Here is the information on the cheese maker in Agerola discussed on the Rome Trip Report thread; tourists can visit and watch the cheese making process:


http://www.aziendanaclerio.it/en/index.asp

Here is a review about a new book about Pompeii which sounds fascinating. Among other things I learned from the review was that the site was heavily bombed during World War II:


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/bo.../Coates-t.html

bookmarking

Just read this post today and you mentioned my name to read May 5 about the Amalfi Coast. I remember asking about a day trip off the cruise ship along the coast. I contacted a driver in Sorrento and now realize as the ship docks in Naples it sould be better logistically to get a driver near Naples. Do you or anyone know of a driver there? I only want to do about a 5 hour tour as we leave on an early flight back to the states the next morning. I have stayed near Sorrento, been to Capri and Pompei. I want to see the beautiful coast again and go to Amalfi and Ravello. Your post made me think Positiano might be what I want to skip.
Love reading your travel info and stories. You are indeed a traveler!!

Thank you, Maryanne. It really was a fabulous trip.

I think that any driver that works the Sorrento/Amalfi area would do a tour from Naples ship dock.

Here is an e-mail of one driver mentioned on Trip Advisor. (I have not used him, though) If you do a search there, you will find many other names. And you can also check the usual names that are mentioned frequently here.

Salvatore Lucibello [email protected] or [email protected]




Also see:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/planning/carservice.asp

Eks-- Thanks to your recommendation, I have a booking w Mr Cuomo who will pick up up in Naples, drive to Pompeii and wait for three hours and then on onto our hotel in Amalfi (Marina Riviera) for an incredibly reasonable rate.

NOW-- if you could just plan our four dinners!A Paranza, Marina Grande and Al Convento all sound amazing. I keep reading about ?Eolo? in Amalfi-- are you familiar with that at all? If there were any others that you "missed" or "would have tried" would love to hear. Am so overloaded trying to plan the other three cities that I may explode!

BTW- the people at Marina Riviera are extraordinary. Based on a slight miscommuication about room size, the upgraded us to a full suite (with an extra bedroom), terrace, jacuzzi etc for the price of the quoted jr. suite, and gave us a 10 percent discount for the fourth night when we realzed we could stay there instead of Sorrento in order to make our flight in Naples.
Would LOVE to think it as my fledging attempts at writing in Italian, but if anything, that would have been a detriment

LB: This is great news! I do think that there is an abundance of lovely lodgings in this area and the grace that they have extended to you even before your arrival is something to keep in mind for future travels. I will be so eager to hear about your trip!

I read about Eolo before we took our trip last year. But we simply did not have time to try even half of the places I would have liked to visit. It did not make my final cut because I would rather stick to restaurants serving the regional classics on the first go round. So as a general rule (not always adhered to though) I do not seek out anything labeled "fusion" in Italy. I would just rather familiarize myself with the local ingredients in simple preparations. That is the reason that I did not try La Caravelle or Eolo, although I would guess that both places have terrific food. Both are probably a bit "fancier" than the ones I visited. I tend to be a little suspect of the whigte tablecloth and crystal scene in a resort area like the Amalfi Coast. But since I've never tried one of those places, I have no way of knowing if I am totally off base and if I have missed fabulous meals. But come to think of it, the food is so great on the AC that it would be rather difficult to have a truly bad meal, unless one stuck to the most obviously "touristy" places and even then...

So your choice of restaurant depends on personal taste, and if you want a "romantic" venue--with a view, etc.

While I liked A Paranza well enough to eat there twice, there is no view. Same holds true for the 2 places we tried in Cetara. I would certainly recommend at least one dinner in Cetara, as long as you do not mind the bus trip/drive to get there and as long as you are fish/seafood eaters. It is very much off the foreign tourist track, or at least it seemed so when we were there, so the experience is different than that in the places we tried in the more popular towns...

One place that I think I would try next time is Da Gemma in Amalfi, based on the very thorough report written by Blej. See link:

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



Also, I wanted very much to try the SlowFood restaurant in Pogerola, in the hills above Amalfi..Trattoria Da Rispoli, which dates from 1947 and reportedly has a great view as well as great food. (closed Thursday) That might be my first choice among the places we have not yet visited.


And I would NOT dine again at Il Teatro, unless I wanted pizza. (Although another poster seemed to be very happy with the meal here..)

Please feel free to ask/discuss anything at all--I love doing so because I can share my enthusiasm for the area and relive my own trip!

You opened the floodgates with your kind offer and yes-- there will be questions! Actually I was pretty blown away by how accomodating Marina Riviera was and I just cant wait to see the hotel and thank them in person-- also I cant thank all of you guys enough for the encouragement to make the switch- next mini decision -Pisa- but I digress.
Yes, I've heard tons about da Gemma and it sounds great. I totally agree about the white tablecloth/fusion thing since we're traveling with two teenagers one of whom would be happy with a huge basket of bread and a coke-
Husband loves fish but not shellfish- I'm the complete opposite-- sure we'll all be happy. Just one technical question-- Is it feabible to go to say, Ravello or Positano or Cetara etc "just" for dinner- e.g.- can we just take a cab there and back or is it just not that easy??
Re- the view- Im just so happy to have made the switch to an all view all the time locale, its just not that important for dinner- altho a friend just advised that a cocktail on the terrace at Santa Caterina is a must do.
Thnaks!

LB:

I am looking forward to more opportunity to discuss your trip!

Just briefly now: We took the bus to Cetara from/to Amalfi once. For the second Cetara meal (a lunch) , we were dropped off by the driver we hired to take us to Paestum, and took the bus back. The bus ride is beautiful but even in early May, the buses were very crowded and my partner had to stand part of the way. I think many of the passengers were workers traveling at the end of the workday from their jobs in Amalfi and points west, to the more workaday towns and Salerno. The bus ran about once an hour in the evenings, as I recall. Going there was ok, but I found it a bit of a pain to time the dinner in order to catch the return bus. We either had to rush dinner a bit in order to catch the bus around 9pm from Cetara, or take our time and have to wait until the bus an hour later.

The bus may run more frequently in high season.

So ideally, one would either drive or take a taxi. But the taxi costs will not be inexpensive.
If you are ok with this, it is certainly the most comfortable way to reach Cetara. Or you could go at lunch; there may be more frequent service during the day. Perhaps combine a stop there with a daytrip to Paestum, like we did. Or even to Vietri, for the ceramics.

Be sure to reserve in advance; we phoned a couple of hours ahead and got the last free table the day of our lunch at the San Pietro.

Having said all that, I think a meal in Cetara is virtually a must for someone interested in regional cuisine.

I certainly agree about the hotel view negating a need to seek out the view from a restaurant on most nights.

When is your trip?

We leave New York on August 14th- that was the only two week period that made sense from a practical standpoint (e.g. summer internships, school schedules etc.) We will be in Italy for 15 nights, spending the last four in Amalfi. I'm dreading the heat, but given the experience of New York summers, if the temperature stays below 100 hopefully while not ideal certainly, I think it will be OK. A/C was a huge priority in hotel selection.
Thanks so much for all the advice- I'm thinking taxis or cars but I still havent fully formulated this part of the trip-
I started planning back in September -believe it or not and now I'm experiencing the diminishing returns phase since the information I've amassed from this forum is so mind boggling that its sometimes overwhelming but its all good!!
Ek- I think youre a New Yorker- do you live or work anywhere near CG or the Upper East Side?

LB: yes, I live in midtown east.

I know exactly what you mean about the diminishing returns. I also began planning (including lots of food-related research) very early for a September trip to Ischia. Now that there is nothing left to plan, I have almost put aside thoughts of that trip and am well on my way to investigating Puglia--hopefully for NEXT spring!

I think you will be fine with the heat; I can't imagine that it gets much hotter than 90F, and you are near the sea AND have the a/c. I do think the bus to Cetara might be a bit of an ordeal in August, though. You know, you might try asking at your hotel since they are so congenial. My guess is that they might even have an employee or two that drives east after work; maybe you could work something out for the trip there, and then take the bus back when it is not so hot. Or taxi. The restaurant prices there are certainly a good value!

Helping you plan is almost as much fun as planning my own trip!

We've probably seen each other a million times in Grand Central or the Gap (conveniently located in my office building)
SO lucky that you can travel so much- wow- I'm really envious- and I'm sure you have it down to a science
You're the best to be so helpful-- all the Fodorites are and I've made two really close friends over the years who you probably know too--- the difference is, while you start planning early, you probably actually MAKE plans- while I apparently seem to just second guess and re-think! For some reason, my other trips London, Provence, Paris went much more smoothly planning-wise. Italy is just an overwhelming wealth of must dos and must sees and it will be my first time there.

However- I decided I had take some action and have now begun to actually book stuff so I can start planning "around" them and stop hyperventilating e.g. (Secret Itineraries, Clock Tower tour in Venice ) and just got a Scavi confirmation for 3pm in Rome so I booked the morning Vatican tour-(so will need a lunch suggestion <g. Still looking for a private guide for a day or a better COntext option for Rome Antica- they are all in the afternoon and would be at the end of our 5 days.

We are foodies too (but not with anything close to your depth of knowledge except for maybe New York and France <g and I have a long list I've compiled for each city with the help of Fodors people and some othe friends here in NY that are huge Italy lovers and the many recent Times articles- (there is alot of overlap.) When I get it down to a very managable number maybe I can just run them by you?? Youve pretty much sewn up Rome for me- finalizing Venice list and we have two nights in Florence which I havent even really researched yet and now closing in on Amalfi thanks to you.

lbrawer...

Don't mean to jump in on your converstation with EK, but I wanted to give you the name of a restuarant near the Vatican for a possible lunch.

It's Arlu on Borgo Pio (maybe it's Via Borgo Pio...I'm at work right now and don't have my Rome notes)...Anyway it's very close to the Vatican.

I went here for lunch last December and thought it was terrific. I had it on my list for my 2007 Rome trip and wasn't able to make it that time, so made sure I went in 2008 and I wasn't disappointed.

Walking down Borgo Pio with your back towards the Vatican Wall it will be on the left side of the street. It doesn't really stand out, but it is on a corner.

The food was very good, the place was small inside, maybe 12 or 15 tables (there were outside tables too, but it was December and a chilly day so no one was sitting outside!). Some tourists, priests and Italians were dining, so it was a good mix of people.

I believe it was the owner who was handling the dining room by himself, and it looked like his wife was in command of the tiny kitchen.

Oh that's great! Thank you so much!! The patrons you described sound like a good sign for an authentic local meal! Perfetto.

LB: Of course you can run anything by me. Any time! Thank you for the compliments.

Just briefly now, I know of 3 tour guides that might lead you on the Rome tour. The first is Maureen Fant, who is the author of a now-classic guide to restaurants in Rome, Florence and Venice. Here is her website; she also guides for Context. Even if the book is not new, I think it is well worth reading; there is an excellent food glossary inside.


http://www.maureenbfant.com/index.htm


I took a tour with Francesca Caruso; I will give you her e-mail if you would like--it is in my Rome trip report, too.




And Alan Epstein, the author of an interesting book called As The Romans Do, has very good qualifications as far as private guiding and education. I have not met him but it turns out that he is actually a friend of friends of mine--I learned that only a few months ago.

Here is his site:

http://www.astheromansdo.com/private_tours.htm

EK- thank you! Actually I had written francesca based on what I read about her and just received a sad reply that she will be out of town those days. She recommended about 5 others and I told her a little about what I was looking for and asked an opinion (have yet to hear back). Of course would be more comfortable with someone known-- totally know the name Maureen Fant but I can almost guarantee my husband will hijack the tour talking food with her- will check out both sites and thanks as always.

EK- I just emailed Alan- Id say the odds of his being a) available or b) affordable are astronomical but thought I'd give it a try. Maureen's tour info (or from what I could tell) seemed very food oriented. Great for us, but do you think she does the other stuff too?

Ekscrunchy, I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your trip report! I'm new here and it was the first one I have read. I am planning a trip to Italy next May. We had planned to stay in Positano for four nights. After reading your report we will be staying in Amalfi. We are going to celebrate our twentieth anniversary. We will spend four nights in Rome, four nights in the Orvieto area,four nights in Amalfi and two nights in Naples.We hope to visit some of the places you mentioned.
Thanks
bxl

Thanks, BXL.

LB: Yes, Alan's prices seem very high. But I am curious as to what he presents to you as far as price and itinerary. Do let us know.

Maureen Fant is a classical scholar as well as a food person. She has written some excellent articles in the Times and other publications, so I would absolutely think that she could do something not based on food.

Take a look at the article she wrote on Pompeii for the NY Times..

I will be back soon..

EKs-- Well I'm into major planning mode as we are at about three weeks and counting. Just wanted to run a few Amalfi area restaurants by you as I've spent a few hours on Chowhound. There seems to be unanimity about A Paranza, and the Cumpa Cosima in Ravello. Others that were highly rated and raved about were I Trani in Amalfi and Dal Salvatore in Ravello (for lunch). ALso Bucca di Baccio (?/) in Positano gets raves and not so much raves as likes- same with Da Gemma- sort of mixed. As it will be nearing the end of our trip, not sure we'll still feel like white tablecloths-- so-- for our four nights- with clearly A Paranza on the list, which might your other 3 must-dos be.

Reading your reviews again, Marina Grande and Al Convento sound very appealing. HELP!
AND- if you dont mind my jumping over to Florence for a second-- we have just two dinners there and even though I'm not seeing it too much on the standard sites, I keep reading outstanding things about Leo's in Santa Croce and Trattoria 4 Leoni. We will have just come from from four days in Venice which will most certainly be very fish heavy and am trying to finalize that list oo.

Any thoughts are most welcome