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05/03/2004 Archived Entry: "Italian Travel Links"

I think for my next career I will be a travel consultant. I am really enjoying collecting information about off-beat and little-known places to stay, and eat, and see in Italy. I think my listeners and friends are, like me, more interested in doing the unusual than the usual, which you can get from a guidebook or travel agent.

As you all must know, my culinary vacations, Cook at Seliano, are based on a farm only about a half hour’s drive from the Amalfi Coast, and that they take me frequently to Roma and Napoli, Salerno and the Amalfi Coast. I know other parts of Italy also, and eventually I will get around to sharing information about them as well.

For now, here are some websites for you to take a look at, mainly places to stay and people to meet. My restaurant lists for Rome and Naples are already on this website. Just click on the Restaurant Guide to Italy icon to the left.

If you would like to join me and my small groups (no more than 12) at Seliano, click on the Cook At Seliano Culinary Vacations icon to the left.

NAPOLI & CAMPANIA

www.posillipodream.it
This is the new website for my friend Giovanna Raffone’s bed and breakfast in Naples. She lives in an apartment house in Posillipo, an affluent, modern neighborhood overlooking the bay of Naples. The apartment has terraces and beautiful furnishings. An animated “character,” she is passionate about both her home city and its food. She was featured in Tyler Florence’s “Ultimate” series on the Food Network where she showed Tyler how to make pizza in her kitchen. Perfectly fluent in English, she’s married to an Englishman, Al Coward, who is also a gracious host and a city guide. She has only one beautiful guest room with a double bed. Giovanna is also available to cook dinner for you, whether you stay with her or not, and she can give cooking lessons in her beautiful and well-equipped apartment kitchen. There are other bed and breakfasts listed on the site, including the rooms offered by her sisters. See discovernaples, following, for one of these.

www.discovernaples.net
Giovanna’s nephew, Mimo Mazzella, created this website to showcase his family and friends’ bed and breakfasts and guide services. Mimo is a professional art restorer, and his parents, both artists, live in the center of Naples, very close to the Duomo, in a 16th century building that was once a convent. You may get nervous when you see how decrepit the building is, but once inside the apartment you will be amazed at is old beauty and contemporary comforts. There are several rooms, all with private baths. The kitchen and sitting rooms are a total delight – filled with art and beautiful furnishings.

www.feudi.it
Feudi di San Gregorio is perhaps the largest winery in Campania. The wines are readily available in the New York market, and include the classic whites and reds of the region – Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina, Taurasi – as well as many proprietary blends. Their new visitors’ facility, nestled in the hills of Avellino, is breathtaking. They offer tours with an English-speaking guide, and they have a truly fabulous contemporary restaurant featuring a very refined and stylish take on the local cuisine, using only ingredients grown in the region. This is a not-to-be-missed visit if you go to Avellino, which is only an hour’s ride from the center of Naples.

www.agriturismoseliano.it
By now, you all know Cecilia, my dear friend and owner of this agriturismo (farm-inn) in Paestum, 30 minutes south of the Amalfi Coast. This is where my Cook at Seliano Culinary Vacations are based (see more on this by clicking through on the navigation bar to the left.) By visiting her website, you can see many photos of her beautiful estate, a great place to stay if you travel through Campania, and a great place to eat dinner (on weekends) if you are staying on the Amalfi Coast and want to take a ride in the country. The ancient Greek temples of Paestum are right down the road (don’t miss the museum across the street, either), and the area is chock-o-block with buffalo mozzarella factories. Once you’ve had the cheese fresh from the vat, you will never be able to eat it again in the states. It’s that different, and that much better.

www.masseriaeliseo.it
This is the second agriturismo that Cecilia runs just three kilometers down the road from Seliano. It is open for guests in the busy summer season.

www.mammaagata.com
My friend Chiara Lima, who is the reservation manager at Ravello’s super-luxe Palazzo Sasso, made this website for her mother…or…mamma. Mamma Agata is a charming woman who will give you and your friends cooking lessons. She’ll also prepare a typical meal and serve it on her stunning terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. This is an experience you won’t forget.

www.domuslaeta.com
Domus Laeta is the seventeenth century country estate of my friends Camilla and Giuseppi Giannuzzi Savelli. It dominates the beautiful hillside town of Giungàno in the national park of Cilento in the province of Salerno in Campania – only 15 to 20 minutes from my cooking school in Paestum. From the several terraces you can see the entire Sele plain and the sea, as far as Capri. Perfectly restored and open as a bed & breakfast, the house is furnished with gorgeous antiques and the many collections and artwork of the family – which boasts two popes. In summer there is a beautiful infinity pool which seems to float over the gently-sloping hill. Check out the website for rates, booking information, and lots of beautiful pictures.

ROMA

www.imcarulli.com
Iris Carulli, as many of you will remember, was my personal assistant for nearly eight years. She is now a guide in Rome. Her website is still under construction, but it should be finished soon. Meanwhile, you can reach Iris through the email link there (imcarulli@hotmail.com). Iris offers unparalleled tours of Rome. She seamlessly incorporates her deep love and knowledge of history, art, and food. Last year, Gourmet magazine called her one of “the 100+ things to know about Rome.” She will, of course, customize a tour to your interests.

www.caesarhouse.com
This is one stylish B & B. That because it’s owned by some very classy Roman friends of mine. With her husband Carmine, Giulia Barela, offers guests a chance to stay in seven gorgeous rooms near the Forum and Colisseum. The rooms are small, but beautifully decorated, and with TV, great air-conditioning (a luxury in Rome in the summer), and modern private baths. See for yourself on the website. There is also one suite, with a bedroom, bath, living room/dining room and small kitchen. It has a sofa bed in the living area, but also an optional second bedroom. To top it all off, it has a view of the ancient Forum. For breakfast, Giulia serves some of the best bread in Rome from a wonderful artisinal bakery located near the Campo dei Fiori, and her staff will take very good care of you. There is even a communal living room that, along with the hallways, features some of the Barela’s contemporary art collection. It’s like staying in someone’s home, but not. The building is at the edge of a residential area, but also well-located for sightseeing. You can walk to the Piazza Navona at night.

www.hotelisa.com
This charming little hotel is in a great neighborhood, Prati; what I like to think of as the “Upper West Side” of Rome. Lots of comfortably upscale, shops, bars and restaurants line the streets. It’s just a short walk over the Tiber River to the historic center of Rome or the Piazza de Popolo. The Vatican is just down the street. The rooms offer all modern conveniences including a mini-bar, safe, TV, and marble baths. I really liked staying here because, besides the accommodating staff, moderate price, and charming rooms, you get a good feel for the real Rome in this area, as opposed to touristic Rome.