What Happens in Italy...

What Happens in Italy...

The best things in life are not things at all. They are experiences. 

Share your amore for Italy and come spend the day with Exclusive Cruises. It's guaranteed to be a good time, just watch the above video and you will see...

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves – Part 1

Daily Life on the Amalfi Coast

I took this picture in early morning on my daily walk - when the Amalfi coast was just waking up

Daily life on the Amalfi Coast is full of sunshine, garlic and lemons. Riding a Vespa along the famous Amalfi Drive, curving between the cliffs and the sea, I look at the view and wonder what I did to deserve living in such a breathtaking place.

You can tune in to my short video series documenting my daily life here, but in the meantime I will tell you a little about my latest adventures.

The Amalfi Coast is composed of a variety of small towns just south of Naples on the Mediterranean coast. Houses are built into the rocks and cliffs overlooking the sea. Lemon groves and grape vines are scattered through the winding roads. Life is simple here and revolves mostly around family. Every day for lunch, families join and sit for a meal of pasta and wine, followed by seasonal fruit and an espresso. Then a swim is usually in line before getting back to work. Everyone has a tanned glow and is smiling, offering some sort of food or beverage, using loud voice inflections in both Italian and Neapolitan dialect accompanied animated hand gestures. 

My main source of transportation here is hitching a ride, or “prendere un passagio”. Since the coast is so small, I more than often know someone passing. I usually jump on the back of a vespa and ride from one town to the next, visiting family, friends, or discovering new beach.

Andrea with his Granita Cart on the beach in Amalfi

The economy here thrives on tourism. The economic crisis hit the coast like a ton of bricks, but it is slowly recovering. This year my cousin Andrea (Andrew in English) started a new business making lemon slushies (or granitas), from a small cart. The lemons are of course grown locally and organically and his granitas are the best on the coast (I’m not biased). It makes me laugh to see him rolling by along the beach or the port with his cart, and he has an equally fun personality to accompany it.

The beaches offer sunbed and umbrella rentals, restaurants cook recipes with fresh fish caught daily, handmade pasta, and locally grown vegetables and fruit. Hotels include terraces overlooking the sea and the shops sell handmade ceramics, unique to the coast.

Me! Boating on the Mediterranean Sea

Sometimes I feel like I stepped back in time and imagine my great grandmother Rose and great grandfather Fabiano walking the same cobblestone streets that I walk every day. I go to visit my aunts, and as we sit in the kitchen I listen to their stories about my great grandmother, who died when I was a child. She left Amalfi to find a better life, and my great grandfather followed her onto the ship all the way across the Atlantic to Ellis Island, pressing for her hand in marriage. She finally agreed and they married in New Haven, CT, which is the sister city of Amalfi because during the depression many Amalfitans went to New Haven.  Rose and Fabiano stayed together to raise 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.

Now here I am, with fire in my heart, tracing my roots back to where it all began.

Amalfi Coast Lemons - they grow to be the size of grapefruits!

The famous Duomo of San Andrea on the Piazza of Amalfi

View of Amalfi from a town above called Tovere

Sunset over Mount Vesuvius. I snapped this picture on a drive back to Amalfi from Naples. Mount Vesuvius is a volcano that destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii in 79 AD.

Savor the Sweetness of the Amalfi Lemon Groves

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves: Part 6 -

“Leaving behind my beloved New York skyscrapers has of course been a bit tart, but I prefer to savor the sweetness of the lemon groves”

The other day I brought a literal meaning to the title of my column, as I dove head first into the abundant lemon groves that ascend through the Amalfi Coast hills. I discovered that something called a Lemon Tour exists, created by the De Riso family here in Minori, Italy. This tour takes people up into the mountains to explore the paths and passageways of the groves high above the Mediterranean Sea.

View from the gardens in Scala, Italy

I brought along my 7 year old cousin Myriam to experience this adventure, as I thought it would be a special experience for her. The tour began very early in the morning, where we met Carlo De Riso, the mastermind behind the tour.

Climbing into a refurbished antique bus, we clambered up the mountains from Minori, through La Marmorata and into Scala and Pontone. It was a gorgeous morning and as we made our way up from the seafront into the dense gardens, the view of the sun rising over the sea created a serene glow. Scala is a small town situated above Minori and is one of the oldest communes on the coast. This is where we find fresh fruits, vegetables, and livestock.

With Myriam in the heart of the lemon groves. Notice the grapes hanging above our heads.

Once in the groves, we began our descent on foot, climbing down crumbling stairs, through soil and trees and under a canopy of lemons, figs, grapes, zucchini and tomatoes.  We trekked past pigs, horses, rabbits, and ducks. Cats scampered out from under our feet as we trudged along. It was cool and fresh and the smell of lemons filled the air and our noses.

The celebrated lemon groves: The lemons are folded under a wooden umbrella for protection from the wind and weather. They are supported by the wood which in turn allows them to grow larger.

Lemons are one of the most important crops cultivated on the Amalfi Coast. Years ago, during the depression, the cultivation of lemons was relied upon to feed and maintain large families. They are now a world renowned symbol of the coast, growing to be larger than grapefruits and being used in everything imaginable; from sweets to liquors, pastas, salads and even eaten alone, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The De Riso family has been in the lemon business since 1927. Each cousin has branched off into a specialty-desserts, liquors and distribution. The lemon tour was started last year and has been a success among tourists looking to see for themselves what all the lemon hype is about.

Carlo De Riso giving me a lesson on Amalfi Coast lemons.

One of the most beautiful parts of the tour was meeting the men that work in the gardens, picking and caring for the fruit every day. These men don’t do this work for the money but instead for the tradition and the culture-their love for the land and the importance of what it means for Italy and the coast. To me, that is raw and beautiful truth.

Two of the magicians behind the lemon cultivation…and their dog!

I learned that some of the different types of lemons cultivated on the Amalfi Coast are:

Verdello: Cultivated in September and October, they are round in shape and contain more of a green tint.

Zagora Bianca: Smaller in size and round in shape.

Sfusato: Generally longer and thinner in shape.

Primo Fiore: The most fragrant with more of an acidic juice.

We finally made it through the groves and down into the town of Pontone, where we sat in the shade and enjoyed slices of lemon cake, drank lemonade and munched on freshly picked lemons drizzled with olive oil and balsamic. From there we boarded the little bus back to Minori where we were able to get a glimpse of the De Riso lemon factory. Once in the factory,  the lemons are then converted into deliciousness (Limoncello, anyone?) and sent out to be sold and consumed.

Limoncello and lemon treats at the De Riso factory in Minori, Italy.

In all, leaving behind my beloved New York skyscrapers has of course been a bit tart, but I prefer to savor the sweetness of the lemon groves.

August Festivals on the Amalfi Coast

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves: Part 4 -

Endless celebrations of food and fun

August is full of festivals and parties in Italy. Almost every night there is a town that is honoring a Saint or a type of delicious food. Since my last article on “La Festa Della Patata”, there have been wine, cheese and pastry festivals, to name a few. There has also been the celebration of Ferragosto, one of the most important holidays in Italy. Ferragosto, celebrated on the 15^th of August, beckons all the city dwellers down to the coast, where they can enjoy a day of sea, sun and sand.

La Sagra Della Mozzarella: The Amalfi Coast is famous for producing arguably the best mozzarella in the world, and the other night I went to a mozzarella festival in Agerola with some friends called “Fiordilatte Fiordifesta”. Agerola is a town in the mountains above the Amalfi Coast, about 35 killometers south of the city of Naples and about 15 killometers above Amalfi.

At the festival, we ate Fior di Latte mozzarella. We paired it with prosciutto, with pasta, with eggplant, bread, tomatoes, and of course all by itself. We ate it warm and melted, raw and cold, and spread as a cream along foccacia bread. We ate mozzarella in every way possible.

Two of the most well known types are Fior di Latte, made in the town of Agerola, and Mozzerella di Bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella), produced in a village called Tramonti. Mozzarella di Bufala is produced using the milk of water buffalo, originally brought to the Campania region of Italy from India in about 600 AD. They thrived along the Amalfi Coast. Fior di Latte is known to be made with less fat and lighter, but some argue that the taste is not as sweet.  Everyone has their own opinion on what type is the best mozzarella. I love both.

Mozzarella Festival in Agerola-Fior di Latte Mozzarella

Ferragosto: Ferragosto is another holiday with ridiculous parties, and this was my first time experiencing the festivities. Ferragosto is celebrated on the 15^th of August.  I went to the town of  Positano to see the fireworks display with some friends. Positano is known to have one of the best fireworks displays on the coast. We laid down a sarong on the beach with some red wine and watched the display. It was spectacular.

Although Ferragosto is now associated with beach and sun, it dates as far back as to the times of the emperors.  In the 18^thcentury BC, emperor Ottaviano Augusto declared that August 15^th would be a day of rest for Italy, as a way to celebrate the end of summer. It was celebrated with games and horse races. Ferragosto is also a religious holiday for Italy, which is a Catholic country. It is Santa Assunta day, said to be the rise of Mary into Heaven to join her son Jesus and look after all of the people on Earth. Everyone on the Amalfi Coast celebrated the coming of Ferragosto with dancing in the port of Amalfi, followed by the next day under the hot sun at the beach, and then fireworks at night.

Positano in August

A Ferragosto firework above the beach in Positano

Notte Bianca: Another fun festival takes place in a town called Praiano. All the stores remain open all night long, and everyone dresses from head to toe in white. For the young Italians, it’s another excuse to party on a hot August night.

View from Praiano before Notte Bianca, another festival in August!

Notte Bianca