2 posts tagged “maratea”
From Naples, we drove a car down to the southern coast of Italy -- about 2 1/2 hours south of Amalfi, to the Cilento Coast, which is just south of the Amalfi Coast. I read about the Cilento Coast in this Conde Naste article, and was sold -- and indeed, as Conde Naste said, it's a quieter, less touristy version of the Amalfi Coast. I thought it was just as beautiful, although you won't see the same buildings teetering on the edge of a cliff like you do in Amalfi. Also, the Cilento Coast is bordered by a humongous national park.
Here's the view from our hotel:
These photos are from dinner at the hotel. Best seafood risotto ever.
Amalfi actually only had a couple of private beaches to swim at, that I could see.
And here are those famous buildings, almost falling into the sea.
Friends have asked me what my favorite part of the trip was, and honestly I haven't been able to answer yet. It was all so wonderful, and the different cities were all perfect in their own ways. But now that I think about it, I probably did have a favorite night in Italy.
We used the Slow Food guide to find a restaurant in Maratea. It was an adventure just to get there -- we drove up a super-windy road, immersed in fog, all the way up and past a ginormous Jesus statue. We finally found the restauant, Il Giardino di Epicuro, basically an extension of a home.
Ok guys, you know I'm an aspiring foodie, so this means a lot -- probably one of the best, and definitely the most enjoyable, restaurants I've ever been to. Three words describe the food: O. M. G.
We were greeted by Milena, the cook, who brought out her son Antonio, who speaks English and has travelled the world. There's no menu, they just give you an idea of what's cooking based on what you like. Everything in this restaurant epitomizes slow food: all of the meats in our charcuterie plate were home-cured; the pasta is hand-rolled by Milena; the wine grown and made by Antonio's uncle; the liqueurs made of wild strawberries, blueberries and grasses and made by Antonio's sister. Yes, we met pretty much the entire family, including Michele, Milena's husband. It was an amazing night. They served me the best lamb I've ever tasted -- with a thin, perfectly even layer of fat around each piece, it was melt-in-your-mouth slow food heaven. Oh yes, it was.
We had to explain to Milena that the only reason I couldn't gobble down every ounce of everything she served to me was because I simply couldn't eat it all. Antonio replied, "when you eat here, you don't go home hungry." Well, truer words were never spoken. It was an indulgent night full of cheer, food, wine, and great company.
Oh - and by the way - Milena mentioned that she recently hosted a chef who owns 5 restaurants in Napa Valley, and she taught him how to roll pasta. I haven't yet been able to figure out who that is.
Well, that was the end of our wonderful Italian vacation. La dolce vita, indeed.
Hi neighbors! I’m back from my Italian getaway. It feels like I’ve been gone forever! I’m going to blog on a separate Italy story each day for a little while.
First, I thought I’d start with my itinerary and some recommendations for any of you who want to go to Italy. This was my third trip to Italy, and this time it was tour-free, all on our own. I really feel like I got to know the country a little better since we spent a good amount of time in each city we went to.
Our itinerary:
May 22 – 27: Rome
May 27 – 30: Tuscany (we stayed in Gaiole in Chianti)
May 30 – June 1: Naples
June 1 – June 5: Maratea (in the Cilento Coast, a couple hours south of the Amalfi coast)
June 5: One last night in Rome before departing to the U.S.
Our itinerary worked out great. The six days in Rome was a nice amount of time to explore the city pretty fully. On the tours I’ve taken in the past, they’ve only allowed 3-4 days in Rome, which is too fast. Rome is a very fun city with vibrant nightlife, and you want to have adequate time to enjoy it while absorbing some of the history.
I would recommend cutting out Naples for most people. Naples has its charms, and some really great pizza, but you must be prepared to be cheated by every taxi driver, be on your guard when you go out, not walk down certain streets at night… and it gets to be tiring. We stayed in Naples for easy access to Pompeii, but you could stay in Sorrento also, which might be nicer.
I would have loved to add a day to the Tuscany part of the trip. An event called the Classico e started the day we left – what a miss! It’s an event where a bunch of wineries open up their cellars for tasting.
We decided to go to Maratea after I read a Conde Nast article about the Cilento Coast. Just south of the Amalfi coast, it has some beautiful views with much fewer tourists. After driving through and exploring both areas, I would definitely recommend the Cilento Coast and Maratea specifically. Maratea is at the very south end of the Cilento Coast, so it’s a little distant from Amalfi (2.5 hour drive), but much more authentic, quieter, and just as beautiful. It’s located on the edge of a huge national park, with dramatic cliffs going into the very blue Mediterranean sea. It’s a tiny town, but a great place to unwind and enjoy some amazing food.
All the hotels we chose turned out to be awesome, with really helpful staff, and nice rooms in our price range. Here they are:
Rome – Hotel Fontanella Borghese. Perfect location – close to everything but on a quiet street, excellent concierge. We had considered renting an apartment in Rome, but I’m glad we went with a hotel because the concierge helped us with many things like restaurant reservations and recommendations.
Tuscany – La Badia a Coltibuono. A former monk’s cloister which is now a hotel, organic farm, winery and cooking school. Absolutely gorgeous. If you aren’t concerned about budget, Hotel Le Fontanelle would be a spectacular choice.
Naples – Palazzo Turchini
Maratea – Villa Cheta Elite. Gorgeous, wonderful food. It doesn’t have a pool, but you can use the pool at the Villa Mare hotel across the street for 4 euros/towel.
Here are some resources I found helpful when planning the vacation:
The book, Osterie & Locande d'Italia: A Guide to
Traditional Places to Eat and Stay in Italy. My friend gave it to me, and
this book pointed me to the best restaurants, including one transcendental
dinner experience I will blog about next! This is a real foodie's guide to Italy.
RomAround Tours – good company to use for tours in Rome.
Another note, do NOT use Appian Line Tours. Worst tour I’ve ever been on. More than half of that tour consisted of waiting in line and waiting for the bus - it was awful.
Well, all for today. Stay tuned for some food reviews and
photos!
