(May 2016) During our two-day visit to Campania, we stayed in the town
of Benevento. This town is in the heart
of wine region, and is very Italian with few tourists. I think we may have been
the only Americans in town. At most of the restaurants, they only spoke
Italian. However, everyone was very friendly, the prices were inexpensive, and
the old quarter of town was charming.
Wine and Home Cooked Food at Mama Nunzio's |
Nice Hotel and
Excellent Home-Cooked Italian Food in Benevento
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Italiano. The staff here
was very welcoming and helpful. The rooms were fine, and I was given a corner
room with a big bathtub. The room key
was huge, so I made sure to drop it off at the front desk each time I left.
Breakfast service included a large pot of real coffee, and some cheeses and
meats to go along with the pastries.
They hotel staff gave us good recommendations for dinner and
we ended up at Restaurant Nunzio – a
great place in the old town, only ten minutes walk from the hotel. Mama Nunzio recited
the menu of the day to us in Italian, while son, Antonio, translated. All of
the food was fresh, homemade and plentiful. We also ordered 4 bottles of wine
and had a local lemon liquor (not lemoncello) for dessert. This restaurant was one of the best dining
experiences of our trip.
A Hug from Mama Nunzio |
The next night we ate at another great Italian restaurant
called Trattoria dei Sapori di UcciAssunta, recommended by our guide, Lorenzo. This place was charming with excellent home
cooked food and very inexpensive prices.
For example, we had a glance of local Aglianico wine for only one euro,
and a ¼ liter of Fallaghina for two euros! The only problem is they spoke
absolutely no English, so we had to use our phones to translate the menu –
which again was only verbal. We had to
ask the server to write out the words, so we could look them up and see what to
eat.
Special Lemon and Herb Liquor from Benevento |
Visit to Pompeii
We drove to Pompeii from Benevento in a little over an hour.
There we had a guided walking tour of the ruins. I was amazed at how large the
ancient city was – spanning over 80 square miles, we were told. We walked amongst the huge cobble-stoned
roads, viewed the crumbling columns, saw the ancient brothel, and felt sad at
the volcanic remains of the dog, child, and old man.
At the Ruins of Pompeii |
The Amalfi Coast and
Positano
After a quick pizza lunch at one of the many cafes outside
Pompeii and some shopping, we boarded the bus to drive along the complete
Amalfi Coast. It was breathtaking, but a
little frightening at times, with the very narrow twisting roads. The cliffs plunged steeply to the blue ocean
below, and tiny villages nestled along even tinier beaches. The steep hills
above us were crowded with lemon trees to make the famed lemoncello of the
region, which actually has its own DOCG – Lemoncello di Amalfi.
Driving Along the Steep Amalfi Coast |
We stopped at the Positano overlook to take photos and
enjoy a refreshing iced lemon drink, and then again at one of the many pottery
stores along the way. Eventually we reached the town of Amalfi, which is larger
than the others and has a big beach. Half of our group immediately donned
bathing suits to go swimming, while others waded, and then went shopping. It is an adorable town with many shops,
restaurants, colorful flowers, and lemoncello everywhere. Of course, we had to stop in a beachside café
and have a chilled lemoncello.
Shops in Amalfi - Featuring Lemons |
Our day of cultural sites in Campania was one that many people on our trip enjoyed very much, and it allowed us to appreciate the wines of the region even more.
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