Espresso (Sorrento - Naples)

Another excursion from Sorrento, this time to Naples to experience a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. I have used Get Your Guide and With Locals previously, but this group was new to me and I will certainly be including them in the mix in future. Great guide and great day. But first we had to get there, dear reader.

Naples can be reached from Sorrento by car, ferry, train and I imagine bus although that was not included in our options. (Nor was matter transporter, RIP Mr Chekov). The train, the Circumvesuviana, is the most cost effective option, however it has a reputation that is not enviable. Apparently it is notorious for pick pockets and the like although that was not evident in either trip today.

Being at the end of the train line has advantages and disadvantages. Trust me, I grew up at the end of the line, we didn't even get electric trains until 1966. The obvious negative is the time it takes to reach your destination. The journey to Naples is 1 hour 15 minutes, assuming the train runs on time. The bonus is you get on the train before it starts to fill up. The Circumvesuviana is known to be crowded and it was today. By the fourth stop there was standing room only. Not long after that it reached the official term of "packed".

The train we were on was an older model. It was noisy and rocked and rolled. Think the 1960s red rattlers of the Sydney network with less comfortable seats. No one else seemed phased by the rollicking ride so we could only assume this is the norm.

We arrived close to on time and then negotiated the morning crowd to find the Metro Line 1. It was pretty simple really and in no time, we were queueing for the Metro. It was crowded, New York subway style crowded, but the train was empty when it pulled in. Mind you, we weren't agile enough to beat the young university crowd to a seat, but we were only going half a dozen stops, so standing wasn't an issue. Clearly there is no respect for elders here.

Vanvitelli Piazza and Metro stop is named after an architect and painter of the 1700s and we were early to the piazza due to a mix up in times. So we settled in a café for an espresso and I had a croissant. In hind sight that was an unnecessary addition to the food I consumed later in the day. Francesca arrived prior to 9:30am and introduced herself,  providing some background as to where we were, why it was the chosen meeting place and the nature of Culinary Backstreets itself.

As we've had a few espressos since we arrived today's title song is Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter. Ok, I had no idea and found it on Google. Unimpressed though. I know sex sells, but really? Remember when music ... OK, sorry, I digress.

We were steered to another cafe, Salvatore Varriale established 1960, on the same piazza and while we waited for our first taste of Naples, Francesca produced a paper map of the city to help orient us to the tour and more broadly to the districts of Naples. Then our espressos arrived with 2 delectable sweet dishes that are typical breakfast food for the locals. The first was the crispy version of the sfogliatella and then a caprese chocolate cake. Once the ingredients and origins of these were discussed and then the food consumed, we toured the actual cafe, having all the offerings explained in terms of their seasonality and significance. Everything looked delicious and the pedigree of the establishment was unpacked so as to understand why we had commenced the tour here. 

Modern art.

We had begun in the wealthy residential district of Vomero but soon left there to continue tasting, this time in another culinary institution, established by the son of a family of pizza makers who left the family business because he wanted to specialise in all things fried. Here we sampled fried potato croquets, fried crumbed polenta and fried spaghetti, all delicious and consumed in the early morning sun.

A short stroll around the corner and we were seated outside a bakery/deli/cafe/wine shop and plied with savoury items that locals would be eating mid-morning, to tide them over till a late dinner - ham bread rolls and spinach and ricotta pastries - a doggie bag was provided (luckily we had our shopping bag with us to carry the leftovers). While we ate here, we were adopted by a small dog who appeared out of nowhere, hopeful of a free feed. He disappeared just as quickly when he was left unfed.

The rolls and pastries.

They also sold this deliciousness.

From there it was a short stroll to an amazing cheese providore where the different types of DOP mozzarella, provolone and peccorino were explained before we had a cheese tasting. The providore was very keen to discuss money making opportunities that he had heard about in Australia and then we left with our second doggie bag of left overs - we were already hitting the food wall and it wasn't even 10:30am!

Provolone is my new favourite cheese.

Thankfully, we had a longer walk to reach the produce markets in the old town where the different types of vegetables were pointed out as we dodged the scooters and cars that seemed to negotiate the narrow lanes at break neck speeds. Neopolitan driving etiquette was discussed and Francesca described the code as a personal set of road rules that not even the police seem to challenge.

The markets.

Just up a little alleyway, we stopped at a cucina where we were invited inside to sit at a high table while Francesca went to order our lunch. This place was another institution where you can purchase what our guide termed "homestyle dishes" to eat in or take away. The menu cycles through the week and then repeats. It was very popular with the locals.

Pasta and white beans and rice lasagna.

We drank a beer, Peroni of course, since we have crossed the beer line, while the plates arrived with a pasta and bean dish in creamy tomato sauce and a dish that looked like lasagne except it was made from rice. By now, we were really full but we bravely attacked these 2 dishes and thankfully our guide agreed to help us eat them. 

We were getting ready to leave when Francesca went back to the counter for the next 2 dishes! We looked aghast at her and she laughed. This time we were presented with fried crumbed provolone and a sausage dish with greens. We sampled it and Francesca put away a good proportion of it but another doggie bag was requested.

The cheese is to die for.

The provider of the last four dishes.

We finally waddled out to meander the backstreets, weaving between the vehicles and stopping once again at a street vendor that specialises in fried pizza - a must try in Naples. We pleaded for a small sample and were presented with one the size of a dinner plate, filled with cheese, ham and tomato. Delicious but the majority was packed away for later consumption. I felt like Mr Creosote from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

My type of food, but I just couldn't ...

Afterwards came a traditional cuccuma coffee, happily with no food. It's like the traditional stove top pots except the Neapolitan version is made upside down. Once the water boils you need to invert the pot so the water can filter back through the coffee. Unlike the more common stove pot machine that is a percolator.

The café, it means: this is how you brew coffee.

We moved off towards the port area out of the old town where we stopped at another institution, a gelatoria where we managed to find a small space for a double scoop cone. As we walked along, we found ourselves in an ever increasing crowd of people since it was now mid afternoon and we were in the area of Municipio. Here there is a galleria, very similar to Milan's Victor Emanuelle II and apparently the oldest (by 20 years) opera house in Europe. Come on Milan, this is fight territory.

Not a patch on Milano.

It was in the galleria that Francesca bid us farewell with some suggestions for pizza dining should we return to Naples later in the week. She also presented us with a Culinary Backstreets book on Naples. After that, we had a quick look at the major piazza, glimpsed the massive cruise ships in the port and wended our way back to the metro to trace our steps back to Garibaldi station and the Circumvesuvian train home to Sorrento.

Christmas decorations are appearing.

Messages from above.

One of the Neapolitan castles.

Yes, scooters ride down there.

The platform was crowded with people and lots of luggage. This would be an interesting trip. Garibaldi is the second stop and while there were not many passengers already aboard when the train arrived, there was standing room only when it left the station. Thankfully we scored seats. It only became more crowded as the journey continued, particularly at the Pompeii station.

The crowd thinned a little at the last two stations prior to arriving in Sorrento, which allowed the air con to finally have a noticeable impact. We stopped and purchased wine on the way home that we did not drink. Nor did we attempt any of the left overs we had accrued throughout the day. In fact, I may never eat again. If you are considering joining the Alone Australia challenge doing Francesca's food tour before you submit to starvation would go a long way to ensuring success.

After commenting on the lack of Sorrento moon last night I decided to get up early and take a photo for you. The moon was bright at 4:30am.

Alla prossima.

Sorrento Moon (Sorrento - Amalfi - Ravello)

The concept of the Amalfi Coast and visiting one town after another seems so simple, dear reader. It is not and our attempts at travel have been hampered by the blockade and lack of fuel on the Sorrento peninsula. Thankfully that is over and fuel and tomato supplies are returning to normal.

From the comfort of my chair in Redfern, I pre-booked many of our experiences. I did this to spread the cost but also to ensure we didn't miss things we really wanted to experience. The problem with this, as always, is you don't know what you don't know. Is it easy to manage the Naples metro? Are the trains from Sorrento the best way to get around? Do the ferries operate everyday to the islands? Sometimes the answer can only be discovered through experience.

Today's excursion was to Ravello via Amalfi. As I mentioned previously, the ferries had not been operating at full capacity and neither had the buses. After some discussion, we opted for a bus transfer to Amalfi and then another bus up the mountainside to Ravello. Spoiler alert, IMHO (and Jayne's) Ravello is overrated. I would not be lying awake at night lamenting the fact that I never made the mountain top had I missed out. Despite the views.

Anyway, October 25 arrived and at some point in the half light, it dawned on Jayne that daylight saving had ended. Yay, we scored an extra hour, but were also awake well before required. As a result, we decided to catch the early bus. The 8:30am bus to Amalfi was also the first bus of the day - it was Sunday. No breakfast today, that would be on the road somewhere.

Amalfi beach.

Tickets, cash only accepted for some reason, were purchased from a very disinterested attendant and we joined the very long queue that stretched the length of the bus and beyond. It was a bus, not a coach and standing was allowed. That meant cramming as many people on board as possible. We made it on board although not into a seat.

From Amalfi port.

The journey seemed long and unusually circuitous in parts. At one point we headed towards Naples and down a street that required a three-point turn, I jest not, to pick up passengers on the other side of the road. We then turned towards Amalfi once again. While it was not 'all stops' we did stop frequently to pick up other passengers and occasionally to let someone off.

Looking up from the port area.

It was crowded enough to ensure that if you lost your grip you didn't fall very far because there was someone very close by. If I'd had milk in my bag it would have been butter by the time we reached Amalfi. The close calls between the buses are legendary on that road and we edged past a number, close enough to touch. The good news was a lot of people alighted at Positano so we scored seats from then on. This gave us an even better view of the perilous cliffs plumeting to the sea, as the bus wound its way along the coast road with only a low stone wall between us and oblivion.

Amalfi was already crowded when we arrived, thanks to cruise crowds that were slavishly following the paddle. Ravello was our initial target and we located a private bus that guaranteed you a seat for €7 each. A nice earner when you consider the public bus from Sorrento cost us €3,60 each.

A random shot from the open air bus to Ravello.

After a short wait, it was a 30 minute trip up to Ravello, including a lengthy contraflow, and we had to make a decision about how long we would stay there because there was bus siesta in the middle of the afternoon. This was compounded by my paranoia that ensured we purchased our return ferry tickets before we left Amalfi. The second last ferry departed at 3:40pm (sunset is now just after 5 pm) and that bookended our day. Again, you don't know what you don't know. We purchased seats on the 12:15pm bus which gave us a little over an hour at Ravello. Otherwise we would have been stranded there till 2:30pm, assuming everything ran to schedule, which in our experience, is not always the case. We did check out a back up plan involving taking a taxi but that was going to cost €60.

Looking towards Salerno.

First stop was a café for an espresso and panini. Good coffee and great panini but we would have happily shared one had we known how filling they were. Then we went into the Duomo which is distinguished by the mosaics inside.

The tiled pulpit.

The stairs to the pulpit.

There are views across the valley to other tiered mountainsides. Very picturesque. And a villa which we didn't have time to explore. The narrow streets containing the shopfronts sold much the same stuff that is in every second store in Sorrento. Obviously ceramics are big and featured prominently. As did cats. They were everywhere (sorry Min, no pictures).

Across the valley.

The gateway to the Villa Rufolo.

The view driving up and down the mountain provided some spectacular coastal views. Maximum respect to the cyclists who rode to the top.

Back in Amalfi, it was even more crowded. Again taking our lives in our hands, we crossed the main road into the piazza that housed another Duomo named for Sant'Andrea, the apostle Saint Andrew. The steps were steep and crowded with people having a rest or taking selfies. It too has a Byzantine influence and is a church built on the site of numerous other churches. The last religion standing wins.

The Duomo of Amalfi.

Byzantine arches.

We paid for entry and tried to dodge the tour groups and their loud-speaker guides, not always successfully, although they tended to move on more quickly than we did. There were frescoes dating back centuries, some still in excellent condition, others only partially visible and religious artworks in the museum before you enter the church itself.

One of the many frescoes.

Again I was surprised by the crypt. It was much more ornate than I expected. A painted ceiling with lots of gold and an extremely ornate altar with a large bronze statue of St Andrew. My favourite piece was a painting of one of the saints with a finger to the lips to endorse the "silence" sign. Naturally the tour guides ignored this.

The ceiling in the crypt.

St Andrew.

Shhh!

Inside the main cathedral above the crypt, a side altar behind bars, houses the relic of Saint Andrew's skull which is venerated in celebration each September on his feast day. On that day as well, manna, a thick liquid is said to be collected from his tomb under the altar as a continuing sign of his protection of the town.

St Andrew's wasn't the only skull on display.

Sadly the bell tower was receiving some special attention and was shrouded in blue plastic and scaffolding. A pity, because the fish scale tiles would be worth seeing.

The bell tower.

We wandered the very crowded streets for a little. There was nothing much to see, the usual tourist shops and lots of places to eat and drink. Back towards the port we walked and turned towards Atrani. It was supposed to a 5 minute walk according to one pundit but would have been closer to 15. We didn't go all the way because there was no footpath and while some were happy to disregard their personal safety and walk two and three abreast with their back to the traffic, we were not.

Ceramics are everywhere.

Just beyond the halfway mark we stopped and made our way back towards the port. However, en route we were suddenly distracted by a sign advertising birra all spina. It was a message. We had time so we grabbed a table and were entertained by watching the death defying pedestrians while we enjoyed a beer.

Another sculpture by Roggi who featured at Matera.

The ferry journey back to Sorrento was a longer, if less death defying, affair than the bus trip but it also provided a different perspective from the water. Jayne was a brave soldier and stayed by my side all the way to Sorrento despite becoming increasingly cold as the sun dipped and the wild chill increased on the open deck of the ferry. 

Here are some random shots from the trip back up the coast. In reverse order because of Google.

Our apartment building in the background to the left of the Hotel Vittoria.

Vesuvius near sunset.

Interesting stair case.

A church.

Buildings cling to the cliff along most of the coastline.

Back in a twilight Sorrento, we disembarked the ferry at Marina Piccola and headed up the cliff stairs to home and a quiet evening on the balcony. Tomorrow would be an early start and another adventure in taking the train to Napoli for our food and history tour, starting with a 7 am Circumvesuviana train which hopefully would not be as crowded as the Amalfi coast bus.

Despite returning home after sunset we have yet to see the Sorrento Moon that Tina Arena sings about.

Alla prossima.

Pizza Power (Sorrento)

The weather forecasters nailed it. Morning showers greeted us when we opened the shutters. Regardless, we were not straying far from Sorrento itself. While we had sorted how to get to Naples on Monday, I was still to bed down how we were getting form Sorrento to Napoli Centrale on our day of departure. I wasn't keen on a private transfer and the Circumvesuviana didn't look like an option during the peak period when we have luggage.

My search turned up a shuttle service from Sorrento to Naples but nowhere on the web site did it specify where the pick-up point was. My guess was the station or the bus depot a few hundred metres down the road, but I wanted to be sure before I booked. We opted to walk to their office and ask the question.

Before we ventured out for breakfast, the usual rabble of tour groups went marching down the street. The school groups are the loudest. I don't know from whence they come or where they go because we never see them around town. There are a number of cruise ships in and they start early, to the extent that one group was leaving well before 9 this morning.

The usual ruckus they make reached a crescendo to the extent that we thought there was a protest march down in the street. What had occurred, as this particular group walked back to its waiting bus, was two of its number were hit by a car. Who'd have thought it? Walking on the street, where the cars belong and you get hit. I am amazed it doesn't happen more frequently. It would, if I was driving over here. While I will grant you that the Neapolitan drivers are out there, their behaviour is far more rational than that of a tour group blindly following a flag, walking down the centre of the road.

The rain cleared quickly and breakfast was at the usual gelateria/pasticceria, espresso and chocolate muffins. Little ones, not like the oversized version you see at home. Interestingly, although probably not surprising, the muffins were flavoured with lemon.

Ducati time pieces.

From there we navigated past the pick up point for our pizza class and, after a short detour, arrived at the office of Sorrento Coastal Shuttles. They were non-committal about the pick-up point, here or your hotel, depends, was the reply. The office was less than 10 minutes from our apartment so it wouldn't be an issue for us. We booked our seats, supplied the details of our accommodation which is on the road back to Naples and it was decided they would collect us there. Bonus.

Home via the supermarket in case we require a light dinner after making our lunch time pizzas and then, it was time for domestic duties. Reconciling the credit card with the receipts. This is a relatively simple task at home, a glance down the page usually does it, but when your life revolves around your card for every purchase and in a foreign language, it takes time to make sure things are ok. They were and dozens of receipts went into the recycling.

By the time we left for our pizza class, the cloud had returned and the wind had picked up. We dusted off our apron's from Matt's tour, stowed them in our bag and walked the few minutes to the Plaza Hotel. Chef Luigi was already in fine form when he collected us and a Canadian couple for the 10 minute drive to his restaurant/cooking school. There was another Australian couple, a mother and daughter American pair and an Italian father and his two sons.

The Plaza Hotel, our pick up point, is located next to the gorge. Down in the depths, there is a derelict building that was once a mill, among other things. Once the piazza was established above it, the humidity became unbearable and people couldn't work there so it was abandoned. Since then, it has become a sort of open air terrarium and has fostered the growth of numerous varieties of ferns.

Tirabuscio Restaurant is perched on the hill above Sorrento, beyond some ageless olive groves and lemon orchards. Inside the restaurant tables were set for lunch and two other, longer tables were set up to make pizzas. We sat around and chatted while the mini-van made another trip back to town to collect the last of the participants/students.

Before we got our hands dirty, we watched Maria make bocconcini balls while drinking a glass of their red wine. The process looked so simple I am keen to try it at home. It is really just milk, rennet and a little salt. We shall see if it is so easy. The bocconcini was lovely and we sampled it with some foccacia and a variety of flavoured olive oils. What an excellent way to commence a class.

Watching the magic happen.

Ushered back inside, we assumed our places around the long table where ingredients had already been 'measure' out. Yeah, not so sure about that. I am unusually meticulous when making pizza dough and follow the recipe closely. Everything is weighed. Not today. It blew my mind.

Take your stations.

A glance down the table suggested the amount of flour in front of each person would be roughly the same. Roughly, not exactly. Luigi talked about the process and the importance of 'double 00' flour, Caputo is best. I'm changing brands, Caputo is much higher in protein.

The recipe, if you like a lot of pizza.

The process begins. Make a well in the centre of your flour. Add a good pinch of salt. Unmeasured.

Add water to fill the well and then add a pinch of fresh yeast. All unmeasured.

Add some olive oil. Unmeasured.

Then, using one finger start mixing the ingredients together. There was a bowl of flour on the table to add to the mixture to obtain the correct consistency. Some of us required more of the flour than others depending on how much water or oil we added. We worked the dough, gently.

Because dough needs time to prove, our efforts were all collected and slapped together. It would become tomorrow's bread. We were using dough prepared yesterday. Unlike at home, Luigi did not allow the dough to prove at room temperature, the pizza balls we had shaped were to go straight into fridge for 24 hours. At least I got that bit right.

At home I would wait for the dough to come to room temperature before I work it into a pizza shape. Wrong. Work it straight from the fridge. Use your hands and fingers to stretch the dough into shape and then use closed fists to stretch it to about plate size.

The topping was, as usual, crushed tomato with a little sauce and then additives, the fresh bocconcini pieces, salami, ham, marinated mushrooms. Then into a pizza oven the size that Cait and Luke have in their backyard.

Two minutes later your pizza is ready. It is now time to add oregano and chilli flakes, post cooking. Serve with red wine. It was seriously good.

It might not be the cheapest pizza I've had, but I learned a lot that I will try at home. Using a stand mixer would make it even simpler. We even scored some bread making tips. It was an excellent day. No dinner required.

If you are young enough to remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles you may remember their song, Pizza Power. Memories.

Alla prossima.