Franco: You mean you did not like the lap at the reception desk?? I do know what you mean, and did not realize that Maratea was so close. Villa Cheta looks lovely, but they have no pool.

This hotel does:

http://www.locandamonache.com/

Will return soon--must pick up a pizza I ordered at Artichoke on 14th Street...ek

Franco: I just re-read your last post. Via Michelin is telling me that the drive from Palinuro to Maratea takes about 1.5 hours and is 35 miles. Those roads must twist quite a lot! That was the reason that I put in an overnight at Palinuro...

I realize that the hotel in Palinuro that I linked above is not charming. But I am curious as to why you would not stay in "such a hotel." Is there anything I am missing here?

ps. Pizza was disappointing. The crust became very soggy by the time I reached home.

So sorry about the pizza.
"Such a hotel" was referring to the hotel's (inexistent) style, above all; but also to the sad fact that hotels on the beach are all too often built and decorated in a "style" like this. But the Locanda delle Monache seems fine to me.
As far as Maratea - Palinuro, the problem is the road down to Palinuro, obviously. Just check the distance and time from Maratea to S. Marco di Castellabate, and from Palinuro to S. Marco, and you'll see what I mean.

Hi Franco: Please forgive this scattershot response. I am trying to do too many things at once but cannot resist "talking" about this forthcoming trip..


I am not certain that I understand your point in your last post. I see, on ViaMichelin, Maratea to Castellabate in either 2.25 hours or 2.5 hours, depending on the route. (The SP430 for the former and the A3 highway for the latter).

Palinuro to Castellabate is a 1.5 hour drive along the coastal road, which will be the most scenic, I am guessing.

TCC: Is Maratea is too far to use as a base for daytrips to the southern Cilento coastal towns...??? I would love to read more about your visit to Maratea; you mention that you have more specific information....(??)


The exciting news of the day is that my friends have approved the general itinerary that I sent them. This is only tentative, but it begins in Lamezia Terme, where we rent the car:


1 night: I needed a place that was not too far from the airport, and found this SlowFood agriturismo near Altomonte in northern Calabria which is 1.5 hours from LT airport:

http://www.agriturismolefarnie.it/

Alternative would be to head for Amantea on the sea, which is closer to the airport.



3 nights: Maratea, at Locanda delle Donne Monache. (extend to 4 nights and do daytrip to Palinuro, etc from here???)


1 night: Paestum http://www.domuslaeta.com/page01_uk.asp (perhaps increase to two nights and use as base for daytrip to Castellabate, etc) Or does anyone have any other hotel recommendations in the Paestum area. I am not sure that we will be visiting the archeological site since I toured it a few years back.. If not, perhaps it makes little sense to stay in Paestum, but the area does seem to have a good selection of attractive-looking places to stay...


From here, the trip continues in the Amalfi Coast area, where the current, very tentative plan includes a few days in Ravello followed by hotel on the coast, in Praiano, Amalfi, etc..


Franco and anyone who has visited this region: I would love to hear your thoughts on the above!

ek, I suggest using Google Maps for distances and travel times. Even though Viamichelin sometimes knows small roads that are not on Google, I found Google's travel time indications far more realistic. I'm a pretty quick driver, but even I want to survive, and I'm not sure I would if I drove as quick as Viamichelin usually suggests to... and even though it's the other way round in this particular case (Google driving quicker than Viamichelin), I'd still stick to Google since I simply trust their indications.
I was calculating the trip from Villa Cheta since that would be my hotel choice; Villa Cheta is located in Acquafredda (a few kilometers north of Maratea). If you look up the route "Acquafredda, Maratea - San Marco, Castellabate", that's 99 km or 1 h 46 min; "Palinuro - San Marco, Castellabate", 79.3 km or 1 h 26 min on the inland route suggested by Google; true, the coastal route is just 58.2 km, but still 1 h 22 min.

But I like the new plan that seems to emerge from your last post even better: exploring southern Cilento from Maratea, and northern Cilento from a second base (I'd stay there for two nights since I'm not a big fan of one-nighters). Which could be Domus Laeta, of course; Domus Laeta seems great, I found that place, too, on a previous internet search. Or alternatively, if you can perhaps do without a pool for just two nights (considering that you have about two weeks, all in all, and will have a pool everywhere else), you might "return" to La Giacaranda, mentioned much earlier on this thread. The choice is between having a pool for EVERY night or reducing distances, particularly after dinner (since you said you wanted to dine at La Giacaranda in any case).

To be clear: I've never been to Maratea, and my last visit to Paestum and the Cilento was in 1989. What I said was that I've researched Maratea for a POSSIBLE trip, but it could well be that I'll be able to report BEFORE you go.

bkmk

eks
I'm not sure if Maratea is too far to use as a base for day trips to the southern Cilento coastal towns. We stayed and day tripped south during our stay in Matera, except for our boat trip from the Marina di Matera up the coast.

I hope that you have as pleasant an experience at Locanda delle Donne Monache as we had. Beautiful place, nice pool, good restaurant, very helpful service. As I noted earlier they have arrangements with a nearby beach club. They also arranged for our 1/2 day boat trip up the coast.

Don't miss driving up the mountain to see the Staue of Christ the Reedemer. It is up long and winding mountain road from town. Our favorite restaurant for the entire trip was also partially up this road. It is called Il Giardino di Epicuro.
Excellent local family run restaurant. Great food, wine and service.
Please let me know, and I will try to answer any specific questions about the hotel or Maratea. Have a great trip.

I am in Spain at the moment, so have not been able to thank you both for your comments above. I did peek at this site for the moment, and want to add this comment, from another thread, to this one. I will be back here in a week or so with further questions, and discussion!



Willit: "I have driven Salerno to Castellabate fairly often over the last 5 years or so. The road from Paestum through to the A3 is horrible. It is 50km/h most of the way, full of heavy trucks , and nobody seems to be going anything under 100km/h. I normally end up going throuh Eboli rather than Battipaglia, but both are fairly unpleasant.

There is an alternate Coastal road which has beautiful views in part but can also get extremely busy."

The Coastal road, Paestum to Salerno is the SP175. I thought it had a nam as well ? Liteoraneo? or similar, but I haven't been able to find that anywhere.

Hello ek. I've met my Neapolitan friend, and when I asked him, he immediately remembered that he had promised (and forgotten) to ask his friend from the Cilento about "your" restaurants. He said he's going to do that now. (That person from the Cilento that is meant to provide the recommendations seems very reliable in culinary matters. He's a producer of excellent Slow-Food-branded salumi.)

But I have two substantial informations for you, directly from my Neapolitan friend: one, he said bluntly that you have to give up on the private-beach-or-pool idea if you wish to stay in the Cilento proper. He said the beauty of the Cilento is that life is so simple there, so down-to-earth; what only his eyes said is that for him, looking for a pool or a private beach in the Cilento is obviously close to looking for Alba truffles in the Central African Republic.
Two, Costiera Amalfitana (where my friend is really "at home"): his favourite restaurant there (and he, too, is a connoisseur!) is - well, do you remember our discussion, long long ago, of colatura di alici? FANFAREEEEEE - his favourite restaurant at the Amalfitana is called San Pietro, and is located in Cetara, the colatura village!!!! (Which he, by the way, called "the most beautiful village on the Amalfitana because it's the last one that really smells of fish".) He says the chef-owner of the S. Pietro has had a career in the more sophisticated gastronomy, but now runs this obviously unpretentious place, and while his cuisine is firmly rooted in local tradition, even my friend discovers, he said, two or three combinations of flavours on each visit that are completely new to him. That chef, said my friend, is THE master of cooking with colatura. I hope all that makes you, ek, as curious as it's making me...
I also found the restaurant's website: http://www.sanpietroristorante.it

Franco: You are a gem! I am in the midst of cooking right now and will get back to you, but for the moment, I direct your attention to the May 8, 2008 post on this (somewhat tedious) report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...and-naples.cfm


Fear not, because Cetara is already on the menu, so to speak, for a lunch stop on this trip. My trouble just now is convincing my two travel partners that we really do need to spend more time in the area...

Ooops - I see. It's so tough to advise somebody who already knows EVERYTHING on food! Admittedly (and everyone can see it now, anyway), though I had of course noticed that trip report of yours, I didn't study it since that region is not "my" Italy.
Let's hope the salumi producer will have some Cilento tips for you that you don't know yet!

Tiny piece on Cilento as the "anti-Amalfi" in NYTimes.


http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2...e-anti-amalfi/

Dear ek, I suppose you'll leave soon for the Cilento, right? At long last, I have first-hand information from my Neapolitan friend - he spent part of his own holiday in the Cilento this August, and tried himself all the restaurants his sister and the salumi producer had recommend him. The result, though, is somewhat disappointing: he said he always dined well, but nowhere well enough to send a serious eater like you there - good, but nothing particular, was his general judgement. This includes the restaurant at La Giacaranda. Sorry to have no better news! But he said once more that San Pietro restaurant in Cetara, where he stopped en route from the Cilento home to Napoli, is absolutely sensational, and his favourite restaurant all over Italy.

Let's not rush to forget the tragic happenings of a year ago:

From the EU Parliament:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/presid...ptember-9.html

... a short report in English with pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNsLoCFENCg

... and even:

http://www.slowfood.com/sloweb/eng/d...74AFWIvNCC45B0

As the anniversary approaches, the crime remains unsolved:

http://www.ilmattino.it/articolo.php...3&sez=CAMPANIA

Peter

The murder of Angelo Vassallo is a reminder of what goes on under the sunny surface. Does Ischia feel afflicted by this heavy criminal presence?

Thanks, Franco. Grim news, indeed, on several fronts here.

We leave in about two weeks and can only hope for the best on the food aspect. I do plan to work in lunch in Cetara. I've done what feels like hours upon hours of research on the restaurants but your note has brought in a needed note of caution. Better to hope for the worst and be surprised than have my hopes too high and have them dashed!

I did book a lunch (on the second day) at Locanda d'Alia in Castrovillari (Calabria) which has a very good reputation, so perhaps we will get off to a good start as we move north.

One more detail, he said the beauty of eating in the Cilento is the excellent quality of local produce. The preparation, less so. Have a nice trip, ek, nonetheless!

eks... on a few more cheerful notes, stuff you may not have found already?

Should you be in the Cilento by the 18th, or just want to crib their tour ideas, you may like to try this:

http://www.incampania.com/assets/all...eb%20AGG21.pdf

For more, start from the English version of this, and look for the Terre d'Amare section...
http://www.campaniaartecard.it

I can't see that these two have been posted here before, so perhaps of interest - some of the "Ristoranti stellati", in Naples province:
http://www.incampania.com/assets/all...20stellati.pdf

...and Salerno province:
http://www.incampania.com/assets/all...%20Salerno.pdf

And I've certainly mentioned this, but it bears repeating - if only for the photos!
http://www.bb-napoli.com/english/specialities-guide.pdf

Peter

PS.... Tarquin - put simply, fortunately it doesn't.
However there's surely no country where one sort of organised criminality or another doesn't exert an influence in particular fields - and it's hard to believe that the entire supply chain of all the goods and products we get here isn't affected in some manner, somewhere down the line?

Dear ek, I haven't been around much recently, but I never saw any report on your Maratea/Cilento trip. Did you write one?