Paestum & Amalfi Coast
On The Way to Paestum: Buffalo Kisses & Cop Encounters
The spa treatment: massages for the buffalo.
Mark's buddy's up close encounter with a buffalo.
Friday, April 27
Tour: Day 7
"All the buffalo have names and listen to Mozart every morning,” says Stefania, our host at the Vannulo Farm.
Lunch is at the Vannulo organic water buffalo farm. The only one in Italy and we’re told it's a food pilgrimage for people from all over the world.
But, on the way to the farm we get stopped by the police!
“Stay cool,” Caterina implores, as the policeman approaches. He wants to check the bus record and make sure Giuseppe has been adhering to all the laws, like speed and time spent driving. Giuseppe hands over the computer record and they both step outside.
Here is where the fun begins!
The policeman left his hat on the bus. Caterina puts it on. We start snapping pictures. As luck would have it, a tour member is a retired policeman who carries police patches to exchange with other police officers. He offers a patch to the Italian cop and the Italian cop offers one back! Before we know it, they are shaking hands, smiling and posing for photo ops!
Being Kissed by a Buffalo
When we arrive at the farm we go and visit the 200 buffalo and their living quarters, including their massage station (really!). Stefania says the quality of the mozzarella is due to the quality of the milk, so they keep the buffalo serene and happy.
We are able to get close enough that one gently kisses my hand! A sensory delight.
Lunch on the Farm
Our chefs, Rosa and Lucana, put before us olive bread, spinach torte, tomatoes, a ricotta and mozzarella salad dressed with olive oil, and more. The ricotta is so fresh that I know I’m now spoiled. Eating the grainy ricotta back in Minnesota is going to be difficult.
Pleasure Activist Tip: Talk with locals! It’s easy to be a pleasure activist at the Vannulo Farm. The beauty of the place, the friendliness of the buffalo, and the freshness of the food entice my senses to burst forth in delight. But I want to bump up this pleasure. So after lunch I order my pistachio and chocolate gelato, sit on the patio, and talk with a young Italian mother and her little boy, while she feeds her baby some gelato. She excitedly tells me, “I have been to the U.S. I have seen New York. Grande! So large!”
The"Cat" in a Hat!
Retired policeman/ tourmate making a friend with an Italian cop.
Magna Graecia: Greater Greece
Ruins and temples
Paestum includes the three ancient Greek temples of Athena, Neptune and Hera. They're considered one of the best preserved collections of Greek temples. Pat, Mark and I walk to each temple, gazing at each one's magnificence. The smallest temple is dedicated to Athena. The oldest is the Temple of Hera. The largest is the Temple of Neptune. Mark and I have been on Rick’s Best of Sicily tour and seen well-preserved Greek temples but here we have the opportunity to walk inside two temples. The pastoral setting in which these temples reside creates an evocative feeling where you can walk around the village ruins and visualize it once thriving. On this trip there's this allure to what once was and what now sleeps underneath our feet.
After seeing the temples, we visit the museum which includes artifacts from prehistoric to Greek and Roman times. The Diver tomb, from 480 B.C., are slabs from the sides of a tomb, showing a diver and scenes of feasting. These ancient Greek tomb slabs are a rare example of Greek painting.
Mama Mia! Driving the Amalfi Coast has been a dream of mine and now we are doing it! The scenery is so breathtaking, and the dramatic, twisty road so harrowing for an inexperienced driver, I am happy Giuseppe’s at the wheel. Photos or words just don't do it justice.
View from the bus.
The Diver Tomb
View: Amalfi Coast from the Bus
Positano
Paradise in Positano
The season begins in Positano! Tourists...including Alexis in the straw hat!
Evening on the waterfront.
“Almost always when you find a place as beautiful as Positano your impulse is to conceal it.” John Steinbeck
I agree, John, but the cat is out of the bag on this one!
Even though it’s just the beginning of the season, tourists are here. Walking on the small sidewalks, Caterina instructs us to “get narrow.” No two by two. Mark and I are glad we have comfortable and sturdy shoes for walking up and down and up and down and up and down. Forget fashion and favor comfort.
After a walk to Positano’s beach, Pat, Mark and I head back to the Hotel Savoia. We decide to get take-out pizza and dine on our balcony (this time Pat doesn't have a balcony view). How can you beat this view? This is Day 7 of our tour and it’s been one WOW moment after another. Now, the three of us are sitting looking out at Positano glimmering before us. We bite into our slices of pizza from Collina, a pizzeria close by. A bottle of red wine sits next to us. We’re practically bewitched by this place! I’m not sure I will ever want to leave this paradise.
Now for something entirely different! A bit about showers. What's the difference between a typical American shower and an Italian one? Let's put it this way: so far on this trip if Mark drops the soap, bending down to get it involves stepping out of the shower! So, when I hear him say, "This is the best shower so far,” I smile.
Room with a view: paradise view from our balcony.
Postcard of Positano Caterina and Alexis gave us.
Amalfi Coast
Saturday, April 28
Tour: Day 8
An ENTIRE day to play in Positano or wherever we might want to venture! SO many choices!
Mark and I choose to take a boat ride along the Amalfi Coast to Amalfi Town. We want to see some scenery from the vantage point of a boat and tour the cathedral in Amalfi, with its striped neo-Byzantine façade and Moorish and Byzantine styles. I also fancy a sfogliatella pastry from Andrea Pansa. We want to explore more of Positano too before gathering with the group later today for...you guessed it: aperitivo! (Well, we are in Italy and we are on vacation!)
Last night I thought I had the best seat in town for dinner. Now, I’m flirting with a rival view. Da Bruno! Pat, Mark and I sit at a table that's perched high above the sea that looks down, down down to the water and is across the street from the actual restaurant. The waiters run across the street to serve you. It’s great fun to watch them scurry out of the restaurant and across the busy road to your table, carrying plates of fresh fish, pasta, and bottles of wine. TIP: If fresh anchovies are available, try them.
Free Day on the Amalfi Coast
Leisurely breakfast
Amalfi Cathedral
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We listen as the waiter tells us about the menu. But just look at the spectacular view at Da Bruno.
Scrumptious meal at Da Bruno.
Serene Sorrento
Sunday, April 29
Tour: Day 9
Mario teaching us the tricks to making tasty lemon gelato.
Some of David Gelateria's choices. Tough time choosing when there are about 30 flavors to try!
Sorrento rests on a cliff as it admires the Mediterranean and offers access to Capri but Mark and I have decided we're skipping Capri in favor of serene Sorrento when we have free time. But before free time we have a date with some lemons. Sorrento is known for its lemons, growing several different kinds. Some are about as big as a football and today we're going to have a chance to enjoy some (though these will be smaller than that).
It’s in the 80s in Sorrento so it’s ripe for making lemon gelato with Mario at his place David Gelateria using those voluptuous Sorrento lemons. I take my hand at getting it out of the machine! It's not as easy as I thought it would be. Mario tells me it's important that it ALL gets scooped into the bowl so none is wasted. Pressure! I don't succeed but we still end up having enough for everyone to enjoy! Whew!
Italian 101: Italy is an ice cream culture. When ordering gelato, ask the scooper to recommend what flavors go together. Italians know that pairing certain gelato flavors makes sense and that some are not meant to go together. Show your gelato IQ and bump up the gelato experience by asking for advice. (Mark and I will admit that we have not found a pairing we don’t like!) By the way, gelato can be made with milk or not.
Gelato we loved: coconut, hazelnut, chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, pineapple with fresh ginger and pineapple with sage. Of course, we loved the lemon gelato made with those fresh lemons, too.
Jana under pressure! Don't waste any of that delicious lemon gelato!
Pompeii
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Pompeii
The sun is hot and there isn’t much shade to find at Pompeii, so by the time we are done, most of us are ready for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or lemonade.
The afternoon is dedicated to Pompeii where a local guide shows us the highlights and helps us envision a thriving maritime commercial city.
Gartano, our guide, efficiently guides us through this massive site, telling us the story of this once vibrant Roman city, pulsing with 20,000 people from many cultures. Pompeii was a busy port and a middle-class city.
Pompeii offered it all: wine bars, theatres, thermal baths, bakeries, brothels and fast food (where you could get something grilled quickly over an open fire or pick something up for take-out). The public baths are where you could first work out, then have a choice between a hot, warm or cold bath. The ingenuity of Roman engineering is evident: there was a 100-mile long aqueduct that carried water to a big reservoir.
Viewing the casts of a few victims provides a sobering look at what occurred here in 79 A.D. Mark and I are glad that Gartano is guiding us through this complex and relating its history. This is one of those times, once again, we are glad we're on a Rick Steves tour where the local guides are passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, allowing us to benefit from their expertise and enthusiasm. Mark is struck with the contrast of Pompeii as a busy port ciy, so alive, and the "dead" city we're seeing, the remants of vibrancy now silent.
History Bite: Imagine Pompeii’s original buildings, covered by white, ground-marble stucco. As a pedestrian, when the streets are washed clean every day by flooding them, you would use the ingenious stepping stones to cross from one side to the other side. For your convenience as a shopper, some of the streets are pedestrian-only zones, not allowing chariots during business hours. Then imagine, on August 24 in 79 A.D., you are shopping and Mount Vesuvius blows. You didn’t realize you were living under a volcano. Two thousand people perish.
Dinner at O’ Parruccttiana, in a lemon grove. It’s leisurely service here. Pat, Mark and I chat and enjoy the beauty of dining among lemon trees. Lemon-scented dining is not something we're used to where we live!
Free Day in Serene Sorrento
It's after 11 a.m., so I can indulge in a pleasure activist moment. There's always room for gelato!
Remembering our Trastevere walk where we learned about the offering of an ex-voto in gratitude for recovering from an illness,we want to see this up close. So we slip into Basilica di Sant' Antonino Abate and see myriad silver ex-votos of various body parts.
Caterina told us she's buying an ex-voto as thanks for the healing of her Achilles heel.
Monday, April 30
Tour: Day 10
“Get your Italian on!” Caterina advises.
What does she mean? "To own the space you're in. Think of yourself as playing a role in a play." For example, when crossing the street, step off the curb, look the drivers in the eye and they'll stop. If you simply stay on the curb, they won't. Ok, Caterina! We're on our own today so let's try it out!
We begin by shopping for a gift. Our group wants to surprise Caterina with a cameo necklace so Mark and I are off to Bimonte to buy it. We want it to match her cameo flower earrings that she bought at Bimonte. I’ve taken a photo of her wearing the earrings and bring it to Bimonte, Christian’s shop,
where I hope he can help us. The three of us have a delightful time looking at many cameos. Christian tells us about the process of making a cameo piece and shows us some of his newest work.
I can tell that Christian adores Caterina. He’s one of her Italian family members. When he finds the perfect necklace for her, he exclaims to us, “Caterina has the soul of a butterfly.” I am smitten, charmed, enthralled by this man. Not seriously, of course. Just being a pleasure activist and allowing Italy’s magic to work on me.
When it's time for lunch we start walking to Restaurant Delfino in the old center of Sorrento. Scooters and cars brush by us as we walk along the narrow road. As we walk through an ancient-looking gate, with even less space between us and the speedy Italian drivers, I hear Caterina’s voice ring in my ears: “Get Your Italian On!” So, I confidently walk along as cars zoom past. "I am in a play, I am acting my part, I am owning my space.” To my amazement, I feel exhilarated by this boldness. I say a silent, “Thank you, Caterina.”
“I love doing this for Mother Mary,” Luisa says as we stand at Delfino’s cash register and she hands me a small Mother Mary medal. “She gives many blessings and graces.” Luisa, along with her brothers, owns the restaurant. I say grazie. An unexpected and charming encounter. I figure, if getting my Italian on isn’t enough to protect me on the walk back to Hotel Mignon, Mother Mary’s blessings have got me covered!
Strolling after lunch we witness bella chaos and sangue freddo (cool-headedness). The little tourist train, a van, a car and a scooter all come to odds at Villa Communale. They all want to get through the narrow intersection, seemingly at the same time, while pedestrians walk right in the street, too. The man in the car gets out and efficiently and boldly starts directing the vehicles. When they are all through he gets back in his car and drives away. Bravo! We witness an Italian getting his Italian on!
Lunch at Delfino is an al fresco experience, looking out at Mt. Vesuvius in the distance.
Scilliatille with mussels and clams.
Marina Grande where Delfino is located.
Mark and I step into A. Stinga and talk with the proprietor and end up buying a small inlaid wood scene of Sorrento.
Italian boldy directing the traffic jam at Villa Communale.
Italian 101: Soccer! We’re in a church. In walk a man and a little boy. The boy’s clutching his soccer ball. I pause. It dawns on me that perhaps soccer is a religion too, considering how passionate Italians are about it. Or, maybe there’s a patron saint of soccer and they have come to pay it a visit! Regardless, on this trip we see countless kids playing soccer.
Jana doing her best to keep up with Luigi!
Theresa's granddaughter is already a pro at pasta making!
A Sorrento Family Dinner
“Let’s dance, Luigi,” I say to my host.
We dine at Luigi and Theresa’s home with their son and daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. They cooked for two days for us and serve thirteen different dishes, their own wine and limoncello. As if that’s not enough, we also toast with Prosecco to celebrate some tour members’ anniversaries.
Our hosts surprise us with Johnny, a singer and guitar player. This is an example of Caterina’s Italian family showing their love for her (and we are the beneficiaries). Caterina is touched. Theresa and Luigi are delighted with her happiness.
We sing along with “That’s Amore." By now we’re getting pretty good! We dance, eat, drink and laugh the night away! The young granddaughter comes up to me and whispers, “Will you play with me?” She and her baby brother get in the act of dancing and playing music, too. Being a pleasure activist is easy when at Luigi and Theresa’s home!
The delights of dining at this family's home.
Theresa with her grandchildren and daughter-in-law.
Johnny serenading Caterina.
Theresa (in back) and her assistant making MORE food for us, after cooking for two days already!
A couple in our group expressing amore!
Italian 101: Caterina has been telling us: Italians love music and family and they are a culture of touch. “Fill your heart with love and live passionately,” is the way Italians feel, she tells us. All of this is on full display in Luigi and Theresa’s home. The deep love this family exudes for one another spills over to us it seems. We are wrapped in its warm comfort for a few hours. Their sense of place, and comfort in it, is so sincere.
Video - Johnny serenading Caterina.
© 2019 Jana Bauer
Page Six - Paestum & Amalfi Coast
