{"id":8969,"date":"2019-11-07T15:50:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T14:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=8969"},"modified":"2021-11-22T13:27:22","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T12:27:22","slug":"enchanting-destinations-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/enchanting-destinations-in-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Enchanting Destinations In Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the relaunch of my old<\/span> classic blog and start of the new website (Eat Like an Italian<\/em>) I\u2019ve made a conscious decision to get a bit more focused with my content. While discussing the merits of the bidet and \u201chow to remove the malocchio<\/em> curse\u201d have been a lot of fun (my most popular posts; go figure), the true pleasures are the enchanting destinations in Italy, and the food that you find once you get there<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never been to Italy, then you\u2019d probably want to see Rome, Florence, and Venice all in one go. And nobody could really fault you for that choice. The problem is that a tour de force of those three destinations might just leave your head spinning<\/strong>, even well-after you\u2019ve returned home from vacation. (\u201cWow, I sure enjoyed that gondola ride down the Tiber River, looking up at all those people on the Ponte Vecchio!\u201d)<\/p>\n

Yes, Italy has so many treasures that it can really be overwhelming. It\u2019s no surprise that Italy has the largest number of World “Cultural” Heritage Sites (49) as defined by UNESCO<\/strong>. In my opinion, the ambitious sightseeing should be balanced with a healthy dose of \u200bil dolce far niente<\/em>; the sweetness of doing nothing. <\/p>\n

\u200bAnd there\u2019s no sweeter place to do nothing than Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. (And by the way, the Amalfi Coast itself is a World Heritage Site.)<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s not a coincidence that the tour I\u2019m hosting<\/a> next September will be exactly that: the stunning highlights of The Eternal City, followed up by the relaxing Mediterranean vibe of the Amalfi Coas<\/strong>t<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Enchanting\"Enchanting<\/span><\/p>\n

Enchanting Destinations in Italy<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

While I know Rome quite well, I\u2019m less acquainted with the coastal areas. I\u2019ve been there exactly twice. Once I stayed in Capri, and once in Sorrento. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I’ve jotted down a few suggestions to give an idea of what a three or four night stay might look like. These are personal recommendations, and therefore random, but here’s exactly where I went during my trip to Sorrento<\/strong>, some of which I will revisit during my tour next fall. Here are my notes from my brief stay:<\/p>\n

Welcome to Sorrento (or Surriento<\/em> in Neapolitan dialect). This charming seaside village is near the Amalfi coast just south of Naples, and it’s the part of Italy that most of us think about when we conjure up our fantasies of sunny weather and friendly people,<\/strong> along with the soundtrack of those classic Italian folk songs. This is where pizza was invented and where coffee was perfected. Incredible seafood, limoncello<\/em>\u2026 and look at this view!<\/p>\n

\"sorrento\"sorrento<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the other things that makes Sorrento so appealing is its proximity to the quaint little towns on the Amalfi Coast<\/strong>. You have several options for reaching them, my favorite of which is the ferry boat. From Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Capri, and Ischia are all reachable by water route<\/u><\/a>. The journey itself becomes enjoyable when you’re looking at the coastline from the sea and taking photos of all these little villages. It’s slow and relaxing<\/strong>, exactly what you need to rightly claim that you\u2019re actually on vacation<\/em>, and not just \u200bworking your way through a checklist.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

I stayed at the lovely Hotel De La Ville<\/u><\/a>, which is walking distance to everything in town. \u200bFrom the rooftop swimming pool you have an incredible view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth repeating (often) that food is one of the main reasons to visit this area of Italy. For a nice dinner, I would not miss <\/span> O’ Parrucchiano<\/u><\/a> if I were you. Order the paccheri ai frutti di mare<\/em> if it’s available. I had it two nights in a row. (And I\u2019ve recently learned that they have a lovely roof garden dining area with a view of the volcano.)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bI was recently corresponding with a \u201cpen-pal\u201d (well, email-pal) of mine, Enrico, who used to live in the area. I told him that I will be in Sorrento next year, and might want to visit Pioppi, where Ansel Keys discovered the Mediterranean Diet. Here\u2019s what Erico wrote back:<\/p>\n

\u201cPioppi is about 1.5 hours south of Amalfi on the Costiera Cilentana. You drive through the city of Salerno, and the ruins of Paestum near Agropoli and Eboli, where you will find the best Buffalo mozzarella in the world<\/strong>. Stop at the \u2018Tenuta Vannulo<\/a>\u2019 and pickup fresh mozzarella on your way south.\u201d<\/p>\n

(And so, yes, I went ahead and put that one down in ink for my tour itinerary\u200b.)<\/p>\n

For something informal but fun right in the center of Sorrento, try Inn Bufalito<\/a>. Great for mozzarella, salads, sliced meats, and yes, of course, sea food. Seasonal menu<\/strong>, as it should be!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

How about an after lunch visit to a limoncello<\/em><\/strong> shop to sample this local digestive<\/a><\/span> in all its colors and flavors?<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

It might seem like a touristy thing to do, but who cares? Go see some traditional folk music and dancing<\/strong> at Teatro Tasso in the middle of town. You’ll be humming “O’ sole mio” for the rest of your trip, I guarantee it.Taking a passeggiata<\/em> is one of my favorite things to do anywhere in Italy<\/strong>, but it’s especially enjoyable in the smaller towns in the South. Just stroll and take in the atmosphere. Stop for a drink. Enjoy the view. Chat with the locals.A day trip to the village of Amalfi is a great idea. <\/strong>The Maritime Republic of Amalfi, along with Venice, Genoa, and Pisa, were the naval powers of Italy, controlling trade in the Mediterranean. The modern day town still gives us a glimpse back at this proud tradition. If you go, you can take a boat to visit the Grotta Smeralda<\/em>, the Emerald Grotto. Not as famous as the Grotta Azzurra<\/em> in Capri, but easier to reach and just as amazing.So there’s Sorrento. If you were already flirting with Italy, now you’re going to be head-over-heels in love. Why not join me in September and find out for yourself?!? Click the button below to learn more details about this trip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Hope to see you in Sorrento!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the relaunch of my old classic blog and start of the new website (Eat Like an Italian) I\u2019ve made a conscious decision to get a bit more focused with my content. While discussing the merits of the bidet and \u201chow to remove the malocchio curse\u201d have been a lot of fun (my most popular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[378,14,463,195,178],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8969"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}