ENGLAND
SIRACUSA


“Positano is never likely to attract the organdie-and-white linen tourist,” John Steinbeck predicted in Harper’s Bazaar in 1953. “It would be impossible to dress as a languid tourist-lady-crisp, cool white dress, sandals as white and light as little clouds, picture hat of arrogant nonsense, and one red rose held in a listless white-gloved pinky. I dare any dame to dress like this and climb the Positano stairs for a cocktail.”
Steinbeck was spectacularly wrong. A decade after his article, the Rolling Stones wrote music in Positano and Jackie Kennedy vacationed in nearby Ravello. The Amalfi Coast comprises 34 miles and 13 towns on the Italy’s southern coast. Designated as a World Heritage Site in 1997, it quickly became a port of call for the subsection of rich people whose careers mainly entail broadcasting absurd luxury. For the sake of this article, I attempted to make an exhaustive list of celebrities who have vacationed in Amalfi, but it quickly became clear that even if I did this work until I died and left the task to my descendants, it could never be completed.
During the last two years, Google searches for “Positano” have spiked as dramatically as the cliffs into which the town is set. #AmalfiCoast has more than 330 million views on TikTok. “Everyone is on the Amalfi Coast right now,” comedian Kate Berlant reflected in her podcast Poog. “There it is—the poison of Instagram!” her cohost, comedian Jacqueline Novak, responded. “You’re walking around with this idea that everyone is on the Amalfi Coast right now?” And yet—this is how it feels.
A local Amalfi news site notes that this summer, tourism on the coast looks likely to break previous records—this despite the fact that the area usually enjoys high tourism numbers from Russia, whose citizens won’t be traveling this summer. The article credits social media for the boost. U.S. News and World Report ranked Amalfi number one in “Best Beaches in Italy,” number two in “Best Honeymoon Destinations in Europe,” and number 3 in “Best Places to Visit in Italy.” Brides magazine put it first in a list of romantic places to honeymoon. In March, Rebecca Serle released the book One Summer in Italy, set in Positano. It sailed onto the best-seller list like a catamaran on a breezy day.
Popularity has a price. All roads lead to Rome, but only one road leads to the Amalfi Coast. This means that travel during high tourist season is less “laughing merrily in your convertible” and more “hours-long gridlock nightmare as you scrounge in your tote bag for loose cashews.” A rule imposed this summer by the Italian government dictates that all throughout August and every weekend from June 15 to September 30, visitors to the area may only travel on the roads on odd- or even-numbered days, depending on the last digit on their license plate, CNN reports. The Italian economy suffered from the lack of tourism in 2020, during the height of the pre-vaccine pandemic. The influx of visitors since the country reopened to tourists is a mixed blessing.
The average price of a hotel room in Positano has increased more than 20% since 2019, Bloomberg reports (it’s now a sweet, sweet $618.38.) Airline prices are at historic highs. So how, exactly, is everyone on my timeline affording this vacation?
Many visitors are likely funding their spectacular vacations not through largesse, but debt. A 2019 survey from Credit Karma found that about a third of all travelers and half of all millennial and Gen Z respondents said they had gone into debt for summer travel (the majority reported that they would be “willing to do it again.”) A survey from Allianz found that this year Americans plan to spend $2,122, on average, for vacation, a 50% increase from 2019. Despite the reports that air travel this summer has been and will continue to be “hell,” the last Sunday in June saw more travelers than any day since February 2020, a TSA spokesperson reported. At a dinner party recently, a woman mentioned in a world-weary way that she has visited Positano three times. She sounded exhausted, as if instead of the Italian coastline, friends and bachelorette parties had dragged her to Trenton, New Jersey.
For so many years I did not think about the Amalfi Coast—I thought about Paris and London and Bora Bora, and when I thought about Italy, I thought of Rome and Venice and Milan and Tuscany. Sometimes I thought about Pisa, Pompei, Florence, and Siena. Later I thought about whatever area Call Me By Your Name was shot. I cannot believe there is another part of Italy I am supposed to be thinking about. And yet. “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone,” wrote Steinbeck. Or in the words of a Glamour staffer who visited once for six hours: “I follow every account and look at the webcam of Positano every night before I go to bed because it calms me.”
Through a proliferation of images the novelist could never have imagined, the Amalfi Coast has amassed real estate in hundreds of millions of minds. If everyone on the Amalfi Coast jumped off a cliff—into sparkling sapphire waters—would you? Yes, of course. As long as someone was taking a picture.
INGREDIENTS :
Sunday Sauce
Procida, a tiny spot of land in the Bay of Naples, might be best known as the island between Ischia and Capri. But in late January, it was named Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2022, beating nine other candidates—a mix of cities and small towns—and becoming the first island to ever be granted the title.
Under two square miles in total, the island has mostly flown under the tourist radar (except in July and August, when many Neapolitans come here for their summer vacations), overshadowed by its better-known siblings. This is all despite its big-screen moments—Procida has served as the set of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Il Postino—and the fact that it features the same pastel houses, cafes-lined marinas, and narrow streets as its bigger counterparts, but also historic sites, wild nature, and near-empty beaches.
From here, it’s a 15-minute walk uphill (then downhill) to Marina Corricella, Procida’s oldest fishing village. Only reachable on foot or by boat, the area is one of the best places to stay for a taste of slow island living, and is full of restaurants—Caracale, La Lampara, Il Pescatore, to name a few—gelato shops like Chiaro di Luna, and bars.
At the opposite end of the island, Marina Chiaiolella is another fishing village with great eateries (try Da Mariano and Lido Vivara), craft boutiques, and old-school bakeries—not to mention access to one of the island’s most popular beaches, spiaggia della Chiaiolella, known for its sunsets.
Terra Murata, the fortified medieval stronghold at the highest and northernmost tip of the island, is another highlight. A tumble of skinny lanes and crumbling houses, this is Procida’s most historical center, home to Abbazia San Michele Arcangelo, which honors Procida’s patron saint, and Palazzo D’Avalos, a 16th-century palace that was the former residence of the island’s governing family. In 1830 the building was converted into a prison that eventually closed in 1988. Two viewpoints here offer the island’s most panoramic vistas: Corricella in all its candy-colored glory to the west; and the Gulf of Naples, with Capri in the distance, to the east.
On the opposite coast from Marina Grande, in the southern part of the island, there here is a place that no guide on “what to see in Procida” will ever forget.
The seaside village of Corricella is simply suggestive and lively at the same time. It is the classic fishermen village animated by bars, restaurants and small craft shops where you can buy the most typical souvenirs, which anyone who comes to Procida cannot avoid to love and photograph.
Here you can stroll among the fishermen’s nets, admiring the very old colourful houses and deeply breathing the sea in the air.
The BEACHES
Among Procida’s most scenic beaches are Pozzo Vecchio, whose black sands were made famous in Il Postino; spiaggia Chiaia, to the east, which overlooks Ischia and features clear, shallow waters and a backdrop of rocky cliffs (plus the excellent seafood restaurant La Conchiglia); and Ciraccio, the longest and most secluded. Further down, the spiaggia della Chiaiolella is another gem, though slightly more frequented, especially in the late afternoon, when its stabilimenti (beach clubs with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas) start rolling out aperitivo.
This “poor” version of seafood spaghetti contains just anchovies, cherry tomatoes, and a dusting of Pecorino Cheese.
The waters of Procida abound with Pagello fish, which locals call luvero. The most popular way to cook this sea bream is in a salt crust (al sale) with some herbs.
In addition to the sea, locals have also sourced food from the island’s terroir. Procida, like Ischia, has a signature rabbit dish, usually prepared with cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and white wine.
Recipes vary, but the Procidani usually slip anchovies into their filling for stuffed squid.
As Procida is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Naples, it should come as no surprise that the island’s pizzaioli emulate the wood-fired style of the world’s pizza capital.
Especially popular around Easter, this savory bread is stuffed with artichokes and, at times, sausage.
Creamy and briny, sea urchin has a particular taste, one that fuses nicely with spaghetti when sautéed with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a hint of lemon.
Procida is famous for its lemons, which are larger and sweeter than other varieties. The Procidani prepare them in dozens of sweet and savory recipes, and a signature dolce is the Lingue di Procida, or tongues of Procida, lemon-flavored, cream-filled pastries.
Speaking of lemons, the lemon salad with mint, garlic, crushed red chili pepper, garlic and olive oil makes for an airy, refreshing start to any meal.
WHERE to STAY
The San Michele in Corricella, has 12 tastefully decorated rooms done in earthy tones and minimalist design. A similar aesthetic is found in its slightly bigger sister property La Suite, a stylish accommodation near Ciraccio that comes with a pool, a garden, and striking views.
In Chiaiolella, the three-star Hotel Ristorante Crescenzo is a popular choice not just for its simple, brightly colored rooms but its pizzeria, one of the most famous in Procida. La Vigna in a beautifully restored farmstead within a vineyard that overlooks the Bay of Naples, delivers charm and tranquility.
MOVIES SHOT on PROCIDA
14 Euros, but it does come with a good amount of snacks which Cosantino my favorite waiter brought me. Cosantino took great care of me, the 6 times I went to Bar Tiberio on this particular trip. I was also drinking glasses of Falanghina (11 Euro), and I met a couple who were staying at the same hotel that I was, we wnt out for dinner at Risitorante Isadoro, then went to Tiberio afterwards and we got a bottle of Falanghina Fenicia that cost $45 a bottle. I had a Lasagan Bolognese (14 E) there one night. It was quite tasty.
ALBEROBELLO, ITALY
ROCK STARS WRITERS & MOVIE STARS
On CAPRI and The AMALFI COAST
ITALY
“IT’S FINALLY HERE” !!!
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK
TRAVEL GUIDE
Is LIVE and AVAILABLE at AMAZON.com
Hello folks, boys and girls, Ladies & Gentlemen, “it’s here!” What? POSITANO is Here !!! The AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK / TRAVEL GUide by me, Daniel Bellino Zwicke has been published and is live and for sale on Amazon on this day and on into the future for many years, Positano The AMalfi Coast Cookbook / Travel Guide is live and ready to go to all of you waiting and planning that special trip to Capri, Positano, Ravello or anywhere that your heart desires of the beautiful Amalfi Coast of Southern Italy. “How bout that?” It’s a very happy day for me, I’ve been working on this book for almost two years, and now here it is on February 8th of the year 2021, after the horrible year we had last year (2020), a better and happier year and day and many happy days ahead in 2021 and-on-and-on. You can now get yourself a copy POSITANO , this the first book on Positano & The Amalfi Coast that is a Cookbook, Guide Book, and book of essays and stories on Positano, Capri, and the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. “Yee-haa!”
So, if you’re planning that special Positano / Amalfi Coast vacation, honeymoon, wedding or whatever, and you need a little help planning, and seek some inspiration and ideas for your special vacation, why not start here and grab a copy? The book is filled with information, recipes, and delightful stories that are sure to get those travel juices flowing. Just read the stories and get all pumped up by the future prospects of your dream vacation on the Amalfi Coast, a wedding in Ravello, or Romantic Honeymoon on Capri, or Positano. You will start as you read through the pages of this book and maybe making a plate of Mussels Marinara or Spaghetti Vongole, just two of the many wonderful recipes in this book. This is part of Daniel’s plan and how he envisioned this book to inspire through the stories and cooking some of the wonderful dishes that are favorites in Naples, on Capri, Positano, and all over the Amalfi Coast. Make these dishes to get psyched for your trip, as well as reliving memories of the favorite things you ate in Positano once you are home. This book will help you achieve these things.
Thanks so Much,
Daniel
“POSITANO it’s HERE” !!!!