Ciao Rachael!!!

Welcome to the seaside land of the many stairs! And trek up and down these stairs we did too many times to count.

Upon arrival after a whirlwind drive from Naples, we found one Rachael [aka Butters] a long way from Melbourne – standing in the middle of the path, cheering with a stick of butter fittingly in hand! Rach has been working at the Positano home cooking school for the Italian Summer season, so a visit was a must on this trip!

Mediterraneo: With a restaurant tip from Rach, our first food indulgence by the sea had to be at a seafood restaurant. An antipasto with bruschetta, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto and stuffed zucchini flower was quickly inhaled after an 8hr trip with no food! Main was a biacno seafood risotto; vongole, mussels, cherry tomatoes, prawns, octopus tentacles and chilli oil drizzled over the top.

The hot summer days can only mean one thing; cool down with some sweet local fruit, a boiled egg from the hotel buffet and a hike up the Path of the Gods. This climb was absolutely unreal! Following some painted marks on rocks and cliff faces with only one water station along a 5 hour hike was tough, but wow the views are worth every cramping sweaty limb! It wasn’t until we were speaking with some locals later that we learned that this path is very dangerous and many people have had tragic accidents, eekk!!

Capricci: beautiful nights with cold beer, delicious pizza and good company. Yes please! The best sugo used on a pizza on my entire trip was from this restaurant that also has a take away window round the back! Also, an overloaded plate of prosciutto we had to deliciously dig through to find a ball of mozzarella to top it all off!

Ristarante La Pergola: Yes, one of the more tourist spots but THE VIEW! not to mention they make a mean plate of fried calamari [rings and tentacles] and local red prawns, all lightly floured and fried, served with fresh lemon, bliss! Finish off with a bowl of lemon granita made from the local lemons, pips and all but such perfection on a 30 degree day.

Positano Home Cooking School

MY FAVOURITE DAY IN POSITANO!!! Peter [owner], not only has an insane resume cooking for people such as the Queen, but thee most amazing food knowledge! Starting off our class with bresaola (bison) sliced wafer thin and rolled up with rocket, cheese, citrus, aged balsamic and truffle oil!

Fresh bread made from ancient grains topped with the biggest wheel of gorgonzola I have ever seen, fresh salty prosciutto, sweet cherry tomatoes, a big serve of burrata cheese & arugula…YUM!
This was closely followed by rosemary oil soaked toasts topped with oven roasted red onions & more creamy cheese. Did I mention this was all matched with Italian wines from an incredible cellar collection we were lucky enough to indulge in.

Mains; red tuna steaks, seared and served on a skewer with avocado, fresh basil pesto and a reduced bone broth. Baked fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli in napoli sauce, topped with fragrant basil and hand shaved parmesan. Seafood risotto made with a broth of prawn shells, heads, herbs and cherry tomatoes. Shellfish broth = no added salt and the fresh seafood was deliciously tender.

Rare beef cooked to rare perfection, sliced and served with a porcini mushroom sauce and finished with black truffle slices. The leftover mushrooms were also topped over some toasted bread with melted gorgonzola and more of that glorious truffle. A taste test of beef carpaccio with local lemons and more divine vino.

After all this food we cracked open the best bubbly I will ever try! There was a competition in 2018 between France & Italy where a blind testing of Prosecco and Champaign was held. Well this bottle won & my gosh, i can completely understand why. Top this with Rachel’s selection of desserts; a so perfectly creamy tiramisu that had just the right amount of liquor, creme brule that contained a mass of vanilla beans and lastly, panna cotta topped with Peter’s British blackberry jam. Girl, your desserts were pure magic!

When the seaside makes you hungry, eat pasta!

I think I quietly tried to eat pasta on the daily… unintentionally I swear!
But it’s just so so gooodddd how could I say no!?

Cafe Positano: Shame the service here is kind of terrible because the food is very much the opposite. After our hike we treated ourselves to the largest bowl of pasta norma [eggplant] ever! The cheese was mixed through, almost like having eggplant parmigiana chopped up and stirred through some penne pasta.

Societa Incanto: Fresh fettuccini with a deep beef and red wine sauce. The meat was shredded through the pasta and tasted similar to a shank sauce mum makes minus the veg! Home comfort food with a generous helping of cheese on the top. Good place for a quick espresso on your way down to the beach!

La Cambusa Positano: The biggest delicious bowls of pasta in Positano! Fresh spaghetti loaded up with mussels and vongole so much so that I couldn’t see the paster underneath! The sauce was rich with olive oil, chilli, cherry tomatoes and garlic and I couldn’t get enough of it. Chauntelle had the best gnocchi in a fresh napoli that was super thick and reminded me of when Nonna used to blitz roasted peppers through her sauce. Limoncello spritz accompanied our dinner with views overlooking the main beach of Positano.

Did I mention I picked up a bag of sweet cherry tomatoes for €3! This was like my sneaky lolly bag I carried around for a snack, yes it even came to the beach with me one day but they did get a bit hot sitting on the rocks! They tasted like they were straight out of the garden. Tomatoes in Italy are just in a different league.

Ravello via Amalfi

One of my favourite things about Positano was how sweet and cheap the fruit all was. On our walks through the streets, I often stopped for these tasty delights! Two white flat peaches called Saturn peaches, two black ridiculously sweet juicy plums and my favourite, 4 green figs that always taste like summer no matter where in the world you are.

L’alternativa – Cocktail Bar on the Pier: Before jumping on the ferries departing for the many gorgeous islands in the area, be sure to grab a lemon filled with gelato or a granita cocktail on your late night walk.

Baffone Gelateria: Few hours standing and holding on for dear life on a hot ferry and one crazy bus ride= go get ice cream as soon as you can! Amarena cherry with a heap of little sour cherries through it as well as a smooth hazelnut that wasn’t overly rich was a perfect combo. Super cute mini waffle cone upside down on the ice cream!

Now that you have your ice cream, go and enjoy it in the gardens of Villa Cimbrone for some of the most spectacular views, gardens and sculptures. On your way be sure to keep an eye over the low fences for the backyards are full of vegetables and herbs. Tahlia, you were right – it smelt just like I was standing in my Nonno & Nonna’s backyard again.