JANUARY 2015

SENTIERO DEGLI DEI

01012015 Indeed, the best coastal walking in all Italy is on the Amalfi Coast - especially for those who are accompanied by this man, whose hands you see below who brings along his own home-grown, organic appeso tomatoes as a succulent mid-morning snack for the lucky individuals who have joined him on one of Europe’s great mountain trails. A Path Less Taken | Insider's Italy

01022015 The complex of Santa Maria de Olearia, on the Amalfi Coast, includes three small overlapping churches built starting in the late 10th century in Maiori. During the Middle Ages, the town was a favorite hermitage and a meeting point for monks of the Eastern and Western Christendom. Here, the so-called crypt (or catacomb) showcases frescoes in Campania’s typical Medieval style alongside paintings obviously inspired by Byzantine art. East meets West, in Santa Maria de Olearia’s frescoes | Italian Ways
01032015 Which are the must see towns? First and foremost comes Positano. İf you have a chance to enjoy a room at Le Sirenuse in Positano, you will discover that even Steinbeck was inspired staying there. The hotel’s Michelin star restaurant La Sponda offers a delicious lamb ravioli and a very romantic environment. While in Positano, your legs will remain in shape post-wedding as you will be climbing steps and hills all day long. There is no other way to get from your hotel to the beach, or to the restaurants or the adorable little shops. Amalfi Coast The perfect destination for a dream honeymoon | Wall Street International Magazine
01042015 As the boat docked on Amalfi’s busy quayside it was already obvious that the town had a much more tangibly urban feel than little Positano. Along the seafront, larger ornate apartment blocks stood proudly like the kind usually found in Rome or Naples; in its port boats glided in and out with greater regularity and purposefulness; and in its squares, crowds bustled in a way which inferred that real life was going on here, as well as tourism. Positano & beyond - Amalfi | The Daily Norm
01052015 A charming square fans out into many tiny, winding streets that pop you into glorious views and magical laneways and public and private gardens that turn your knees to jelly and make you wish you could find a way to live there forever. Of the gardens open to the public Villa Ruffolo, with its Arabian archways and Villa Cimbrone, where Greta Garbo once hid away with her lover, conductor Leopold Stokowski are the most outstanding, romantic and visually satiating. Wonderfully talented & inspiring artist Leah Frazer transports us to unique & romantic Italy | the vista - Cargo
01062015 The Minerva Garden in this southern Italian town traces its roots back to the 14th century, when the medical writer and botanist Matthaeus Silvaticus decided to set up a small garden of simple medicine, attached to Salerno’s medical school, Europe’s oldest. Silvaticus used the garden for experimental and educational purposes, and mentions it in his 650-page encyclopedia about medicating agents, he says “and I have it in my garden in Salerno, near a sizeable spring”. Salerno’s Minerva Garden: a hidden trove of therapeutic treasures | Italian Gems
01072015 Great cuisines require accomplished restaurants to bring them to perfection, and Ravello offers some of the region’s best, and the meals are often served with stunning views of the Amalfi Coast or the valley that separates Ravello from Scala. For dessert, try a local specialty: the lemon cake. And if you are enjoying a dinner, top it off with an ice-cold glass of limoncello, the local lemon liqueur that has become internationally popular. Neapolitan Cuisine at its finest | Ravello Città della Musica
01082015 "La Delizia al limone" by Pasticceria La Zagara in Positano is truly paradise. Salerno | Fashion Crowd Adresses
01092015 It was a really hard decision, we loved di Matteo but we also loved Starita and Sorbillo.... But in the end, the toppings won out. Yup, we chose this place because of the quality of the toppings. We weren't swayed by the purist approach of discussing the dough or the tomato sauce, even those are still very important! But the toppings here just stole the show. I am also highly amused by their promotion of Clinton visiting them both on their menu and their site! Pizzeria di Matteo - Our Favourite Pizza in Naples | Living in Sin
01102015 Located in central Napoli, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, close to a couple of nice hotels, Veritas is a small, welcoming place with some interesting cityscape inspired ceramic pieces (loved the Vesuvius cones) and a few tables that make the ambiance calm and elegant. The menu changes often, and ingredients mix local terroir with exotic influences in some of the dishes. The amuse bouche was a marriage of two classics: ricotta and cream of anchovies, with a shaving of seasonal truffle. A great opener. A meal a Veritas, Napoli (Italy) | Pasta Bites
01112015 If you are brave enough to walk for 20 min from the Capri center, Le Grottelle will reward you with one of the most impressive views on the island. The cooking is very simple (if you ask for arugula salad with tomatoes, this is what you will literally get), but the location is worth the hike. Where to eat in Capri? | Luxeat
01122015 One of the oldest restaurants on the island, in the center of town, Aurora continues drawing crowds thanks to its excellent thin-crust pizzas and an elegant yet congenial ambiance. If you can’t get a table on the terrace, which is always mobbed during the high season, ask to be seated in the luminous small back room that overlooks orange and lemon groves. As in many of Capri town’s restaurants, the walls are adorned with photographs of famous past clients. Order house specialty Pizza all’Acqua, a white pizza topped with mozzarella and peperoncino. Aurora | Indagare Travel
01132015 Le Agavi is a 5* hotel with private beach in Positano, on a cliff overlooking the town and the sea. Five Exclusive Hotels on the Amalfi Coast | Italy Magazine
01142015 Like everything in Positano, the hotel fit into its requisite nook.  Anne rang the bell in the lobby. From a door behind the counter, a man emerged wearing a suit tailored so well it cut like a knife. His whole presence cut like a knife. Coltello: The Cut That Bled Limoncello | Travel Studies 
01152015 Arrived at Hostel Brikette, which is perched at the top of Positano. Cosimo (the front desk guy) immediately offered to carry my bag up the stairs…I knew this would be an awesome place once I saw the view from the veranda. I immediately booked another night ;). I stayed in an 8 person dorm, met a heck of a lot of Canadians…even about 5 from Vancouver! This night we all (staff included) partied on the deck. Positano - Amalfi coast | La Vie de Deux Mademoiselles a France
01162015 My shot of the day, however, is something special. Amalfi is known for its hand-made paper -- the streams that run down from the mountains make it easy to tap the water power to run the paper-mills. And so they have a Museo della Carte (Paper Museum) there, which showcases working versions of machines used to make paper, dating as far back as the 13th century. And as there weren't many people when I was there, some ideas came into my head... Grad Trip - Photo of the Day 18 (aka Murderer at the Mill) | life more beautiful
01172015 We spent about 6 hours exploring the ruins of wealthy homes, bread shops, brothels, 'fast food' joints, and amphitheaters. We took goofy pictures pretending to be Pompeiians at work. What I liked the most about Pompeii was that you could walk right off the main path into any site you wanted. The Amalfi Coast with Troy | ItalywithEmeri
01182015 Located near the village of Furore, the Sant’Alfonso Agriturismo (a farmhouse used for tourism) is perched high on the cliffs looming above the sparkling sea, offering sweeping views of the dramatic landscape that stretches for miles. Each morning I woke up to the faint sound of tinkling cowbells tied to goats wondering among the vineyards in the rugged valley below. I couldn’t believe this was where I was staying. It was absolutely stunning. Our gracious hosts, who have a young family, cooked us delicious Italian meals each night that consisted of an appetizer, a pasta dish, and a meat dish, followed by dessert. If you love wine, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, this is the place to be. Italy’s Stunning Amalfi Coast | G Adventures
01192015 In Cilento, the most beautiful yet relatively undiscovered southern part of the region, a handful of fine producers are raising the bar for wines of local grapes Fiano, Aglianico and Piedirosso. In the last 20 years a small number of visionary estates have dedicated themselves to making premium wines, with fine results. People like Bruno De Conciliis and Luigi Maffini have inspired a new batch of young producers with wines of character that reflect this land and complement its delicious food. Cilento, Italy | Decanter
01202015 These wineries trail from the new Cantina Marianna Grottolella, run by a father and daughter since 1996, to the oldest winery in the region, the world-famous Mastroberardino of Atripalda with the Morabianca restaurant at the Radici Resort & Golf. Other vineyard highlights include the Feudi di San Gregorio of Sorbo Serpico with its modern Michelin-starred restaurant, Marenna, nestled among the vineyards; Caggiano of Taurasi; Molettieri of Castelfranci; and the Quintodecimo Moio in Mirabella Eclano, a land of cheese, salami, truffles, chestnuts and, it goes without saying, award-winning wines. Irpinia, Italy’s Next Sweet Spot | Recommend Magazine 
01212015 As we reached the doorway of our lunch stop, Trattoria l’Antico Borgo in Scala. We walked up a small set of stairs and into an immaculate restaurant filled with natural light from its dining area with windows on three sides and amazing smells emanating from the kitchen and the ceramic pizza oven in the transition area to the dining room. Here, we were greeted by our server and host, an older Italian woman who Darin personally believes had the sole responsibility to encourage us to eat as much as humanly possible. Though she spoke no English, we clearly understood the word “Mangia!” and it seemed to be said many times during the meal… Naples: Amalfi, the Feast, & Ercolano | The Next Journey
01222015 Continuing on our gastric tour of Napoli specialities, we went right next door for baba. Baba is an Italian dessert that people, apparently, enjoy. We were not those people. It’s a stale cold muffin that they squirt with rum and tasted like a sponge soaked in alcohol. I could feel the taste in my mouth hours after eating it and still get shudders thinking about it. Naples, EATaly & the Amalfi Coast! | A teaspoon of adventure
01232015 Pursuing his interest in the art, Charles VII founded the Capodimonte (top of the mountain) Porcelain factory in Naples in 1743. The detailed history is complex and involved a lot of experimentation with the porcelain “recipe”, hiring of various artists, chemists, directors, and so forth, and the establishment in Naples of an art academy. Capodimonte porcelain–a royal tradition from Naples | The Italian South
01242015 The art world in Naples has gained renewed energy thanks to the re-opening of the MADRE museum – which is situated in the city’s historical centre – and the ongoing renovation of the Lanificio (or ‘wool mill’), formerly the cloisters of the Church of Santa Maria in Formiello, in the district of Porta Capuana. By bringing together independent artists, artisans, designers and gallerists, Made in Cloister presents an independent cultural reality which will work alongside the city’s museum spaces. Postcard from Naples | frieze
01252015 Portraying Naples may trap the authors into stereotypes: these artists managed to go beyond investigating the fascinating, complex and multifaceted reality, that is both documentary and symbolic narration. Blow up - Fotografia a Napoli 1980-1990 | The Eye of Photography
01262015 Naples felt much more 'alive' than Florence. As if 'real' Italians lived there, not just tourists. ITALY Part III: Naples/Napoli | British Girl Abroad
01272015 In a workroom close by the Bay of Naples, Antonio De Matteis, chief executive of the Neapolitan tailor Kiton, is explaining the ins and outs of the relaxed, soft-shoulder look that distinguishes a Neapolitan suit “When it’s made by hand and stitched by hand it means that its form moulds to the body. It lasts longer. It becomes better with time,” he says, turning an unfinished grey cashmere jacket inside out to expose a neat double line of stitches. Tailors from Naples are back in style | F.T.com
01282015 Naples is a layering of facts and events, where the appearances could be deceiving. Churches and palaces were constantly restructured over centuries, due to changes in style related to taste and cultural instances of the ages that have passed through. Not by chance, many neapolitan churches, founded in the Middle Ages or Early Christian period, have completely lost their original appearance in order to be adapted to the canons of the Council of Trent during 16th century, assuming therefore a Baroque shape. Traces of Middle Ages along Via dei Tribunali in the old town of Naples | Paolo Gravina
01292015 Researchers have found a key that may unlock the only library of classical antiquity to survive. The library is that of a villa in Herculaneum, a town that was destroyed in A.D. 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that obliterated nearby Pompeii. The scrolls that have been opened pertain mostly to Greek philosophy and contain several works by Epicurus and his adherent Philodemus. But the library may also have had a Latin section. This could contain some of the many lost works of Roman history and literature. Even the texts of known works would be of great interest. Unlocking Scrolls Preserved in Eruption of Vesuvius, Using X-Ray Beams | nytimes.com
01302015 Strega is an herbal, saffron-infused liqueur deeply tied to the secret world of witchcraft. According to legend, Giuseppe Alberti, son of a grocer, saved a witch from falling out of a tree in the woods. In gratitude, she gave him the recipe for an elixir, which the Alberti family began selling in 1860, perhaps as a curative or restorative. Strega — The Witches’ Brew from Benevento | Italia Living
01312015 If you are a single woman who loves men, motorcycles, and music, go to Napoli, Italy. There are about 10 single men for every single woman. And they are all beautiful. And they all know how to cook. And they all know how to sing. And they all know how to kiss you. And they all want to kiss you. Have a Vagina? Want to Use It? Go to Naples. | Never Sleep Alone