Hi! I am a teacher at an American/British school in Rome and my sister and I are traveling down to the Amalfi Coast and we are spending a week in Positano/ Capri and I would love some restaurant recommendations and any advice on places to visit etc....Thanks!

Capri: <BR>A little on the expensive side, but SO worth it is 'La Capannina' on Via Le Botteghe...the owners (Antonio and Aurelia) serve DELICATE not rubbery calamari, mozzarella filled raviloi with a light tomato sauce (ravioli alla caprese) and little perfect clouds of gnocchi with zucchini, basil and olive oil (gnocchi alla sorrentina) and my favorite rabbit cooked with rosemary and herbs (coniglio alla caprese). <BR> <BR>Positano: For great pastries and citrus gelato, try the Bar La Zagara on the Via dei Mulini. <BR>For a real local dining experience, go down to the little harbour and look for a small boat with the words 'Da Adolfo' on it and they will row you to one of the last undiscovered restaurants ...not to miss is the cheese infused with lemon leaf fragrance, spaghetti al pomodoro and at the end fresh peaches cut into wine. <BR> <BR>For local 'lemoncello' I Sapori di Positano on Via dei Mulini makes this regional specialty from their own lemons! <BR> <BR>Ravello: <BR>A REAL favorite is Trattoria Cumpa' Cosimo, on Via Roma. The owner is a CHARMING lady named Netta who floats around serving, handing out more napkins, describing dishes and the family farm. The best choice of pasta is actually the platter with 7 different types (piatto misto della casa)a wait, but worth it! Especially the crespolino, a crepe with mozzarella and prosciutto. The pizza is wonderful as well! For the quality of food, and the personal service, you leave with a feeling of having not only eaten a wonderful meal, but having made a friend. <BR> <BR>Buon Viaggio! <BR>

Hello Wendy, do you have any restaurant suggestions for Sorrento and Massa Lubrense (where we are staying). I would also like to know where to buy food as we will be doing some of our own cooking while we are there. Grazie.

The best restaurant in the region, including Naples, is Don Alfonso 1890 which is located a few miles from Sorrento in Sant'Agata Sui Due Golfi. Its somewhat expensive but not outlandish. In Positano, try Cambusa which is down near to the beach and has reasonable prices. On Capri, try Buca di Bacco which is in a hotel in the town of Capri. In Ravello try Pallazzo Della Marra which also has reasonable prices. As for things to see, the towns themselves and the nearby scenery make up 90% of what there is to see. On Capri, you can see some ruins from the Roman Empire but its a long walk to get there. Good luck.

Bob is right on about the restaurant Don Alfonso! It is on the Bay of Naples and has incredible views. The family has a wonderful vegetable and herb garden outside that they use for all dishes. <BR>Don't miss the terrina di olive, (blk and green olives in aspic with wild fennel), ravioli di caciotta (tomato basil sauce), and finally the sorbetto di limone- (lemon sorbet)the Amalfi lemons are world famous and the sorbet shows it! <BR> <BR>I haven't seen any GREAT food shops in Sorrento, though, a few nice little bakeries. <BR>

Mari, <BR>I've never been out to Massa Lubrense so, unlike the restaurants mentioned in my previous message, I can't comment on any of the restaurants there from personal experence. However, there is an Italian internet site that I use often (I go to various parts of Italy 4 or 5 times a year) and I have found it to be very accurate in assessing the quality and price of numerous Italian restaurants. In Massa Lubrense they list "TAVERNA DEL CAPITANO" and "QUATTRO PASSI" as the two best restaurants although they list a number of other good restaurants there also. The site is "http://www.guidaespresso.espressoedit.it/" and even though it's in Italian, I don't think that it would be that difficult for someone who can't read Italian to navigate the site.