

We cooked many of our meals at the apartment (cooking in Italy is a delight thanks to the amazing fresh veggies and cheeses available), with the big exception being a splurge of a dinner at the Michelin-starred La Caravella in the town of Amalfi. The atmosphere was a bit stuffier than I would have liked, but the food was absolutely delicious. It was creative yet stood on the strength of the superb ingredients – a dollop of the finest buffalo ricotta or a perfectly-prepared tender shrimp. The menu (as most in this region) was predominantly fish, but the vegetarian options were also carefully constructed. The meal ended with a curious spoonful of chocolate-coated fried eggplant.

Amalfi was still in full Christmas swing, with Christmas concerts in the church and nativity scenes all over town, especially in the fountains. There were also elaborate nativity scenes along the coastal road which stay up all year long.

We had weather ranging from warm and sunny to pouring rain and stormy. We spent the last day of 2009 on the beach, and then watched from our balcony as said beach disappeared into the churning waves the next day. The sunsets were amazing every single night.

I am a huge fan of off-season travel, and this trip was no exception. There was plenty going on to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s, but there were no giant crowds of tourists jockeying for position. Many hotels and restaurants were closed for the season, but the charm of the area was still out in full view.

Tags: Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Europe, Italy, Positano, restaurants, southern Italy, travel

Eating Naples

Despite all the hype, I didn’t find pizza in Naples to be any better than the pizza in other parts of Italy. But it was still really, really, really yummy. And the seafood, oh the seafood. Below are some of the culinary highlights.

Antonio e Antonio. A mildly touristy seafood restaurant near the water. Spaghetti vongole (clams, white sauce with cherry tomatoes), fried ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, mussels, and some of the best fried calamari I’ve ever tasted.

Bellini. An insanely popular pizzeria whose pizza is worth the hype. We were squeezed into a corner table in the bustling upstairs room. My pizza ortolana (veggies) was heavenly washed down with a couple bottles of local falanghina wine.

Gay Odin. Luckily it’s plenty warm enough for gelato even in December in Naples, and we enjoyed some sumptuous dark chocolate variations (chocolate peperoncino and chocolate cinnamon) at Gay Odin. We also had a good gelato experience at Motus.

Ciro. Another great pizzeria, another great pizza ortolana.

La Stanza del Gusto. Fancy food Neapolitan style. The vegetarian tasting menu contained many delights, including thick homemade noodles with an intense tomato and cheese sauce, a squash soup with a ricotta cigar, and something that appears in my notes as ‘melty cheese course.’ I’m not usually a big dessert person, but the ricotta and chocolate mousse made my knees weak with lust. Scott’s purple octopus was pretty, too.

Even food for sale on the street looked beautiful in Naples.

Well, almost all of it. We did have to pass on the street pizza with hot dogs, french fries, and mayo.

If you have a favorite Naples restaurant, please share it in the comments!

Tags: Europe, food, Italy, Naples, pizza, restaurants, southern Italy, travel

Not getting robbed in Naples

Technically my first trip to Naples was over a decade ago, but my grandmother refused to let us get out of the bus – too dangerous. My second visit was similarly brief, although it involved a little more foot-to-pavement time.  So this time, my third visit, I was ready to soak it all in. Surely all those rumors about crime in Naples were exaggerated?

Struffoli like my grandmother used to make

We were welcomed by a taxi driver who tried to charge us double for our trip to the hotel, and I wondered if all this fear of crime might actually be founded. But my doubts quickly faded as we eased our way into life in this fascinating city.

The last time I was in Naples, this square contained a sculpture of horse parts

Naples is a wonderful walking city, with so much life and vibrancy. It also has a galleria so similar to Milan’s that I could look up and be confused as to where I was.

Via Toledo is the main shopping street, and over the course of three days we wandered up and down it many times. A network of narrow walking streets was lined with shops selling nativity scene figurines and Pulcinellas. I’m guessing they sell other tourist trinkets the rest of the year.

Christmas lights over Via Toledo

There were nativity scenes and Christmas decorations everywhere you looked, including inside this giant wheel of parmigiano:

We spent most of our time in Naples walking or eating, but we did squeeze in a couple of sites, too. The Archeological Museum contains more Roman statues than you can shake a fig leaf at. Other highlights include various plunder from Pompeii and the mildly pornographic ‘forbidden room,’ which is more titillating to anticipate than to actually view.

We also loved the Castel dell’Ovo, an imposing structure which juts out into the water and houses the odd free art exhibit. I must have taken hundreds of photos of the interesting architectural spaces that we wandered through.

In Naples we found the locals to be friendly and the prices low. And the food, well, it deserves a post all its own.

Do subways do this in other cities?

Tags: Europe, Italy, Naples, southern Italy, travel

Last day of 2009

Today we woke up to this view:

Ate breakfast at this table:

Went for a dip in the Mediterranean on this beach, which we had all to ourselves:

Went for a walk around Positano:

Saw this sunset:

Now drinking Campari and snacking on fresh buffalo mozzarella and the yummiest green olives ever while listening to the ocean. Eagerly anticipating upcoming dinner featuring fresh ravioli and grilled veggies and rapini, and dessert of cannoli and other pastries. After that we’ll go party on the beach with the locals.

2010, I hope you manage to top this day. It won’t be easy.

ETA:

The photos don’t begin to do it justice but ringing in the new year on the beach in Positano was amazing. There were fireworks everywhere you looked, coming from the tops of the hills, the beach where we were standing, and everywhere in between. The band playing southern Italian songs was the icing on the cake.

Happy New Year!

Related Post: Lounging around on the Amalfi Coast

Tags: Europe, holidays, Italy, southern Italy, travel