Enjoy a Boat Excursion on The Amalfi Coast Slideshow Slideshow

Enjoy a Boat Excursion on The Amalfi Coast Slideshow Slideshow: TripAdvisor™ TripWow Enjoy a Boat Excursion on The Amalfi Coast Slideshow Slideshow to Ravello, Amalfi Coast and Amalfi. Stunning free travel slideshows on TripAdvisor

Earth Day on the Amalfi Coast

With Earth Day approaching, all of us here at Exclusive Cruises are taking the time to reflect on what the environment means to us and what we can each do to maintain it.

The Amalfi Coast is famous for it’s spectacular views, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, the fresh food produced here and the warm sunshine. These are all natural things- part of the earth, and it is our job to maintain them to the highest degree possible.

Everyone who lives on the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia and the surrounding areas is dependent on the land for survival. The lemons that are grown to make our delicious granitas, the olives used for our fresh olive oil, the grapes grown to produce our local wines…the tomatoes, the fish in the sea…I could go on and on.

Not only is it important to maintain the natural beauty for the tourists who keep the local economy strong, but for the people who live here, who wake up every morning to the beautiful Mediterranean sunshine…the people who help make this beautiful region so special.

This year, Exclusive Cruises is asking for everyone on April 22, 2014 (EARTH DAY!) to give back to the community.  

Below are some ideas:

11.  Pick up trash that you see discarded on the ground or in the sea, even if it is not your trash!

22. Shut off the lights when you leave a room

33. Carpool or take a bike or the bus

44. Create a group of friends to donate a few hours to cleaning up the towns and villages together

55. TEACH and EDUCATE your children the importance of keeping the environment clean!!!

L6. Let’s make every day Earth Day!

 

View of Positano 

View of Atrani from Amalfi

Thermal Hot Springs- The island of Ischia and Poseidon Gardens

Incorporate this experience into a Wellness Tour on the island of Ischia with Exclusive Cruises

One of the most fabulous things to do while visiting the island of Ischia is to experience the thermal spas. Ischia is a volcanic island that sits off the coast of Naples and is home to about 60,000 inhabitants.

Known for its natural thermal hot springs, people from all over the world go with the hopes of healing an ailment, or just for some R&R.

Last week I chartered the Rio Blu 32 yacht from Amalfi to Ischia with clients and I decided to stay for the night and explore the island. The next day I found myself at Poseidon Thermal Gardens, the largest thermal park on the island, boasting 22 pools ranging from ice cold to extremely hot. The experience was extraordinary to say the least.

I started in the morning, beginning with the large 36 degree pool and went “pool hopping” from there. Many of the pools have waterfalls and massage jets which was absolute heaven.

 There is also a wonderful little pool with shallow water and a pebble bottom, where I walked on the pebbles through hot and then cold water….a natural massage therapy for my feet!

 Other pools are divided into two sections where I submerged my body into the hot water, then alternated with ice cold water. Although it was tough to walk all the way into the ice pool, it was well worth it in the end because my pores were invigorated and the feeling was exhilarating.

After making all of the rounds I decided to go down for a healthy lunch-tuna and vegetable salad. After lunch, I wanted to digest before heading back to the thermal pools, so  I went to relax under the sun, as Poseidon has it’s own private area of Citara beach, sitting on a beautiful little bay and full of sun beds and straw umbrellas.

The pools are outdoors on various levels, some cut into rocks and some on ledges. Overlooking the sea and Citara Beach, it is beautiful.

                               (Notice the steam from the springs creeping into the right side of the photo!)

The park has lush gardens, a shopping boutique, an indoor wellness center with various massage techniques that can be purchased separately, a salt water pool, a cave sauna and more.

 It was a fun, relaxing and healthy experience.

There are countless theories regarding the benefits of natural thermal hot springs and I plan on returning as often as possible, especially because it is easy to arrive on the boat from Naples, Capri or the Amalfi/Sorrento Coast. Contact us for details on a Wellness Tour.

 exclusivecruisesitaly@gmail.com

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.

How to Make Tagliatelle by Hand

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves: Part 3 -

Bringing back the joys of homemade pasta…Tagliatelle fatte a mano

The ritual of making homemade pasta is becoming a thing of the past, even in Italy, the homeland of homemade pasta. Barilla and Garofalo are two of the major companies that produce mass amounts of high quality pasta in Italy and abroad, making homemade pasta an unnecessary project. Younger generations also see pasta being made by hand as a time consuming annoyance that their grandparents used to do “back in the day”. 

Yet homemade pasta can be a fun project, and that’s just what I decided to do one rainy Sunday morning with my cousin, whose name also happens to be Valeria! We decided to make a popular ribbon shaped pasta called Tagliatelle. The process was a little messy and a lot of fun! Below is the recipe so that you can try it at home.

 Warning: This recipe is not from a cook book. It has been passed down through generations and does not use a measuring system, but rather your own eye and judgment as to what looks “right”. Cooking is a creative art.  Good luck!  

First, you will need: 

800 kili of Flour

8 eggs

7 pinches of salt

A pasta making machine (available at department and kitchen stores)

Mix about half of the flour with the eggs and salt all together in a bowl until thick, kneading and folding over the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes. This is an important process because it develops the gluten in the pasta, which then gives the pasta a firm texture. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. 

Mixing the dough

After the dough has been sitting for 30 minutes, use your hands to roll it into a long log form and cut in about 3 inch increments. Make sure that it is covered with enough flour so that it won’t stick!

Flatten each 3 inch section with your hands and place it into the widest setting of a pasta roller, shown below. This will make the dough flat. There should be a variety of settings on a machine that is designed to make pasta, and we will be using three of the settings.

Flattening in the “machina per la pasta”, or pasta machine

Next, change the setting on the machine so that it will create a longer and flatter piece of dough. Put the flat dough through again, this time creating the longer and thinner layer. Keep adding flour to the dough.

Finally, change the setting once again to cut the dough into the desired shape…in our case this will be long ribbon shapes. Put the pieces of dough back through the machine one at a time. The machine will cut the dough into long ribbons. Put the ribbons aside on a plate until all of the dough is finished. Throughout this entire process, keep the ribbons covered in flour so that they won’t stick. There should be flour on top of the dough at all times. 

Creating the ribbon shape

This is me, covered in flour and ready to throw the ribbons into the boiling water!

Boil a pot of water and throw in the pasta, separating it with a fork so the ribbons don’t stick together. Boil for about 5 minutes or until “al dente”. Keep tasting the pasta after about 3 minutes, however, to make sure it does not overcook… and voila! Talgliatelli fatte a mano! 

Of course, Sunday sauce, homemade!

Voila! Tagliatelle fatte a mano, with homemade Bolognese sauce. Buon Appetito!

Views of Amalfi and the Joys of La Festa Della Patata

From Skyscrapers to Lemon Groves: Part 2 -

Enjoying priceless surroundings and the delight of potatoes!

I dive head first into the sea and open my eyes, swimming toward the silence and nothingness, through the contrasting hues of dark and light blue, as the sun’s rays transpire down, down, down. I keep swimming underwater until I can’t hold my breath any longer. When I finally pop to the surface, I spin around to see the panorama of Amalfi behind me, brightly colored orange and blue umbrellas scattering the beach, the forefront of this ancient town. It is well known that the view of Amalfi from the sea is the most magnificent view there is.  I float for a minute and take it all in before swimming back to shore. I climb out of the water and back into the thick heat, to my sunbed, letting the salt cover my skin. I like the feeling of the salt on my skin and don’t want to wash it off just yet. I also let it dry in my hair, forming almost perfect curls. This is summer. This is Amalfi.

The sun is starting to set behind the mountains, casting a red tint over the town, and it’s time for me to head back home. I hitch a ride on the back of a vespa and careen around the curves, until I reach my front door. It is time to get ready for the “Festa Della Patata”, which is a festival in a small town called Tovere, located just above Amalfi.

Looking down on Amalfi from Tovere

A few hours later, with the salt washed out of my hair and off my skin, I am with a group of excited and laughing friends, some of us piled into a little Fiat, others on vespas, all of us heading to the festival.

Ten Euros will allow us to walk around the festival and eat anything and everything made out of potatoes from different stands; Potato salad, gnocchi, pasta and potatoes, potato croquets, French fries, and potato zeppole (like a donut). I have never eaten so many potatoes in my life…and they are AMAZING!

An overload of carbohydrates doesn’t seem to be a concern for anyone as the town swarms with hungry Italians. A small band of local boys plays classic Neapolitan songs and we greet other friends and family that we see along the stradone, or main road.  The road is lined with vendors coming from Naples to sell their wares…bancarelle they are called in Neapolitan dialect. They sell everything from toys to fresh sliced coconut, to small animals like bunnies and chicks.

Feeding my cousin gnocchi with tomato sauce at the festival

After we have had our fill of potatoes, we make our way back down to Amalfi and meet friends and familiar faces on the lungomare, the main street bordering the town and the sea. We sit and drink wine or espresso, listening to music and debating on what potato dish was the best and why. Tomorrow, we say, we will only eat fruit!

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.