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

Capri, The Blue Grotto and the Myth of the Sirens

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves: Part 5 -

The beauty seen in darkness

Wandering through the caves of Capri and the Amalfi Coast, I can almost hear the Sirens that Homer mentioned when he wrote The Odyssey.  Ulysses knew that he couldn’t stop even his most stoic sailors from succumbing to the luring song of the sirens. As the ships sailed by, he ordered his sailors to fill their ears with wax as to not hear the seducing songs. Ulysses himself, however, wanted to hear the sirens’ beautiful voices so he tied himself to the ships mast so that he couldn’t escape.  Roman writers also suggest that the sirens are daughters of Phorcys, the God of the Sea. They sang sad and sweet songs to lure in sailors, but always with a deadly result. It is here on the Amalfi Coast where the myth seems to become reality.

Faraglioni, the famous rock formations of Capri and the mythical habitat of the Sirens

Riding along the shores of Capri, I explored the rocky coast, hidden caves, and deep blue crystal clear waters that these fabled sailors passed through. I sailed until I reached the blue grotto, or Grotta Azzurra.  The Blue Grotto is a small cave on the Island of Capri that reflects the most pristine and piercing blue light that I have ever seen. There is a very small hole that is the entryway, allowing light into the grotto. The large surrounding walls/rocks don’t reach the sea floor, which in turn allows sunlight to reflect underneath the water creating this mesmerizing blue effect in the cave.

The Blue Grotto is said to have been the private bath of Emperor Tiberius. It was later said by the island’s sailors to be haunted by evil spirits, therefore it remained largely untouched. By 1826 the Blue Grotto was rediscovered by German painter August Kopisch and since then has become a major attraction with people all over the world travelling to get a glimpse.

Right before entering the Blue Grotto

A dear friend from New York came to visit me last week and it was the perfect excuse to take a trip to this famed wonder.  My experience was one of comedy, terror, and awe. It began by the two of us sliding into a small rowboat with a Native Caprese sailor rowing us into the cave. 

“Lay flat and don’t move!” He ordered. “Keep your arms close to your chest!”

I was smushed like a sardine in a little rowboat next to my friend, lying on my back, looking up at the sailor as he tried to navigate this little rowboat over the rolling waves and into the cave’s tiny entrance. 

Bungada Bangada!

 The boat smashed into the sides of the rocks and water splashed onto our faces. 

“This is it”, I thought.  “I’m going to die on my way into the Blue Grotto”.

The sailor was holding on tight to a thick metal chain that was attached to the inside of the grotto, ready to force the boat through the hole. 

“C’e la facciamo justo justo”…. “We will just about fit”, he was saying to us.

Inside the Blue Grotto

All of a sudden I heard a bang, felt the boat surge forward, and then we were engulfed in darkness. I opened my eyes and saw the most intense blue light I had ever seen shining up through the water. “Hurry, jump! Hurry Hurry!”  The fisherman was saying in a “whisper-scream”, as swimming in the grotto is strictly forbidden. 

The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air and into the water. I popped up and looked around. I was the only one swimming in this dark cave with blue light shining all around me. Another splash and my friend was bobbing next to me. I was terrified of what sea creatures may have been swimming below, but excited about the fact that I was submerged in this electrifying grotto.

Suddenly, I was being pulled up by my arms and into the rocking rowboat. I had to lay flat again and we were pushed back into the real world and bright sunlight by a giant wave and a yank of the chain. 

Turquoise waters along the coast

Looking back, it was two minutes of sheer panic and laughter all rolled into one.  It’s not what one might think of when traveling to the luxurious and mythical island of Capri, but it was an experience that I will always remember fondly. 

A Little Piece of Paradise in Positano

Enjoying being a concierge of fashion, food and more on Amalfi Coast

Much has happened since my last article for Italia Living. Living life in the Lemon Groves has been extra adventurous this past summer. I moved to Positano. I began a new career. And so the story continues.

Positano seems to be the ideal place for a transplanted New Yorker to choose to live on the Amalfi Coast. The fashion is on a whole other level than the rest of the surrounding villages- Fendi, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, among others, are displayed in every store window…not to mention the fine linens and hand made leather sandals, bags, etc.

I find myself wandering through the streets alone with the shoes, bags and clothes as my company. My first friend since moving here was the store clerk at Missoni. Dangerous.

Positano, however, is a town full of cobblestone staircases because it rests on a mountainside. It is absolutely the most beautiful sight when seen from the sea. It takes my breath away. Needless to say, my thighs and butt are quickly getting whipped into shape with the 200 steps that I have to climb every day to get home. With this in mind, I kissed my 4 inch heels goodbye for the time being and have resorted to wearing my canvas, nautical inspired Toms everywhere I go. I’m a little nervous to see how the streets, staircases and narrow passageways handle the first rainfall.

After spending so much time between America and Italy, I have become known throughout friends in both countries as the “go to” person when planning a trip. I know all of the best things to do in both places- where and how to save the most money, places well worth visiting on and off the beaten path, what to eat, drink and where to sleep.

This year the Amalfi Coast seems to have been bombarded with New Yorkers, all flocking to grab a little piece of paradise. I have metamorphosed into the concierge of the area and I wear the hat proudly because when you love a place as much as I love the coast, you want to share only the best things with the people who are visiting. With that said, even if you are a reader of my column and I don’t know you personally, my email inbox is always open.

Ciao for now!

Valeria