But before I tell you about my trip to Positano I hadn't written about the last weekend of Salone in Milano. I actually ended up doing quite a bit that weekend. On the Friday night I was with colleagues and we were out and about around via Tortona and Savona, visiting different exhibitions, having a drink or two and also running into friends. On the Saturday afternoon I went for the first time to the Museo del Novecento. Luckily that Saturday afternoon there was not a huge queue outside and we were able to buy our tickets (€5 per person) and go straight in. The Museum is right in Piazza Duomo and next to Palazzo Reale. I have to say its really big, with lots of rooms and paintings and sculptures to see. We were there for a couple of hours, and I was really impressed. The art is all from Italian artists and takes you through the last two hundred or so years in Italy, and the most well known artists of this time. The museum only opened again a couple of months ago and hence the queues of people eager to take a look. Then on Saturday night I had an aperitivo at Roialto to celebrate a couple of friends birthdays and afterwards went with a couple of other friends off to an area about 20-25 minutes out of Milan centre near Sesto for the Kitsune Closing Party for Salone. The party was held in a big ex warehouse and as we discovered when we arrived the one end is in fact a restaurant where every Saturday night they hold a Tango night. So we accidentally walked into the wrong part of the building and had a lovely surprise when seeing couples all dancing tango together and enjoying their own Saturday night. Because we were a little early my friends and I ended up having a drink in this restaurant and watching in awe at the beautiful dancing. It was a really nice surprise, and unexpected addition to our night. The Kitsune party was good with a few different DJ's playing and we stayed there for a few hours before heading home. On the Sunday afternoon I decided to go one last time to Via Tortona because I wanted to go into the Superstudio to see the different exhibitions in there and also take some photos. I was glad that I had made the effort to go to see it and really enjoyed for example the Foscarini stand and their light show.
So then for Positano! A very close friend of mine is currently living down there so myself and another friend went down to visit her. We flew into Naples and before heading to the coast wanted to try the famous pizzera Da Michele which had been written about by Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Eat Pray Love, and also was included in the film with Julia Roberts biting into a slice of their pizza. The pizzeria is known throughout Italy, even without any famous mentions. It's about a 10 minute walk from the main train station in Naples, Garibaldi. We ate the Doppia Mozzarella pizza which cost €5 for a whole pizza and I have to say it really was delicious. After our yummy pizza we caught the train to Sorrento and then bus to Positano arriving about 9pm. We actually were staying with my friend at her Mum's place and its situated just a little bit out of Positano itself, above Laurito beach. The view from their balcony terrace is out of this world, and even though I've been there before I always marvel at how beautiful it is to look out to sea, across to Positano, and even as far as Capri. The sunsets are great as well! We spent our days relaxing on the balcony, visiting Positano, eating dinner there pretty much every night too. I even had to work for Thursday and Friday, so I did whilst sitting on the balcony looking out to sea!!! Not bad I have to say. I also managed to pick up a little bit of a tan, which is nice after being so pasty white for months.
For one day we also went up to Ravello, which is the hilltop town above Amalfi. It was my second visit to Ravello, as I had been there in 1997 during my first ever trip to Italy. Ravello is not a massive town, and is well known for having magnificent views over the whole coastline plus is easy to walk around and to visit for one day. The most famous place to see the excellent views is Villa Cimbrone which as well as having the best position in the town also has a hotel and beautiful garden. It's possible also to take a walk around the gardens and for us it was really pretty with the spring blossoms a stand-out for me. One day I must go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms! I imagine its stunning. The only drawback of our visit to Ravello was the traffic. We caught the bus from Laurito to Amalfi and then another up to Ravello. We got stuck in some incredible Saturday afternoon traffic on the way back down from Ravello, and the five kilometre distance ended up taking us around one hour to arrive back to Amalfi. So after that we then had to fight to get onto the bus leaving from Amalfi heading to Positano and then onto Sorrento. There were so many people all scrambling to get onboard. As the locals told us the Easter weekend is like the middle of August in terms of overall numbers of tourists visiting and the bus company Sita doesn't actually add any additional services, which is a bit crazy, but quite Italian!
Some nice restaurants to try in Positano are:
Le Tre Sorelle: Its right on the beach, always popular, and you can eat pizza's or primi / secondi meals. The service is friendly and the food always good.
Da Vincenzo: I didn't eat at Da Vincenzo this trip but I have in the past. The food is lovely, also with good service, and the restaurant is popular with locals and tourists.
L'Incanto: Also right on the beach, quite large and we ate a lovely salad there one day for lunch. All types of food available, and again popular with locals and tourists.
La Taverna del Leone: It is actually on the road between Positano and Laurito. They have a few rooms too where people can stay. The restaurant is family run, nicely decorated and again has lovely food. We had a very nice meal and night there. In fact because they are not right in Positano it is possible to arrange a car to pick you up and also take you back to your hotel / pensione after your meal.
Da Adolfo: It was closed during this visit, as its right on Laurito beach and not yet open. I believe its due to open in May. It is really well known for their great lunches, atmosphere and of course location. The best way to get there is by a boat which picks people up at the wharf at Positano. It's also renowned for getting some quite famous clients too. For Aussies its also well known as Amanda Tabberer (daughter of Maggie) was married for a long time to one of the sons of the founders of the restaurant and she worked there for many years before setting up her own business in Positano too.
Here are some photos:
Fifth and not last :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the last time!!!
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