Our (Somewhat) Laid Back Tour of Old Fave Stops in Italy
Jan 23rd, 2017, 10:15 PM
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Our (Somewhat) Laid Back Tour of Old Fave Stops in Italy
I have been remiss in writing trip reports the last few trips. With all the interest in Sicily, though, I thought I would write a few lines about our last May vacation. We did a five week tour including spots in Italy that we wanted to return to. So we did a week in Tuscany, a week on the Amalfi coast (sort of) and 2 weeks in Sicily, bookended with a few days in London and a few days in Rome.
For background, we are in late 50’s, early 60’s and semi-retired. We both do volunteer work and enjoy travelling in our spare time. The focus of our travel for my husband is food, and people. My focus is art, nature, architecture and food. We both enjoy history.
We started with a few days in London, actually the last 3 days of April. It was freezing cold, and drizzling most of the time. I had initially planned our London time at the end of our trip, but changed it so we could meet up with friends in Tuscany. Every time we have been in London, it’s been raining, which doesn’t make me happy. We live where it rains a lot, and I don’t want rain on my vacation.
We did have a good time though. Had a few good meals (fave was the Palomar, with friends), took lots of photos, went to see Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, went on a tour at the British Museum, saw the National Gallery, and walked around the city and familiarized ourselves so that when we return we know what we want to see next visit. Can some-one recommend a time when it is guaranteed not to rain in London?
From London, we met up with our friends and took a BA flight from LHR to Pisa, where we picked up a rental car. Had to do the obligatory photo holding up the tower of Pisa, so drove in and parked our car, (an SUV) with luggage, backed up against a concrete abutment.
I had been resisting seeing the Tower of Pisa for many years, and finally was outvoted and had to see it. And I’m glad we did; it IS iconic, and was much more impressive than I anticipated.
The four of us continued on, driving south to our agriturismo, Podere del Orto, just outside of San Casciano. Friends recommended this place, as they stay for 2 weeks at a time, several times a year. We loved the setting, complete with rose covered pergola, table and chairs for outdoor dining, a chicken, a cat, the perfect little apartment, and kind hosts. No pool, but nice views, air con and everything else we possibly could need including laundry facilities.
We had a week here, which is highly unusual for us. Since we have been to Tuscany a number of times, we were not in need of rushing around to see ‘must-see’ sights. We found this location perfect, close to Florence, close to a little town with groceries and laundry facilities, and close to everywhere we wanted to day trip to.
Sunday morning, our destination was Florence for the day. My husband just wanted to wander the streets without having to visit any churches/museums. So that is what we did, went for lunch at Il Vinaino, near the train station, where my Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce was the best choice of the four of us, enjoyed some wine in Piazza della Signoria, perused the Duomo from the outside, went for dinner at Marione, which was good, and fun.
http://www.casatrattoria.com/trattoria-marione/
By that time, it was late, so we took the short drive back to San Casciano.
(Yes, we drove into Florence!)
The drive out to Volterra was very enjoyable. We usually travel in September/October, so the intensely colored green and yellow rolling fields accented by red poppies was a real treat for the eyes on this beautiful early May day. We climbed around the streets and took pictures, and stopped at an Enoteca. Bought a bottle to enjoy later, but enjoyed some wonderful treats of cold meats and cheeses, and other home-made appetizers, all for Euro 5 each.
There is a really good Etruscan museum in Volterra, but we have been there before, so didn’t stop this time.
Dinner in San Casciano, a lot of fun, and good food.
http://www.cinquedivino.it/
Another day we started out to do some wine touring, and made it as far as the rather stark new building that houses Antinori. After tasting some glorious wines, one of which is one of Wine Spectator top wines of 2016, we decided to stay and have lunch at the restaurant on site.
http://antinorichianticlassico.it/it...istorante.html
Siena was calling to us, just a short jaunt down the highway, so off we went to give our friends a whirlwind tour of the town. Unfortunately we got there too late to enter the wonderful Cathedral, but admired it from all angles in the late afternoon sun.
Another highlight of Siena, for us, is the Piazza del Campo, where we sat and enjoyed aperitivi and wine, and imagined ourselves watching the Paleo with all the Sienese.
I had also planned a day tour into Chianti driving the beautiful roads through vineyards and hills to Castellina in Chianti and on to Radda in Chianti.
It has been one of DH’s long held dreams to do a cooking lesson in Tuscany. So I had booked an afternoon lesson at the Fonte de Medici. It’s Antinori’s agriturismo amongst the vineyards, where they have fashioned a beautiful kitchen and classroom area in one of the buildings.
Fortunately for us, we were the only students that afternoon, so we had a chef from the Michelin starred restaurant in Badia di Pasignano all to ourselves. It was a great lot of fun, especially watching DH trying to keep up with the motorized pasta machine! Did you know that a lot of pasta in Italy is made from Canadian wheat? And that North Americans put a lot more garlic in pesto than the Italians do?
After the lesson, we made our way to the restaurant, where we were served purportedly what we had made. (I know I didn’t make those perfectly formed little mezzaluna.)
Dinner was delicious, and the restaurant’s setting in the vineyard is beyond beautiful, and romantic.
http://www.osteriadipassignano.com/
steria
The Badia di Passignano is is an ancient monastery dating back to 395, and Antinori stores 2000 barrels of wine in the cellar of the Abbey. It’s quite incredible to do a tour into those old cellars.
Well, after a week of pretty laid back touring around Tuscany, it was time to move on. While my DH enjoyed this slow pace immensely, I found myself a little miffed that I got that close to Florence and never got to see a single artwork!
For background, we are in late 50’s, early 60’s and semi-retired. We both do volunteer work and enjoy travelling in our spare time. The focus of our travel for my husband is food, and people. My focus is art, nature, architecture and food. We both enjoy history.
We started with a few days in London, actually the last 3 days of April. It was freezing cold, and drizzling most of the time. I had initially planned our London time at the end of our trip, but changed it so we could meet up with friends in Tuscany. Every time we have been in London, it’s been raining, which doesn’t make me happy. We live where it rains a lot, and I don’t want rain on my vacation.
We did have a good time though. Had a few good meals (fave was the Palomar, with friends), took lots of photos, went to see Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, went on a tour at the British Museum, saw the National Gallery, and walked around the city and familiarized ourselves so that when we return we know what we want to see next visit. Can some-one recommend a time when it is guaranteed not to rain in London?
From London, we met up with our friends and took a BA flight from LHR to Pisa, where we picked up a rental car. Had to do the obligatory photo holding up the tower of Pisa, so drove in and parked our car, (an SUV) with luggage, backed up against a concrete abutment.
I had been resisting seeing the Tower of Pisa for many years, and finally was outvoted and had to see it. And I’m glad we did; it IS iconic, and was much more impressive than I anticipated.
The four of us continued on, driving south to our agriturismo, Podere del Orto, just outside of San Casciano. Friends recommended this place, as they stay for 2 weeks at a time, several times a year. We loved the setting, complete with rose covered pergola, table and chairs for outdoor dining, a chicken, a cat, the perfect little apartment, and kind hosts. No pool, but nice views, air con and everything else we possibly could need including laundry facilities.
We had a week here, which is highly unusual for us. Since we have been to Tuscany a number of times, we were not in need of rushing around to see ‘must-see’ sights. We found this location perfect, close to Florence, close to a little town with groceries and laundry facilities, and close to everywhere we wanted to day trip to.
Sunday morning, our destination was Florence for the day. My husband just wanted to wander the streets without having to visit any churches/museums. So that is what we did, went for lunch at Il Vinaino, near the train station, where my Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce was the best choice of the four of us, enjoyed some wine in Piazza della Signoria, perused the Duomo from the outside, went for dinner at Marione, which was good, and fun.
http://www.casatrattoria.com/trattoria-marione/
By that time, it was late, so we took the short drive back to San Casciano.
(Yes, we drove into Florence!)
The drive out to Volterra was very enjoyable. We usually travel in September/October, so the intensely colored green and yellow rolling fields accented by red poppies was a real treat for the eyes on this beautiful early May day. We climbed around the streets and took pictures, and stopped at an Enoteca. Bought a bottle to enjoy later, but enjoyed some wonderful treats of cold meats and cheeses, and other home-made appetizers, all for Euro 5 each.
There is a really good Etruscan museum in Volterra, but we have been there before, so didn’t stop this time.
Dinner in San Casciano, a lot of fun, and good food.
http://www.cinquedivino.it/
Another day we started out to do some wine touring, and made it as far as the rather stark new building that houses Antinori. After tasting some glorious wines, one of which is one of Wine Spectator top wines of 2016, we decided to stay and have lunch at the restaurant on site.
http://antinorichianticlassico.it/it...istorante.html
Siena was calling to us, just a short jaunt down the highway, so off we went to give our friends a whirlwind tour of the town. Unfortunately we got there too late to enter the wonderful Cathedral, but admired it from all angles in the late afternoon sun.
Another highlight of Siena, for us, is the Piazza del Campo, where we sat and enjoyed aperitivi and wine, and imagined ourselves watching the Paleo with all the Sienese.
I had also planned a day tour into Chianti driving the beautiful roads through vineyards and hills to Castellina in Chianti and on to Radda in Chianti.
It has been one of DH’s long held dreams to do a cooking lesson in Tuscany. So I had booked an afternoon lesson at the Fonte de Medici. It’s Antinori’s agriturismo amongst the vineyards, where they have fashioned a beautiful kitchen and classroom area in one of the buildings.
Fortunately for us, we were the only students that afternoon, so we had a chef from the Michelin starred restaurant in Badia di Pasignano all to ourselves. It was a great lot of fun, especially watching DH trying to keep up with the motorized pasta machine! Did you know that a lot of pasta in Italy is made from Canadian wheat? And that North Americans put a lot more garlic in pesto than the Italians do?
After the lesson, we made our way to the restaurant, where we were served purportedly what we had made. (I know I didn’t make those perfectly formed little mezzaluna.)
Dinner was delicious, and the restaurant’s setting in the vineyard is beyond beautiful, and romantic.
http://www.osteriadipassignano.com/
steriaThe Badia di Passignano is is an ancient monastery dating back to 395, and Antinori stores 2000 barrels of wine in the cellar of the Abbey. It’s quite incredible to do a tour into those old cellars.
Well, after a week of pretty laid back touring around Tuscany, it was time to move on. While my DH enjoyed this slow pace immensely, I found myself a little miffed that I got that close to Florence and never got to see a single artwork!
Jan 24th, 2017, 08:10 AM
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I appreciate your trip report and it mirrors our many returns to the area. Its so nice not to feel like you have to see and visit all the top spots and can relax with what evolves.
Re: Antinori visit. I've chased down this place on a couple of occasions and still don't feel like I've experienced it all. It appears to be set up for tours and appointments in a very quiet and out of the way location---tough to even get to!
Looking forward to the rest of your trip.
Re: Antinori visit. I've chased down this place on a couple of occasions and still don't feel like I've experienced it all. It appears to be set up for tours and appointments in a very quiet and out of the way location---tough to even get to!
Looking forward to the rest of your trip.
Jan 24th, 2017, 09:57 AM
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A great trip report so far; keep it coming.
<i> Did you know that a lot of pasta in Italy is made from Canadian wheat? </i>
I knew that a lot of the wheat used for making bread comes from North America, especially Canada. Wheat that makes a "strong" flour is considered the best for making bread, and this type of wheat is sometimes called "Manitoba" flour in Italy, which gives a big clue to the provenance.
I never heard that a lot of the flour used for pasta came from Canada. For that, a different type of wheat (hard, or durum, wheat) is used. I just looked it up, and saw that about 30% of the flour for pasta is imported, but the web site said that a lot of it came from eastern Europe. Maybe the rest comes from Canada.
Italy is one of the world's foremost producers of durum wheat, but it's still not enough for all the pasta they make.
My husband (whose father was a miller with a traditional water mill) used to own a flour mill and bakery, until he recently sold it to one of his employees. From him I know that the consumption of bread in Italy is greatly reduced lately. The bakery would fold if it depended on bread. They survive with the pizza and sweets they make. Bakeries (forni) in Italy, however, just make "dry" sweets, like biscotti. The other sweets are made in pastry shops (pasticcerie).
<i> Did you know that a lot of pasta in Italy is made from Canadian wheat? </i>
I knew that a lot of the wheat used for making bread comes from North America, especially Canada. Wheat that makes a "strong" flour is considered the best for making bread, and this type of wheat is sometimes called "Manitoba" flour in Italy, which gives a big clue to the provenance.
I never heard that a lot of the flour used for pasta came from Canada. For that, a different type of wheat (hard, or durum, wheat) is used. I just looked it up, and saw that about 30% of the flour for pasta is imported, but the web site said that a lot of it came from eastern Europe. Maybe the rest comes from Canada.
Italy is one of the world's foremost producers of durum wheat, but it's still not enough for all the pasta they make.
My husband (whose father was a miller with a traditional water mill) used to own a flour mill and bakery, until he recently sold it to one of his employees. From him I know that the consumption of bread in Italy is greatly reduced lately. The bakery would fold if it depended on bread. They survive with the pizza and sweets they make. Bakeries (forni) in Italy, however, just make "dry" sweets, like biscotti. The other sweets are made in pastry shops (pasticcerie).
Jan 24th, 2017, 04:21 PM
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Thanks, macanimals, bvlenci.
Canada does export durum wheat, but i'm not swearing on 100% accuracy of what we were told in the cooking class.
A friend of ours who works in quality control of grain at the Port of Vancouver told us that the grain that goes to Italy usually comes from smaller producers who grow non-GMO wheat that complies with Italy's standards.
All I know is..I'm missing a big bowl of pasta right now!
Soon, on to Amalfi coast.
Canada does export durum wheat, but i'm not swearing on 100% accuracy of what we were told in the cooking class.
A friend of ours who works in quality control of grain at the Port of Vancouver told us that the grain that goes to Italy usually comes from smaller producers who grow non-GMO wheat that complies with Italy's standards.
All I know is..I'm missing a big bowl of pasta right now!
Soon, on to Amalfi coast.
Jan 24th, 2017, 11:38 PM
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Tuscany was as beautiful as we remembered, but it was time to say good bye to our little apartment near San Casciano. I plotted out the exact route to return our rental vehicle to Europcar in Florence, and off we went. At my insistence we took it very slow, and were able to make all the right turns, and arrive at our destination without passing a ZTL camera.
The train station is not a far walk, so off we went to catch the Frecce train to Naples. This was a very comfortable First Class carriage with lots of room for our luggage between our seats. I had got 2 for 1 tickets by booking in advance on Trenitalia website.
We had been in Naples for a few brief hours a few years earlier, driven in after Pompeii, and found parking near the Lungomare. So when I started looking for a hotel, I knew that was the spot for me.
Taxi deposited us at the Royal Continental Hotel, a moderately priced option across from the Castel dell’Ovo. Our room had an expansive view over the Bay of Naples, and the Castel directly across. The room was a bit frumpy, though. Clean, but the balcony, old sliding glass doors, and outdated ill fitting drapery felt a little 1970’s.
But who could complain with a view like that? Time for a glass of wine to unwind from the travel day!
We were both stoked to get outside and explore this interesting city. How to explain Napoli? There’s a certain tension in Napoli; it’s a city of contrasts, rich in history, monuments, architecture and museums, almost dignified, but loud, raucous, sometimes scruffy and poor. Lanes of historic buildings decorated in the colors of graffiti, pedestrian streets filled with lively teens, and persistent shoppers during the passeggiata, cars whizzing by or stuck in jams, the swirl of fumes, the sight of Vesuvius; the city rising up the hill from the Bay of Naples.
From our room, the sound of a birthday party out on the Lungomare, happy voices, laughter and bongo drums until 2 am, the lights of the little boats and the Castel behind flashing off the water….We drifted off to sleep with eager expectations for the next day.
Early morning Sunday, the Lungomare is closed off to traffic, and joggers, walkers and bikers have taken over, jostling for space. The sun is shining gloriously, and we enjoy the dreamy view from the breakfast room windows. Time to get out and do some more exploring…
The grand spaces of Piazza del Plebiscito are an easy stroll from our hotel. This is to be a day of 25,000 steps, up Via Toledo, past Piazza Dante, to the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
We have been to Pompeii 3 times, but never have seen the treasures that were brought to Naples from there. The rich decoration and objects of daily life help to bring Pompeii to life, though there may be a little TMI in some of the display rooms.
Perhaps even more interesting were the marble sculptures of the Farnese Collection, the Farnese Bull, possibly the largest sculpture ever recovered from antiquity, and Hercules, whose statuary image became the mythic hero of the European imagination.
We had to wait until the lunchtime rush hour was over in order to get a taxi up to the Capodimonte Museum, the other item on my wish list.
With a commanding position on the hill and a view all the way to Capri, and surrounded by a park for the enjoyment of Naples' peoples, this was a wonderful way to spend Sunday afternoon.
Apart from the Caravaggio’s stunning Flagellation of Christ this Museum has much to offer the art lover. Sadly, it is only open for limited hours due to cutbacks in funding.
After our hard core walking and touring day, we were ready for pizza, Napoli style, at Brandi, a simple Margherita and some red wine. Now there’s a food memory to conjure up on a cold winter’s day!
A website full of practical information about Naples:
http://www.napoliunplugged.com/
Other things to enjoy in Naples:
Pastries! Pastries, pastries
The Capella Sansevero The Veiled Christ and numerous other sculptures
The ‘beach’ of rocks along the Lungomare, complete with atmosphere galore.
The train station is not a far walk, so off we went to catch the Frecce train to Naples. This was a very comfortable First Class carriage with lots of room for our luggage between our seats. I had got 2 for 1 tickets by booking in advance on Trenitalia website.
We had been in Naples for a few brief hours a few years earlier, driven in after Pompeii, and found parking near the Lungomare. So when I started looking for a hotel, I knew that was the spot for me.
Taxi deposited us at the Royal Continental Hotel, a moderately priced option across from the Castel dell’Ovo. Our room had an expansive view over the Bay of Naples, and the Castel directly across. The room was a bit frumpy, though. Clean, but the balcony, old sliding glass doors, and outdated ill fitting drapery felt a little 1970’s.
But who could complain with a view like that? Time for a glass of wine to unwind from the travel day!
We were both stoked to get outside and explore this interesting city. How to explain Napoli? There’s a certain tension in Napoli; it’s a city of contrasts, rich in history, monuments, architecture and museums, almost dignified, but loud, raucous, sometimes scruffy and poor. Lanes of historic buildings decorated in the colors of graffiti, pedestrian streets filled with lively teens, and persistent shoppers during the passeggiata, cars whizzing by or stuck in jams, the swirl of fumes, the sight of Vesuvius; the city rising up the hill from the Bay of Naples.
From our room, the sound of a birthday party out on the Lungomare, happy voices, laughter and bongo drums until 2 am, the lights of the little boats and the Castel behind flashing off the water….We drifted off to sleep with eager expectations for the next day.
Early morning Sunday, the Lungomare is closed off to traffic, and joggers, walkers and bikers have taken over, jostling for space. The sun is shining gloriously, and we enjoy the dreamy view from the breakfast room windows. Time to get out and do some more exploring…
The grand spaces of Piazza del Plebiscito are an easy stroll from our hotel. This is to be a day of 25,000 steps, up Via Toledo, past Piazza Dante, to the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
We have been to Pompeii 3 times, but never have seen the treasures that were brought to Naples from there. The rich decoration and objects of daily life help to bring Pompeii to life, though there may be a little TMI in some of the display rooms.
Perhaps even more interesting were the marble sculptures of the Farnese Collection, the Farnese Bull, possibly the largest sculpture ever recovered from antiquity, and Hercules, whose statuary image became the mythic hero of the European imagination.
We had to wait until the lunchtime rush hour was over in order to get a taxi up to the Capodimonte Museum, the other item on my wish list.
With a commanding position on the hill and a view all the way to Capri, and surrounded by a park for the enjoyment of Naples' peoples, this was a wonderful way to spend Sunday afternoon.
Apart from the Caravaggio’s stunning Flagellation of Christ this Museum has much to offer the art lover. Sadly, it is only open for limited hours due to cutbacks in funding.
After our hard core walking and touring day, we were ready for pizza, Napoli style, at Brandi, a simple Margherita and some red wine. Now there’s a food memory to conjure up on a cold winter’s day!
A website full of practical information about Naples:
http://www.napoliunplugged.com/
Other things to enjoy in Naples:
Pastries! Pastries, pastries
The Capella Sansevero The Veiled Christ and numerous other sculptures
The ‘beach’ of rocks along the Lungomare, complete with atmosphere galore.
Jan 28th, 2017, 02:27 PM
#17
just joining in, sundried, and enjoying reading about your experiences very much. That bull in the NAM is fantastic, isn't he?
great list of things to see in Naples but may I add Via San Gregorio Armeno? A uniquely neapolitan street full of shops selling figures and other decorations for nativity scenes:
http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas...tradition.html
great list of things to see in Naples but may I add Via San Gregorio Armeno? A uniquely neapolitan street full of shops selling figures and other decorations for nativity scenes:
http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas...tradition.html
Jan 28th, 2017, 03:22 PM
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Naples was wonderful! Can’t wait to go back and see more.
Did I mention, everywhere we went on this Italian trip there was a wonderful fragrance in the air…jasmine, orange blossoms? Maybe both, but that certainly is a perk of travelling in May. And blossoms everywhere…
Thanks to recommendations on Fodors, we decided to take the ferry from Naples (Molo Beverello) to Sorrento, for a different perspective. It was about 45 minutes from port to port and was so pretty coming in to Sorrento.
We had a little difficulty getting tickets at the port because no-one that day spoke English. I believe you can buy the tickets online, which is what I would do next time.
Also, you have to get your suitcases up a few stairs to get on the boat, and no-one tells you what to do with them once you’re on board. But there were few people on the boat that day, so it wasn’t a problem.
http://www.alilauro.it/orari-e-tariffe
I would highly recommend this as a much nicer alternative to the Circumvesuviana train, if you’re continuing on from a Naples stay.
The approach to Sorrento from the water is from the bottom of the cliffs, on the tops of which are the beautiful old hotels, Excelsior Vittoria, Europa Palace, and ours, the Hotel Bristol. I am so impressed with the umbrella pines, their soft, billowy, cloudlike branches offering elegant shade to whatever is underneath, and a contrast to the craggy mountains behind.
I love this scene so much that I have a photo that I took from the ferry dock as my screen saver.
We took a taxi to our hotel, which cost us Euro 25 for a 5 minute ride. I was not impressed with that tab! Apparently it’s because the cruise ships dock there, but I would definitely check the price before I get in a taxi in Sorrento again!
Hotel Bristol was better than I had hoped for; the front desk staff was so helpful through our whole stay. I had booked a superior room through the hotel website, and they upgraded us to a marvelous big room on the top floor, with 2 balconies and an expansive sea view. We could see all of the Bay of Naples, with Vesuvius from afar, little boats, ferries, cruise ships, all dotted around the Bay.
http://www.bristolsorrento.com/
Our tradition is to have a glass of wine and just relax, every time we move to a new city or hotel. I could have just stayed there all day! Our room had a white leather couch, and coffee table set in front of one of the balconies, so that’s where we started our Sorrento stay.
The room was beautiful in white with navy blue, and the bathroom was the biggest bathroom I have ever seen in a European hotel. Just gorgeous decorating to coordinate with the view out the window!
We freshened up, and found the trail through the orange trees that goes down to the town. Lovely! Piazza Tasso was crowded with tourists and buses, but we just wandered the streets a bit, then found a corner in a bar to have a G&T, then wandered a bit more, and found a beautiful restaurant with tables on outside landings alongside a wide stairway down.
We took the name of the restaurant and made a reservation for the next night’s dinner.
This night, we headed down to Marina Grande, my favorite part of Sorrento. It feels more authentic than the downtown area, and is not so crowded. We remembered having dinner here some years ago at the outdoor restaurant, Trattoria da Emilia, simple good cooking, and centered on seafood and pasta.
We enjoyed the meal, and the atmosphere, tables close together, and making friends with people sitting near us. It was really fun! Loved the setting, seeing the fishermen with their nets, and the boats bobbing on the water, seemed to make the seafood taste even fresher!
http://www.daemilia.it/index.html
Capri had been on my itinerary for the next day, but we didn’t feel like moving-why expend all that energy just to see what we could see from our room? So instead, we checked out the pool, had a couple more G&T’s, did some reading, took a copious number of photos, and luxuriated in the sun, just doing nothing! Loved it!
Our dinner reservation was at Il Buco
http://www.ilbucoristorante.it/it/gourmet
This restaurant is in a lovely setting, outdoors but covered and private.
We decided to make Il Buco our blow out meal of our trip, and really enjoyed it. It is a Michelin one star, and here is the description:
Simple, unfussy cuisine with a blend of traditional and modern influences, an excellent wine list of around 1 000 different labels, and service that manages to be efficient yet friendly and informal at the same time. Housed in the cellars of an old monastery in the heart of Sorrento, this restaurant offers gourmet dining in a homely ambience.
We ordered the 5 course tasting menu, mine the regular and my husband the 'trust the chef ' selection. Both were outstanding in presentation and flavour.
If you like gin, they have a gin bar with more kinds of gin than I have ever seen! And the one I chose was so good! I tried to find it locally, but it’s from the Dutch town of Schiedam, and a small distillery. It’s called Sylvius. If you love gin and ever get a chance, try it!
Our pre-dinner cocktails were very generous in the alcohol content, so we decided not to have the wine pairing as it would have been a bit too much, but we did enjoy a bottle of lovely white Falanghina, which was delicious with the seafood.
The service was excellent and attentive. Go here if you love food that is fresh, inventive, not heavy or overly done, and you like to try new things. We loved it, a very nice evening indeed.
Well, the rest of the evening we used to pack and enjoy the night view of the Bay of Naples…dreamy…
Did I mention, everywhere we went on this Italian trip there was a wonderful fragrance in the air…jasmine, orange blossoms? Maybe both, but that certainly is a perk of travelling in May. And blossoms everywhere…
Thanks to recommendations on Fodors, we decided to take the ferry from Naples (Molo Beverello) to Sorrento, for a different perspective. It was about 45 minutes from port to port and was so pretty coming in to Sorrento.
We had a little difficulty getting tickets at the port because no-one that day spoke English. I believe you can buy the tickets online, which is what I would do next time.
Also, you have to get your suitcases up a few stairs to get on the boat, and no-one tells you what to do with them once you’re on board. But there were few people on the boat that day, so it wasn’t a problem.
http://www.alilauro.it/orari-e-tariffe
I would highly recommend this as a much nicer alternative to the Circumvesuviana train, if you’re continuing on from a Naples stay.
The approach to Sorrento from the water is from the bottom of the cliffs, on the tops of which are the beautiful old hotels, Excelsior Vittoria, Europa Palace, and ours, the Hotel Bristol. I am so impressed with the umbrella pines, their soft, billowy, cloudlike branches offering elegant shade to whatever is underneath, and a contrast to the craggy mountains behind.
I love this scene so much that I have a photo that I took from the ferry dock as my screen saver.
We took a taxi to our hotel, which cost us Euro 25 for a 5 minute ride. I was not impressed with that tab! Apparently it’s because the cruise ships dock there, but I would definitely check the price before I get in a taxi in Sorrento again!
Hotel Bristol was better than I had hoped for; the front desk staff was so helpful through our whole stay. I had booked a superior room through the hotel website, and they upgraded us to a marvelous big room on the top floor, with 2 balconies and an expansive sea view. We could see all of the Bay of Naples, with Vesuvius from afar, little boats, ferries, cruise ships, all dotted around the Bay.
http://www.bristolsorrento.com/
Our tradition is to have a glass of wine and just relax, every time we move to a new city or hotel. I could have just stayed there all day! Our room had a white leather couch, and coffee table set in front of one of the balconies, so that’s where we started our Sorrento stay.
The room was beautiful in white with navy blue, and the bathroom was the biggest bathroom I have ever seen in a European hotel. Just gorgeous decorating to coordinate with the view out the window!
We freshened up, and found the trail through the orange trees that goes down to the town. Lovely! Piazza Tasso was crowded with tourists and buses, but we just wandered the streets a bit, then found a corner in a bar to have a G&T, then wandered a bit more, and found a beautiful restaurant with tables on outside landings alongside a wide stairway down.
We took the name of the restaurant and made a reservation for the next night’s dinner.
This night, we headed down to Marina Grande, my favorite part of Sorrento. It feels more authentic than the downtown area, and is not so crowded. We remembered having dinner here some years ago at the outdoor restaurant, Trattoria da Emilia, simple good cooking, and centered on seafood and pasta.
We enjoyed the meal, and the atmosphere, tables close together, and making friends with people sitting near us. It was really fun! Loved the setting, seeing the fishermen with their nets, and the boats bobbing on the water, seemed to make the seafood taste even fresher!
http://www.daemilia.it/index.html
Capri had been on my itinerary for the next day, but we didn’t feel like moving-why expend all that energy just to see what we could see from our room? So instead, we checked out the pool, had a couple more G&T’s, did some reading, took a copious number of photos, and luxuriated in the sun, just doing nothing! Loved it!
Our dinner reservation was at Il Buco
http://www.ilbucoristorante.it/it/gourmet
This restaurant is in a lovely setting, outdoors but covered and private.
We decided to make Il Buco our blow out meal of our trip, and really enjoyed it. It is a Michelin one star, and here is the description:
Simple, unfussy cuisine with a blend of traditional and modern influences, an excellent wine list of around 1 000 different labels, and service that manages to be efficient yet friendly and informal at the same time. Housed in the cellars of an old monastery in the heart of Sorrento, this restaurant offers gourmet dining in a homely ambience.
We ordered the 5 course tasting menu, mine the regular and my husband the 'trust the chef ' selection. Both were outstanding in presentation and flavour.
If you like gin, they have a gin bar with more kinds of gin than I have ever seen! And the one I chose was so good! I tried to find it locally, but it’s from the Dutch town of Schiedam, and a small distillery. It’s called Sylvius. If you love gin and ever get a chance, try it!
Our pre-dinner cocktails were very generous in the alcohol content, so we decided not to have the wine pairing as it would have been a bit too much, but we did enjoy a bottle of lovely white Falanghina, which was delicious with the seafood.
The service was excellent and attentive. Go here if you love food that is fresh, inventive, not heavy or overly done, and you like to try new things. We loved it, a very nice evening indeed.
Well, the rest of the evening we used to pack and enjoy the night view of the Bay of Naples…dreamy…
Jan 28th, 2017, 03:48 PM
#19
sundried, DH and I went to Sorrento on our first holiday together [before we were married which felt rather daring at the time] and guess where we stayed? I had forgotten all about it until I went to Sorrento a few years ago with my Italian class and we went past it on the coach to Amalfi and the memories came flooding back!
We also got that ferry from Naples to Sorrento and I remember throwing up over the side!
We also got that ferry from Naples to Sorrento and I remember throwing up over the side!
