Thegood Life
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xyxyxyxyxyxyxy xyxyxyxyxyxyxyThe coastal town of Amalfi is framed by steep cliffs, with houses built into their crevices Live good life The Amalfithe Coast has long been famed for its beauty and glamour – now discover a whole new side to the region with our countdown of its 12 best local experiences WORDS ALEX VON TUNZELMANN | PHOTOGRAPHS MARK READ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 58 XyxyxyxyOctober 2011 2010 XyxyxyxyOctober 20112010 59 AMALFI coAst 5 7 4 8 9 12 6 11 2 3 1 10 12 Make 11 Learn the perfect gelato the secrets of limoncello In AD 27, the Roman emperor coast’s narrow roads and tightly In the terraced groves outside coffee: dark espresso with two Tiberius moved to the island of packed medieval towns. As a Praiano, Valentino Esposito thin slices of peel in the pot. Capri. He spent the next 10 result, the Amalfi Coast has picks large lemons from a tree. Two assistants pour vibrant years just off the Amalfi Coast kept its character: warm, open Most are the size of two fists, yellow liquid into glass bottles. – a natural paradise of secluded and quintessentially Italian. and weigh heavily on the ‘For limoncello, you only use beaches and towering cliffs. And what could be more slender branches. ‘You can lemon peel with no white pith The region has been a favourite Italian than gelato? At the have lemon with meat, with on it at all,’ Valentino explains. destination for visitors to Italy Gelateria David in Sorrento, fish, with ice cream – even just ‘The white makes it bitter. The ever since. Overdevelopment owners Mario and Carmela half a glass of lemon with half a peel must infuse for three or has been restricted by the Gargiulo make 130 flavours of glass of water is delicious,’ he four days in alcohol, then we ice cream – and teach others says. The highlight, though, is add a syrup of cold water and how to make it too. In their limoncello, the region’s sugar. Only four ingredients. workshop, students blend traditional and much-loved The bright colour is natural. cream, sugar and egg yolks with lemon liqueur, usually served In September or October, when fresh fruit. Mario only uses as an after-dinner digestivo. the lemons are green, the seasonal produce, so the Valentino’s limoncello is so limoncello is green.’ C flavours depend on what’s at the well-regarded that chefs Jamie A sip of the yellow stuff is I V O K market that day: almond and Oliver and Gennaro Contaldo a revelation. It is thick, sweet, A L Ko lemon zest, or tomato and basil. are long-term admirers, and he potent and full of the fresh, T R They even do zuppa inglese – sometimes hosts picnics for zingy flavour of the Amalfi A U an English trifle gelato. them in his lemon groves. Coast’s most famous fruit. ST N: N: Valentino l Gelateria David, Via Marziale 9, Back at his small artisan l Il Gusto della Costa, Via Gennaro atio Esposito, producer R Sorrento (tasting classes £8; 00 39 81 factory, Il Gusto della Costa, Capriglione 24, Praiano (00 39 89 T of some of the 8073649; gelateriadavidsorrento.it). Valentino brews some lemon 813048; ilgustodellacosta.it). ILUS region’s best- loved limoncello 60 October 2011 61 xyxyxyxyxyxyxy AMALFI coAst 8 Walk the Path of the Gods 9 Movie stars such as Grace Kelly, Humphrey Bogart and Elizabeth Watch Taylor may have come for the glamour, but the Amalfi Coast’s inspiring natural scenery has also drawn literary names. The likes the sun set on of Italo Calvino, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and DH Lawrence Positano found beauty and tranquillity on one of the coast’s most stunning Positano is one of the most walks, the Sentiero degli Dei – the Path of the Gods. beautiful towns anywhere in From the hilltop town of Agerola, an anonymous road leads Italy. Arranged around a beach towards the sea. Here begins the heavenly route, winding up and of soft, volcanic sand and the down precipitous ridges all the way to Positano. Back in the 16th tiled dome of the Church of century, this coast was often attacked by Saracens and pirates. The Santa Maria Assunta are high ruins of a defensive tower serve as a reminder of that more terraces of terracotta-roofed troubled time. Now, though, it is a place of perfect serenity. The air buildings; these contrast in is gently scented with wild thyme and the only sound to be heard salmon pink, lemon yellow is that of chirping crickets and the occasional porcupine shuffling and brilliant white against the through the undergrowth. At every turn, there is a new and impossibly blue sky and sea. dramatic view down to the cobalt-blue Gulf of Salerno below. On a The Sirens in Homer’s clear day, the island of Capri is distantly visible at the end of the Odyssey lured sailors to their Sorrentine Peninsula. If the Gods ever did walk the Earth, it is easy doom on a rocky island by to imagine that they must have done so here. 10 l singing a song of seduction. Path of the Gods walk (3 hours, signposted from the main piazza in Agerola; Shop According to local tradition, in-italia.com/italy/campania/hiking-path-sentieri-degli-dei). that island lies just off the like Jackie O Amalfi Coast. The Hotel Le When Jacqueline Kennedy Sirenuse is named after these Onassis visited the island of mythical creatures, and its Capri in the late ’60s and early terrace offers what is generally ’70s, she packed light. Once agreed to be the most sublime there, she would drop into La view of Positano. It also serves Parisienne and buy 12 pairs of the best drinks in town. Adriana di Fiore’s famous As the sun sets, the lights Capri pants. start to twinkle. Were the Sirens Today, Adriana still works in really in Positano, they need the boutique established by her not have sung for Odysseus – family more than a century ago, they could just have raised a which is situated in the corner glass of perfectly chilled of Capri’s main piazza. Jackie prosecco from this terrace, and O’s favourite slim-fitting he would have made a beeline trousers are made by hand in the for the treacherous rocks below. workshop, along with a range of l Hotel Le Sirenuse terrace bar, Via clothes in a distinctive Caprese Cristoforo Colombo 30, Positano (open style: bright colours, flowing year-round; mains from £22; 00 39 89 cuts and jewelled detail. 875066; sirenuse.it). In the last few years, more international labels have muscled out many small-scale Caprese designers and artisans. Yet Adriana and her daughter Francesca stood firm, and are proud to support local talent. ‘They try to get us out,’ says Adriana with a glint in her eye. ‘But we are fighting to remain!’ It would be a brave global The Path of the Gods. brand that took on the feisty TOP LEFT Adriana ladies of La Parisienne and di Fiore and her tried to mimic their classic daughter Francesca Amalfi Coast style. still make the Capri pants favoured by l La Parisienne, Piazza Umbetro 1, Jackie Onassis. Capri (Capri pants £177; 00 39 81 LEFT The terrace 8370283; laparisiennecapri.it). at Le Sirenuse 62 October 2011 October 2011 63 xyxyxyxyxyxyxy AMALFI coAst 7 Drive a classic car It is a fantasy straight out of a James Bond film: taking the hairpin bends of the 5 spectacular coastal road in a classic Cook convertible car. There are many rides for rent in Sorrento – from dinky Fiat 500s to real Italian food Jaguars and Ferraris. Today’s choice, a Lima, known to everyone as bright red 1970s Alfa Romeo with the roof Mamma Agata, lives in a house down, hugs the hot tarmac as it rounds the on a terrace below the centre of sharp corners. Above, craggy rock faces veer Ravello. Back in the 1960s, she up to the sky; below, they plummet to the became the personal chef to an deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea. The car purrs American heiress living here. along at a moderate speed, all the better to Soon afterwards, she was take in the memorable views and slow cooking for Hollywood couples enough, of course, not to mess up one’s hair. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren l Spider Life Style, Via Gottola 83, Piano de Sorrento Bacall, and Elizabeth Taylor (classic car hire from £88 per day; 00 39 33 3992 5141; and Richard Burton. spiderlifestyle.com). These days, Mamma Agata teaches cookery to guests at the home her family has lived in for 250 years. The school is managed by her effervescent daughter, Chiara, who bounces around, cheerfully forcing food on students. ‘If you want to get the family together, cook!’ Chiara trills, offering up the fruits of that morning’s class: courgette flower fritters, aubergine parmigiana, Mamma Agata and pappardelle con peperoni her cat in her outdoor (pasta with peppers), chicken kitchen; she teaches with rosemary and Mamma guests how to make dishes such as courgette Agata’s famous lemon cake. flower fritters and Humphrey Bogart became pappardelle con peperoni 6 obsessed with this cake when Wander he stayed in Ravello, and insisted on having it with through a Rossellini film set breakfast, lunch and dinner. One of the region’s most beloved sons was the director Roberto Her extraordinary gift for Rossellini, known as much for his colourful love life as for his home-style cooking with movies. He filmed in Maiori, and stills from his famous scenes are regional ingredients comes displayed around the town.