CAPRI NAPOLI & THE AMALFI COAST

CAPRI

View From The TOp of Monte Solaro, Capri, Italy

with Faroglionni Rocks below …

SORRENTO

A Classic View

VIEW of MARINA GRANDE CAPRI

From ANACAPRI

MARINA PICOLO CAPRI

with FARAGLIONI ROCKS in Distance

PIAZZA UMBERTO

ITALIAN BREAKFAST

A Typical Italian Breakfast

CAPPUCCINO e un CORNETTO

LIMONCELLO LADIES

ANACAPRI

CAPRI

GELATO

NAPOLI

My Favorite Lemonade Stand in Italy

Behind the famed Quississana Hotel

Across From CAESAR AUSUSTUS GARDENS, CAPRI

Also right by a Wonderful Little Hotel I Used to Stay At,

La TOSCA, a lovely little Hotel with the most Spectacular Views

of Capri and The Faralognni Rocks (most Iconic Symbol of Capri)

The Hotel is lovely and very affordle. I stayed ther in 1988, but stayed

in Anacapri this time at The Hotel Carmencita

Me at My Favorite Restorante in Positano

Da VINCENZO

With My ANtipasto of Polpo al Griglia e Carciofi Fritte

and a Nice Glass of Greco di Tufo local wine …

SPAGHETTI VONGOLE

al Solotaria Restorante, Anacapri

RAVELLO

Villa Ruffoli

MINORI

The AMALFI COAST

View From The Terrazza at VILLA MARIA in Minori

LEMON GROVES at Villa Maria, Minor, Italy

WORLD’S BEST BREAKFAST

World’s BestBreakfast? I Kid You Not!

This was my typical Breakfast (Colazione)

at Villa Maria each of My Three Wonderful Days There

Vincenzo the owner Makes all types of different Jams

from the fruit he grows on his farmer way up in the hill of

the beautiful little town on The Amalfi Coast .. Villa Maria is

a wonderful little farm/ agroturismo Inn in the town of Minori,

a cute little town if you want to be on the Amalfi Coast but away from

the madening crowds that overrun the gorgeous little town of Positano.

Vincenzo’s main crop of his farm are Lemons with Olive Tree Groves,

Grapevines, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables, along with Chickens (for

meat & Eggs) and Pigs to make his awesome Homemade Salami. Vincenzo

makes his own wine, Prosciutto, Pancetta, Coppa, and his tasty

homemade Fruit Jams which you spread on toast & Cornetto ‘s in the

morning for breakfast.

When dinner time comes, Maria (Vincenzo’s wife) makes an awesome

Four-Course Dinner with; Antipast to start, followed by some awesome pasta or another,

a main-course of fish, meat, or chicken, and ending with either Fruit or a Dessert that Maria makes (I love the Lemon Cake), and some of Vincenzo’s Homemade Lemoncello.

And of course during the meal you’ll get a bottle of either Vincenzo’s own Vino Bianco or

Vino Rosso or both.

Villa Maria is one of the most special places you could ever want to stay at in your life.

It’s a once in a lifetime experience that not many people get a chnace to do, and I reccommend going there most highly, “You will have the time of your life.”

PACCHERI al FRUTTA di MARE

Mixed Seafood Pasta

“The Best Frutta di Mare Ever” !!!

Maria made me this awesome plate of pasta soon after my

arrival. Vincenzo picked me up down in Minaori at

the wonderful Caffe Riso (Best Caffe & Pastry in Town)

and drove me u to his place (Villa Maria). When we got there

Vincenzo gave me a Lemonade made with his own Lemons.

Best Lemonade of my life needless-to-say!

After I had my Lemonade and chit-chattted with Vincenzo

Maria & Nadia, I went to my room to take a show and freshen up

after my trip from Napoli on the Circumvesuviano Train from

Naples to Sorrento, then a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi, and then

another bus from Amalfi to Minori, and finally a ride in Vincenzo’s

little Fiat Panda Station Wagon from Minori by The Sea, up to

Minori in the Mountains below Ravello at Villa Maria.

So after I showered and put on some fresh clothes and went back out

to the terrace (terrazzo) Vincenzo asked me if I wantedd a little pasta?

Hell Yeah!!! Then Vincenzo asked if I wanted some wine. Again, Heck Yeah!

I had his Vino Bianco, and when he brought me the plate of pasta(Paccheri with

Clams & Mussels) that Maria made me,

I was in 7th Heaven!

La PASTA

con Vino Bianco Vincenzo

MARIA & VINCENZO

Agroturismo Villa Maria

Minori

ME & VINCENZO

SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

When Italian-Americans Cook

Spaghetti con Cozze

SPAGHETTI with MUSSELS

SORRENTO

POSITANO

Classic Veiw of Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Salumaria De Martino, Capri

Pinnino Buono

Sopresetta e Provola Affumicatto

RAVELLO

View From Villa Cimbrone ‘s Terrace of Infinity

Ravello on The Amalfi Coast Italy

How to Make Espresso Napolitan

ESPRESSO

Espresso,
the making, consuming and enjoyment of a properly made Espresso is another
facet and time honored tradition of Italian-Americans and their culture. We do
love our properly pulled Espresso. A properly pulled Espresso is a thing of
beauty and refinement, and must be done just so. We can and do make Espresso in
our homes with either a Neapolitan or Moka brewing device, and now these days, there
are any number of expensive new-fangled home espresso makers, more on that
later.

Some
might be surprised but the great art of the perfect Italian Espresso has been
around for just about 110 years. Yes Italians drank Espresso before that, but
it was only developed into a “Fine Art” that it is today, just a little more
then a hundred years ago or so when Luigi Bezzera developed the first Espresso
Machine that we know today. After this landmark in Espresso history, the
consumption and popularity of Espresso grew rapidly. Caffes and Espresso Bars
popped up everywhere all over Italy. These Espresso Bars were places to have an
Espresso and socialize. And in Italy, there is a whole act and ritual to going
to an Espresso Bar for your habitual morning coffee. And it’s not just for the
Espresso but some socializing, a bit of chit-chat, gossip, political talk,
sports (Soccer/Futbol), this-that-and-every-other-thing. This morning Espresso
is quite ritualistic in Italy, and is practiced by most, and in every corner of
the country, on every other street corner in cities like; Rome, Bologna, Palermo,
Milano, Verona, all over. And it is quite the sight to see, especially if
you’re an American going for the first time. In caffes and bars in Italy it is
at the stand-up Espresso bar where all the action takes place. When you go into
a caffe (a.k.a. Bar) in Italy and have a Espresso, Cappuccino, whatever, and
sit at a table, that Espresso will cost you an additional 50% or more than it
will if you consume it standing up at the counter at the Espresso Bar. It’s a
tax thing. The caffe owners are taxed on their tables and this tax gets passed
on to the customer. Basta!

Anyway, the ritual of the early morning Italian Espresso? People get dressed, leave
their homes and are on their way to work, but they don’t go right from their
house to their job. No they have to have an Espresso and the ritual of the
Espresso and some Chit-Chat (BS) with a quick stop at their favorite local
caffe. They might leave their house then go to an Espresso Bar near their home
before going to their job, or they may head to their job, then get an Espresso
at a favored caffe near the work-place. They might even do both, get an
Espresso in their neighborhood before heading to work, then stopping at

an Espresso Bar close to their workplace before bopping into work.

Well, that’s the way they do it in Italy, quite a ritual and amazing to see.

In America, Italian immigrants to cities like New York, Boston, Providence,

and Philadelphia opened Social Clubs that served Espresso, maybe some

sandwiches, soup, soda, Biscotti, and Anisette Toast, and Cannoli that

they bought from a nearby baker. These Social Clubs which sprung up in

neighborhoods like the Lower East Side of New York or what
is now called Little Italy, in Boston’s North End, and San Francisco’s North
Beach. These Social Clubs (Caffe) were primarily of and for the working class,
and were for Italians. The clubs were for Italians, and people of other
nationalities did not go into them unless they were brought in by an Italian
guy from the neighborhood. And that’s the way it was back then.

Espresso
e Dolce at home? When I was growing up and went to my Aunt Fran and Uncle
Tony’s house in Lodi, or to Aunt Helen’s for Sunday Dinner, and we ate our
meal, and it moved on to coffee and dessert, this was quite a sight that brings
back nice memories for me to this very day. And it was a wonderful ritual, and
unlike the quick grab your Espresso, Chit-Chat for a few minutes and run out
the door as is done at caffe’s and Espresso Bars in Italy, the Espresso was
anything but Espresso (Fast) at Bellino Family meals, as is with millions of
Italian-American families over the years. No, this was no quick hit-and-run
affair. The coffee and dessert course at our family gatherings was the longest
portion of our all day affair of the Sunday Meal. My Aunts and Uncles would sit
around the table, we (the Kids) would too, but we would go back and forth,
cause this sit-down at the table usually lasted about 3 hours, maybe more. We’d
sit down, and Aunt Fran and Aunt Helen had the Neapolitan going with Espresso.
The table was laden with all sorts of goodies; Cannolis of course, one or two
different cakes, and an assortment of Italian Cookies and Pastries
(Sfogiatelle, Mille Foglie). There was always enough to fill Pastry Shop
Showcase, “I kid you not!”

The table full of my aunts and uncles was a wonder. They’d sit around drinking
coffee, eating pastries, and talk-talk-talk, about politics, sports, gossip,
this-that-and-everything. My uncle Frank who was the Ring-Leader could have
solved all the Worlds problems, right there at that table, filled with Cannoli,
Biscotti, Coffee (Espresso), cakes, Anisette, heated discussion, laughter, and
a “Bundle of Joy,” all over Espresso.

Aunt Helen and Aunt Fran made the Espresso in Neapolitan Espresso Maker.

The Neapolitan is from Napoli, Italy. It was developed so Neapolitans (and all
Italians) could make Espresso in their homes. The Neapolitan is a two-piece
device whereby, you fill the bottom of the vessel with water, the ground
espresso goes in the middle and you screw on the empty top. To make Espresso
with the Neapolitan you put the device on the stove over a flame with the piece
filled with the water on the stove. The water heats, and when it comes to the
boil, you turn the flame off, flip the vessel over so the hot water is at the
top and will then drip down through the ground coffee to make the Espresso.

The Espresso is not as good as that you’d get at a caffe or Espresso Bar with a
large machine, but it’s good enough, and adding a little shot of Anisette is
never a bad thing, something my Uncle Frank always did. This is called a Caffe
Corretto, the act of adding a few drops of your desire liquor into your
espresso. You can add; Grappa, Sambucca, Brandy, Anisette, or other liquor to
make a caffe corretto. At Aunt Fran & Unlce Tony’s, it was always Anisette.
Basta.

My NAPOLITAN

I Bought in NAPOLI 1987

As a child it was always something to see, watching Aunt Fran or Aunt Helen go
through the pleasant little ritual of making Espresso in that curious looking
contraption, the Neapolitan. As I said, it always intrigued me, and when I took
my first trip to Italy and was in Napoli walking through a street market and
spotted a merchant selling Neapolitans and other kitchenware’s, I just

had to get myself one, a Neapolitan of my own and from the great city

it was invented in, Napoli. I also brought back some beautiful ceramic

plates from nearby Vietro sul Mare on the nearby Amalfi Coast, and

I’ve been making Espresso with my Neapolitan (bought in Napoli), and
eating Spaghetti on those beautiful Amalfi Coast Plates from ever since, a joy,
and a way to bring Italy into your own American home. Doing so, brings back
beautiful memories of; Positano, The Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and the rest of
Italy. If you can’t be there (which is a shame), then bring Italy into your
home. And that is what we do, every time we sit down to a meal, a glass

of wine, or a simple little cup of Espresso, “we bring Italy home.”

ESPRESSO is Excerpted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke ‘s SUNDAY SAUCE

SUNDAY SAUCE – When Italian-Americans Cook is Available in Paperback & Kindle

on Amazon.com