A sunny autumn day overlooking Ravello
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tempting Tuesday: Autumn Drive to Tramonti
Last weekend we took a morning drive up to Tramonti, one of the Amalfi Coast’s lesser known towns. Driving into the mountains from Ravello toward the Valico di Chiunzi and the pass that takes you over the mountains and down to Naples, you will drive past the town of Tramonti along the way. It is not one centralized town, but a series of villages tucked here and there around a valley. The name stems from the Latin phrase intra montes, or “between the mountains,” which is the perfect description for Tramonti. This is a wonderful time of year to visit Tramonti to try its local DOC wines and the autumn food specialties in this mountain town. Think wonderful meats, cheeses, fresh porcini mushrooms all washed down with the novello wines from this year’s harvest. If you think the Amalfi Coast’s cuisine is all about lemons and seafood, you simply must visit Tramonti!
This time of year is also perfect for a drive up to Tramonti to see the beautiful fall colors. While the sky was a bit overcast, I still was able to snap a few good shots while we zoomed around the corners.
Oranges, yellows, reds!
The road ahead
A mountainside of color!
Chestnut trees
We’ve been out driving and exploring the mountains recently, and boy do I have some pictures to knock your socks off coming up this month. Stop back by again soon!
Related Posts
Tempting Tuesday: Church of Santo Stefano, Capri
Tempting Tuesday: Autumn Colors on Capri
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday Shout-out: Heather Jacks @ Sicilia Through Images
I’m back on the scene with my Sunday Shout-out feature, and this month I’d like to share with you some of my favorite bloggers from the island of Sicily. This summer I shouted about Karen at Lost in Sicilia, which is one of the many blogs from Sicily I enjoy following regularly. I’ll kick off this month’s theme by shining the spotlight on the most recent Sicily blogger I’ve discovered. Last month, ItalyTutto introduced me to the new photoblog Sicilia Through Images, where the talented American photographer Heather Jacks shares her photographs of her new home – Sicily.
Heather lives in the Catania region and her photos introduce us to the beauty of Sicily one shot at a time. I could get lost in her photographs – the sense of calm, the richness of texture and the depth. I enjoy seeing Sicily through Heather’s eyes, and I look forward to her regular posts on Sicilia Through Images. Be sure also to visit Heather’s photography website to see more of her work. Before you get lost in the wonderful shots that Heather shared with me for this Sunday Shout-out, head over to the great blog Casa Dolcetto: Italian Insights where Adrian has selected Heather as this month’s guest photographer and where you can read a great interview. (This week you get two shout-outs!)
Now, sit back, relax and dream of Sicilia…
Tante grazie Heather for sharing your stunning photography on Sicilia Through Images!
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Walk-in Visitor
The other day the wind was howling and the rain was coming down hard. I opened the window to close the outside shutters and this fellow walked right in. I don’t remember seeing an insetto stecco, or what we call a walking stick bug in English, since I was a little kid. He must have been blown up to the second storey window by the strong wind. We gently picked it up and returned it to a protected spot in the garden so he could continue his walk in a more appropriate environment. Although I’m sure he was pleased to find a dry spot indoors!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tempting Tuesday: Church of Santo Stefano, Capri
Just off Capri’s famous Piazzetta, or little piazza, which is one of the island’s top places to pay far too much to see and be seen, you’ll find the beautiful 17th century church of Santo Stefano. The steps leading up the church are often lined with beautiful flowers forming an idyllic backdrop to the fashionable, elite and hordes of tourists passing through the Piazzetta. The church of Santo Stefano is generally open in the morning, and as chance would have it, I’ve always been in Capri town in the afternoon. Two weekends ago when we visited Capri we skipped going up to Anacapri and went straight to Capri to enjoy the day.
Finally I was able to see the inside of this church that had always intrigued me from the outside. Take a look at those mini-cupolas (is there a technical term for those?) along the roof of the church. It was finally time to see what they looked like from the inside. Beautiful does not begin to describe it!
The nave was lined with elegant chapels, and each arch contained one of these lovely glass chandeliers.
I would love to share more photos with you, but these are the two best that I got of the interior since I wasn’t supposed to take photos inside – and there was a lady circulating the church with a rather stern look on her face. So I am truly tempting you this week, and reminding you to visit the Church of Santo Stefano next time you are in Capri!
Inside you will be treated with an exquisite marble floor, including a fragment of the inlaid pavement from the Villa Jovis. Be sure to walk around the rear of the church, behind the altar, to see the mini-museum with beautiful nativity scenes, the carved wooden choir stalls and to peek out the back windows at the views of the luxury shopping streets of Capri. Don’t miss the large bust reliquary of San Costanzo, Capri’s patron saint and protector. And after you’ve visited the church, head down to the Piazzetta and enjoy the view of the church, the hustle and bustle of Capri’s busy piazza and the marvelous views down to Marina Grande.
Related Posts
Tempting Tuesday: Autumn Colors on Capri
Tempting Tuesday: Amalfi Coast End of Summer Blues
Tempting Tuesday: Summer Yellows on the Amalfi Coast
Tempting Tuesday: Think Pink for Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chef Chuck’s Baked Apples
Photo courtesy Chef Chuck’s Cucina
One of my favorite things about blogging is the great dialog that comes about when readers leave comments here on Ciao Amalfi. Recently, my post about Campania’s Melannurca apples started a fun conversation where Chuck from Chef Chuck’s Cucina mentioned baked apples. Oh, yum! But more than just mention them, he included his own recipe for Chef Chuck’s Baked Apples on his blog. Head on over and check out this lovely fall recipe. Grazie mille Chuck!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Enjoying the beach to yourself at Positano
Last weekend on the way to Capri, the boat stopped first in Positano. It was a beautiful and bright morning, especially warm in the sun for the last day of October. As the few late season tourists got off and on the boat, I couldn’t help but notice the empty beach that during the summer months is absolutely packed to the edges. Look at all that space!
If you don’t mind brisk water temperatures for swimming, the water is remarkably clear this time of year. There was only one person I could see enjoying the sun and the space on the beach. He had exactly the right idea for how to spend the morning!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tempting Tuesday: Autumn Colors on Capri
I could spend hours wandering the streets of Capri and never tire of the stunning views, the houses draped with beautiful vines, the fanciful wrought iron gates and the endless colors. This past weekend, I noticed autumnal colors on the island, mostly in the form of one type of vine that was turning a brilliant shade of red. While Capri’s famous bougainvillea is still bright and beautiful, I pointed my camera instead to the colors you’ll only find on Capri this time of year. Enjoy!
Looking toward Capri Town … notice the cactus graffiti!
Capri Town between red vines and oleander
A small street in Capri
Overlooking the Certosa of San Giacomo in Capri
Marina Grande Beach, Capri
During the summer months you can hardly find a spot to lay a small towel here on Capri’s biggest beach right next to Marina Grande. This time of year there were only a few people walking along the water’s edge, and one brave local out for a chilly evening swim. Sunset comes early now, but the last rays of sun hitting the mountains on the island is certainly a beautiful farewell sight as you climb aboard the boat and head home.
Related Posts
Tempting Tuesday: Amalfi Coast End of Summer Blues
Tempting Tuesday: Summer Yellows on the Amalfi Coast
Tempting Tuesday: Think Pink for Breast Cancer
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Monday, November 2, 2009
November Banner: Sunset Over Capri
It’s official. There has been a change of season here on the Amalfi Coast. But this time I’m not talking about the weather. The “no tourist season,” as Scintilla from Bell’Avventura calls it, has begun. From the end of October to the beginning of November is one of my favorite periods during the year to go to Capri. The island is m0vingly beautiful this time of year. The restaurants and shops have yet to shut down for the winter and there are far fewer tourists to deal with. This past weekend, we hopped on one of the boats to Capri and spent a beautiful and sunny day just wandering the streets of Capri Town, looking for fall colors and enjoying marvelous views and an exquisite lunch. I’ll be tempting you with those photos all November!
The banner photo for this month celebrates Capri in November with a view of the island I took last November on a sunset boat ride back to Amalfi. If you look closely on the left you can see the sun shining through the hole in the Faraglioni rocks. The photo above shows the very tip of the Amalfi Coast on the right. Capri never fails to be a magical place for me, and I hope to share some of that magic with you this month here on Ciao Amalfi!
Happy November to all!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Apples from the Underworld – Campania’s Melannurca Apples
Maybe it’s an American thing. Johnny Appleseed, as American as apple pie, a visit to the orchard on a cool fall day – we certainly have a distinct apple culture in America. For me, autumn fully arrives when I tote home a big pile of fresh, crisp, tart apples – certainly one of the highlights of the season!
Over the past year I have learned much more about food and cooking here in the region of Campania, and I’ve been trying all the local specialties I can get my hands on. One that I’ve been eagerly awaiting is Campania’s famous Mela Annurca (or Melannurca). Why famous? This apple has a pedigree more ancient than the region’s famous ruins of Pompeii and Ercolano. The great Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who died during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD that devastated those two Roman cities, described the Melannurca apples in his Historia Naturalis. At that time the apples were called “Mala Orcula,” or the apples of the underworld, as they were thought to have originated near Pozzuoli where the Romans believed the gates to hell were located. Now how’s that for a good story?
I simply had to try these apples from the underworld! Mission accomplished two days ago as I toted home a big bag of these little Melannurca apples with a smile on my face. They are known for their small size and good flavor, and after many, many, many taste tests , I can assure you that they are, in fact, very tasty.
The Melannurca apples are peculiar in that they don’t ripen evenly on the tree. They do best when they are picked while still slightly green and then laid out to finish maturing on beds of straw or wood chips, which you can see in the photo above. They are covered with nets to protect them and limit the direct sun exposure, and then painstakingly turned every once in awhile as they ripen. I would love to see this in person!
In 2001, the Melannurca apples gained the IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status by the EU, which marks quality and importance as well as protects the status and reputation of regional foods. They are grown in all of the provinces of Campania, but especially in Naples, Caserta and Benevento. You can read more about the Melannurca apples in Italian at the Melannurca apple website and at the Regione Campania website.
Photo Comune di San Mango Piemonte
Happy mela (apple) eating!
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