ekscrunchy- just a joke. Your descriptions were so vivid,they are worthy of an adventure movie. Erroll Flynn screwed so many women in his brief (but probably happy) time on earth, that your friend has a good chance of being one of Erroll's offspring.

bookmarking

Whoa... I sure know how to kill a thread, don't I?

I just want to make note of two wonderful books about food in Campania:

Carla Capalbo's "Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania," kindly lent to me by KYbourbon and sadly out-of-print is an excellent resource for anyone planning a trip to the region.

Arthur Schwartz's "Naples at Table," contains recipes from the various areas of Campania, but also offers valuable background information on the foods of the region as well as historical notes. Schwartz tells us, for example, that mozzarella is made only with buffalo milk; if the cheese is made from cow's milk it is referred to as Fior di Latte. Provola refers to aged mozzarella but is often made with cow's milk since buffalo milk is more expensive. He also tells us how buffalo reportedly arrived in Campania with the Lombards in the 7th or 8th Century when they occupied the region and that they are a cross between Asian and American strains of the animal.

I highly recommend both of these books!

http://www.thefoodmaven.com/naples/index.html

Great report, have taken lots of notes for our forthcoming trip. Now however I am wishing that we booked accommodation in Amalfi, not Postiano in July! Next time!

I was interested in your stop at Pompeii on the way back to Naples, we are considering doing the same on our way from the Naples train station to Positano. It will be early afternoon so I just hope that it is not too hot, although perhaps if that is the case it won't be so busy! Will have to carry lots of water.........perhaps an umbrella for shade too.

Was rather shocked with the quotes from a couple of limo companies - 160 euros to drive the 4 of us from Naples to Positano, and that doesn't include the stop at Pompeii! I was expecting closer to 100. High season I guess??

"It will be early afternoon so I just hope that it is not too hot" - er, that is the hottest time of day. Could you perhaps do it on your way back and get there early ?

gmh66:

160 euro from Naples to Positano is crazy! I paid that amount from Amafli to Naples with a stop in Pompeii. Which companies have you contacted?

I suggest that you make further inquiries online and through your hotel in Naples. And yes, it will probably be hot and crowded in mid-day...I would try to get there at opening time to avoid both the heat and the crowds. Or perhaps arriving late in the day would help you avoid the bulk of the crowd, but I am not certain of that. The vast majority of tourists at the site appeared to be on organized tours, so try to work around that timing..

Unfortunately the timing of our trip back to Naples doesn't allow us to stop at Pompeii - we have to get back to Rome to catch a flight home. Caroline, you are right, the early afternoon will be the hottest, but it fits in with our schedule (and we are used to scorching summers here in Australia so I was hoping that we would cope!).
Esk, that is the price I was quoted from 3 sources - by my hotel in Positano and 2 other limo companies that I contacted directly. Perhaps it is because there are 4 of us with 4 cases and we need a bigger car.
Perhaps will just do the straight transfer then do another morning in Pompeii with a cheaper driver that we can arrange there. Thanks

GMH: If you want to scout for a cheaper price, why not contact the driver I used for my trip to Paestum; his name and contact info are in the report above. He has a van that would fit 4 with luggage, easily.

Will do

Here are the driver's details; we liked him very much.


[email protected]

Telephone (he lives on the Amalfi Coast, in Minori)

339-391-7300

Hi Eskrunchy,

I ended up booking with Renato Cuomo from your report. He is charging a much more reasonable 150 Euro for the transfer from Naples to Positano and a 2 1/2 hour stop off at Pompei. Thanks v much.

Hi EK,
Your report brought back so many happy memories from when I lived in Naples. We would drive down to Amalfi and have lunch at A Cucina e Maria right by the Duomo in Amalfi where Fausto manned the tables and his wife the kitchen.

Remembering the lemons I bought on the road from Sorrento, I smuggled them back and made the best Limoncello in NYC.

Castellanese,
Naple has a very undeserved reputation and a bum rap in my opinion. It is a wonderful city,to be in. So much to see explore and experience.

Before you go to Pompeii make sure that you visit the Archeological museum, after that visit you will look at Pompeii quite differently I think.

The easiest way to get there is to take the commuter train and get off at the station marked Pompeii Scavi.

If you are going to Caserta make sure that you get the express bus.

Capri makes for a nice visit,especially if you get to swim in the Blue Grotto, which opens up around 5 when the tour boats leave.

However Procida is much less visited and worth considering. This is the island where Il Postino was filmed.

There are day boats going to the islands.

Arthur Schwartz gives cooking classes in Seliano, Campania you can look up his schedule at http://www.thefoodmaven.com.

To all of you going to Naples and costiera amalfi
enjoy your trip you are in for a treat.

Nywoman, did you go to Ponza ? We are leaving on Saturday for this year's hol which includes our 3rd stay in Ischia. We've visited Procida before, from Ischia, but was wondering about Ponza this time as I noticed it on a timetable of hydrofoils from Ischia. Mind you if it's like last year, we won't get any further than the beach in Sant'Angelo ! Thanks.

GMH: I am glad you got the Pompeii trip settled. I think you got a good price, considering that the transfer from the airport to Amalfi cost us 100 Euro.

NYwoman: I am glad you enjoyed the report. I used to like listening to Arthur on the radio and even toyed with the idea (for about a minute) of taking that class at Seliano. Honestly, is there another region of the world that better encapsulates, for the tourist, the idea of "dolce far niente?" Campania really has it all, from a tourist standpoint.

ekscrunchy - I found another copy of The Food and Wine Lover's Guide to Campania at HalfPrice Books in Cincinnati, so keep the one you have.

Kybourbon: Mille grazie! That is so kind of you and I appreciate it very much. I promise to put it to good use in the future, when I hope to return to Campania. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You're welcome. Do you have a Sicily trip report?

KyB: I don't have a report from Sicily. My last trip to the island was about 2005 which would be just around the time I discovered Fodors! But I will be more than happy to offer any help or advice. We spent one week, beginning in Palermo and overnighting there, and in Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina before flying home from Catania. We rented a car and the driving was surprisingly easy.

Palermo: Hotel Joli
Agrigento: Colleverde Park Hotel
Siracusa: Hotel Domus Mariae (favorite of the trip)
Taormina: Villa Belvedere (many hotels have 3-night minimums in Taormina)

I will also give you some eating ideas once you have your places lined up..

Many thanks, again, for the book.

I meant to say we spent 2 nights in Palermo, 1 in Agrigento, and 2 each in Siracusa and Taormina. Just enough time to get a quick glimpse of some of the highlights..