Adventures in the South of Italy Part III

The next morning we were up early and checked out of the hotel by around 8:30/9.

gorgeous views

To Amalfi we went.

I ate a banana before boarding the bus and held myself together for 2 hours of that winding road to the city of Amalfi. For some reason our morning ride was obnoxiously long. It should have been about an 1 ½ but it would up being about 2 hours for some reason.

Rounding a bend

Even so, I got some great pictures and focused on the excellent scenery from my window seat. When you’re going towards Positano or Amalfi sit on the right hand side of the bus (not behind the driver) for gorgeous views. Do not sit on the right hand side if you get nervous with heights, or winding roads.

When we finally got to Amalfi, the first thing we did was grab sandwiches from a little coffee shop on the shoreline. We weren't expecting much since it was quite close to the boat rentals and other touristic activities but we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered a couple of sandwiches and they were made right in front of us with fresh ingredients.  I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the shop because it was on the small side. The workers were personable and smiling which was uplifting for my sleepy, kind of nauseous self. Also the price was not bad. For sandwiches and waters, we spent 4 or 5 euros each. 

my yummy caprese sandwich 

Endira and I enjoying our sunny boat ride

We took our sandwiches to go and ate them on a bench overlooking the water.  My caprese sandwich was wonderful with tomatoes and mozzarella.  It was seasoned beautifully with a little, salt and pepper, olive oil, and fresh basil too so I really enjoyed it.

Then we got onto a boat and took a ride towards the Emerald Grotto, similar to its more famous cousin in Capri, The Blue Grotto. These grottos are naturally occurring caves in the side of a cliff that naturally filter

Leaving Amalfi in our wake 

light and appear to glow various colors (according to the make-up of the cave and water).  I’ve wanted to go the Emerald Grotto for years now, so we decided to take an hour long boat ride from Amalfi (there was also the option of going from Positano, but it was a half day trip and more expensive so since we only had a half day to explore we decided to take the shorter journey from Amalfi). It was €10 a person for the round trip boat ride and another €5 to go into the grotto which is considerably cheaper than getting into the Blue Grotto in Capri.

The boat ride was fantastic with wonderful sea breezes and gorgeous views of towns sketched right into the cliffs.  Sometimes I seriously wonder about the sanity of Italian architects. Some of the towns in Italy, especially in Campania, are quite precariously situated on the edge of volcanoes or handing onto the edge of cliffs. 

Cities built quite precariously on the cliffs... Impressive

Our boat ride was breezy and relaxing and we were dropped off right at the mouth of the grotto. 

We lined up and got into a giant paddle boat with our crazy Italian guide who kept shouting “Looky, looky” and pointing at things. Between him and the awesomely fabulous older Spanish lady who started singing half in Neapolitan, half in Spanish (Tu vu’fa l’americano in reaction to our boat guide asking every single person if they were American), we had quite the hilarious boat ride.

Look at that glowing water!

Not the clearest picture: But that's the underwater
Nativity scene!

I really enjoyed the glowing blue green water and the underwater presepe or nativity scene (only in Campania would they think of submerging a nativity scene).  It was pretty cool, but the glowing area was relatively small.  If you’ve not gone to the Blue Grotto, I highly recommend it. It’s more expensive but so gorgeous and far more impressive than the Emerald Grotto. 

After that, the boat picked us up again and brought us back to Amalfi where we automatically decided to escape the heat by planting ourselves on the beach and jumping into the water (again in turns since we didn’t want to leave our belongings unsupervised). The water was beautiful and just the right temperature to cool off after all the blazing sun.  And the beach itself wasn’t quite as painfully rocky as Positano (that being said, I don’t think it was as picturesque either).

After a while we decided to wander around and find the path up to Ravello.  We were completely unsuccessful  but we had fun traipsing up narrow staircases that would suddenly open up to sudden views of colorful town and stunning coastline. It was a lot of fun but if you want to make it up to Ravello I suggest that you take the bus up and then walk down back to Amalfi, just because it’s very easy to get lost. 

the many versions of limoncello

We wandered around center for a bit and saw the main church and piazzas.  We even spotted another limoncello shop where I wandered around. They had so many different versions of limoncello made with lemons or lemons with cream. There were also bottles of liquor that were made with other fruits and flavors. Some were made with orange and there were even versions made with pistacchio which looked amazing. 

Then we got back on the bus to Sorrento. We decided to dine there to make sure that we were able to get the Circovesuviana to Naples and then the 8pm train back to Rome. We both had work early the next morning so we didn’t want to risk getting stuck in Naples. 

Our bus ride back to Sorrento was almost an hour shorter than our morning ride so if we had known that our bus driver was going to fly through the curving paths we would have stayed a little longer. As it stands, we were able to relax and eat an early meal in Sorrento.

A video of the crazy winding hills and our bus ride

juicy cheeseburger

We stopped at a little restaurant a couple of blocks from the station called Bar del Carmine. We sat outside in the sun and enjoyed the breeze while observing the passersby. It was a small restaurant with friendly staff and decent service.  Endira played the American and ordered a cheeseburger and French fries with a beer.  I took and bite and was pleasantly surprised with how tasty it was.  The meat was juicy and cooked to perfection on a wonderful bun with bacon and cheese. I don’t know what kind of cheese it was, but it was quite good. 

my beautiful caprese

beer and pear cider

I decided to stick with my caprese (it seemed like the safest choice after our day of bus rides.  It was a huge sandwich and quite good. It wasn’t as flavorful as my morning sandwich but it was still quite tasty and filling.  I also got a pear cider because I was so surprised to see it on the menu. I had to get it even though it was a tad expensive for a small bottle because I love pear cider and haven’t had it in months.

Our sunlit table with delicious food 

Then to finish our experience down south we FINALLY got limoncello to toast our adventures.  It was served with delicious little cookies coated in powdered sugar but soft to the bite.  I quite enjoyed them and our limoncello. It made a great finale to a wonderful weekend and fun food journey. 

wonderful ending to a wonderful meal

Next thing you know, we were running to the train and then back to Naples (where we managed to get special 25^th anniversary magnum ice cream bars at the train station) and finally we were back in Rome. Home sweet home…

At least for another couple of weeks! 

Missed the other parts of this series?
Part I here
Part II here

Mozzarella and tomatoes

It's been incredibly hot in Rome recently. Humid, muggy, sun blazing down, no clothes (but of course you have to wear clothes) weather.
And it, sadly, makes me lose my appetite.
I never fare well in the heat.  I never had.  I don't love summer.  I like it when I'm on the beach under an umbrella, or playing in the water... Which really doesn't happen often enough.
I know, I know, everyone hates summer in the middle of a heatwave, they go from complaining about the cold to complaining about the heat in a heartbeat. But I don't complain about the cold, even when there's a polar vortex (with the exception of one evening where I was just dressed inappropriately because I never listen to my mother).
If I could go to the beach everyday I probably wouldn't complain all that much about the heat, but sadly I'm at work everyday so I can't throw myself into the sea and cool down when I'd like.
And the heat just saps my energy so when I get home from work I don't want to do anything. I don't

My gorgeous caprese with dried basil

want to kick or turn on the stove. I don't want to eat. It's just to hot and I'm lackluster.
So my solution has been an insalata Caprese, which is the Italian for a mozzarella and tomato salad. I think the salad must have origins in Capri (an island near Naples in Southern Italy) but I'm not sure.  But with ingredients fresh out of the fridge, the salad is delicious and refreshing.
And it requires amazingly little effort. It's so easy.

With balsamic vinegar

All you need are fresh tomatoes, mozzarella (preferably bufala because it's divine), basil (fresh or dried), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (although if you don't like balsamic that can be skipped). A traditional caprese doesn't use balsamic vinegar, but I love the added tang.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, layer them onto a plate and drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Garnish with basil and maybe a little salt and pepper. It's simple but really wonderful in the heat.  And if you're not a fan of tomatoes, you can also serve your mozzarella on a bed of arugula. It's equally delicious and equally refreshing for summer
I've been eating it pretty consistently for days now.

mozzarella on a beautiful bed of fresh rucola