Praiano italy....one week
 

Hi all

Long time reader but first time posting. May 1st my family and I have rented a villa for a week in Praiano Italy. This is our third trip to Italy but our first time this far south. Not driving this time...train and sita bus. Plan on day tripping from there to the surrounding towns and just hanging out. We're not big on historical sites just want to eat / sip wine / shop and enjoy the views. Interested in mom and pop "non" tourist eateries, speak a little Italian. Would like to hear from anyone about their best restaurant finds from Positano to Ravello, mainly in Praiano where we will be based. I have read all of Ira's escapades and wanted to see if anyone had anything else to add.
Thanks...for any info you can provide.

I'm sorry I can't give you anything in Priano because I've never stayed or eaten there, but I do think that the tiny fishing village of Atrani is worth a visit, and you can easily get there by bus (or even walking from Amalfi). There is a restaurant there called Da Zaccaria, which Mario Batali once said was one of his favorite restaurants in the area. I ate there and it is very cheap and tasty, and it has a very nice (but tiny) terrace with a sea view, great on a sunny day.

Da Zaccaria is actually right between Atrani and Amalfi. There is a short car tunnel that separates the two towns and Da Zaccaria hangs on the side of the mountain outside that tunnel.

In Ravello, I think the views and food from Ristorante Da Salvatore make it a great lunch spot. The food in the restaurant in excellent (I prefer it to Cumpa Cosima) and last time I was there they were completing an outdoor pizzeria, which will make it quite a good choice if you are on a budget.

Even though I am not the huge fan of Cumpa Cosima in Ravello that many are, there is no doubt that the food is solid and the ambience is totally mom/pop. Tourists jam in there, but somehow it doesn't make it feel touristy.

You don't say the ages of your family, but if you are all adults, stopping for a drink in the bar at Le Sireneuse in Positano at sunset will be both otherworldly, beautiful and very expensive! However, despite the high price tag (15 euro for a mixed drink), and despite the aura of rich, hedonistic tourists, the bar staff delivers such incredibly gracious service and the surroundings are so nice, you might think it is worth it.

You are wise to stick to eating dinner in Priano, since traveling back home by bus after a dinner (with wine) on the winding Amalfi Drive is not always the most pleasant way to end a meal.

Oh -- and I do know somebody in Priano: The folks who run Benvenuto Limosuines car service. They are great and superfriendly and so reliable if you need to hire a car.

I have stayed in Praiano a couple of times and also have some friends who live around there.
La Braccia in town )roght on the coast road is a good place to eat. And I like to "hang out" at La Pirata which is below Onda Verde on the path down to Marina Priaia and the little cove beyond. I much prefer sitting and eating there to Onda Verde (which is popular with the tourists), because La Pirata is a bit more local and it's fun to chat with the owners-it seems like a casual local style place where you can eat and enjoy the sun and a bit if a swim. Have a wonderful stay in Praiano, it's a favorite place of mine on the AC!

ira stayed in Praiano and wrote a lot about it in his trip report. I will see if I can find it for you.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34451044

Hopefully this will take you to ira's report :-) He is one of the most respected posters on this board so I'd be inclined to totally trust him that Praiano is a wonderful base for the AC :-)

Tony -

Almost 2 years ago I was in Praiano for the start of my honeymoon - exactly on the day you will be there! The Amalfi coast is amazing. We stayed at Le Sirene (http://www.lesirene.com/) based on Ira's recommendation which was delightful! Our best meals were in Positano - one at Bruno's (near the bus stop) and the other at the top of a mountain in Positano overlooking the sea (unfortunately the name is slipping my memory right now!). We asked at Le Sireneuse hotel if they knew the restaurant and even though we weren't staying there, they were happy to help and called the restaurant for someone to pick us up.

I hope you have an amazing trip! Be sure to pack some clothes you can wear in layers, the weather on the coast was a little cool while we were there!

My gosh, has it been four years almost since we spent a week in Praiano? Doesn't quite seem like it could be that long.
We rented an apartment above of the pottery shops from lovely people.
We liked it because it is so non touristy. And we were there almost exactly the same time
I would just caution you that the distance from either Positano or Amalfi is not great...6km or so either way. But even in May bus travel can be slow. So just have patience.
We liked eating in the little cove below the Ondea Verde also.
Enjoy.

Hi Tony,

I think you will love Praiano. I've stayed there twice, most recently last Sept. It's not a resort town like Positano, not really any shopping to speak of, which is just fine with me. It's a "real" coastal town.

On Ira's recommendation, I also stayed at Le Sirene and recommend it highly! I ate dinner twice at La Brace and it is excellent, wonderful family run place, nice atmosphere and service. Be sure to have the grilled vegetables and all the seafood you can get.

Don't eat at the pizzeria across the street from the bar and next to the church. Nasty service and sandy clams!

Buon viaggio!

Hi T,

Good restaurants in Montepertuso, but I can't recall the names.

You can look for them in the "search this forum" box.

Thanks for the kind words, TA.

((I))

The restaurants in Montepertuso are La Tagliata,
Il Ritrovo, and Donna Rosa. Donna Rosa and Il Ritrovo are up in the town of Montepertuso, and La Tagliata is on the road going up to the town. All three are "family owned" places. And all three have good food. I happen to like La Tagliata and have eaten there a few times. Last time, I enjoyed a nice tour of their gardens with a local friend- where they grow all the vegetables, and the stables where they raise the animals. You can sit at a table by the windows and feel that you are suspended above the sparkling sea. And the food is fresh and mouthwateringly delicious, They can send a car for you, or you can get a bus up the hill from Positano.
Do you agree, Ira?

Another recomendation for Montepertuso. We had a really wonderful dinner at IL RITROVO, which has huge picture windows overlooking the mountain all the way down to Positano. I'd recommend going before sunset for a drink so that you can enjoy it. Your hotel should be able to arrange roundtrip transportation for you from the restaurant.

There's also a place that we went a few years ago between Sorrento and Positano called ( I think?) Due Paese, ( spelling?) which had unbelievable food.

And once again, I'll heartily recommend lunch and the restaurant terrace at the Hotel Poseidon. The food and views are amazing!

Have a great time!

In case it helps-here's the info for Il Ritrovo

Risrorante Il Ritrovo
Via Montepertuso 77
Tel 089-812 005/ 875-453

Bon appetito

Thanks for the backup, bella.

((I))

Ira-
Please don't thank me- I wasn't backing you up, but rather trying to give Tony5 some detailed information about the restaurants of Montepertuso, a place I've visited often. I got the impression from your report that you've never really been to Montepertuso, so If you have ever actually eaten in any of the restaurants there, I will happily eat my own hat!

Hi all,

Thank you all for the great restaurant recommendations, I'm sure we will try as many as we can! I have compiled a list and will be taking it with me.

If you dont mind, I would like to pick your brains a bit more since it seems we have some people on the board that really know this area...

I was wondering if anyone had any info about the following : lemoncello / cheese / olive oil / or wine tours in the Positano to Revello towns.

Someone had asked the age of the children, well I'm happy to say that they are all young adults and looking forward to wine and lemoncello tasting. Also as young adults they are interested in Internet access in Praiano. Is this available? And oh yes, some are also interested taking a half day cooking class. Anyone have any experience with that?

Thanks again for the help!

Tony5

It's L-I-M-O-N-cello, pronounced LEE-MOAN-CHELLO.

If you do a google search "cooking classes amalfi" you'll proably get a lot of possibilities if the boards can't help you.

I could be very wrong, but I think cheesemakers and wineries and perhaps even olive oil producers are in short supply along the Amalfi coast, although you no doubt could find many in the direction of Pompeii.

And if you would like to learn how to make limoncello, no problem.

Hmmm. Make that:

LEE-MOAN-CHAYL-LOH

Dear bellastarr
>Ira-
Please don't thank me- ...<

Sorry. I withdraw the "Thank you".

Tony5,

Include the WWW.ristorantesangiovanni.com on your list.It is in Pontone a small village in the hills just above Amalfi and across the valley from Ravello.Great little Ristorante/Pizzeria off the beaten track

Tony5
Gerardo's suggestion is a good one (If memory serves, he lives locally, and so knows the area very well)- the Sangiovanni restaurant has a lovely open air (covered) terrace where you can sit and enjoy a fine view of Ravello perched on the cliffs across the Valley, and the sea beyond. Pontone is a quiet village in a magical location. If any in your family are hikers, there's a path leading there from Ravello, and maps to the hiking paths in the hills around there can be found in the Ravello tourist office just to the left as you are facing the Church on the Piazza. Or there is a sita bus that goes to Scala (and I think Pontone too) from Ravello). The family who owns it are warm and friendly.