ekscrunchy

SeaUrchin you helped me a lot! You were always there with answers to my endless questions. And I did see the apartment rental place that I think you mentioned here. I would certainly consider renting a place someday..

I will be back soon with more details..

Also I want to mention one more thing in the Amalfi-Positano comparison issue: Positano's beach is directly below the town so you have to walk down many steps to reach it. But in Amalfi, the road separates the beaches from the town so you have to cross it to get to the beaches. Access to Amalfi from the bus stop requires no step-climbing, however, while to reach most hotels in Positano you would have to either descend or ascend, (unless of course, you are staying at Le Sireneuse which is near the main road!!)

I hope that helps some people understand some of the differences in layout of the two towns.

ekscrunchy

The next day, Tuesday, dawned cloudy and a little cooler. This would be the only day that the weather was less than spectacular. We awoke a little late after having slept very well; we were surprised to feel very few effects of jet lag during the week. After breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the 11am bus to Positano. Tickets must be purchased before boarding from one of at least two sales points across from the main bus stop.

The ride, of course, is spectacular and within about 30 minutes we were in Positano. I had been here once before many years ago and did not fall under the spell of this famous town. My initial feelings remained much the same, colored, I am certain, by the hordes of fellow daytrippers we encountered along the narrow streets leading down to the sea. The narrow Via dei Mulini is lined with a string of tourist shops offering everything from the postcards and the ubiquitous limoncello to resortwear to paintings and even life-sized panthers cast in bronze that would be just the thing for your dacha outside Moscow. (No Il Duce aprons were spotted in my cursory glance.)


We took a quick peek inside Le Sireneuse where were invited to have a drink on the terrace by the courteous front desk person. As I mentioned, the staff at these upscale hotels were uniformly congenial when we asked to look around. It looks like a lovely hotel and has wonderful views of the town from the terraces and, no doubt, from the guest rooms. We passed, however, on the drink and made our way through the throngs past the Piazza with its fantastic tile-covered cement lounge chair, and the Chiesa Madre, home to the black virgin of Positano, down to the pebbly gray beach at the bottom of the hill. Here we noticed the hotel Covo dei Saracini, where a friend of mine returns frequently in summer; we both agreed that staying here on the beach would not be a bad way to pass vacation days.

After less than an hour we were ready to move on, but the next ferry was not leaving until 1:30pm, so we set off on the path that leads west from the right side of of the ferry dock. This cliff-hugging walkway is named the Via Positanesi d”America, a reminder that three-quarters of the town’s population set sail for America in the late 19th Century, with most settling in New York City. This footpath, which links the Marina Grande with the less-crowded but smaller Fornillo Beach, was the highlight of our visit that day. It passes the Torre Trasita, one of a string of coastal defense towers erected to defend the coastal villages from pirate attacks and now converted to a residence (dream on…..it apparently comes up for rental once in a while) and continues past Lo Guaraccino Restaurant which enjoys a film-set-worthy position at the bottom of the cliff and facing the sea. We turned back before reaching Fornillo Beach, however, and boarded the ferry (6 Euro) at 1:30 bound for Amalfi. The ferry ride alone is worth the trip, sailing past deserted coves, the San Pietro Hotel, the town of Praiano, the Furore Gorge, and the tiny village of Conca dei Marini before rounding the point and heading into Amalfi’s harbor. (In Conca dei Marini I noticed a hotel on the sea apparently built above what looked like a stone fortification of some kind..does anyone have an idea what this is?? It is between the Capo di Conca point and Amalfi)

Once in Amalfi, we stopped into the Marina Grande restaurant and reserved a window table facing the sea for that evening. We found that it was important to reserve ahead, even during the week. this was a “bridge” week, between the Liberation and May Day weekends so the area was more crowded than usual and I imagine that in high season reservations would be essential even days in advance.

We decided to skip lunch this day and snack on local cheese and salami. Although the small supermarket a few steps from the hotel (on a passageway just off the main street) closes during lunch hours, we found a small shop nearby where we purchased bufala mozzarella, slices of local salami and a loaf of bread.

If I have not mentioned it, the soft cheeses in the area are absolutely amazing..both cow’s milk and buffalo milk are turned into provola, scamorza, caciocavallo, mozzarella in various stages of ageing and often smoked. The smoked provola, provola affumicata, now ranks up there with my favorite cheese on earth!!!!! After our little lunch in the room I was more determined than before to pay a visit to the cheesemakers near Battipaglia, one of the centers (nearby Agerola is another) of production in the area.

ekscrunchy

Surprise: The Torre Trasita IS available for rental. For anyone planning to stay awhile in Positano, I cannot think of a more glorious perch:


http://www.tuscanestates.com/seaside_torre_trasita.php

ekscrunchy

To correct two (probably just a fraction of the total) embarrassing errors above:


Villa CimbRone

Asprinio di Aversa

ekscrunchy

I forgot to mention that with our lunch we sampled a favorite snack of the region, taralli, which are savory hard biscuits made in various flavors and sometimes embellished with almonds. These would make nice treats to bring home (Taralli Senza Pepe; brand name: Felix are the ones we liked)

Dinner that evening was at Marina Grande, one of a group of restaurants jutting out over Amalfi's main beach, the Marina Grande, to the left of the bus area as you face the sea. A family place run by three brothers, one of whom rushed to greet us as we descended the steps and entered the restaurant, this was a recommendation from an Italian restaurant critic’s website.

We began our meal with a favorite appetizer of the coast, scamorza (local cheese) wrapped in lemon leaves and grilled, served with roasted red peppers and thin shards of zucchini. Scamorza is a favorite cheese of mine and I have tried, unsuccessfully, to concoct a similar dish (minus the lemon leaves, at home). Excellent! (8 Euro)

Two pastas arrived next: Mezzelune filled with a bland of ricci di mare (sea urchin) and ricotta and served with a light tomato sauce. (13 Euro) and, for the non-fish-eater, Rigatoni con Melanzane, pomodoro fresco e Provola Affumicata (oh, that provola affumicata!) (13 Euro)

Both pastas were excellent.

And finally, Pizza 4 Formaggi (four cheeses)..as I may have mentioned above, many restaurants on the coast serve pizza at night. Superb (7 Euro)

Our wine was from Ravello, a white from Klingsor. We passed on dessert, although we were tempted. Marina Grande serves Mariage Freres tea for 3 Euro per pot. The total with water and cover totaled 61 Euro which made this dinner among the most expensive of the week. Well worth it.

Marina Grande rents beach lounges and umbrellas and will serve lunch to beach-goers at their chairs, or in the restaurant itself. The dining room contains an enclosed terrace that I imagine would be open to the air in warmer weather.




http://www.ristorantemarinagrande.com/

ekscrunchy

The next morning we were up early for our long-awaited excursion with a hired car and driver to Paestum and the mozzarella heartland outside Battipaglia.

We had originally received price quotes (by e-mail before departure) of 300 Euro for this trip, but when I advised Agnese at the Hotel Floridiana of our plans, she suggested that the quoted price sounded high. An important tip when contemplating a hired driver for an Amalfi coast-area excursion is to consider the home base of the driver. A driver who is based near Sorrento will probably ask a higher price to travel to Paestum than one who is based further east, regardless of your hotel location, because the Sorrento driver will have a much longer route to travel. Likewise, for a trip to Pompeii, a driver living in the Sorrento area might be willing to accept a lower fee than one who has to begin in Amalfi.

Based on Agnese’s recommendation, we arrived at a price of 180 Euro which would include a trip to Paestum with waiting time, a stop at a mozzarella caseficio, and delivery to Cetara where we would have lunch. We would then return to Amalfi by bus, thus sparing the driver the waiting time and therefore keeping the price down. We were very pleased with how our day worked out and I recommend our driver, Dino Toffoletto. Dino is a cautious driver and shared his love for the area (he lives in Maiori) with us in a mix of English and Italian. He understands basic English but is not fluent. He is most willing to discuss food and life on the Campanian coast.

[email protected]

SusanP

ek, I've been anxiously awaiting your report, and it doesn't disappoint! I'm going to either Naples or Capri, then Sorrento in July (I know, not the best time, but it's when I can go) and look forward to the rest of your info.

I originally debated between Naples and Capri and decided on Naples. Then with all the news about the garbage, I decided maybe I should spend those three nights in Capri instead. Now you've got me wondering again!

SeaUrchin

Drat, I didn't get to Marina Grande, now I am disappointed and will just have to return sooner.

On one thread I suggested to someone that they wait until they get to Amalfi itself and negotiate a price with a local driver for any tour in that area. I am glad your Agnese advised you too.

How did you enjoy Paestum and the cheese place?

ekscrunchy

After driving through the city of Salerno, the site of the Allied invasion of Italy and largely destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th Century and Allied bombing during World War Two (but reputedly a pleasant city with good restaurants and an important cathedral), the terrain flattens out and artichoke and strawberry fields sprout along the highway. I was astounded to see open-back trucks piled high with the famous Paestum artichokes: 30 for 5 Euro!!! (It was Dino’s turn to be astounded when I told him that a usual price in New York was $2.99 for ONE large artichoke, and he shared with us his favorite artichoke preparation: grilled over coals and served with provola cheese)

After a drive of about 2.5 hours, give or take a few minutes, we reached the entrance to the archeological site of Paestum, formerly the Greek city of Poseidonia, founded about 600 B.C. Three principal temples dominate the site and there re remains of Roman roads and Roman construction as well. While touring the ruins we came upon a group of teenagers from Naples who were on a field trip. In a group of about 30 children, perhaps three were paying attention to the teacher’s lecture while the others flirted with each other, tossed a ball in the air, gabbed on cell phones, and introduced themselves to us. They were quite excited when we told them we were from New York (one wanted to know if that was the city of the “twin towers” and if, in fact, these towers had fallen!!) They were also quick to share the names of their favorite pizza places in Naples (none of which I remember) and to pose for our photos, which they then had to pass around and comment on.

After touring the site, which are in even better condition than the astounding temples at Agrigento in Sicily, we visited the museum and marveled at the frescoed tombs including the famous Tomb of the Diver with its mysterious symbolism. I highly recommend a visit to Paestum. It took us about two hours do make a cursory tour through the site and the museum (another half an hour would have been ideal) after which we headed for the long awaited visit to a mozzarella “caseficio.”

ekscrunchy

You were so helpful to me with this trip! Absolutely the best idea is to wait until arrival to arrange a driver. You might not find one fluent in English but it really matters very little, or at least it mattered little to me. The price difference was huge! There is NO reason to arrange this in advance and negotiation is always possible.

Susan I was not bothered one iota by the garbage in Naples. Yes, we saw a few overflowing bins along the highways but within the center city there was little evidence of a problem and, in fact, we saw them emptying the garbage bins twice a day along Via Chiaia!

There is an article in today's New York Times that suggests that Berlusconi will be working to end the crisis..people we spoke to seem to feel that things are about to change now that he is back in office. He seems to be quite popular on the AC and in Naples, based on our tiny sampling of voters!

Don't let this photo scare you..you would not be anywhere near the scene:


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/wo...mp;oref=slogin


We did not take that day trip to Capri. Since returning home I have done some further reading about the island and there seem to be such mixed opinions..what is your plan as far as hotels and location?

ekscrunchy

I had visions of stand after stand lining the roads around Paestum, each offering mozzarella in various guises. And water buffalo grazing in verdant fields! This may, in fact, be the scene closer to Battipaglia but we saw nary a lone buffalo on our route and no stands along the highway. But Dino knew exactly where to point the car and within minutes of leaving the Paestum site, we pulled up in front of Masseria Lupata, via Porta Marina, Paestum. Phone: 0828.722.002. Sadly, the line of steel tubs were empty as production takes place in the mornings. So if you have not seen the process of making mozzarella I would suggest phoning to inquire about timing and visiting the masseria before heading for the ruins. I had seen the cheese being made here in New York so was not too disappointed. Any lingering regret certainly vanished once we walked around the back to the store. There, in shiny metal and glass cases, rested mozzarella of cow and buffalo milk in about 20 different guises! Fresh, aged for a day, aged for a week, smoked, soft, hard, fresh, as well as bars of buffalo butter (about 2 euro a kilo as opposed to the $8US or so charged for this butter here in New York!) In my next life, I will rent an apartment in Amalfi and head here on the first day to stock up on cheese. Imagine the meals you could concoct back at the house with the cheese, the artichokes, the tomatoes, the various salumi???? It boggles the mind!!! Since many of the cheeses are at their peak only on the day of manufacturer, I had to content myself with a huge ball of slightly aged provola which now rests in my frig here at home to be used in tomorrow’s dinner, and a bag of small balls of provola affumicata which we nibbled on for the next two days at any occasion. Incredible! And inexpensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the food highlights of Italy!!!!!

Dino and fellow Campanians, please forgive me for what I am about to reveal. On the way back to Salerno and Amalfi, we drove along the beach road from Paestum. A beautiful beach strip marred by hideous new construction which Dino suggested had taken place with no building permits (we heard this over and over in Campania). And positioned along this road were girls who looked to be about 15 years old in various states of undress. From “the east,” Dino confided. He was absolutely mortified that we were privy to the sight, which really brought home the issue of trafficking to me.

Soon we were back in Cetara and ready for lunch…more soon…

SusanP

ek, the hotel I had planned on for Naples was Hotel Executive, Via del Cerriglio, based on caroline edinburgh's trip report. And I really like the price, 65E for a single room. I'm really leaning towards going back to my original plan, not that I wouldn't like to stay overnight on Capri as well, but you can only do so much! (I'll be in Rome again after Sorrento this trip.)

I want to try to Burrata cheese, the fresh mozarella that is creamier inside I think. (I read about how it is made, but the details escape me at the moment.) Did you get to taste that?

ekscrunchy

Susan the odd thing is that we did not come across any burrata! But many of the provola cheeses had somewhat soft center. I have to check the origins of the burrata sold here in NYC...I thought that the one I've seen here was from Puglia(???) (The one wrapped in the leaves)

Maybe Vicenzo can fill us in..I was expecting to see this and did not..

bfrac

ek,thank you for your report. I am enjoying it and saving it for all your great details. It is good to know the more reasonably priced places.

SusanP

So provola is an aged cheese that you can bring back to the US and is still soft inside? I know you can't generally bring back soft cheeses, but if I could bring back something like that, it would be good to know that.

Looking forward to your experiences in Naples.

cjamigo

Eks -

I am so happy I came across this report. I have been on the look out for a report following your trip.

I am going to savour every word.

Jami

ekscrunchy

Thanks, everyone. I will continue tomorrow.

Susan, I am not sure if you are actually allowed to bring it back, but there are various types of provola, aged for different lengths of time. The one I brought home is not as soft as many of them because the softest ones have to be consumed within a couple of days, or so I understand.. I am not even sure if the one I brought home (they vacuum packed it for me) is still in great condition, although they told me at the shop that it would keep for a month. I will take it out and use it tomorrow night..

I had some bufala mozzarella left in my hotel room refrigerator when I left Amalfi; it was three days old and Agnese told me to throw it away. (Although I certainly keep fresh mozzarella for 4 days when I buy it here in NY. But it certainly is not as good after it has been refrigerated)

Castellanese

I'm going to Campania next June and by reading your trip report I felt as if I were watching a trailer of my trip.

I've also been to Positano as a day trip from Capri and I wasn't impressed either. I'm basing in Amalfi as well because I've also read in some other trip reports that, unlike Positano, it really gives you the feeling of a real place.

Great trip report! I specially enjoyed the food parts!

caroline_edinburgh

More fantastic writing, eks. You certainly made the most of your trip & make me feel very lazy ! Must try to get to Paestum soon.

ellenem

Susan and ekscrunchy--

One of the highlights of my two visits to Puglia has been enjoying fresh mozzarella each day and burrata in particular. I was there again in March and we made sure to reserve a burrata at the local latticcini since they are snapped up early in the morning..

Burrata looks like a fresh mozzarella. It spreads out slightly a it sits, because the insides are only partially formed, still milky and curdy in spots. When you cut into it, it begins to ooze. Heavenly.

We had fresh mozzarella of some kind every day. Even the mozzarella "braids" from the local supermarket were excellent. My Italian friend said that the Pugliese will not put up with bad cheese or bread, so that even the larger supermarkets have high quality cheese. The bread bakers must bake twice a day.

I've seen burrata on the menu at Bar Pitti in NYC, for a whopping $19 (serves two people). I suppose it's cheaper than an airline ticket . . .