What to do to escape the British weather? Dive down to Southern Italy. What about the hottest week in the UK this year? Oh OK I'll go then...
The main attraction for going to Italy aside from the sun? The food!! Some of my favourite foods come from here; pizza, pasta, ice cream, bread, MMM. MMM.
I took a million photos and also took day trips to the Amalfi Coast and Capri, which I will post about separately. First off, Sorrento is a hilly place. Seriously hilly, and there are no pavements to speak of in most places. Traffic is seriously all over the shop. Most of the time in transit is spent dodging scooters with anything up to three passengers and a dog on board. Looks like fun! Other than this the scenery is very picturesque...
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| Most drinks come with complimentary snacks |
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| This band were great, trawling the streets all evening |
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| Balcony shot |
One of the most famous restaurants in Sorrento is called O'Parrucchiano. There is practically a lemon grove inside. We had been recommended this restaurant by others who have travelled here. It was probably our ordering that went array as we both opted for meat. Not something Italy is known for and the main catalyst of all the meals we were disappointed with (OK so this only totals two in the whole week...). I would recommend this restaurant for the atmosphere alone. It is enormous and there are lots of rooms/areas. Make sure you get out in the garden with the lemon trees.
The harbour is gorgeous in Sorrento, but you have to go down 131 steps and navigate a treacherous hairpin bend with traffic coming both ways to access it from town. We think the Grand hotel overlooking the harbour has a lift for their guests, but half the fun is taking your life in your hands! We came down here a couple of times to day trip to Amalfi and Capri. Other than the boats there isn't much to do down here.
One of our favourite restaurants due to both the location and food was La Lanterna Pizzeria in the 'lanes' of the town, where you will also find amazing pasta, limoncello and souvenir shops as well as some designer brands thrown in the mix and of course lots of leather. In La Lanterna and many other restaurants in the area, pasta is billed as a starter. They are also priced like this (you are looking about €6/7 for a pasta dish). We fancied both pizza and pasta and were going to have one of each EACH, instead we sensibly opted for a pizza to share (which incidentally came first) with a pasta dish each. The pizza was amazing...huge, thick and absolutely covered in topping.
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| Done... |
The pasta (green salmon gnocchi and lasagna) were delicious but not as good as the pizza. It could be because we were getting full...the wine was also delish. Red wine at lunch time...good job we could have a snooze in the afternoon.
The final restaurant to talk about in Sorrento is the Sedil Dominova. Again in the lanes this charming little typical Italian first attracted us due to the boats you could sit in outside. There are only four so you have to time it right. The first time we came here (yes we did this one twice, it was our favourite) I can't really remember what I ate (shocking). Potentially there had been many pre-dinner cocktails consumed and poolside beverages enjoyed. I do know however that we had bruschetta...which included the first bit of garlic we had all week. Our interpretation of Italian food must be completely different to what they actually serve. We did not see a bit of garlic bread all week.
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| Tirimasu, two spoons |
The second time we frequented the Sedil Dominova I opted for simple garlic and chili spaghetti. No sauce, just oil. It was however a small portion. It didn't matter however as when we got back to the hotel we called for room service to bring dinner! Pasta pesto and lasagna literally on a silver plate.
Sorrento is also home to some of the best ice cream ever. Gelateria Primavera is the home of the best ice cream in Sorrento. They have so many flavours it was almost impossible to pick between. I opted for three in one...caramel, toblerone and one that I can't remember, must have been a sugar induced black out). Apparently even the pope has been here!
Now we are nearing the end of this marathon post...but I cannot leave you without some food porn. Pasta is my weakness (one of them actually) and I was in carb heaven. They are so beautifully packaged and displayed I wanted to buy them all. I didn't, although I did buy some...
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| Back at the ranch, this was my haul |
Amalfi and Capri posts to come, I will also let you know what I do with this food once I finish dieting. OK so the buffalo mozzarella has gone, well it was going to pass it's best before date...in the meantime; Cheers!
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Amalfi and Capri posts to come, I will also let you know what I do with this food once I finish dieting. OK so the buffalo mozzarella has gone, well it was going to pass it's best before date...in the meantime; Cheers!
