Last March I treated my beloved to a trip to Rome for his 30th birthday. The original plan was to go for three nights to Roma, see the sights, eat the food and come back to dreary Dublin a little more cultured and a little bit fatter. But then he did a little research and realised that the Amalfi coastline was only a three hour drive from Rome, maybe even less on a train and why not make a longer trip out of it and do a little touring? So that’s what we did. I had been to Italy a few times before and had done much of the staple tourist attractions in Rome, but no matter how firmilar a place it may be, it still amazes you. Even the proud Romans themselves feel priveliged to live in what can only be described as a living museum. The city is steeped and stewed in history, with every little street and path ornated with a story. Our little B&B was situated just a stone throw away from the Colloseum, we spent our entire first day taking tours around the ancient Forum and the Colloseum, and though I had done it before, there is always something new to learn, each guide has a new story that will stick in your head. For this tour, the circus maximus is what really stood out for me, the sheer size of it, it’s huge capacity bigger than any football stadium we could show you today and with a much smaller population at the time of a mere five million. The thinking behind the engineering of that seems almost impossible even nowadays.
Italy is a magical kind of place, it really has influenced so much of modern day life. The Roman Empire left it’s mark on the world through politics, architecture and most of all…food. I honestly don’t know how they manage to keep their weight under control over there because it’s so easy to eat all the bread and all the cheese and all the pasta. For lunch and dinner on our first two days we did of course go for traditional Italian fare, pizzas and pastas. Each one as good as the last, I honestly don’t think we had a bad meal the entire time we were there.
But on day three we had what one might call ‘too much carb syndrome’. We were feeling pretty bloated and stodgy which can happen when you devour pizza and pasta all day every day it’s inevitable. We hopped on to Yelp in search of some cuisine that’s a bit different from the typical Italian pizza place, and it’s suprisingly hard to do so. But we did find a very funky little spot, well recommended and served craft beers. SOLD! The little place was called Open Baladin, almost hidden away from all the tourists, this place is a gem. With walls filled top to bottom with craft beers and gourmet burgers that hit the ‘no more pizza’ spot! The menu is simple, good burgers and good sides but the beer menu is far from simple, it’s huge and varied. Needless to say we got somewhat tipsy testing out some new brews.
After our three night stint in Roma and after doing every touristy thing there was to do, including standing in ridiculous queues I was looking forward to our visit to the coast. We rented a soft top for the occasion, best decision we ever made, if there is anywhere in the world that you should be driving in a convertible it’s the Amalfi coast. Then again if there is anywhere in the world that you probably shouldn’t be driving, it’s the Amalfi coast. The roads are pretty damn nuts, they’re windy, narrow and on the edge of a cliff but once you take the danger out of it they’re the most beautiful sights your eyes will ever be graced with. The drive from Rome would have taken a little over three hours to Sorrento, had we not stopped in Pompeii. With no English tour guide in the 30 degree heat after three days looking at ruins in Rome, I was not in the mood for Pompeii. I’m sure with more time, patience and translation I would have really enjoyed it but without it I’m afraid I did not. When we arrived in Sorrento we were tired but happy, the sun was shining and we arrived in our charming hotel up in the hills overlooking the stunning town of Sorrento and it’s coast. When we checked in I was told that we had been upgraded to a ‘romance’ room, meaning we had our own private terrace looking out over the view. The hotel really was fabulous, small and quaint but kept immaculate and with wonderful staff. And a view to die for!
Sorrento is a beautiful little town, small street, quirky shops and restaurants serving amazing seafood. Being by the coast, they had to. I opted for seafood linguine on our first night and gulped down some of the best wine I’ve ever had, a little albino dog made friends with us while we ate, there was a smell of lemons in the air, it was heaven.
The following day we started our drive along the coast. I wasn’t doing the driving, thank God! It really is scary at times, it doesn’t help that the locals are used to it and like to fly around the treacherous bends for sport. But it is worth the journey, the drive is dotted with tiny villages built into the cliffs each with it’s own charms. Parking along the drive is a complete nightmare and at times we had to park about 2kms from the town, walk in and walk back out but we were on holidays and had time. It was worth it. All of the towns have an old charm about them, the streets are tiny and steep, there are lots of tourist shops selling glass, ornaments and litres of lemencello. The lemons grow there like footballs! Eveyone seems to be in holiday mode including the people working there, relaxed and slow and eating plenty of gelato.
On the very last leg of the trip, as the sun was about to go down I got a lovely suprise and was driven to a special little piece of heaven and the icing on the delicious Italian cake, other than a renovated roman fort that had been turned into a stunning restaurant. Located on the edge of a cliff looking out over the Amalfi coast it was the kind of place you only see on postcards and lonely planet. He had done his research and had tried to book us a special table right on the rocks beside the water but it being March they don’t let you use that until the Summer kicks in. But we got our pick of tables inside and chose one with a medieval window looking out over the bay. Inside was like an old medieval castle with suit of armour and all. The menu was dedicated to it’s seafood which was a big bonus for me. The meal was gorgeous and the setting even better, it was the perfect end to our Italian trip. Our short journey to Salerno was pretty scary, those roads are even worse in the dark! But we made it back, slept for a mere few hours until we had to be up to drive back to Rome and catch our flight. But word to the wise, it’s worth the drive. We will definitely be back!
Flavour Goddess 