Having never been to Italy before, our group, left the USA and arrived in the Rome airport. Everyone collected their luggage and was greeted by our personal driver, Carlo. We traveled south to Sorrento, stopping for a private 2-hour tour of historic Pompeii. Afterwards everyone decided to order their first Neapolitan pizza before continuing the journey to Sorrento. Delicioso!
We arrived at our hotel,
The Bellvue Syrene, which
is situated in Sorrento
on the edge of a cliff
high above the sea. The
staff welcomed us with
snacks and a drink of
Prosecco. We toasted
each other on the veranda
taking in the breathtaking
panoramic view of the
Bay of Naples and Vesuvius.
After settling into our
rooms some of us took
a tour of Sorrento and
managed to do some shopping
before our first meal
that evening at Il Buco
Ristorante, a very highly
rated restaurant.
The meal at Il Buco was beyond our expectations. Each plate was artistically presented and was sure to please our palate. The wine, from the Campania region of Italy, was clean, crisp yet not too dry. To finish the evening meal everyone was presented with a different dessert, which was equally as impressive.
The next day brought a new adventure as we visited the small village of Montepertuso, high above Positano for a cooking lesson with Salvatore at the restaurant Il Ritrovo. In between sips of Prosecco everyone managed to make different types of pasta and filled ravioli. Our lunch was served with the house wine in the garden area, and while eating we enjoyed a delightful view of Positano below. Afterwards we made the descent down to Positano to explore the colorful and vibrant streets dotted with boutique shops.
As the week progressed
we toured the hills of
Sorrento, taking in a
tour of an olive oil
mill followed by a tasting,
lunch with wine pairing
and limoncello, and visited
other sites in Sorrento.
The highlight of our
time while in Sorrento
was the magnificent Amalfi
Coast. Our driver, Giovanni,
took us to small towns
along the Amalfi Coast
explaining the history
of each picturesque area.
Our next stop was Ravello
to visit Mamma Agata,
who specializes in cooking
traditional favorites
of the Amalfi Coast.
We were greeted by Salvatore,
Mamma's husband and caretaker
of the garden. As he
opened the door we entered
another world filled
with beautiful views
of the Bay of Salerno
and the hillside overlooking
the gardens. All of this
was accompanied by the
aromas of Mamma Agata's
cooking. We ate lunch
on the veranda, surrounded
by a lovely garden of
flowers, that was beautifully
manicured. Lunch started
with pizza and a fried
appetizers. We were then
served two large stuffed
fried zucchini flowers
and eggplant parmigiana,
followed by home made
pappardelle pasta with
sausage, peppers and
cherry tomatoes, then
Mamma Agata's Lemon chicken.
For dessert Mamma's famous
Lemon Cake! To top things
off we were served Mamma
Agata's Limencello, which
we all concluded was
the best on the Amalfi
Coast! Before we left
the table everyone was
given a ceramic plate
exclusively designed
by Mamma and used at
her table. By mid afternoon,
Giovanni packed us in
the van and we climbed
to the top of Ravello,
visited the town and
the gardens at Villa
Rufolo before heading
back to Sorrento. Our
evening was spent shopping
and walking about Sorrento.
Thursday, Giovanni's team transferred us at warp speed to Rome. We arrived safely just after noon at The Hotel Dei Mellini. Shortly thereafter we began our short tour of the Jewish Ghetto and synagogue with our private guide.
Friday morning we were greeted by our guide for a private visit into the Sistine Chapel and Vatican tour. Afterwards we visited such sites as: the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Coliseum, the Forum, and St. Peter in Chains. Along the way we managed to take in numerous gelaterias and tasted many of the different and tempting flavors.
The rest of Friday and Saturday many were armed with their credit cards and despite the euro we shopped! There were no boundries! How we managed to pack everything to get it home remains a mystery. We shopped at a gourmet shop Castroni on Vial Cola Rienzo and then headed to the colorful streets of Via Margutta, with all the artists displaying their art work, and Via del Babiuno, which is dotted with upscale boutiques. One favorite is Fabriano, a stationery store filled with unique paper items.
Each evening in Rome we dined at different local restaurants.
Our last meal was unforgettable,
where we dined at Taverna
dei Fori Imperiali. We
let the chef take control
that evening. We began
with appetizers of: mozzarella,
fried zucchini with mint
and balsamic vinegar,
and eggplant caponata.
We could have stopped
there but we kept forging
ahead with four different
kinds of pasta. Finally
we said "Basta", which
means enough, but the
chef insisted on dessert.
What a way to go! They
were delicious and I
will always remember
the chocolate cake dessert!
So moist and rich with
chocolate.
Sunday morning we headed back to the airport and everyone that had to fill out the VAT forms did so without any problems before boarding the plane. Anyone who needed to buy those last minute items could do so at the duty free stores in the Rome airport. We all landed safely and claimed our luggage and headed back to reality with many memories to keep forever!
If anyone is interested in a trip of this nature it can easily be created just for you!
Please call the offices for other details: 1.888.95.ITALY or 973.644.0906.
