MAY 2013

PATH OF THE GODS

05012013 The coolest hike in town is a steep 10 km trek called Path of the Gods that begins above Praiano and ends with an inspiring descent into the photogenic Italian village of Positano. You’ll love the colorful homes carved into the cliffs. And the best part is working up a fantastic appetite. There’s nothing better than a trek that ends with a fresh bowl of homemade pasta. Europe Fresh Escapes | freshabits.com
05022013 This little drink is the perfect after dinner treat. We have all this great homemade limoncello that we made and this drink makes use of that, especially if you don't like to drink the limoncello straight. It has only three ingredients - chilled espresso, limoncello and cream and it tastes a little like a milkshake. Lemon Capri Cocktail | The Italian Dish
05032013 Instead we stuck to our rental car and headed along the coast all the way to Salerno, stopping in small fishing villages and to visit churches and viewpoints along the way. We were never far from a good plate of calamari or a new variety of pasta, and since it was the low season there was never any line or need to make a reservation. the last hurrah: amalfi | Seduction Meals
05042013 On May 4th the city of Naples will be hosting the departure of Giro d’Italia. After many years, one of the biggest traditional sport events of the country will start from Naples and will end in Brescia. Giro d’ Italia – Departure in Naples | Napoli Unplugged
05052013 The blue, sea, the blue sky and the mediterranean landscape have not changed. Its still Capri, Parlami d'Amore Mariù is the evergreen soundtrack. Mario Testino directs, and David Gandy, with his infamous white swimming trunks is still there. Bianca Balti is the novelty for this third installment of the Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue Fragrance advertisement campaign. David, Bianca and Light Blue | Swide
05062013 The Uomo advertising campaign, overseen by SelectNY President & Worldwide Creative Director Olivier Van Doorne, centres around themes of strength, destiny and ascension. We wanted to tell the story of the journey of the man who ‘steps up’, and achieves his personal goals. It’s a single-minded story, and we had to tell it in a simple manner, as an allegory. There was only one possible location for what we had in mind: Casa Malaparte in Capri. It is unique.” Scaling new heights in Capri | The Moodie Report
05072013 Formerly a fishermen's tavern, Residenza d'Epoca la Corallina is now a nine-bedroom seafront hotel, just outside the medieval town of Castellabate. Rooms are bright and attractive with balconies overlooking the working harbour. The Cilento coast with its small bays, dramatic cliffs and seaside villages offers plenty of opportunities to escape the tourist hordes, even in peak season, but if it's splendid isolation you're after, head inland to the extraordinary valleys and gorges of the Cilento national park. It's great walking country and you're never too far from a mountain inn serving some of the country's best mozzarella and wine. 10 trips during the school holidays – without kids | The Guardian
05082013 Il Buco Ristorante, Sorrento. This small, classy restaurant dates back centuries. Built in the wine cellar of an ancient monastery, this intimate establishment offers four tasting menus, all made with the freshest ingredients and complemented by an excellent wine list. What are the five best places to eat on the Amalfi Coast? | Startle
05092013 After several hours on the highway (including, of course, a stop along the way at another beach) we reached Agriturismo San Fantino, a rustic Italian villa located in Torraca with an attached ranch. Since the 1980s, a huge tourism movement in Italy has been to convert old farms into hotels where families can come stay, meet the animals, and then enjoy a [usually organic] meal made almost entirely from food grown or raised on the property. Agriturismo San Fantino | Becca Garber
05102013 Instead of returning to Vietri and taking the bus with the festival participants back down the Amalfi Coast to Maiori for the evening's events, we ferry back to Amalfi, then find a little boat to take us to Maiori. We have about an hour til the boat leaves, so we walk into town to say hi to Mafalda at Dolceria Antico Portico. Perfection - Positano and our favorite Quartet | music and markets
05112013 Gabriele De Falco presents his wines from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius Decanter's Volcanic Wines of Italy tasting 2013 | Decanter
05122013 The Terme Manzi Hotel and Spa in nearby Casamicciola convinced me that there is definitely something in the Ischian water. A coating of warm volcanic clay pumped directly from the mountain left me feeling like a new woman and ready to tackle the hotel's Mosaic Restaurant where two-star Michelin chef Nino Di Costanzo wields his extraordinary skill. A native Ischian, Nino deserves star billing alongside Heston Blumenthal and El Bulli. His culinary creations aren't so much cinema as pure theatre on a plate. Feeling like a Hollywood A-lister on Italy's spectacular 'movie- set' islands | DailyMail
05132013 The fun began the moment I arrived on the Italian island of Ischia and was greeted by my driver, Giovanni, a charismatic man who sang old Neapolitan love songs with all the passion he could muster while simultaneously manoeuvering his way through winding dirt roads, past vibrant bougainvillea and endless views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. As I entered the gateway I was transported to another time and place. My thoughts filled with childhood memories of my grandmother’s home in southern Italy, until they were broken by the enthusiastic barking of Vito, the property’s friendly mascot. What lies beyond the gates of Villa Lina can only be described as a utopia of organic living with its lush vegetation, olive groves and earthen paths lined with rosemary bushes perched above the Mediterranean. Stretching Body and Mind | Whatever Vaughan
05142013 The Tower of Silence or White Tower, which could be one of the most beautiful Saracen towers of the Amalfi Coast is its most amazing attraction. It was built in the sixth century and it used to be a cemetery, today the White Tower has a breathtaking view especially if you admire it from the sea. Conca dei Marini | Travel Amalfi
05152013 Today, the town of Sorrento makes the perfect base for forays into Pompeii and Herculaneum and, for those who dare, up Vesuvius. We stay at the Imperial Hotel Tramontano, which commands an enviable clifftop location with views across the bay to a hazy Vesuvius. Easy to see why the coast was so popular | Portsmouth News
05162013 Salerno is located at the geographical centre of a triangle creatively nicknamed ‘Tourist Triangle of the 3P’ (namely a triangle with the corners in Pompei, Paestum and Positano). What this means however is that Salerno has plenty of sights and sounds for you to see and hear!  Naples and Amalfi Coast 7 Day Route | BareboatSailingHolidays.com
05172013 With regards to the rural tradition of San Gregorio Magno, worth visiting are the grotte cantine partially dug into the rock, with a brick-work façade. They are small works of art of rural engineering, in that they make it possible to conserve wine at a constant temperature. What makes them even more characteristic is that they are gathered in one stretch of road, which was given the name "via Bacco". Town of San Gregorio Magno | turismoinsalerno.it
05182013 Our strange and exotic relationship with the proprietor of Café Calce in Ravello easily vaults into the top-three of the Amalfi-half of our trip.  We essentially had a torrid affair with him and his pastries for the 4 days we were there - sometimes twice a day ;) – and he always delivered. La Dolce Vita | Scotch + Soba
05192013 The Sannio is renowned for its excellent honey. Graced with fertile land and temperate climate, the meadows and heirloom orchards of the Beneventano provide an ideal environment for busy honey bees. It comes as no surprise therefore that the Sannio is one of Italy’s largest producers of honey. So take the day to appreciate the product of these noble creatures while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine in the company of the Razzano family at their beautiful organic farm in Sant'Agata de' Goti. Ancient Traditions: To Bee or Not to Bee - Sweet Liquid Gold of the Sannio | Savour the Sannio
05202013 Trattoria Il Solitario, Via G. Orlandi 96, Anacapri: My first restaurant garden to be described - A hidden garden treasure, still so close to the main street leading into the centro storico of Anacapri. I came across an interesting review of this restaurant when going through the lonely planet guide on Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. It actually says there ..." this is the nearest you will get to be invited into someone's home...tables are set in a small backyard with lemon trees ... the whole ambience is one of unhurried holiday time" Sounds very promising, and this is why I wanted to view this garden by all means. And this is what it looks like. A narrow passageway leads back to the house and a veranda and on to the restaurant. So first I thought this was misleading and leading to a private home ... An Anacapri home's garden in spring: Il Solitario | A Garden in Capri
05212013 The Acetos make a niche product - world-famous lemons, prized for their low acidity and delicate flavor - and like many small Italian businesses, they are reluctant to grow, preferring quality over quantity, tradition over expansion. Mr. Aceto wants the lemon groves and the business to stay in the family. Mr. Aceto’s son Marco runs the production side of the company, La Valle dei Mulini, making limoncello liquor, lemon honey and other products from the lemons, which are so sweet you can eat them whole. Marco’s wife works in the family shop selling the products in the town’s touristy main square. Mr. Aceto’s other son, Salvatore, recently left a job as an accountant to come back to work for the family business. This Business Is a Lemon, and a Family Wants to Keep It That Way | The New York Times
05222013 Anacapri, like Capri town, has a variety of shops selling souvenirs and luxury items. Perfume is a specialty. I ended up purchasing a small bottle of “the flowers of Capri” for twenty euro, but if I had more money to spend, i definitely would’ve mixed several different flavors to create my own scent. Capri, Italy- Island Life | Jillian's Bella Vita
05232013 There is little wonder than the Amalfi coast and Bay of Naples is world famous - it features in Greek mythology, was prized by the Romans and is now a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site. However, nothing prepares you for the dramatic beauty of the improbably steep mountains tumbling down into the turquoise seas; dotted with scenic villages that are surrounded by intensely farmed ancient terraces. Sounds improbable I know but it really is like that! Impressions of Italy | Explore
05242013 La Sponda  is the restaurant in La Sirenuse that serves delicious Neapolitan cuisine prepared with local ingredients. At dinner, four hundred candles create an unforgettable atmosphere which I would later on experience with Collin. Positano, Italy – Le Sirenuse Sunday Brunch | Honest Cooking
05252013 X: eXcellent view and from where? A view of the Mediterranean from my hotel room in Positano. I even watched a couple of weddings take place at the cathedral just below my window. The ABCs Of Travel | cherylhoward.com
05262013 And from this place, located just above the hotel Le Agavi, a 5-star-hotel boasting a funicular train that brings guests down to the hotel's beach (spiaggia Remmese), you can spot the beaches. There are actually several terraced levels connected with each other and protected by thick stone walls, so you can lean out and enjoy the panorama for as long as you like. Where to view as many beaches in Positano as possible | Enchanted Positano
05272013 I was in the south, near Sorrento, and as a designer, I couldn’t miss visiting the Hotel Parco dei Principi and immerse myself in the creativity and talent of Gio Ponti. Here, blue is everywhere – from the sky to the sea, from the tiles to the furniture, from the plates to the soft furnishings – always perfectly balanced with white. The different materials used for furniture provide a vibrant demonstration of how colour can be used in spaces, blending stylistic details with all the qualities of traditional craftsmanship”. Gio Ponti and the depths of the blue | Alessandro Benetton
05282013 Stuffed with precious artefacts amassed by the counts of Terranova (brothers Alfredo Pompeo Correale) the Museo Correale di Terranova is a must-see. Until December 2013, visitors get a rare glimpse of 400 paintings and drawings by landscape artist Teodoro Duclère, of the acclaimed Posillipo School. 36 hours in...Sorrento | The Telegraph
05292013 As significant milestone of the celebration of “2013 Year of the Italian Culture in the US” in San Francisco, the festivities to bring the San Carlo Theater of Naples to the Bay Area will start early this month, reaching their peak in June. Kinship dates back in time. The Teatro San Carlo, Italy’s largest opera house as well as the oldest opera house in Europe, was built in Naples in 1737, originally commissioned by the Bourbon King Charles VII. Almost 200 hundred years after, Neapolitan Gaetano Merola, while touring the U.S., decided to stay in the Bay Area to launch a permanent opera company, San Francisco Opera. When Naples' Teatro di San Carlo comes to San Francisco | L’Italo-Americano
05302013 Caffé Gambrinus is a literary cafe with magnificent belle époque-interior. Gabriele d’Annunzio wrote the text of de Neapolitan song A vucchella here. At the end of the 19th century it was the intellectual and political center of the city. Benedetto Croce, one of the main Italian Hegelian philosophers and most active antifascists intellectuals met here with other intellectuals, journalists and politicians who were active on the cultural scene of those years and chose Gambrinus as their meeting place. Top 15 Historic Caffés of Italy | Slow Italy
05312013 May in Naples is synonymous with the Maggio dei Monumenti celebration, when admission is free to many historical sites throughout the city, as well as guided tours, exhibits and special concerts. Cheap flights to Naples | easyJet