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Campania

Do you want to explore many towns along a stunningly beautiful coast and islands in the bay, eat seafood, vegetables and fruit, enjoy famous archaeological sites and hit the beaches? The coast from Naples to Paestum and the islands in the Bay of Naples are for you!

Town of Positano

Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Paestum

I recommend seeing Naples’ picturesque old quarter, beautiful churches, scenic seaside promenade with Vesuvius in the distance, archaeological museum, underground city and modern shopping area with a Neapolitan to really appreciate the city. From Naples, ancient Pompeii is an easy 30 minute train ride away.

Out in the Bay of Naples lie three islands: beautiful, elegant Capri drawing the rich and hoards of tourists, Ischia famous for its spas and less visited Procida with a refreshing, “back in time”, down to earth beauty.

Sorrento, about one hour south of Naples on the bay is busy tourist town famous for its glorious coast of cliffs, villas and gardens. It has lots of restaurants and shops, including ones where they make “limoncino”, the famous lemon liqueur.

An hour from Sorrento is one of the most beautiful coasts in all Italy, the Amalfi Coast. Green mountains and rocky cliffs drop steeply to the clear, azure sea. At every twist of the dramatic, winding Amalfi Drive, terraces of lemon and orange trees and vineyards, and Mediterranean scrub cascade down the slopes. White villas, their gardens overflowing with roses, orange and pink geraniums and purple and magenta bougainvilleas overlook the sea. Tourist traffic makes the coast road very crowded.

Towns with houses of many colours sitting on series of terraces dot the coast and hills. Many towns produce colourful ceramics.

Positano is a chic but beautiful resort town sandwiched between the mountains on terraces of houses of many colours and is stuffed with shops, many with colourful clothing.

Amalfi, more down to earth but touristy, has a lovely 9th century Moorish looking cathedral that glitters inside, numerous shops, beach, seaside walk along the port, walks along the narrow terraced streets to enjoy panoramas.

Ravello is the loveliest of the Amalfi Coast towns. Four km. from Amalfi up a winding road through a valley, it sits on a plateau with the stunning views of the coast and valley. You walk along winding, narrow streets, past homes with gardens overflowing with flowers and Moorish looking churches. You can visit historic villas with gardens and terraces with outstanding views of the coast. You sit in a lively piazza with a church built in 1086, ceramic shops and cafes. It’s easy to see why artists like Richard Wagner, Andre Gide, Gore Vidal and Leonard Bernstein worked there and a stream of celebrities like Jackie Kennedy and Greta Garbo stayed there. Someone said Ravello was “where poets go to die”.

South of the Amalfi Coast and city of Salerno is Paestum and its archaeological park with wonderful examples of Greek temples. Nearby you can visit farms that produce mozzarella from water buffalo milk and taste their cheese, ricotta, yogurt and more.

Amalfi Coast cooking school tours

Cuisine

Cuisine focuses on fresh vegetables and fruit, and fish and seafood. Lots of lemons trees grow. In the hinterlands of Naples they produce lots of tomatoes. Naples is the home of pizza and wonderful pastries.

Some examples of local fare: roasted pepper rolls stuffed with tomatoes, olives, capers, smoked mozzarella, bread cubes, basil and oregano, a pie with spinach, peas, raisins and pine nuts, potato croquettes with ham, mozzarella and basil, pizza, zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, seafood risotto, pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, capers, olives, mozzarella and cream, pasta with mussels and clams, white fish with mint, white wine and tomatoes, bacala with olive oil, garlic, sliced potatoes, black olives, tomatoes, pork roll braised in white wine, lemon puffs, fruit tarts and mousse.

Wines

Wines from the interior of Campania around Avellino and Benevento are top quality—Greco di Tufo, Fiano d’Avellino, Falanghina Beneventano and Lacryma Christi. The rest of the region offers a variety of good red and white wines.

For a list of Italian cooking school tours on the Amalfi Coast please see www.italycookingschools.com/amalfilist.html