7 Great Things To Eat On (And Around) The Amalfi Coast
Once the Mediterranean playground of choice for Jackie O and Greta Garbo, the Amalfi Coast, in the Italian region of Campania, has long been associated with unmitigated glamour. But it's more than just a pretty landscape — OK, a breathtaking landscape. The treacherous road overlooking the Bay of Naples that winds its way past the coastal resorts of Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano and Ravello is an epicurean route filled with countless edible treasures.
It all starts with pizza. The region's capital, Naples, is a mecca of pies. Campania, by the way, is home to the things that make pizza great: tangy San Marzano tomatoes, creamy buffalo mozzarella and simple, rustic wines to wash it all down.[/caption]
North of Naples, in the opposite direction of Amalfi, is one of the region's mozzarella di bufala hubs. The gleaming white orbs of fresh cow's milk cheese from this part of Campania are the best you'll find – on earth. Thankfully, they get dispensed to restaurants along the coast. So soft and milky, it'll bring tears to your eyes.[/caption]
Pizza isn't the only carb in town. Shops brimming with dried pasta are hard to resist in and around Naples. It makes for a great gift to take home; opt for the local specialty of paccheri. Just look for the one that could be rigatoni on steroids.[/caption]
For dessert, have the star of Mario Scarturchio's eponymous pasticceria. Sfogliatelle is a stuffed shell-shaped pastry constructed of thin layers of dough, like a millefeuille. Usually dusted with powdered sugar, it flakes when you bite into it. Bliss.[/caption]
Further down the coast is the town of Vico Equense, where a charming little food shop called La Tradizione sells follarelli. These neat little parcels of citrus leaves filled with sultanas or figs and candied orange peel originate from a recipe that supposedly goes back to Roman times.[/caption]
As you approach Sorrento, the air becomes perfumed with the scent of citrus. Orange, tangerine and lemon groves can be found just blocks from the city centre. Enjoy the large Sorrento lemons in the form of limoncello, gelato or a refreshing granita. A'Sciula, in Amalfi, makes a mean one.[/caption]
It's a coastal region so seafood is a no brainer. Fresh catch still gets brought in to just about every restaurant in the now chi-chi former fishing villages that dot the Amalfi Coast. On most menus you'll find pasta tossed with clams or other local shellfish. Sorrento's L'Antica Trattoria does it right.[/caption]
Here's where to find it all:
Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro
44-46 Via Pietro Colletta, Naples, +39-081-553-9426, pizzeriatrianon.it
Pasticceria Scaturchio, 19 Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, Naples, +39-081-551-7031, scaturchio.it
La Tradizione, 969 Via R. Bosco, Vico Equense, +39-081-802-8437, latradizione.com
A'Sciula, 2 Via Fra Gerardo Sasso, Amalfi, +39-339-589-3608
L'Antica Trattoria, 33 Via Padre Reginaldo Giuliani, Sorrento, +39-081-807-1082