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Amalfi speaks to my soul. Crystal clear azure water lapping against
craggy black rocks creating translucent foam. Magenta bougainvillea
and lush verdant ivy cascading down steep walls, Terraces of
fragrant lemon groves carved into the hillsides. Faded pastel homes
clinging to the mountainsides. The enticing aroma of pizzas baking
in wood burning ovens. These are but a few visions that lure me back
seeking renewal in this historically romantic setting.
Since beginning the cooking school at
Hotel Luna Convento in Amalfi, Italy 8 years ago, Dick and I have
returned each May and October bringing groups to share this
wonderful experience with us. This October we relished three weeks
of paradise, the last with our 7 children and spouses for a trip of
a lifetime with memories of much laughter, many hugs, tears of joy
and albums of pictures that will last forever.
Hotel Luna was originally a 9th
century convent housing monks [In Italy, convents are for monks and
monasteries are for nuns]. St. Francis founded the 13th century
cloister, spending many hours meditating among the fragrant lemon
trees, dipping for water from the center well. The Barbaro family
still owns the hotel they converted from the monastery many
generations ago and the Luna continues to have the reputation for
warm, generous hospitality. Guests enjoy the personal attention of
the hotel staff under the watchful eye of Signora Carmella Barbaro.
As I sipped tea in the Cloisters, eagerly awaiting the arrival of
the students on a warm Sunday afternoon, Dick and school director,
Rosemary Anastasio boarded a bus to meet them in Salerno. This is my
special personal time to meditate and enjoy the historical and
spiritual feelings embodied by the home of St. Francis.
Sheer joy and excitement prevail as
the students arrive from their panoramic coastal journey and take
the elevator to the desk where they get their first view of the
cloisters. Each guest is personally greeted by Hotel Manager Andrea
Milone; a tall distinguished gentleman who has been with the Luna
for over 40 years. Weary from the journey, the staff settles
everyone into bright whitewashed rooms filled with antiques on
Vietri tiled floors, and balconies or windows overlooking the
spectacular view of the town, sea and coastline. No two rooms are
alike, each having it's own charm.
After settling in, we meet for
champagne cocktails and Rosemary briefs us on the weekly schedule.
Students fall in love with Rosemary and her gentle, caring attention.
British born, Rosemary was a nanny to a Lady-In-Waiting in the Royal
Court of Queen Elizabeth. When her "little boys" grew up,
she moved to Italy to begin a new life. Now married to an Amalfitan
and having turned "native", Rosemary is bilingual and
knows all the in's and out's of the area.
Later, Chef Enrico Franzese invites us into the dining room
overlooking the twinkling lights of Amalfi for our first taste of
his cuisine, and how wonderful it is! Our first course is smoked
mozzarella grilled between lemon leaves from the famous lemon groves
on the hillsides. What a way to begin a culinary week! Fertile
volcanic soil provides a rich harvest, including the Mediterranean
vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant and olives. Local fishermen provide
fresh seafood daily. Locally produced wine enhances the cuisine.
Enrico takes full advantage of all these amenities to showcase his
talents. We know we are in for a delicious week.
Weather permitting, breakfast is
served on the dining room balcony. Pastry chef Armando arises early
to bake the coronetti for which he is famous. These large decadent
sweet-dough crescent rolls are filled with pastry cream and cherries
or apricot preserves. Fruit juice, succulent local melons, cheese,
proscuitto, toast, eggs "with real flavor" accompany the
most fabulous caffe latte; strong Italian coffee and a pitcher of
steaming frothy milk. For the totally decadent, waiters bring
breakfast to the rooms.
Across the street in the ancient Saracen Tower, once a lookout to
sound the alarm when enemy ship were sighted still far out to sea,
Enrico and sous chef Andrea are busy preparing for the cooking class.
Chef Enrico, a lively, spirited Amalfitan with a twinkle in his eye,
returned to his hometown after studying and cooking throughout
Europe to specialize in his native southern Italian cuisine, now
regarded as the healthiest diet in the world. His easy and friendly
manner encourages students to participate and enjoy as they learn to
share his expertise, enthusiasm and love for the local cuisine of
the Amalfi region. "If we could only bring him home with us!"
is the response of all who have fallen under the spell of this
talented and vivacious teacher.
Promptly at 9:30 the first cooking
class begins with Rosemary handing out folders containing recipes
for the day. Taking seats in front of the large marble demonstration
table with the ability to look into the large mirror above, class
was ready to begin. Enrico, with Andrea, his third hand, begins
demonstrating as Rosemary interprets mixing her British wit with
Enrico's lively conversation and gesturing, making the perfect team.
Beginning with the first recipe of the day and throughout the week,
Enrico encourages each student to participate. There is plenty of
gnocchi forming on grooved wooden paddles, crepe making, cannelloni
filling, anchovy cleaning, pasta machine cranking for fresh pasta,
rice ball stuffing and rolling, pizza frying, lasagna layering,
ravioli stamping, roasted pepper peeling and lots of chopping,
mixing, stirring and tasting. Applause breaks out and cameras flash
as each student completes a task with Enrico flashing a huge smile
and a thumb's up.
Italians in general, and Neapolitans
in particular, love their food, especially regional dishes that have
been prepared for generations. Enrico personifies this in his
teaching by telling stories and relating the traditions of the
regional dishes he is preparing while giving tips such as "Always
cook with love" and "Never economize in the kitchen."
Cooking by taste, feel, always using the best ingredient, engaging
poetic license and substituting with "fantasy", Enrico
shows how to prepare a dish without strictly following a recipe.
Preparing meals in this manner takes out the fear and anxiety for
even the most novice cook.
Mid morning, in honor of Rosemary's British heritage, coffee and tea
are served on the main floor of the tower, quite often with goodies
from Armando or Rosemary. Gazing out onto the brilliant blue bay
overlooking the town, Enrico delights in pointing out places of
interest such as the villa where Kirk Douglas serenaded his wife.
Then it is back down to the kitchen for the final preparations for
lunch.
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Eagerly,
students watch Enrico and Andrea place such culinary delights as
Ravioli con Broccoli di Rape, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, Peperoni
Imbottiti and the famous local Maccheroni al Limone on the marble top,
anticipating the taste treat that is to come. In true Italian family
style, portions are ample. Local wine, a gift from the cellar of
Rosemary and her husband, Pepino perfectly compliment the food.
Forget diets and any form of self-discipline. This is no time for
limits.
With tummy's full and hearts content,
thoughts turn to nap time to gear up for a walking tour of Amalfi.
With Rosemary as guide, we stroll the main street and explore the
back streets used by the locals to give a true Amalfi experience.
Along the way visits are made to St. Andrea Cathedral, an ancient
hand made paper mill, a hand made leather shop, ceramic shops, and
several limoncello shops to sample locally made limoncello, a popular
after dinner lemon liqueur. Which is best, the plain or cream variety?
This is a big decision, of course requiring several tastings. Olives,
salted capers, anchovies, lemon candies and an enormous variety of
dried pastas are among the bounty found in the local food shops just
waiting to be tucked in suitcases for our culinary achievements when
we get home. Then it is back to the hotel for another of Enrico's
fabulous dinners.
Early Tuesday morning, we head to Pompeii for a tour with Pasquale,
our guide. Strolling through the ancient city covered by the eruption
of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, we see a city of shops, markets,
townhouses, paved streets, a stadium, theaters, temples and baths,
allowing an intimate vision of 1st Century Roman life with its
colorful and often highly refined frescoes covering walls. One
morning barely scratches the surface of this historic wonder. Our
appetites were ravenous from the walk. A simple, but not light, meal
at the Hotel Excelsior Vittorio of pasta with tomato sauce, Caprese
and ice cream helped save the day, providing energy for the trip over
the mountains to Ravello, the most elegant of the small cities along
the Amalfi coast.
We toured the lush floral gardens of the 13th century Villa Rufolo
with its ivy covered tower that was the inspiration for Klingsor's
Tower in Parcifal and splendid vista over the sea and Villa Cimbrone
with its towers and loggias enveloped in a splendid natural setting,
both perfect settings for group photo shots. The ceramic shops
overflowing with hand painted ceramics from Vietri nearly had to
close after we used our credit cards to the max! What better way to
show off the dishes we learn in class than serving on beautiful
ceramic ware! Thank goodness for UPS. Enrico promised to make this
evening's dinner light, but in his enthusiasm for us to experience as
much as possible, we still had all courses plus an added bonus
dessert, the sfolliatelle made famous by Nuns of the area.
Wednesday's cooking class included
Pizza Fritte, "to die for" fried pizzas from Naples,
Crespelle del Convento, filled crepes that originated at the Luna
Convento, Bracciola alla Napoletana, Tiramisu and Lemon Sorbet. The
remainder of the day was free time to shop, rest, or swim in the
hotel pool or down at the beach. Many took the boat to Positano for a
different view of the Amalfi Coast and shopping. Some skipped dinner,
opting for wine, bread and cheese their balconies. Others had pizza
in one of the water front restaurants in Amalfi and enjoyed watching
the world go by. I went to the Luna dining room and had my favorite
Caprese and Spaghetti ala Vongole - giving Dick reason once again to
call me the Princess!
Thursday, another tough day in the
cooking class! Enrico prepared his favorite Cannelloni al'Amalfitani,
Risotto con Porcini and Saltimbocca alla Romana, among other dishes.
After class we drove along the amazing Amalfi Coast to Sorrento, the
inspiration for the well known song, "Come Back To Sorrento.
Sorrento is the locale to purchase treasures of leather shoes and
bags, gold and coral jewelry, linens, wooden inlaid boxes and other
local items. The Bougainvillea Ice Cream Shop with its 365 varieties
is a popular resting place!
High above Sorrento in San Agata is the Relais & Chateau Three
Michelin Star Don Alfonso 1890 Ristoranti owned by Alfonso and Livia
Iccarino. Our final destination for the day is a 6-course Neapolitan
feast in their luxurious dining room including a private tour of the
historic wine cellar filled with an extensive collection of superb
vintages of wines around the world. The cellar was originally an
ancient escape tunnel leading down to the Sorrento coast. Livia
brings tastings of their homemade olive oil, limoncello and flavored
rolls. Chef Alfonso creates extraordinary food based on traditional
regional dishes. Nearly all the fruits, vegetables and herbs used in
the kitchen are organically grown at La Peracciole, their farm a few
miles away on the steep hillsides just four miles from the coast of
Capri. It is not unusual to see Alfonso arriving at the restaurant in
the late afternoon in muddy boots and jeans, laden with baskets of
produce he will use in the evening's dinner.
The end of the week comes much too soon. Enrico spends the final
cooking class teaching us to make Lasagna al Pesto, typical Marinated
Anchovies, Linguine alla Bella Donna and my favorite, Spaghetti alle
Vongole and Profiteroles al Limone, showcasing another use of the
abundant local lemons. After class we linger, savoring Rosemary's
wine, and realizing this is the last day to indulge in Enrico's
fantastic delicious cuisine. The last afternoon was spent in last
minute gift shopping for family, friends and ourselves as reminders
of this glorious spot or swimming under the bright Neapolitan
sunshine.
As the sun slowly drifted behind the
mountain illuminating the sky with a brilliant pink glow, the
alluring melodies of mandolin and guitar enticing us into the bar.
Neapolitan music, like Neapolitan cuisine has soul of its own, so
beloved by all Amalfitans. The musicians had already serenaded the
kitchen staff so they be happy and content while preparing our
Farewell Dinner. Enrico, festooned with award ribbons and medals,
joins in the singing along with many of the staff. Other hotel guests
are happily astonished as we are musically escorted into the dining
room. Enrico goes all out for the final dinner.
We start with Carpaccio from the Cipriani Hotel in Venice where
Enrico worked and ended with a glorious cake covered with a gossamer
spun sugar topping made by Armando. The soulful music, cool breezes
softly blowing, the moon romantically glowing, brilliant stars
shining above and the twinkling lights of Amalfi weave their magic
and entice us on to the balcony to dance. All through dinner, toasts
and tears accompany the joyous festivities along with a multitude of
pictures. Signora Carmella Barbaro presented champagne for a final
toast and a welcome to return at any time.
Sadly the week has rushed by and
Rosemary boards us on the bus Saturday morning for our final journey
along the picturesque Amalfi Coast. It is said when Amalfitans die
and go to heaven, they know not if they are there because they have
lived in heaven all of their lives. We now know the true meaning of
this tale. Amalfi has once again woven it's magic as we all vow to
return. I only regret I have to wait until May.
(This article is contributed by Cuisine
International - Editor. For more interesting travel articles,
please visit InfoHub Specialty
Travel Guide)
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