Articles by Dan

It’s hard to believe that today is our last full day in Sorrento, but we were determined to make the most of it … starting by sleeping until 11am. After three early mornings — Capri, the cooking course, and Pompeii — it was time to enjoy the restful part of our honeymoon. With no activities scheduled for today, we appreciated the opportunity to sleep in before heading out to Sorrento. Our only real adventure in the morning involved realizing that I had lost my credit card last night (!). After turning the room upside down, I realized that I had probably left it at dinner, and I gave the hotel a quick call. It didn’t take more than me saying “hello” for the restaurant host to realize who was calling, and to let me know that the card was safe and secure. Apparently the locals are better at remembering their cards after a glass of Villa Matilde Falanghina. Ann Taylor and I made our way back down to Marina Grande and retrieved the card from Ristorante Bagni Delfino. The waitress implored that we stay for a drink or coffee, demonstrating the typical Italian hospitality that we have experienced at nearly every stop in Sorrento. Sadly, we had lunch plans elsewhere, so we had to politely decline. With another day or two in Sorrento, we would have definitely eaten there again.

After leaving Ristorante Bagni Delfino, we made our way to Ristorante Caruso, a dining establishment dedicated to honoring the legacy of Enrico Caruso, one of the great Italian tenors of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. While I was not familiar with Caruso the man, I was familiar with Caruso the restaurant, as my family had eaten there on our tour of the Amalfi Coast in 2007. Ann Taylor and I actually set next to the table where my family had eaten, although my palette has evolved slightly since that first experience (when I had ordered pizza). The service was outstanding, with sparkling wine to start, fried ravioli as an appetizer and cream puffs for dessert. In-between — the items that we had actually ordered — we enjoyed fusilli pasta with zucchini, and fried seafood with kale and mixed vegetables. We both really enjoyed the food, and Ann Taylor remarked that the walnut bread was the best that she has tasted while in Italy. Given that it was already nearly 2pm, we extended our lunch with espresso and hot tea before venturing back outside for more souvenir shopping. We both appreciated that Ristorante Caruso played some of Caruso’s most famous performances, rather than the 80’s American pop that we have been used to hearing in Italian restaurants. Either Italians love Madonna (the singer), or they think that American tourists want to hear the Material Girl over every meal.

Meandering through the streets and stores, we picked up a few souvenirs and stopped at Bar Veneruso, which has been our favorite gelateria during our time in Sorrento. I tried the Tiramisu gelato, while Ann Taylor returned chocolate, and we enjoyed both thoroughly. Bar Veneruso sits on the western edge of Corso Italia, a short walk from our hotel, and when we made it back to the room, we were greeted with more fresh cookies. After being welcomed by cookies and candies each night at Hotel Bristol, it will be tough to stay at the W Boston again each week. Perhaps this means that I should be spending less time in the room, and more time in the gym. In any event, after freshening up, we turned around and went back into town for … more food. Electing to visit our favorite restaurant of the week, we returned to Fauno Bar, and we were fortunate enough to have a table in front, for a prime view of all of the action in central Sorrento. Given that it was Saturday night, the town was more lively than we had ever seen it, and we really appreciated our great seats. We were even surprised with a visit from Francesco, who had shown my family around Sorrento during our previous trip. Between the lasagna and the pasta with meat sauce (and the wine, and the prosecco, and the limoncello), we truly loved our last night in Sorrento.

Fortunately, our last night in Sorrento will not be our last night in Italy, as we will be heading to Rome in the morning. We have another full week ahead, with a mix of tours, shows and time to relax (and shop). When we had first planned our honeymoon, two weeks seemed like it would be plenty of time; now, it hardly feels like enough. Still, we could not have been happier with our first week in Italy, and we can’t wait for all of the fun memories that await. Buona Notte!

Take care,
– Dan

After a relaxing afternoon, the fourth day of our honeymoon wrapped up with a stroll back through Sorrento and dinner at Bar Syrenuse, located in Piazza Tasso, the main square of Sorrento. It’s a great location for people-watching, because the city closes the plaza to vehicular traffic around 8pm. Ann Taylor and I both ordered risotto with asparagus and shrimp, and neither of us was disappointed. I had been interested in trying Italian espresso on the trip, too, so we stuck around after dinner and enjoyed a cup (Ann Taylor had tea) and more people-watching. Thursday was a particularly good time to observe the local population, as Italy was playing Croatia in the European Cup. While I certainly couldn’t care less about soccer, it’s fascinating to see how the bars and pubs fill with each country’s fans, and how, despite sitting in the middle of a lovely beach town, restaurant patrons are glued to the ubiquitous television sets. I can definitely appreciate having strong passion for a sports team, as I check the Yankees box score immediately after waking up each morning. So far, each morning was welcomed me with great news! With gelato in hand, we made our way back up to the hotel and called it a day before an early start on Friday.

The next day, we were out of bed by 6:30am to get ready and have a larger breakfast before taking the Circumvesuviana (essentially, the Metro North of Naples and the Amalfi Coast) up to Pompeii. The train station was very easy to navigate, and our 9:37am train arrived at the Pompei Scavi station exactly a half-hour later. We had decided to pass on a tour guide, which enabled us to stroll through the ruins at a more leisurely pace than the official two hour tours usually allow. Stocked with water, granola bars and a pretty handy map (provided by the ticket office), Ann Taylor and I set out to explore. While we may not have known exactly what we were looking at — I think that we personally identified eight different temples to Apollo — we appreciated a glimpse into life in ancient Italy. Using our guide book, posted information placards and eavesdropping on a few of those official tours, we learned that the grooves at the entrances of shop floors were used for sliding doors, and that “cave canem” means “beware of the dog” (as seen on a mosaic on the floor of the entrance to the House of the Tragic Poet. Our favorite sites were the amphitheater at the northeast corner of the city, and the main forum, which provided amazing views of Mount Vesuvius. Overall, we spent about three hours at Pompeii, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

A Coke Light, two gelatos and one half-hour ride later, we had made our way back to Sorrento. We found a small pizza restaurant near the train station and shared a Margherita pizza, the best that I have had on the trip (so far). With three hours of walking on dusty streets in the morning, we decided to cool off in the hotel pool before setting out for dinner. Making our way back through Sorrento, our first stop was Gelateria David, where we had enjoyed gelato earlier in the week. Our Lonely Planet guide book had highlighted that Mario, the shop’s owner, regularly leads demonstrations in making gelato, and with more than a dozen scoops consumed on the trip (so far), we were eager to learn more. The forty-five minute lesson was really interesting, and included a freshly made lemon sorbet that was amazingly creamy, despite having no milk or cream. We learned that this was due to the air whipped into the sorbet, one of the key distinctions between gelato and ice cream. At the end of the class, Ann Taylor and I were each able to try a new flavor, and we enjoyed Tiramisu- and mint-flavored geltato, respectively. So good! We also stopped at the Vodafone store, as I had run out of credit and could not translate the automated prompts when I called to add more minutes. Fortunately, the Vodafone owner knew more English than I knew Italian, and we were connected again shortly. Phew!

Finally ready for dinner, we shared a long walk down to Marina Grande, the westernmost marina in Sorrento (the other, Marina Piccola, is where we boarded the hydrofoil to Capri). Ristorante Bagni Delfino (“Dolphin”) was recommended by the driver from Rome to Sorrento, and the meal, and atmosphere did not disappoint. Sitting on a pier over Marina Grande, Ann Taylor and I enjoyed gnocchi with shrimp, and linguini with small octopus, freshly caught in the marina. We also shared a bottle of the best wine on the trip (so far): Villa Matilde Falanghina, a white that paired really well with the seafood. Having already enjoyed two servings of gelato at the earlier demonstration, we passed on dessert and made the trek from the marina back up to the hotel. We plan to enjoy one more relaxing day in Sorrento, with absolutely nothing planned except sleeping, eating and shopping, before we head up to Rome on Sunday. We have had such an amazing trip so far, and we are so excited to have another full week in Italy!

Take care,
– Dan

Mangia! On our third full day in Sorrento, we decided that after several amazing meals, it was time to try our hand in the kitchen. After another early start, we enjoyed a forty-five minute walk to “Villa Ida”, an estate owned by the descendants of a noble Sorrento family. The grounds were gorgeous, with some of the largest hydrangeas that I have ever seen, and at least a half-dozen half-lemon half-orange trees. Apparently, the grounds keepers had grafted lemon and orange trees together some years ago, and now a single tree produces both fruits! It was really cool to see. We had organized a small group cooking course called, appropriately enough, “Simple Delicious“. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with fresh squeezed orange juice (from the oranges on the property), and lemon pound cake. So good! While neither Ann Taylor nor I are big coffee drinkers, the Neapolitan coffee was also tasty, and much appreciated in the morning. We shared the course with four other students, including two ladies from Vienna, and another newlywed couple from Miami Beach. With everyone assembled, we were ready to start cooking.

The class was given by Angela, the daughter of “Ida”, for whom the estate was named, and her daughter, Marida. Given that the chef only spoke a few words of English — certainly more than I know Italian — her daughter both translated and facilitated the lesson. From scratch, we prepared: fried zucchini flowers, baked mashed potato croquettes, eggplant parmigiano and tiramisu. Each recipe was quite simple, using little more than salt and pepper as spices, because the ingredients were so fresh. I have had zucchini flowers several times before, but never fried, and never quite so good. After cutting the flower from the stem, we dipped them in a homemade batter and fried them in olive oil. The mashed potato croquettes were a bit more work, but each student had an opportunity to participate in each step of the cooking process. Actually, the potatoes were already peeled, as they needed to soak in water for a half-hour, but we took care of everything after that. After pressing the potatoes through a potato ricer, we added milk, butter, fresh mozzarella cheese and a local ham, then baked the potatoes in croquettes between layers of bread crumbs.

Our main entree was eggplant parmigiano, and I was impressed at how much I enjoyed it, as I have never been a big fan of eggplant. As with the first two recipes, we stayed simple, with freshly peeled and sliced eggplant layered between tomato sauce (also fresh and homemade) and more fresh mozzarella. I’m proud to say that while Ann Taylor received compliments for her frying skills, I earned rave reviews for my ability to peel and slice an eggplant. Dessert was tiramisu, which I have grown to love since moving to New York. Very simple and light, and, most importantly, delicious! While the chef and her daughter prepared lunch, her husband, Carlo, took us into his private wine cellar to taste the family’s homemade wine. We enjoyed healthy pours of four different wines, including his personal brand, “Charlie’s Wine”, as he shared stories. When Carlo learned that we were from New York, he mentioned that their family name is Cuomo, and that they are distantly related to our governor. Small world. Apparently the family makes nearly 2,500 bottles of each of the four types of wine each September, celebrating the harvest with a big party for family and friends. After the cellar tour, we made our way to the backyard to eat the fruits of our own labors.

As one might expect, the food was outstanding, and we enjoyed every course. When the other new groom mentioned that he had hoped we would have cooked pasta, Angela went back to the kitchen a cooked up a large pot. No one leaves an Italian meal hungry! We shared food, wine and stories, and Ann Taylor and I could not have enjoyed a more perfect afternoon. While we did not leave with any official recipes, we will be looking forward to applying the tips and techniques that we learned when we return home. For example, from now on we will be chopping fresh basil with our hands, rather than a knife. After saying “ciao!” to our new friends and hosts, we meandered back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon and a much-needed nap. Well, Ann Taylor napped — I find it more relaxing to check box scores. I expect that we will be enjoying a lighter dinner tonight, and calling it a day early before head to Pompeii tomorrow morning. We can’t wait to see what fun and adventures Italy has in store next!

Take care,
– Dan

On the third day of our honeymoon, we finally ventured out of Sorrento to spend the day on Capri, an island located just off the Amalfi Coast. After a grand total of one relaxing morning, we were up at 6:30am local time (just after midnight on the East Coast), and enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant. There are two marinas in Sorrento, and we needed to take the hydrofoil from the marina further from our hotel. The trip lasts about a half-hour, on a ferry slightly smaller than those used to carry passengers between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan. Given the size of the ship, we were not prepared for the rough seas between Sorrento and Capri. As it turns out, neither were many of the other passengers, as one family of older ladies from New Jersey (or, perhaps, Staten Island) began screaming “I don’t like this!” and “Oh oh oh … no!” as the hydrofoil cruised through the waves. Their screams — and the laughter from their daughters sitting behind us — were a worthy distraction until we made it to Capri.

Once on the island, our first stop was the “Grotta Azzurra” (Blue Grotto), one of the most famous tourist traps on Capri. There are fewer passenger cars on Capri than on the mainland, but there are scooters, buses and very windy roads. The bus trip was about forty-five minutes, including a transfer in Anacapri. Sadly, when we finally arrived at the Blue Grotto, we learned that the entrance was closed due to the rough seas. We were not able to see the mysterious blue light for ourselves, but we did find a nice British couple to take our picture. Exchanging cameras with other couples has been critical for capturing many of our best memories thus far. After a bus trip back to Anacapri, we strolled through the main shopping area and stopped for lunch at Trattoria Il Solitario. Ann Taylor and I both enjoyed amazing insalata Caprese, with some of the best mozzarella cheese that we have ever tasted. Her gnocchi, and my ravioli, were some of the early gastronomic highlights from the trip. Needless to say, our Lonely Planet guidebooks have served us well thus far!

After lunch, we took a chairlift from Anacapri to the top of Mount Solaro, the highest point on the island. The twelve-minute journey (each way) provided breathtaking views — something that we have been saying all week — and we stopped at the top for a few (dozen) pictures. Still early in the afternoon, we took the opportunity to explore a few more of the local shops, including Limoncello di Capri, which claims that an early founder invented the lemon-based liquor. As it turns out, they could back up their words, as their limoncello was delicious and we took a few bottles back to the hotel. The same limoncello, in fact, is sitting on ice and beckoning me to wrap up today’s blog, haha. With limoncello in hand, we took a bus to the main town of Capri, which overlooks the main marina. We strolled through a few more shops and streets, and then took a funicular down to the marina. I had never before seen a funicular, which reminded me of a cable car on a 45-degree slope. Pretty neat! There was a long wait for the hydrofoil back to Sorrento, but we snagged seats near the front and enjoyed a much smoother ride. Upon our return to the hotel, we were welcomed with another set of heart-shaped baked goods from the staff.

For dinner, we walked back to the older section of Capri and found an outdoor table at Inn Bufalito. While the service was underwhelming — our first unimpressive Italian experience — the food was still quite good. The entire menu was buffalo-themed, and Ann Taylor and I split a cheese tasting plate that featured some amazing buffalo mozzarella. She paired her homemade pasta with vegetables, while I opted for the buffalo-based ragù. Why not, right? On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped for more gelato — three days in a row! — and then collapsed in the room. While we have absolutely stunning views, the price is forty-nine steps (we counted) from our villa to the main hotel, which is still a fifteen minute walk from the main town. We might have enjoyed back-to-back-to-back nights of gelato, but Sorrento is providing quite the workout, too. The first few days in town have been unbelievable thus far, and we have some fun plans cooking for tomorrow, too. Ciao for now!

Take care,
– Dan

Ciao!

With such a long travel day yesterday — nearly fifteen hours from our apartment to our hotel room — we began today by sleeping in. Granted, when we woke up it was still 4:30am on the East Coast, but it still felt great in Italy. Once we were ready to face the day, we opened the doors and were greeted by a gorgeous Sorrento day: sunny, and in the upper 70s. The temperature is measured in Celsius here, but I’m not sure whether 24 Celsius is warm or cold, so I need to translate first. As it turns out, I also need to translate that from Connecticut to Alabama, as 75 Fahrenheit is warm to some, but cold to others 🙂 Around noon, we strolled down to the center of Sorrento, which is about a fifteen minute walk from the Bristol Hotel. The sidewalks are narrow and the scooters zip quickly along windy roads, but we have made the trek safely a few times thus far. While Sorrento is a major tourist hub, we are still surprised to hear more English than Italian spoken along the main street.

At this point, we were both hungry, so we stopped for lunch at Nonna Luisa, a small restaurant near one of the plazas in the older section of Sorrento. While it definitely catered to tourists and I suspect that we’ll enjoy better Margherita pizza elsewhere, lunch definitely hit the spot and fueled us for the rest of the day. On our way back through town, we passed quite a few restaurants and shops, including a limoncello store that I had remembered from my previous trip. Thus far, we have only enjoyed a single serving of the local liquor — after dinner at Bar Fauno — but I expect that we may pick up a bottle or two later in the trip. Returning to the hotel, we grabbed our books and a comfortable spot on the patio, just below the hotel pool. While True Grit and Mockingjay may not be traditional Italian literature, Ann Taylor and I both enjoyed an afternoon reading and relaxing in the sun. We still cannot get over the amazing views from the hotel, and it is hard to believe that we could have picked a better spot to honeymoon.

After making our way back to the room, we were welcomed with two chocolate desserts in the shape of small hearts. These complemented the bottle of champagne that greeted us yesterday afternoon. We love being honeymooners! A quick change of clothes later, we were on our way back to the heart of Sorrento for the evening. Our first stop was to the Vodafone store, where I picked up an Italian SIM card for my iPhone 4S. Quite frankly, it has been a miracle that I have been able to make it this long with only the hotel wi-fi — I don’t go “off the grid” well, haha. After getting a bit lost on the streets of Sorrento, we then made it to our dinner spot: Ristorante S.Antonino. We had a great seat on the second level, overlooking Via S.Maria delle Grazie, and dinner was just as good as yesterday. Ann Taylor enjoyed homemade linguini with shrimp, and I had grilled sea bass with broccoli rabe. Alright, so the broccoli rabe was not my favorite side dish ever, but with all of the gelato and pasta we have eaten, I thought that it would be good to add a vegetable.

Speaking of gelato, after dinner we made our way over to Gelateria David, which was rated by TripAdvisor as the top spot for gelato in Sorrento. The wisdom of the crowd was correct, as Ann Taylor and I enjoyed chocolate chip, and chocolate gelato, respectively. Actually, Ann Taylor enjoyed her gelato so much that we stopped for more on the way back to the hotel. After a fabulous, relaxing day in Sorrento, we will be getting an early start tomorrow as we head to Capri for a day on the island. We are both looking forward to another day of more relaxing, more adventures and, of course, more gelato 🙂

Take care,
– Dan

Ciao from Italy!

Nearly two months after our wedding, we have finally made it to Sorrento! This is the first day of a two-week trip that we have been planning for quite some time. Our journey began at JFK, where we checked-in and enjoyed a quick break at the Delta Sky Club before eating dinner at Chili’s. Needless to say, we set the bar low on cuisine before two weeks of pasta and wine. Our flight was delayed for nearly an hour due to a maintenance issue, but we made up time in the air and landed at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport shortly before 11am local time. While I have been to Europe several times, I have never before flown into Rome, and Ann Taylor was making her first trip to Italy. We expected a long wait at passport control, but the agent did not even bother to open our passport. Less than fifteen minutes after disembarking the plane, we were in a car, headed to Sorrento.

For a bit of history, my last trip to Western Italy was in 2007, over the week before I moved to New York. During that trip, we spent a day in Naples and the Amalfi Coast, and my family fell in love with the area. Sorrento was one of the top spots on my list for a honeymoon, and I was so excited when Ann Taylor agreed. Our driver was incredibly nice, and actually a good friend of our Sorrento tour guide during our 2007 trip. We made excellent time, and only stopped once to refuel (food, not gasoline), near Naples. The service station was so much nicer than we are used to in the United States, and I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken sandwich. We  checked into the Hotel Bristol around 3:15pm, and we actually appreciated the ten-minute walk up to our private villa. The weather is absolutely gorgeous here, and we liked the opportunity to stretch our legs after an eight-hour flight and three-hour drive.

The Hotel Bristol is situated on the opposite side of the Amalfi Coast, overlooking the Bay of Naples. The views are unbelievable, and we will be enjoying them from a private suite complete with its own yard and patio. Ann Taylor and I really could not be more blessed to spend a week in such a lovely setting. The pictures will not do the hotel justice, but we will try to get some posted to Facebook soon. Knowing that it was our honeymoon, the hotel staff had even left a bottle of sparkling wine in our room. I suspect, though, that we will wait until the jet lag subsides to enjoy the wine. After a quick nap, we traveled down to the center of Sorrento, which is about a fifteen minute walk from the hotel. The sidewalks are narrow, but the shops are inviting, and I suspect that it won’t be long before we have a bottle of limoncello in our room. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Fauno Bar, in the heart of Sorrento. Ann Taylor ordered the lasagna, and I had the tagliatelle and lobster special. We each had a half-bottle of wine, and the bill came with complementary shots of crema di limoncello. Everything was so good!

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for gelato and appreciated the evening scene at the Sorrento marketplace. While Manhattan and Brooklyn are vibrant at night, Italy has an entirely different kind of energy. Sadly, we didn’t have quite as much energy tonight, and meandered back to the hotel to call it a night early. Tomorrow, our itinerary calls for a relaxing day of sleeping in, enjoying Sorrento, and, perhaps, spending a few hours by the pool. We are both so glad to be here, and enjoying a break from wireframing, admission counseling and wedding planning. If all goes well, we will be regularly posting to this blog, so please stay tuned for more updates from Sorrento and Rome. We miss our friends and family back home, but our honeymoon is already off to an amazing start! Buona notte!

Take care,
– Dan