Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Even Italian rest stops serve gourmet food

We got on the road from Cortona around 10am after eating a nice breakfast up on the 4th floor enclosed terrace. It had a terrific view of the Tuscan countryside. There were hundreds of swallows darting this way and that chasing after bugs. It looked like a WWI dogfight.

The drive to Ravello was pretty long. We did have an amazing lunch at a roadside rest stop near Avezzano. The chef/owner/waiter spoke very little (read: no) English, so we resorted to ordering dishes for which we recognized the name, like Arrabbiata or Gnocchi. Evidently we missed out on the specialties of the house, which are various grilled meats cooked over a wood-fired grill.

Our route of travel took us around Lake Trasimeno and Perugia, through Terni, past Avezzano and Cassino (site of a vicious battle during the Italian Campaign in late '43 and the first half of '44), down around the East side of metro Naples where we got off the freeway in Pagani and proceeded to cross the range of mountains that helps to define the Sorrentine peninsula before finally arriving in Ravello, a small town about 1200ft ASL right above Amalfi.

After fumbling around looking for our hotel, the Hotel Parsifal (the SatNav maps we got from BMW are not terribly good, especially in the Point of Interest category), we finally found it and were met by Antonio, the proprietor. He's so friendly. He helped get our bags out of the car, helped re-park the car somewhere with more room, helped get us settled in. Everything you expect from someone running a small B&B type hotel. The property is very nice; situated in an old convent that dates back to the 13th century.

The views from the hotel's terrace are amazing; looking west right down the coast.

Dinner was pizza in a small restaurant called the Vittorio. I have two words: Molto Buono. We have eaten so well on this trip I almost feel guilty. There are no signs of it stopping, either. I was too full for my after dinner gelato, and that's saying something.

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