Category: Naples

Naples: A City Well Lived In

11/5/2016

Continuing the Journey on the Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour:

Naples is really a city like no other. I always call it a "city well lived in". Why? Well, it has a reputation for many things; chaotic traffic, petty crime, chaos in general...all somewhat true. Rome has all those things too, but Rome always feels so touristic, while Naples feels like you're just witnessing life happening.

Here, the group is posing around the famous Pulcinella statue. Pulcinella was a classic character from Italian theatre. Represented as a "fool", the character in fact rather thumbed its nose at government rules and bureaucracy...I guess that explains a few things right there.

Lest you think Naples is all negative connotation, nothing could be further from the truth. Its streets are simply fascinating; filled with history, great food and traditions, and beautiful art. Naples is full of things to see and deserves any amount of time you can afford to spend there.

Here are a few things I found while wandering:

Turns out we were in the nick of time to help the city finish celebrating the Miracle of St. Gennaro (This occurs on Sept. 19, and we arrived on the 20th). Here's a link to an explanation:
https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/09/19/famed-blood-miracle-san-gennaro-unfolds-naples/
We were visiting the Church of St. Gennaro and got to see the liquified blood! The priest below is holding the ampule and people were welcome to come and give it a kiss. Also notice the shape of San Gennaro's hat...below on the right, on the bronze bust.

Of course, because it was such a special time, the pastry shops were also creating something special to help celebrate. I tasted a San Gennaro hat-shaped pastry....it was delicious! There was even an explanation of what was in it.

A lovely tradition in Napoli is called Caffe' Sospeso, or "Suspended Coffee". What it means, is you can pay ahead for a coffee for someone who will need one and not have the money. So if a coffee shop advertises this service, I can pay for a coffee for someone in need. At any time, someone who can't afford one, or forgot their wallet can stop in for a "free" coffee....not on the house, but on whoever chose to pay for one. So civilized.

We saw many sights on our walking tour with our officially licensed guide, but what better way to take in the traditions of Napoli than with a pizza lunch?

And to end the evening? We made our own karaoke party!

Oh those knuckleheads! Maybe everyone was a little rummy from having just arrived to Italy yesterday. Or maybe, this is just a fun-loving group!

You'll see in the days ahead.....

Next stop: Pompei and then the true Amalfi Coast begins!

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The Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour: Day One

11/2/2016

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There is no better compliment than having a group sign on for a second tour with me. I was so lucky to have the Bisaccia family to travel with back in 2014. And this year, they were kind enough to ask me to organize their second trip to Italy.

Back then, it was Rome, Tuscany and Umbria...this year, it's the Amalfi Coast and Puglia! Here we go!

The gang arrives to Italy just in time for lunch. (My kind of people.) After I organize their pick up from the airport, our first stop is to the delicious Trattoria Consolare in the tiny town of Ferentino. The chef has organized some special fall themed dishes just for us. Welcome Back to Italy!

Post lunch, our first overnight stop will be Naples (Napoli). So everyone climbs back into the van for a snooze as we make our way there. Once there, we check into our hotel which is perfectly located for all the sightseeing we want to do tomorrow. Get a good night's rest everyone! Tomorrow, we start walking....

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What Makes Wine Taste So Good?

5/29/2014

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We can spend a lot of time talking about all the variables that go into the making of a good glass of wine. Does it have more to do with a good vintage year or with the person making the wine? Does it have more to do with which side of the hill the grapes grew on, or how much water they received….or didn’t receive? What if the barrels were made from different kinds of oak? What if the wine had aged longer?

There are so many things that can affect the flavor of the wine. But to me, there is something else that is important to the taste as well. It’s much more subjective and much more emotional. It is the memory of where I had it for the first time. I love thinking back……. “Remember when we had that Sagrantino in Todi? We were eating those crostini with melted gorgonzola and honey and that wine was perfection, wasn’t it?” Or, “Remember when we were in that restaurant in Montefalco, and that guy kept bringing us all this great stuff we hadn’t ordered and telling us it was ‘on the house’? And then he poured us that huge glass of passito? It was so delicious, we bought a bottle to take home, remember?”

I have been lucky enough to have had some incredible winery experiences in Italy. I’ve seen the amazing diversity of Italy’s wineries; from small, rustic operations to architectural beauties to technological wonders. They have all been family-run, with most still having multi-generations living on or near the winery. I’ve tasted some truly beautiful wines, poured by people who are passionate about their product.

On many occasions, my “first time” with a wine has been at the winery. After a deep whiff, I take a sip, let it roll around in my mouth, swallow, savor the after taste, and break into a smile. My eye meets that of the winemaker, and he breaks into a smile as well. He doesn’t have to tell me all about how he grew the grapes, where he grew the grapes, when he harvested the grapes, he just has to know that I loved his wine. In the end, it makes us both happy.

Join me, won’t you…..on an Italian wine trail? Let’s meander the rolling hills of Tuscany or the hearty Umbrian countryside. Let me take you through lesser known areas like Lazio and Campania so you can discover something new and wonderful. Every, and I do mean every region of Italy has great wines, and most of them are not sampled outside of the country. You will find wines to fall in love with, and you won’t care how they were made, when you meet the eye of the winemaker.

Drop me a line at:

mailto:irene@bellagiornatatours.com

Let's start planning your next wine experience!

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Sweet Naples!

5/7/2014

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On my recent trip to Naples, I was struck by the incredible number of sweet pastries on display. Yes, it was Easter weekend, and I know that had something to do with it. But, I do believe Neapolitans have a distinct sweet tooth. There were three pastries in particular that were in great abundance:

Sfogliatelle

An establishment called Pintauro has been making sfogliatelle in Naples for something like 400 years. Isn’t that fact amazing in itself? I ate sfogliatelle many times when I lived in Rome, and I see them occasionally in the U.S. in specialty bakeries, sometimes called “lobster tails”. They are made up of umpteen layers of flaky pastry baked into a crispy treat, always in the same seashell shape. In Rome, I’d had them most often stuffed with custard, and sometimes chocolate. In Naples, at Pintauro, where they make the original recipe, they are stuffed with sweet ricotta cheese studded with orange zest and lots of vanilla bean flavor. I was so lucky to get mine hot out of the oven. It was so hot in fact, I had to break it open, and let it cool off a bit. When you bite in, there’s the crispy, buttery, flaky outer layer and then you reach the creamy, gooey, center. Oh my! I’d never had one quite like that in Rome!

Pastiera

This is a special Easter time treat. As such, it was being served by the slice in most coffee bars I went to. But there was also a shop near the convent where the recipe supposedly originated from, that seemed to be selling nothing but. I figured this must be the best place to buy a whole one. It’s a very interesting pastry. It has an exterior crust, but the inside is filled with a grain akin to our wheat barley which has been cooked in milk, making it into something like a sturdy rice pudding. This mixture is combined with ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and orange zest along with other spices and poured into the crust and baked. It has the weight and density of a New York style cheesecake, but with the added texture of the grains. It’s seriously delicious, and great with a cup of coffee.

Babas

Babas were everywhere! There is wide variation on the spelling, as well as the soaking liquid, so bear with me here. Babas come in many sizes, but always in the same little mushroomy shape. They are made with yeast, so they have almost a bread-like texture. Sometimes, they are stuffed with cream, but mostly they come soaked in rum or limoncello. These too, were being served in all the coffee shops. In this photo you see them on the bottom two shelves. They can be purchased soaking in rum in jars, or in various sizes, stuffed, or not.

Many places were selling dried babas which I found entirely fascinating. I bought a bag thinking when I got home from my trip, I would soak them myself. The package says you should make a simple syrup, bring it to a boil, toss in the dry babas, stir them around quickly and then put them in a jar with any remaining syrup to soak. When you are ready to serve them, you are to dish them out, and top them with a spoonful of rum or limoncello. I decided to do it a little differently.

Last winter, I had made (and canned) mandarin syrup infused with vanilla bean. I popped open a jar and put in a pot to boil. When it came to a boil, I tossed in my package of dry babas, and added a goodly glug of rum. I was quite surprised when the babas soaked up ALL the syrup in the pot very quickly, yet when I tasted one, there were still dry spots inside. So, I made a small batch of simple syrup, took it off the heat and added another glug of rum. I put the babas in a big canning jar, and poured over the hot simple syrup. So now my babas have a double dose of syrup; one very orangey, the other plain….but both with rum. They’ve been soaking for an hour or so now, so let me go taste one again real quick. Hang on a sec….I’ll be right back…..

Oh. My. Goodness. That was delicious! Very sweet, not something you want to eat a whole plate of, but when you bite into it the syrup seeps out and you get this orange, vanilla, rum hit. Very nice. A nice little perk-me-up!

So now that I need a shot of espresso, I’m going to end my blog post here and go fix myself one. I really enjoyed all my little Neapolitan sweet treats. I hope you enjoyed reading about them. Would you like to taste them for yourself? Come with me to Naples! My Amalfi Coast tour is booking NOW for Sept. 23-Oct.3. Other dates are available if those dates don’t work for you. Drop me a line at irene@bellagiornatatours.com Let me help you satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Naples: A Coffee Lover’s Paradise

4/30/2014

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I’d always heard the coffee in Naples was better than the coffee in Rome; better in fact than anyone else’s.

In Italy, food and wine is so regionalized; every area thinks theirs is the best. But it’s so true. Each region specializes in certain wines, certain pastas, certain cheeses, etc. In each area, it truly is best to eat and drink what the region dictates. Start tasting, and you too will soon realize, Italians have earned their bragging rights.

So, what is it about the coffee in Naples that makes it so special? I've just returned from a 10-day research trip to Italy. A visit to Naples and the Amalfi Coast was on my list, so I was itching to try the coffee and find out for myself. And now I know. I immediately noticed two things the baristas in Naples do distinctly differently from those in Rome:

1) All the espresso machines I saw in Naples are hand-pulled rather than push button. Unfortunately, I did not snap a photo of their machines, so instead, I’m posting a photo of my personal machine. This is a hand pull (not automatic push button) machine that I have been using for nearly 30 years. (Actually, this is the second machine in 30 years. The first one bit the dust after 20 years, and I replaced it with the exact same thing.)

To be honest, I'm not sure why hand-pulling tastes better than push-button. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of pressure that builds in the machine before you pull. Regardless, everyone in Naples is pulling; everyone in Rome is pushing.

2) They keep their cups really hot! All the coffee bars had their espresso cups submerged in very hot circulating water. They either used tongs, or quickly stuck their fingers in there to snag a cup. These hot cups keep the coffee at the perfect temperature for drinking. Genius.

In Rome, clean cups are stacked above the machine, which is a warm place, but not a hot place. This is always my complaint when I make an espresso for myself at home; my coffee is never hot enough. By the time the espresso is done dripping into my little espresso cup, it is cooling down quickly. From now on, I'm going to preheat my espresso cups at home with hot water. This is a light bulb moment.

Additionally, there were some different coffee drinks available in Naples which I’d never had before. Here you see lined up and ready for the day, an assortment of plastic cups which have been pre-drizzled with chocolate syrup, Nutella syrup, etc., ready to be filled with coffee concoctions. Interesting, no?

Aside from that, I had a fantastic espresso drink called a “caldo-freddo”. It means “hot-cold”. The barista started with the perfect shot of espresso in a hot cup. He added a spoonful of sugar, and gave it a quick stir. Then….here comes the good part…..in goes a dollop of creamy loveliness from this machine. It was like a melon ball size scoop of soft serve vanilla gelato!

Lastly, a nice drizzle of chocolate syrup to top it off. It was decadently sweet, but not cloyingly so because the portion was so small; so just-the-right-size. It was creamy and chocolaty with that perfect balance of coffee in the background.

Seriously Delicious.

Yes. It is true. Naples has the best coffee...on the planet.

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Naples: A City Well Lived In

The Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour: Day One

What Makes Wine Taste So Good?

Sweet Naples!

Naples: A Coffee Lover’s Paradise

Italophile......
are you one?

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Categories

Naples: A City Well Lived In

The Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour: Day One

What Makes Wine Taste So Good?

Sweet Naples!

Naples: A Coffee Lover’s Paradise

Italophile......are you one?

Archives

Categories

Italophile......
are you one?