Saluti dall’Italia
It’s been a while since I wrote, but our adventure has been going strong. Our days start bright and early and we go down to a small coffee shop called Bar Nettuno (pictured below) where we grab our usual grande cappuccino and grande espresso. We then stroll along the waterfront and sit on a bench deciding what adventure we will discover. My belly starts to growl so what pasticceria is the next decision on the horizon. Do I want a fresh zeppole or a warm mezzaluna di cioccolato? Most of the time the answer is quite simple… let’s have one of each.
This day we decided on a hike, our first stop was a small town called Pontone and a trail leading to La Torre dello Ziro. It was about a 3 mile hike with breathtaking views and steep drop offs. Along the way we went past a 12th century church, Basilica of Sant’Eustachio. There was a small town square with a center fountain. The town and trail is outlined with lemon trees and some type of nut trees starting to bloom.
After our decent down from La Torre dello Ziro, we headed to the picturesque town of Ravello. To get there we walked down between the Two River Valley, the Dragone River to the east and the Canneto River to the west. We saw small waterfalls, terraced gardens and our imaginations soured wondering what it was like back in the 12th century as the little hamlet was being built. The stroll along the winding road, almost 4 miles away, led us to Ravello and a wonderful lunch at Trattoria Da Cumpa' Cosimo. We shared a bowl of zuppa di fagioli, gnocchi and a rabbit cacciatore. I was disappointed that the rabbit came with french fries instead of pasta, mammamìa. The rabbit and sauce was fantastic but what is Mamma thinking? French fries?
After the wonderful meal… minus the fries… we stopped at a pastry shop and grabbed a chocolate cream puff and cannoli. Our legs were tired so we took a bus ride back home, 8 miles of hiking was enough for two backpacking seniors around the Amalfi Coast.
The next day we had lunch reservations at Agricola Fore Porta. It was about a 45 minute hike through the town of Amalfi, climbing nearly 400 stairs at the top of Valle dei Mulini. This is an authentic farm to table restaurant, the daughter Silvia and the mother Mena, team up to offer garden fresh, homemade and local produce from their farm. Delicious meals and the setting is as authentic and rustic as you can get. We started our meal with a delicious lemonade slush, fresh bread and olive oil. We had a delicious antipasto consisting of arancini, cheeses, meats and jams all produced on their farm. My first course was a lemon risotto followed by stuffed shells and a pumpkin sausage pasta dish. After lunch we wondered a little further into the valley and decided to take in the fresh air and just relax before heading down the 400 stairs into the town of Amalfi. For dinner we stayed close to home and visited Savo, enjoyed a great homemade meal and people watched watch in the town square of Atrani. Another evening leaving us feeling blessed and contented.
We woke up thinking we would stay closer to home. We had our typical Italian breakfast and coffee. We were soaking in the warm sun and looking out over the blue Mediteranian when the urge came over me to take a dip. Pictures will be limited due to the fact that I’m nearing 65 and I’ve eaten a month of Italian pastries and pasta. After my refreshing dip and Julie’s successful sea glass hunting, Julie suggested we go find a new town to explore. I pulled out my notes and said “lets go visit Vietri sul Mare.” We jumped in a crowded bus and headed down the coast, an hour later we found ourselves in a very quant and picturesque town. The town is famous for ceramic art. We strolled around the town, stopping in all the stores. I even found a giant, ceramic clown that I had to share with my daughter Joelle (aka Katie bug), it was her 30th birthday and she hates clown so dad and his great sense of humor shared the moment with her in honor of her 30th.
Happy birthday bug-a-boo!!!
After spending a few hours roaming the town and receiving a few free samples from a couple of patisseries and the very friendly people, we shared a delicious chocolate covered cream puff and purchased some cannoli and pastry items to take home. We headed for the bus stop where we waited almost two hours before deciding to share a cab ride back with a couple on their honeymoon we met at the bus stop.
We were starving when we got back so we headed to our favorite family restaurant, Il Veliero, where we ordered our two favorite dishes, shrimp scampi and sea-bass zucchini pasta. Mmmm, mammamìa, delizioso! Another glorious day for two seniors backpacking throughout the Amalfi Coast.
Arrivederci!