andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  Who doesn’t have ricordi di pane e nutella ?  B read and Nutella   memories? Who doesn’t remember the first time they tried that creamy hazelnut spread on piece of bread? Nutella © , since it was first introduced in 1964, has made its way from Piedmont in Northern Italy to kitchen cabinets, kitchen tables, recipes, and lunch boxes all over the world. A few weeks ago, a bread and Nutella memory found its way to the corner table in Il Faro DiCapo D’Orso ’s dining room brought to me by Restaurant Manager Antonio Falco.   That  latest dessert by  the fratelli Sodano; Francesco and Salvatore Sodano.  Two brothers, who growing up together, surely have a myriad of memories to share.   They oxidized a brioche, giving the bread the brown color of Nutella – no cocoa.   The ice cream is hazelnut, but notice that it is white.  A few drops of essence of hazelnut,   black truffle shavings... And a sprinkle of memories....

  Segui la rotta: 40°38′51″ N 14°42′03″ E 📍 Destinazione: Cetara Follow the route: 40 ° 38′51 ″ N 14 ° 42′03 ″ E 📍 Destination: Cetara Those words, provided by Armatore , were a) a suggestion, b) instructions c) an invitation or d) all of the above. Last Saturday, I chose d - all of the above .  I mean, I was in the mood to go for a drive –since restrictions have been lifted in Campania, the desire to hit the road is understandable, and justified, I m ust say.  So, I took a trip to Cetara on the Amalfi Coast.   I wanted to pick up some items from Armatore (I wrote about them here ) and visit La Dispens a for a quick bite to eat.      Aperitivo, Pranzo Cena.I tre momenti magico da vivere vista mare…   Aperitif, Lunch, Dinner. Three magical moments to experience with a view of the sea ... I chose pranzo-lunch. I managed to get a parking space in the town’s parking lot next to the dock.   Perfect, because that is exac...

  Last Saturday afternoon,  Chef Francesco Sodano , Executive Chef of  Il Faro di Capo D’Orso , took me by the hand and led me through the  vicol i of Naples.  Well, not really – but as we talked after lunch last weekend, my table was transformed into a narrow Neapolitan alley featuring  piccolo pieces  of Campania’s capital city. Pastries representing clothes hanging out to dry, Neapolitan pizza,  frittatina , and even a caffè sospeso/suspended coffee.  There was one item that stood out for me.  At the center of the table was a pair of dark red lips.    Il Bacio di Sophia , Sodano told me.  Sophia’s Kiss.  Il Faro di Capo D’Orso’s tribute to Napoli’s grande donna -  actress  Sophia Loren. Let’s be honest, she  filled us with emotion  at the cinema and at the theater with her curves.    The beauty and sweetness of these lips, this lipstick.  Inside there is salty caramel, so we wante...

  Chef Marco Giugliano You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.  That saying comes to mind when I think of Chef Marco Giugliano . Giugliano is the executive chef of Doma Restaurant in Miami, Florida. A long way from his hometown of  Piazzola di Nola, Campania, Italy. the first couple of minutes have a phone call with Giugliano you hear his Neapolitan accent, his Neapolitan enthusiasm, his Neapolitan is Neapolitan drive and determination. Let’s back up a bit.   Just un pochino and learn how this 31-year young chef made it from a small town in the province of Naples to one of the hottest cities in the US of A.   A ragazzo who has always dreamt of working in America.   A young man who spent 10 years working in Michelin starred restaurants in Campania such as Le Torre Del Saracino, Quattro Passi, Taverna Estia , and also worked with Pastry Chef Pasquale Marigliano .   A young man who decided to make his o...

  It has been at least a couple of years since I added La Locanda dei Feudi , Francesco Capece’ s pizzeria, to my bucket list of places to visit/pizzas to try.  There, however has always been one thing that made me press ‘pause’.   The distance.  Google maps told me time and time again that the distance from my home to my pilgrimage destination was 100 km – about 62 miles.  About an hour or so of driving.  The past few months, however, I was encouraged by close trusted friends to go for it.   His toppings are great… I was told.   His pasta dough is close to perfect …another shared. So last weekend, I decided to test it out for myself -   to see what La Locand dei Feudi would reveal to me on an early Saturday evening in June. The pizzeria opens at 7:30 pm.  I arrived at 7.  Oops!   That was ok, a smiling Capece assured me…that way he could spend a few minutes to chat before his busy Saturday evening began. The pas...