Naples and Cilento coast trip report
Jun 20th, 2017, 04:42 PM
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Naples and Cilento coast trip report
Just back from Cilento, and am writing this before I forget the details!
We flew NYC to Rome because there are no direct flights to Naples, and it was also way cheaper. Took an easy train to Naples.
Naples
2 nights at the Hotel Piazza Bellini. Nice basic but stylish hotel in a very convenient location, near the Museo Archeologico. Naples has amazing street life, we liked it. The city never felt dangerous in the least, as some people have claimed. The Museo Archeologico is outstanding, but do not miss going up the hill to the Museo Capodimonte – amazing art and views. Food highlights included pizza at Gino Sorbillo (the middle of the crust was so thin you'd be able to see through it – delicious) and dinner at Europeo di Mattozzi, where I ate white beans with mussels and I can't remember what else.
After Naples, we rented a car at the airport to drive to the Cilento coast (it's easier to drive out of the airport, and it's easy to drive in the region – although the curvy mountain roads aren't for everyone.) On the way, we visited Pompeii with a guide we had set up in advance. Pompeii was a major endurance test in the heat, but I'm glad we went.
We stopped for lunch at San Pietro in Cetara, a town at the beginning of the Amalfi coast. Nice place, some incredible food including smoked mozzarella in lemon leaves with a little anchovy inside. (Anchovies dominate the entire Cilento coast but especially Cetara.) I also had linguini with clams, which was good but didn't blow me away.
Acquafredda (near Maratea)
3 nights at the Hotel Villa Cheta. This area is absolutely stunning, and Villa Cheta is one of my favorite hotels of all time. Incredible service – they went so overboard in addressing our dietary requirements!. It's old fashioned and elegant, but not stuffy. Truly dreamy!
There are a ton of beaches in this area, but our favorites were La Secca and Spiaggia Nera. The beaches in this area are a bit more gravelly than sandy but that isn't a problem. The water is crystal clear and bluer than blue.
We ate at the hotel twice because it was so good, and the dining terrace couldn't be more romantic. I can't remember what I ate, but it was uniformly excellent (not cheap, however.) One night we had very good pizza at Pizza House one night in the nearby town of Sapri (touristy town but good food options). We liked exploring the hillside village of Maratea, very atmospheric. Had lunch on the coast road at Da Cesare, which was a bit disappointing considering the reviews. Spaghetti with scampi ... but the scampi were skimpy.
I wish we had more time in this area, as it looked like it would be great for hiking, and we didn't hit half the beaches.
On our way to the next town, we drove up some twisty mountain roads to go hiking at the WWF Oasi Morigerati, which was beautiful. It's not a hard hike, and leads you to a cave, and an old mill with a waterfall. After the hike we were super excited to get Pizza at Pietra Azzura in the town of Caselle in Pittare. However, when we arrived they were about to close and said they only do pizza at night. Argh! Luckily, the proprietor invited us in and made us one of the best meals of our trip, despite the lack of pizza. My husband's ravioli with fresh ricotta and herbs was mind-blowing, and the vegetable appetizer was way out of the ordinary, too - pumpkin with mint, lightly pickled zucchini, the perfect roasted peppers, etc. I think this is a destination restaurant!
Pisciotta
3 nights at Hotel Marulivo. You had to park just outside the centro and walk into the square. This small village has a very authentic feel. Just sitting in the square and people watching is the best. There was a procession with the patron saint of the village ... a ragtag band with lots of horns led the way as the men carried the statue of the saint to the church, and dozens of villagers followed. It didn't feel like a tourist town much at all, in June at least. The hotel itself wasn't as fancy as the website made it seem, and the "superior" room was on the small side, but it was sort of rustic-chic and we ended up loving our stay .... even though it can't compare to Villa Cheta. The owners Massimo and Leah were very helpful with suggestions of things to do. I will never forget Massimo's crazy giggly laugh – he is a character. I really recommend staying in here over Palinuro (way too touristy). Marina di Camerota might be another good possibility.
We did two awesome boat trips, including one with the service "Da Alessandro" from Palinuro which went to the Grotto Azzuro and gave us time to swim at the beach called Buon Dormire - unforgettable swimming. The other boat ride was from Marina di Camerota (just drive to the marina and there are several tour operators – go to the second one, with two women in the tent.) The skipper took us and a couple other people to some caves and left us for two hours to swim at Cala Bianca, voted the most beautiful beach in Italy. Small but fantastic beach with crystal clear water.)
We ate at Osteria Borgo right in the village (the restaurant that will be forever known as making me an like anchovies - they were fresh and marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and hot peppers - unbelievable.) The pasta with clams was special because of the pasta itself, which was an unusual shape and extra al dente. Dinner at Angiolino down at the Pisciotta Marina featured classic Cilento dishes and was excellent. Our last dinner was at Perbacco, which is 2km out of town. The owners son came to pick us up in his Audi and took us up the hill, and back. I had a truly remarkable tuna appetizer.
On our way to the next destination, we stopped for lunch at Casa di Delia in Pioppi. This is an experience not to be missed. You are literally at Delia's house, and it's right by the beach. You park and walk through her vegetable garden to get to the porch where you eat. There are just a few tables, and the menu is a bit limited – they basically told us what we were going to eat, although happily catered to vegetarians. The ravioli here rivaled that of Pietra Azzura, and the pasta had a chewiness that I loved. The seafood appetizer had anchovies four ways (two of them fried, which I can't eat, but that's ok.)
We also made our way to the village of Prignano, to visit the famed fig company Santomiele, which specializes in the whtie figs of Cilento. Hard to get to! You would never believe that a fig company could warrant such a fancy, huge postmodern laboratory/store. We went to receiption, then were met by a personal guide who told us all about their products and led us to the room where you buy the figs. We bought peeled white figs ("women peel them by hand", we were told) with fennel and almonds, some sort of fig bar with carob flour dipped in dark chocolate, and a fig syrup that's kind of like a balsamic vinegar.
Giungano
We had debated staying in this tiny village or in Castellabate, and are so glad we decided on Giungano. It's in the hills, maybe 20 minutes from Paestum. The main draw is the hotel, Domus Laeta. It's been in the same family since 1600, and is a magical experience. You feel like you are staying in an old castle (because you basically are). It oozes history and atmosphere and is a real residence, with family photos everywhere. You could spend a day just looking at the art, furniture, old books, etc. At first I was surprised that it's right in the village, but once you are in the infinity pool overlooking the vast valley, or having a picnic under the olive trees, you would never know you were in town. Ioved Lily the cat. The place is very old so if you need perfect modern bathrooms, this is not for you. But seriously, there's nowhere else like this.
While staying in Giungano, we went to Paestum to see the ruins and that was pretty great. The temples are very well preserved, and the tomb frescoes in the museum are unbelievable. We also visited Castellabate, which was nice but a bit touristy. We tried to go to the beach at Santa Maria Castellabate but couldn't find parking and it seemed like a zoo. So we were happy to just go back and swim at our castle, I mean hotel. In general, I think the areas to the south are better if you want beaches. But this was great for a tiny town experience. Literally everyone there knows each other, it's that small.
There's one restaurant in the village, La Toretta, which we ate at twice. We were thrilled to find that they had pasta with beans, as there was an odd lack of beans on the Cilento coast. The other standout was the bruschetta, which was smoky and irresistible. Otherwise, the food was nothing all that special — avoid the salad. One night we ventured to the tippy top of the mountain to the town of Trentinara, and had the most memorable meal of our trip. The restaurant is absolutely ancient, with an award-winning female chef. It's a small set menu that varies by what's in season locally, and features quite a bit of meat, but we managed to fashion a vegetarian meal. We had eggplant stuffed with smoked buffalo mozzarella, ravioli topped with squash blossoms (one stuffed with pumpkin, two with fresh ricotta), gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce and basil, and a "chocolate biscotti salami" dessert that made me swoon — a slab of dark chocolate flourless cake (more like solid chocolate) with hunks of biscotti atop a fresh berry puree. All this with a huge carafe of wine was 35 Euros! If you were a meat eater, this place would be even more of a must.
On our last day we decided to go to the Amalfi coast just to say we did it. We were going to take a ferry from Salerno, but the winds were really strong, so we drove the back way over the mountain to Ravello. The drive is much easier than the Amalfi coast road! Ravello was beautiful, especially the Villa Cimbrone gardens. But even in June, it was oppressively overrun with tourists. I hate to imagine what it's like in July or August. I would choose the Cilento coast over Amalfi anytime, as you don't hear Americans walking around everywhere. It's just way more authentic, and 95% as beautiful.
That's the end. Feel free to hit me up with any questions!
We flew NYC to Rome because there are no direct flights to Naples, and it was also way cheaper. Took an easy train to Naples.
Naples
2 nights at the Hotel Piazza Bellini. Nice basic but stylish hotel in a very convenient location, near the Museo Archeologico. Naples has amazing street life, we liked it. The city never felt dangerous in the least, as some people have claimed. The Museo Archeologico is outstanding, but do not miss going up the hill to the Museo Capodimonte – amazing art and views. Food highlights included pizza at Gino Sorbillo (the middle of the crust was so thin you'd be able to see through it – delicious) and dinner at Europeo di Mattozzi, where I ate white beans with mussels and I can't remember what else.
After Naples, we rented a car at the airport to drive to the Cilento coast (it's easier to drive out of the airport, and it's easy to drive in the region – although the curvy mountain roads aren't for everyone.) On the way, we visited Pompeii with a guide we had set up in advance. Pompeii was a major endurance test in the heat, but I'm glad we went.
We stopped for lunch at San Pietro in Cetara, a town at the beginning of the Amalfi coast. Nice place, some incredible food including smoked mozzarella in lemon leaves with a little anchovy inside. (Anchovies dominate the entire Cilento coast but especially Cetara.) I also had linguini with clams, which was good but didn't blow me away.
Acquafredda (near Maratea)
3 nights at the Hotel Villa Cheta. This area is absolutely stunning, and Villa Cheta is one of my favorite hotels of all time. Incredible service – they went so overboard in addressing our dietary requirements!. It's old fashioned and elegant, but not stuffy. Truly dreamy!
There are a ton of beaches in this area, but our favorites were La Secca and Spiaggia Nera. The beaches in this area are a bit more gravelly than sandy but that isn't a problem. The water is crystal clear and bluer than blue.
We ate at the hotel twice because it was so good, and the dining terrace couldn't be more romantic. I can't remember what I ate, but it was uniformly excellent (not cheap, however.) One night we had very good pizza at Pizza House one night in the nearby town of Sapri (touristy town but good food options). We liked exploring the hillside village of Maratea, very atmospheric. Had lunch on the coast road at Da Cesare, which was a bit disappointing considering the reviews. Spaghetti with scampi ... but the scampi were skimpy.
I wish we had more time in this area, as it looked like it would be great for hiking, and we didn't hit half the beaches.
On our way to the next town, we drove up some twisty mountain roads to go hiking at the WWF Oasi Morigerati, which was beautiful. It's not a hard hike, and leads you to a cave, and an old mill with a waterfall. After the hike we were super excited to get Pizza at Pietra Azzura in the town of Caselle in Pittare. However, when we arrived they were about to close and said they only do pizza at night. Argh! Luckily, the proprietor invited us in and made us one of the best meals of our trip, despite the lack of pizza. My husband's ravioli with fresh ricotta and herbs was mind-blowing, and the vegetable appetizer was way out of the ordinary, too - pumpkin with mint, lightly pickled zucchini, the perfect roasted peppers, etc. I think this is a destination restaurant!
Pisciotta
3 nights at Hotel Marulivo. You had to park just outside the centro and walk into the square. This small village has a very authentic feel. Just sitting in the square and people watching is the best. There was a procession with the patron saint of the village ... a ragtag band with lots of horns led the way as the men carried the statue of the saint to the church, and dozens of villagers followed. It didn't feel like a tourist town much at all, in June at least. The hotel itself wasn't as fancy as the website made it seem, and the "superior" room was on the small side, but it was sort of rustic-chic and we ended up loving our stay .... even though it can't compare to Villa Cheta. The owners Massimo and Leah were very helpful with suggestions of things to do. I will never forget Massimo's crazy giggly laugh – he is a character. I really recommend staying in here over Palinuro (way too touristy). Marina di Camerota might be another good possibility.
We did two awesome boat trips, including one with the service "Da Alessandro" from Palinuro which went to the Grotto Azzuro and gave us time to swim at the beach called Buon Dormire - unforgettable swimming. The other boat ride was from Marina di Camerota (just drive to the marina and there are several tour operators – go to the second one, with two women in the tent.) The skipper took us and a couple other people to some caves and left us for two hours to swim at Cala Bianca, voted the most beautiful beach in Italy. Small but fantastic beach with crystal clear water.)
We ate at Osteria Borgo right in the village (the restaurant that will be forever known as making me an like anchovies - they were fresh and marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and hot peppers - unbelievable.) The pasta with clams was special because of the pasta itself, which was an unusual shape and extra al dente. Dinner at Angiolino down at the Pisciotta Marina featured classic Cilento dishes and was excellent. Our last dinner was at Perbacco, which is 2km out of town. The owners son came to pick us up in his Audi and took us up the hill, and back. I had a truly remarkable tuna appetizer.
On our way to the next destination, we stopped for lunch at Casa di Delia in Pioppi. This is an experience not to be missed. You are literally at Delia's house, and it's right by the beach. You park and walk through her vegetable garden to get to the porch where you eat. There are just a few tables, and the menu is a bit limited – they basically told us what we were going to eat, although happily catered to vegetarians. The ravioli here rivaled that of Pietra Azzura, and the pasta had a chewiness that I loved. The seafood appetizer had anchovies four ways (two of them fried, which I can't eat, but that's ok.)
We also made our way to the village of Prignano, to visit the famed fig company Santomiele, which specializes in the whtie figs of Cilento. Hard to get to! You would never believe that a fig company could warrant such a fancy, huge postmodern laboratory/store. We went to receiption, then were met by a personal guide who told us all about their products and led us to the room where you buy the figs. We bought peeled white figs ("women peel them by hand", we were told) with fennel and almonds, some sort of fig bar with carob flour dipped in dark chocolate, and a fig syrup that's kind of like a balsamic vinegar.
Giungano
We had debated staying in this tiny village or in Castellabate, and are so glad we decided on Giungano. It's in the hills, maybe 20 minutes from Paestum. The main draw is the hotel, Domus Laeta. It's been in the same family since 1600, and is a magical experience. You feel like you are staying in an old castle (because you basically are). It oozes history and atmosphere and is a real residence, with family photos everywhere. You could spend a day just looking at the art, furniture, old books, etc. At first I was surprised that it's right in the village, but once you are in the infinity pool overlooking the vast valley, or having a picnic under the olive trees, you would never know you were in town. Ioved Lily the cat. The place is very old so if you need perfect modern bathrooms, this is not for you. But seriously, there's nowhere else like this.
While staying in Giungano, we went to Paestum to see the ruins and that was pretty great. The temples are very well preserved, and the tomb frescoes in the museum are unbelievable. We also visited Castellabate, which was nice but a bit touristy. We tried to go to the beach at Santa Maria Castellabate but couldn't find parking and it seemed like a zoo. So we were happy to just go back and swim at our castle, I mean hotel. In general, I think the areas to the south are better if you want beaches. But this was great for a tiny town experience. Literally everyone there knows each other, it's that small.
There's one restaurant in the village, La Toretta, which we ate at twice. We were thrilled to find that they had pasta with beans, as there was an odd lack of beans on the Cilento coast. The other standout was the bruschetta, which was smoky and irresistible. Otherwise, the food was nothing all that special — avoid the salad. One night we ventured to the tippy top of the mountain to the town of Trentinara, and had the most memorable meal of our trip. The restaurant is absolutely ancient, with an award-winning female chef. It's a small set menu that varies by what's in season locally, and features quite a bit of meat, but we managed to fashion a vegetarian meal. We had eggplant stuffed with smoked buffalo mozzarella, ravioli topped with squash blossoms (one stuffed with pumpkin, two with fresh ricotta), gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce and basil, and a "chocolate biscotti salami" dessert that made me swoon — a slab of dark chocolate flourless cake (more like solid chocolate) with hunks of biscotti atop a fresh berry puree. All this with a huge carafe of wine was 35 Euros! If you were a meat eater, this place would be even more of a must.
On our last day we decided to go to the Amalfi coast just to say we did it. We were going to take a ferry from Salerno, but the winds were really strong, so we drove the back way over the mountain to Ravello. The drive is much easier than the Amalfi coast road! Ravello was beautiful, especially the Villa Cimbrone gardens. But even in June, it was oppressively overrun with tourists. I hate to imagine what it's like in July or August. I would choose the Cilento coast over Amalfi anytime, as you don't hear Americans walking around everywhere. It's just way more authentic, and 95% as beautiful.
That's the end. Feel free to hit me up with any questions!
Jun 20th, 2017, 11:06 PM
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What fun to read, and extremely useful if I ever get down that way again. I love off the beaten track destinations and sounds like you found true gems.
It never stops amazing (and moving) me how many Italian cooks will make a meal for you even when their restaurant is closed. It's impossible to find a way to thank them enough.
Thanks for the report.
It never stops amazing (and moving) me how many Italian cooks will make a meal for you even when their restaurant is closed. It's impossible to find a way to thank them enough.
Thanks for the report.
Jun 21st, 2017, 06:15 AM
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So glad you enjoyed Pisciotta! We feel the same way about Cilento, even though we liked the Amalfi coast (largely because we stayed in Cetara). We still wistfully talk about our apartment in Pisciotta (rented from the hotel Mariluvo) and eating freshly delivered buffala mozzarella, the juice dripping down our chins. Reading your report make me want to plan my return now--just for the fig tour. We barely scratched the surface of this extraordinary area.
Jun 21st, 2017, 09:03 AM
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WOW! I love thhis report, and just might copy your trip someday! We stayed in Maratea hill town and I would stay at Villa Cheta next time based on what you write.
Agree about Palinuro not being a place to stay. But those beaches looked marvelous from afar.
How warm was the water at this time of year? Were there jellyfish?
I'm sorry you did not love Da Cesare but it sounds as if you did find great eating up and down the coast and inland....
Agree about Palinuro not being a place to stay. But those beaches looked marvelous from afar.
How warm was the water at this time of year? Were there jellyfish?
I'm sorry you did not love Da Cesare but it sounds as if you did find great eating up and down the coast and inland....
Jun 21st, 2017, 12:48 PM
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Thanks, ekschruncy! Your info was really helpful in building our trip plan. The water was perfect for swimming, and no jellyfish. I think it has to be much warmer for jellyfish, so June is perfect. My swimming experiences in Cilento were among the best of my life. The beaches around Marina di Camerota and Palinuro are amazing - Pisciotta was within spitting distance. Oh and I wasn't looking for fresh beans, more like dishes with cannellini beans. My husband is a vegetarian so was craving protein!
And went to Tuscany ten years ago. What should be next? Sicily?
Sep 12th, 2017, 04:42 AM
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Great trip report. I've just returned from a week in Pisciotta, in Hotel Marulivo! Whilst there, we visited Paestum, Palinuro, Padula and Castellabate, and I am so much in love with this region. If anyone wants to relive memories of their holidays in this area, I'd be happy to chat, I want to extend my Cilento experience as much as possible and already started saving to go back.
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