We ate here in Ravello. Palazzo Avino - 5 Stars Hotel in Ravello - Amalfi Coast. Michelin 2 star with a 4 star view. Really beautiful. Go early and have a cocktail. Keep in mind traveling around the Amalfil coast is difficult at best and 20Km distances can be easily an hour plus drive due to traffic and just the slow speeds on the roads.
We stayed at a house in Praiano and ate here a couple of times. The tables are right on the sea in the little harbor. http://www.ristoranteilpirata.net Really good simple Italian food. Also there is always parking. 10 Euro I think. You take the really steep road down in to the harbor and at the bottom their is a small lot then you walk another couple hundred meters to the restaurant. The little area will be filled with locals and to me was perfect. You will find everyone to be very friendly and accommodating up and down the coast if you can ply them with a few words of Italian.
When you are in the town of Amalfi there is a cafe directly behind the old fountain facing the church that sells wonderful tuscan beef. It is not on the normal cafe menu but they have a fridge in the back really amazing stuff. Wish I could remember the name. Make sure to visit the chuch in Amalfi. Really beautiful and never crowded.
If the weather is cooperative make sure you walk all the way down to the beach cafes in Sorrento and have lunch on the beach. We like the ones on the small beach (piccola spiaggia) as they were less crowded. There is plenty of pay paring in Sorrento.
Again weather permitting the best way to get to Capri is by private boat. We used http://www.barbarapositano.it. Expensive but worth every penny. Probably the best thing we did. Barbara is amazing and I still keep in touch with her via Facebook.
The Amalfi coast is a magical place. Getting from point A to point B can be frustrating but the views and the food and the people are all worth it.
Some good advice here. Pompeii plus the Archaeological Museum is one of the better one-two punches in Europe.
I loved the chaotic energy of Naples–reminded me of Chicago’s Loop–but it needs to be said that this is a rather dangerous city for pedestrians. When you step off the curb, expect the unexpected. . . .
Michael
I don’t know if you have been to Italy before, but what has seemingly become a national favourite, arose from water, sugar, and the remarkable local lemons… Granita. To call it flavoured crushed ice is doing it a dis-servive. Rather than crushed ice, it is barely set ice, so between crushed ice and sorbet. On a hot day, it is very refreshing. There are many variants now, inckuding mint, coffee, etc. but the limone is the original.
I mentioned the walks earlier, and also Atrani. The shortest walk in the Tippett book may not be the most picturesque, but it takes you from under the steps of the duomo in Amalfi, through to Atrani via the very unusual houses seemingly cut into the viaduct at Atrani, whose shaded square is an oasis of cool on hit days. Oddly it is quite an energetic 20 mins walk.
… and if you are wondering what that imposing colonnaded building is above Amalfi/Atrani, it is the local cemetary. I took a walk up there one day when the brains of the operation was sleeping in. It was a very moving place to walk around, with that charming Italian tradition of leaving happy photos of the deceased loved ones, to help bring back the memories. It was a place and a moment to be very quiet, reflective and respectful of the space of the few people there. It would be awfully wrong to suggest it as a tourist destination, but on that one day this tourist found great peace there.
Very good. I love these stories of little out of the way places.
I have been to Italy, numerous times, but just haven’t spent much time in this area. I could go to Italy ever year and probably never get bored.
[/quote] I should have been a little clearer. Our lodging is already set so the towns are locked and loaded.
We’ll start in Naples just based on landing there. Then head off to Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Ravello, Agerola and finally Positano.[/quote]
In Amalfi, I highly recommend Eolo restaurant particularly if you can get a table on the balcony. The food is great (try the classics, like fish baked in salt crust) and the wine list is both fantastic and very fairly priced. We went to Amalfi two different trips, stayed at the Santa Caterina both times (and loved it) and always found time for Eolo. I enjoyed it more than the Michelin 1-star La Caravella
Ravello: Rossellini’s (as George mentioned). Also, Villa Maria.
Amalfi: Not yet mentioned, and much more casual, is Il Teatro, a pizzeria with a fantastic lemon cake dessert.
Speaking of lemon dessert, do not buy limoncello in any shop whatsoever. Better stuff is made by locals and sold out of their garages. You’ll find great garage samples between Ravello and Minori.
if you are there on a nice sunny day, go here for lunch http://www.trattoriadacicciotto.it/
It has to be one of the most scenic tables in the world, also great traditional seafood
Palazzo Petrucci was the only less than super meal of the 3 days there. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them lose their star.
For seafood lovers, I can highly recommend il Miracolo dei Pesche and Da Donna. The later is pricey (for Naples, probably half the price of Estatorio Milos in NYC) and the fish is tops in the city (and maybe the Mediterranean). Figure 72 euros/kilo for the very best local fish. 20 euros for clam sautée -by far the best small clams I ever had.
In contrast, Miracolo dei Pesche was only 12 euros for a mixed sautéed; quality was B (is very good but not superlative). On the other hand, the turbot with slivered almonds was perfect and also only 12 euros. It’s amazing how cheap Naples is. One of the temples of pizza (Da Michele) is only 4 euros for a big personal margherita pizza.
As of 5/28/15:
It’s 23 euros flat rate including all surcharges, to the waterfront hotels by the castle (like the Excellsior). Flat rates to everywhere in Naples from the airport. They will give you all types of excuses - that’s only going to the airport, doesn’t include luggage, etc. just stick your ground (before getting into the cab) and they will relent. Worse case, go to the next cabin line if it’s too much BS.
We went to Palazzo Petrucci year ago this past April and were extremely pleased with the place: the
food was splendid and the service excellent, and the wine list was very interesting and extensive.
Cumpa Cosima! Yes! I was reading this thread hoping that name would come up. Been there twice, about 15 years apart (last visit was 10 years ago) and still one of my favorite memorable restaurant experiences ever. I’ve heard reports of it going downhill a bit, but still probably great.
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Really beautiful. Go early and have a cocktail. Keep in mind traveling around the Amalfil coast is difficult at best and 20Km distances can be easily an hour plus drive due to traffic and just the slow speeds on the roads.