Last November I spent a little over a week in Italy. We spent only 1/2 day in Rome then drove to Sorrento where we stayed for a week. From there we wandered down the Amalfi Coast, over to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri. Want to avoid the summer heat and crowds? Go in November. Yes, it is chilly and sometimes rainy with big storms at night. Nevertheless, you can really see what people do who live there and avoid masses of tourists. Here are some of my favorite photos:
The above photos taken in Rome. The following were taken in Sorrento.
My favorite pasta dish in Italy was like none other I have eaten anywhere. The first time–and the best dish–was in a little restaurant along the side of a narrow street in Amalfi. The Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons and where they create the best limoncello. Therefore, it is not surprising that they created a pasta dish featuring lemons. When I returned home, I experimented to recreate it. First, the spaghetti–yes, they called it spaghetti–was considerably thicker than spaghetti in the US. I guess it was homemade. I did find a reasonable substitute here, bucatini from Italy.
Here is my recipe for two people:
1/2 lb. bucatini made from durum wheat semolina
1 lemon
heavy cream or half and half
lemon essential oil
butter
Cook the pasta as directed on the package. While the pasta is cooking, using a potato peeler, peel strips from the rind of the lemon and cut into small pieces. If not using lemon essential oil, juice the lemon. After the pasta is cooked and drained, place back in the pot with a couple tablespoons of butter and stir until butter is melted. Add the lemon rind and lemon juice or essential oil to taste. Add the cream carefully–just enough to make a little sauce. Serve and grate parmesan or asiago cheese on the top.
Serve with a nice green salad.
Farther up this street just below the school, we found the restaurant where I ate the spaghetti with this sauce.
As we drove along the Amalfi Coast, the guide told us the mythological story of the Sirens. My daughter took a photo out the window of the Sirens’ islands.
Later I wrote this poem remembering the travails of Odysseus.
The melodious Sirens’ song
lured Odysseus
begging to be untied from
the mast.
Even the roaring sea’s
voice whispered in
comparison.
They sang honeyed
love songs to starving
sailors, longing for a woman’s
touch, a kiss, ecstasy.
With knife claws, they
ripped them asunder,
crunching bones, blood
erupting.
Satiated, they sang,
eternal, etherial, deceptive.
Several days later at a shop in Sorrento, while my daughter was looking for a medusa cameo, the owner, a cameo artist, brought out Siren cameos. He insisted the Siren’s have been terribly misunderstood. I wanted clarification but unfortunately other customers appeared and I remain mystified.
On one of our day trips from Sorrento, we headed down the Amalfi Coast. For years I have seen photos and told myself, “Wow”. No photo can do this coastline justice. The highway is excellent but narrow. On many of the turns, only one vehicle can proceed. A large bus cannot travel this highway. Even with the small ones we took, the driver would often honk as we turned a corner which we could not see around.
We stopped at one of the few turnoffs along the highway and took a short hike down to an overlook. This is the town of Positano. I took the following photos while at this overlook.
I love bougainvillea and all colors grew everywhere.
Looking across the Mediterranean.
The land is rugged with both new and ancient buildings hanging off mountainsides and cliffs.
A closer view of Positano.
Another view across the Mediterranean.
The highway, houses hanging off the edge, olive trees, lushness everywhere.
It was a stormy looking day. We kept thinking it would rain but luckily it did not.
The Amalfi Cathedral in the town of Almalfi. Its design is unique and shows the cultural influence of the Muslim world with whom the town was a major trading center for centuries–arches, gold and green.
A typical street in Amalfi. We walked all the way up this street to just below the school, found all sorts of delightful shops, and ate our favorite food of the entire trip. My favorite was spaghetti with a lemon creme sauce. Recipe comes later.
Near the sea looking up into the city. The large building up on the slopes is now a cemetery but used to be a monastery.
Same spot as previous photo, just looking the other direction.
We were supposed to take a little boat trip out into the sea but it was too rough. Ema, my daughter, walked all the way out to the end of the pier.
The water was so high I thought perhaps it was high tide. I was told it was not.
Today I asked my daughter and grandson what/where was their favorite in Italy. We all agree, Amalfi. I also loved Capri–more about there later.
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