A Walk-in Visitor

 

 

The other day the wind was howling and the rain was coming down hard. I opened the window to close the outside shutters and this fellow walked right in. I don’t remember seeing an insetto stecco, or what we call a walking stick bug in English, since I was a little kid. He must have been blown up to the second storey window by the strong wind. We gently picked it up and returned it to a protected spot in the garden so he could continue his walk in a more appropriate environment. Although I’m sure he was pleased to find a dry spot indoors!

Tempting Tuesday: Church of Santo Stefano, Capri

 

 

Just off Capri’s famous Piazzetta, or little piazza, which is one of the island’s top places to pay far too much to see and be seen, you’ll find the beautiful 17th century church of Santo Stefano. The steps leading up the church are often lined with beautiful flowers forming an idyllic backdrop to the fashionable, elite and hordes of tourists passing through the Piazzetta. The church of Santo Stefano is generally open in the morning, and as chance would have it, I’ve always been in Capri town in the afternoon. Two weekends ago when we visited Capri we skipped going up to Anacapri and went straight to Capri to enjoy the day.

 

 

Finally I was able to see the inside of this church that had always intrigued me from the outside. Take a look at those mini-cupolas (is there a technical term for those?) along the roof of the church. It was finally time to see what they looked like from the inside. Beautiful does not begin to describe it!

 

 

The nave was lined with elegant chapels, and each arch contained one of these lovely glass chandeliers.

 

 

I would love to share more photos with you, but these are the two best that I got of the interior since I wasn’t supposed to take photos inside – and there was a lady circulating the church with a rather stern look on her face. So I am truly tempting you this week, and reminding you to visit the Church of Santo Stefano next time you are in Capri!

 

 

Inside you will be treated with an exquisite marble floor, including a fragment of the inlaid pavement from the Villa Jovis. Be sure to walk around the rear of the church, behind the altar, to see the mini-museum with beautiful nativity scenes, the carved wooden choir stalls and to peek out the back windows at the views of the  luxury shopping streets of Capri. Don’t miss the large bust reliquary of San Costanzo, Capri’s patron saint and protector. And after you’ve visited the church, head down to the Piazzetta and enjoy the view of the church, the hustle and bustle of Capri’s busy piazza and the marvelous views down to Marina Grande.

 

 

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Chef Chuck’s Baked Apples

 

Photo courtesy Chef Chuck’s Cucina

 

One of my favorite things about blogging is the great dialog that comes about when readers leave comments here on Ciao Amalfi. Recently, my post about Campania’s Melannurca apples started a fun conversation where Chuck from Chef Chuck’s Cucina mentioned baked apples. Oh, yum! But more than just mention them, he included his own recipe for Chef Chuck’s Baked Apples on his blog. Head on over and check out this lovely fall recipe. Grazie mille Chuck!

Enjoying the beach to yourself at Positano

 

 

Last weekend on the way to Capri, the boat stopped first in Positano. It was a beautiful and bright morning, especially warm  in the sun for the last day of October. As the few late season tourists got off and on the boat, I couldn’t help but notice the empty beach that during the summer months is absolutely packed to the edges. Look at all that space!

 

 

If you don’t mind brisk water temperatures for swimming, the water is remarkably clear this time of year. There was only one person I could see enjoying the sun and the space on the beach. He had exactly the right idea for how to spend the morning!

 

Tempting Tuesday: Autumn Colors on Capri

 

I could spend hours wandering the streets of Capri and never tire of the stunning views, the houses draped with beautiful vines, the fanciful wrought iron gates and the endless colors. This past weekend, I noticed autumnal colors on the island, mostly in the form of one type of vine that was turning a brilliant shade of red. While Capri’s famous bougainvillea is still bright and beautiful, I pointed my camera instead to the colors you’ll only find on Capri this time of year. Enjoy!

 

Looking toward Capri Town … notice the cactus graffiti!

 

 

Capri Town between red vines and oleander

 

 

A small street in Capri

 

 

Overlooking the Certosa of San Giacomo in Capri

 

 

Marina Grande Beach, Capri

 

During the summer months you can hardly find a spot to lay a small towel here on Capri’s biggest beach right next to Marina Grande. This time of year there were only a few people walking along the water’s edge, and one brave local out for a chilly evening swim. Sunset comes early now, but the last rays of sun hitting the mountains on the island is certainly a beautiful farewell sight as you climb aboard the boat and head home.

 

 

 

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November Banner: Sunset Over Capri

 

 

It’s official. There has been a change of season here on the Amalfi Coast. But this time I’m not talking about the weather. The “no tourist season,” as Scintilla from Bell’Avventura calls it, has begun. From the end of October to the beginning of November is one of my favorite periods during the year to go to Capri. The island is m0vingly beautiful this time of year. The restaurants and shops have yet to shut down for the winter and there are far fewer tourists to deal with. This past weekend, we hopped on one of the boats to Capri and spent a beautiful and sunny day just wandering the streets of Capri Town, looking for fall colors and enjoying marvelous views and an exquisite lunch. I’ll be tempting you with those photos all November!

 

The banner photo for this month celebrates Capri in November with a view of the island I took last November on a sunset boat ride back to Amalfi. If you look closely on the left you can see the sun shining through the hole in the Faraglioni rocks. The photo above shows the very tip of the Amalfi Coast on the right. Capri never fails to be a magical place for me, and I hope to share some of that magic with you this month here on Ciao Amalfi!

 

Happy November to all!

Apples from the Underworld – Campania’s Melannurca Apples

 

 

Maybe it’s an American thing. Johnny Appleseed, as American as apple pie, a visit to the orchard on a cool fall day – we certainly have a distinct apple culture in America. For me, autumn fully arrives when I tote home a big pile of fresh, crisp, tart apples – certainly one of the highlights of the season!

 

Over the past year I have learned much more about food and cooking here in the region of Campania, and I’ve been trying all the local specialties I can get my hands on. One that I’ve been eagerly awaiting is Campania’s famous Mela Annurca (or Melannurca). Why famous? This apple has a pedigree more ancient than the region’s famous ruins of Pompeii and Ercolano. The great Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who died during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD that devastated those two Roman cities, described the Melannurca apples in his Historia Naturalis. At that time the apples were called “Mala Orcula,” or the apples of the underworld, as they were thought to have originated near Pozzuoli where the Romans believed the gates to hell were located. Now how’s that for a good story?

 

Photo Pro Loco “Valle”

 

I simply had to try these apples from the underworld! Mission accomplished two days ago as I toted home a big bag of these little Melannurca apples with a smile on my face. They are known for their small size and good flavor, and after many, many, many taste tests , I can assure you that they are, in fact, very tasty.

 

The Melannurca apples are peculiar in that they don’t ripen evenly on the tree. They do best when they are picked while still slightly green and then laid out to finish maturing on beds of straw or wood chips, which you can see in the photo above. They are covered with nets to protect them and limit the direct sun exposure, and then painstakingly turned every once in awhile as they ripen. I would love to see this in person!

 

In 2001, the Melannurca apples gained the IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status by the EU, which marks quality and importance as well as protects the status and reputation of regional foods. They are grown in all of the provinces of Campania, but especially in Naples, Caserta and Benevento.  You can read more about the Melannurca apples in Italian at the Melannurca apple website and at the Regione Campania website.

 

Photo Comune di San Mango Piemonte

 

Happy mela (apple) eating!

Tempting Tuesday: Amalfi Coast End of Summer Blues

 

The sun is out and the weather has warmed up significantly since last week. These are the beautiful autumn days that I love, with the changing colors of the trees and grape vines glowing brilliantly in the sun. I’ve so enjoyed doing these color themed posts over this past month, and remembering the beautiful memories from the summer. But you know I couldn’t end this series without blue! After all, it’s the color of the sea and sky and the fishing boats and so much more here on the Amalfi Coast. While I love the change of seasons, I’m also a bit blue that summer is coming to an end. It sure was a good one! 

 

I love the bright colors at Capri’s Marina Grande, especially the blue boats!

 

 

Remember the new ticket booths in Amalfi that I didn’t like? Well, I still don’t like them! 

 

 

The lovely beach in Atrani is all blue!

 

 

Speaking of Atrani, they also have the Blue Fish Festival!

 

 

I loved this art show I happened across in Amalfi this summer.

 

 

 Swimming at the Faro beach on Capri was a summer highlight!

 

 

Boats in Amalfi

 

 

Evening light at the Castiglione beach, which is Ravello’s beach.

 

 

Remember the “Harley Davidson” fishing boat in Salerno?

 

 

Summer sun on the toes with the Li Galli Islands in the distance.

 

 

 

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The Black Sheep

 

The sound of the wind blowing through the mountain valleys, the sweet tinkling sound of sheep bells, terraced gardens of olives, lemons and grape vines, unbelievable peace and quiet – these are the reasons I love walking along the ancient pathways on the Amalfi Coast. Yesterday, while filming these 3 white sheep munching away happily on an olive branch, someone else came along. Baaaaaa … the black sheep! 

 

Sunday Shout-out: Learning Italian at LifeinItaly.com

 

 

I know I’m not the only perfectionist out there trying to learn Italian. You know who you are. We’re the ones who are afraid to speak until we can say a completely formed sentence, with the proper verb conjugations, adjective endings and pronouns. Oh, and it has to be perfectly pronounced, too. Of course. I think this has been the single biggest obstacle for me speaking Italian, and is something I struggle with every day. I know some people can just dive right in with only a few words, but I have found that to be difficult. The single most important thing I’ve learned over the past two years studying Italian and living here in Italy is that every single person learns languages differently. The key is finding what works for you and running with it.

 

 

Many of you are probably already familiar with the great LifeinItaly.com website. Just recently I discovered the wealth of information they have available on learning Italian. I was particularly inspired by the article on the main page by Carlo Pescatori called “Every language is made up of words.” He makes some great points that are particularly relevant for people struggling with some of the issues I mentioned above. I love his idea to incorporate as much Italian into your thinking as you can. Over time it will grow and you will become comfortable with it at the same time. This is, after all, how we learn English. Little bit by little bit, word by word, and with lots of practice. I already find  myself doing this often:

 

Start with nouns of things you have around all the time and talk to yourself like “I’ll drink un caffè now”, “let me andare in salotto for a while”, “tempo to cook again”, “adesso is time for una pausa” and so on.

 

My thoughts are often a mix of the two languages now, but sometimes I surprise myself by thinking or saying a whole thought in Italian without, well, having to think about it. But I feel like this process is helping me with the feelings of perfectionism that I struggle with. I know I will be incorporating some of the ideas and suggestions I learned in this article. Head on over to the LifeinItaly.com Italian page and explore the helpful articles and lessons they offer. I hope something there will inspire you!

 

Buona domenica! Happy Sunday!

 

 

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