Amalfi, Ischia, and 24-hours in Rome
When Jen and I first arrived in Positano, we started re-planning the no-plan itinerary. We decided to stay in the Amalfi area as the sun, the vistas, the seafood, and the atmosphere were too good to leave.
Having stayed (out-stayed?) our welcome at Kath and Tony’s place in Positano, Jen and I hopped a ferry for the town of Amalfi. This was a good way to get views of coast and seemed easier than the bus. We got a good deal at Hotel Amalfi, room with a patio, set outside of the main hotel area. The odd part was the garden area was filled with cats. I like cats but these cats were crazy.
We had a fridge too so we stocked up on some key items like beer, wine, meat and cheese – lunch at the beach! In Italy they have the free beach for locals and cheapos like us, and the pay for chairs and umbrella beaches.
Amalfi didn’t have the charm of Positano, but it seemed a little more alive with a main street/ piazza where everyone gathers. We also saw the more ‘romantic’ areas along the water from our tour guides, Marco and Antonio. A quick aside on Italian men. They are boys. Even the 70 year old ones in Ischia. They are persistent, but genuine. They don’t listen to you, but they do respect your boundaries. It makes meeting them fun and a bit tiring. Perhaps that’s my age speaking.
We found a restaurant we liked in Amalfi, and as good creatures of habit, we went back two nights in a row. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the chefs crush on Jen and strictly about the food – right Jen? Seriously good food though. Mozzarella smoked between lemon leaves, stuffed squid, and half a lobster over pasta. Night two was prosciutto, caprese, and a bolognese pasta. Night two also included an evening view of the coast from the back of a scooter, but that’s a story for another time. I wore a helmet (insert so many jokes here).
Ferry travel appeared simple online, but as we arrived at the Amalfi port, no such luck. Travel via ferry to Capri, Naples, and finally Ischia for a mid afternoon arrival. We stayed at the Aragona Hotel and Spa in Ischia Porto. Very central, very nice rooms, rooftop pool and bar, spa services and kind front desk people made for a nice stay (which we extended to a three nights). Luigi recommended Pizzeria Gatteana which was a bit of a walk, but well worth it. The host picked our meal, antipasti, a pizza, and a calzone. Very reasonable and he sent us off with little bracelets and a doggie bag suitable for another meal.
The next day was a quest for a vespa to rent to tour the island and get to a beach. Jen has driven scooters before, but convincing the rental guys that yes we were qualified proved more difficult. We needed to be a bit more confident and perhaps being a man would have been better. So, in our weakened state with no vespa we were hustled by a taxi driver. Rookies.
There are pros having a local tell you about the island so you can plan where you want to go, but there is no way to sugar coat it we paid a lot for a taxi. And then the $78 euro fish incident occurred. Not sure I’m ready to talk about it quite yet, but apparently in some restaurants when the waiter suggests something and you say yes, it means charge me anything for my meal. Our $160 euro lunch did not even include an amazing bottle of wine just a half litre of the simple house white. We did eat the sea though, and the quality of the meal was amazing (those clams!) I also received a nice healthy pour of single malt scotch from the staff in effort to calm my ranting after receiving the bill. I learned a lot of lessons that day. If you go to Ischia, send me an email and I will let you know how to travel well there.
The next day we took the bus – what a concept – and headed to Negombo, a thermal park in a cove setting with pools, hot/cold pools, massage pools, and a crazy hot Turkish bath. Oh yeah, and a beach. This was an amazing spot and for 30 euros not a bad way to spend the day. I was bold and wore my two-piece suit, only to be outdone by the bolder topless ladies. Always a step behind…
Dinner along the port at Gerranos where the owner sat with us most of the night and regaled us with stories of the restaurant and his family. He’s selling soon, which made me sad. The porcini mushrooms sautéed with potatoes was a stellar dish. Leaving Ischia was hard, although the island is mostly wealthy older Italians, there is still a slow happy vibe that I could get use to for a while. We missed Sant Angelo, so have to return again.
Ferry and train the next morning brought Jen and I to Rome just in time for lunch. I took her to a restaurant Sue and I dined at last trip near Piazza Navona. We ordered up a bottle of Rosé, two classic Rome pasta dishes, cacio é pepe and amatriciana, and chatted with our waiter, the same waiter as last trip. I won’t name the restaurant or waiter here, since the next part of the story involves the waiter kissing me on the way to the bathroom and asking Jen to hang out by herself for a few hours! Bold boys over here. Instead of taking my waiter up on his generous offer (back of scooter and view from his apartment), Jen and I ventured on to save our souls at the Vatican. More sights, more pasta, more gelato, and then I was off to Umbria and Jen to Paris. It was nice having a travel partner in Italy!
peaceout2011 
Freaking out a bit for you on the secondi pesce….