Category Archives: New Zealand

Farewell Camogli – hello Rome

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After 6 days of doing nothing much it was time to leave Camogli and head back to Rome. We loved our time in Camogli and it’s mix of village living and hotel luxury. Despite plans to get out and see more of the Ligurian Coast, we pretty much just spent time exploring the village, and lounging by the pool or beach.

Our return trip to Rome consisted of the drive to Firenze and then a high speed train to Rome. The latter leg of the journey was thrown into some doubt as a national rail worker strike had been called for September 8 – the day we were travelling.

To make matters worse there was no definitive answer as to whether our service was running so our backup plan was to extend the rental car for a few hours and drive to Rome. Not ideal, but it would get us there – to our final stay of the trip at the lovely Hotel Barocco.

Eventually we found a list of trains that ‘should’ run during festivals and strikes (an interesting mix of events) but even then this is Italy, so who knows if this list is still current. Eventually we decided to time our run so we could check that our train service (which originated in Milan) actually left before we returned the rental car.

Sitting outside the rental car office in Firenze, illegally parked, we were able to confirm that, yes, the train had departed and we were good to go. The train station was chaos with thousands of people just milling around but luckily we could retreat to the Frecciarossa lounge and relax before boarding the train south.

Relaxing by the pool
Screenshot
Relaxing on a train

A view of Camogli

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Today is Monday and we are at the beach for the day. We have a view of the village and the coast beyond and, judging by the umbrellas and loungers we can see, we aren’t the only ones having a lazy Monday.

Fish and Chips Ligurian Style

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After many restaurant meals it was time for some comfort food. Camogli has a fish and chip shop and a couple of days ago we lined up and placed an order. As with all good fish and chip shops it took 5 mins to cook before we were able to see what we actually had ordered and whether it was worth the 37 Euro we paid.

We ordered salted cod in batter, stuffed anchovies, focaccette with cheese and chips – or 4, 5, 7 and 10 as it said on the menu. When it was ready we sat outside the shop and ate them – washed down with a beer and a glass of wine we had bought with us.

It tasted great, so great that 2 nights later we were back for more.

Come in Camogli

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After leaving Tuscany we drove north to Firenze, looped around the city to the west and headed towards Pisa then turning north towards the Ligurian Coast and Camogli. Three hours, one lunch stop and one toll stop later we arrived at Cenobio di Dogi – our home until September 8.

This is the largest hotel we will stay in – many rooms, three restaurants plus bars, a salt water pool and a private beach. Even given its size it feels relaxed and friendly and nothing is too much trouble.

So far we’ve spent a day on the beach and a day by the pool, we’ve relaxed on the terrace with many drinks and experienced the organised chaos that is breakfast, twice.

Our first night we ate out at La Camogliese just a few metres down the road.

we’ve eaten there before and the seafood has been superb. As a surprise I booked a table there months ago and didn’t tell Jean. It gets incredibly busy and we’ve actually been turned away in the past so I thought booking was a great idea. Making the booking was a challenge from 18,800 kms away but we got there in the end.

The surprise didn’t quite go to plan however.

“Darling, seeing it’s our first night, we should go out” I said. “Maybe try that place we like – what was it called? La Camogliese?”

“Really do we have too go out? I’m tired. Maybe we just grab some takeaways and eat them in our room. I can’t be bothered getting dressed up and putting on makeup” Jean said.

“Come on, you don’t have to get dressed up, let’s just go as we are.”

“I really don’t want to …”

Things were going pear-shaped fast.

“Darling, you remember I said that I had a couple of surprises I’d arranged? This is one of them – I’ve booked us dinner tonight at 9pm”

An extended silence ensued. “How lovely. Let’s get ready…” she said.

Anchovies three ways
Fish Ligurian style

Siena waits for you

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Siena used to be our local town when were in Italy in 2011. Our cottage was an easy 10 mins drive from the town and we visited often.

We love Siena. It is unique with its Campo, Duomo and multiple contrada who compete in the Palio horse race each year. Historically it may have come second to Florence but in our minds it’s number one.

Our friend Tina has rented an apartment near by and so we set off from Radda to visit her and spend a day walking the narrow streets, shopping, of course, and sitting in the Campo watching the world go by.

Despite there being a break in the hot, hot weather in Tuscany, it was still warm so the walk into the town was spent moving from shaded street to shaded street and resting when possible. The ideal place for that being Al Mangia bar in the Campo. I set up camp there while the girls spent time shopping and looking, and shopping. For lunch we moved to the shaded side of the Campo – along with many others.

It has been a few years since we last visited and it was great to experience the sights and sounds of the Siena again.

Moving on – Positano to Tuscany

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Saturday was a travel day starting at 9am in Positano and ending at Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti at 5:30pm. The bulk of the travel was by train from Napoli to Firenze followed by driving through the Tuscan countryside in our zippy Ford Puma rental.

Jean enjoying the train trip to Firenze

Dinner at Adamo e Eva

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One of the highlights of our holiday is to eat at Adamo e Eva, the restaurant at Eden Roc Hotel. This year we were lucky enough to be seated on the panorama terrace – with the best view of Positano providing a backdrop for dinner.

The food was superb and the service impeccable. We even got a complimentary glass of prosecco to start and some chef’s treats along the way. We worked our way through the meal starting with avocado and tomato tartare, with black Venere rice, salmon, and basil cream, and crispy cannelloni stuffed with lime-scented raw tuna, ground pistachio and mango.

The main courses were sauteed sea bass with lemon-scented potatoes puree and herb-scented bread which we both had. We finished with a shared pistachio mousse in a fondant crust, stuffed with Dubai chocolate.

Many thanks to Carlo and the team, it was an unforgettable night.

Avocado and tomato tartare
Crispy cannelloni
Sauteed sea bass
Pistachio mousse

Li Galli Bar and Bistro

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Li Galli is situated about half way between the village centre and Casetta Arienzo. It has both an inside and outside area which are split by the main road through Positano so serving has the added excitement of dodging traffic. The outside bar and dining is spread along the footpath and has the most spectacular views of Positano and the bay. Stopping for a drink is a must do.

It is also the perfect place to take a break on our walk home and on a hot day, it’s a life saver. Ice cold beer and Gin Tonica are the best way to beat the heat.

We have grown to know the team over many years – Gio, Ciro and Giuseppe – and as we stagger up the hill, hot and sweaty we are spotted and a table is ready so we can collapse into a seat. Orders are known and drinks arrive as if by magic.

We’ve also had dinner there a few times over the years. This time it was special. Great food and wine and that beautiful view of the village at night. I would challenge anyone to find a better bistro meal in Positano.

The starter was salmon on bread cake (the description doesn’t do justice to the dish and, of course we ate it before we photographed it) followed by a main course – mixed seafood grill – which showcased the best of the coast, everything from langoustine through to sea bass with squid and baby octopus thrown in for good measure. Molto buono.

Jean was also tempted away from her usual Chardonnay with a local white that embodied all the best of the coast, ideal drinking for a warm summer night and a seafood meal. It was so good I even deserted beer for the evening.

One thing that makes our trips special for us are the connections we have made. And I think we can call the team at Galli our friends. In fact the lovely Gio and his partner have a standing invitation to stay with us if he ventures as far as New Zealand – plus a choice of Porshce to drive. It would be lovely to see them at our place.

Gio kindly gave us a gift when we left – an excellent bottle of red wine – which we will now take home. One evening over summer we will open it and enjoy it on our front verandah looking out across Wellington harbour – reminding ourselves of our trip and our friends on the other side of the world.

To us that is the essence of travel, and why we return.

One of the challenges at Galli Bar – working across the main road
Mixed Fish Grill – delicious
Dinner at Galli
Throwback to 2011 – the view from Li Galli

The best way home

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The last few days have been hot. Very hot and very humid. So getting around has been a challenge but returning home from the hotel a few days ago things changed. We were offered a ride in the hotel Tuktuk.

Visitors to the coast

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Over the last few days we’ve been joined in Positano by Jake and Lauren, our lovely niece and nephew from Texas. They arrived last Friday and left Tuesday, heading north to a wedding in Tuscany and then on to the Dolomites.

They are keen walkers and, for those of you who know Positano, that’s good because the village is all walking – up, down and sideways.

It was lovely to be able to provide some tips for them – places to go and things to see – although they had a pretty full itinerary worked out before they arrived.

They visited Pompei, did the walk of the gods and spent a day on a boat cruising along the coast to Amalfi and back. We organised a dinner at Il Ritrovo in Montepertuso, above Positano, and an afternoon at Da Adolfo, a beach club along the coast only accessible by boat. We also had dinner at the famous Chez Black on the waterfront.

We had a great time and it was lovely to spend time them both.

Outside Casa Bottega after lunch
Chez Black for dinner
After dinner at Chez Black
Jake and Lauren on the terrace at Eden Roc Hotel
Showing off Da Adolfo merch
The boys at Da Adolfo
Blacken fish – -Da Adolfo
Having a snooze after lunch

Pool lunches

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Our days spent by the hotel pool are broken by lunch at the Eden Sky Bar. The food is always great but we have very different orders. One is healthy and delicious, the other is fish and chips. Guess who has what.

Rainy evening in Positano

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A few days ago the run of fine and sunny weather was broken by a combination of rain followed by a night of thunder and lightening.

It hadn’t rained for 2 months and the downpour made up for this, soaking everything as it passed. The thunder and lightening later in the night was spectacular, thunder loud enough to wake us and keep us awake and lightening that lit up the coast like day. The storm lasted about hour and managed to knock out power to the village for a short time.

Thankfully next day normal transmission resumed although with a lower temperature and a freshness in the air that was welcome.

My elusive Jean

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I try very hard to get photos of people in blog posts. But it can be tricky – particularly when my lovely wife is involved. She is a bit camera shy – but God knows I’ll keep trying.

Jean not being photographed in Piazza Navona, Rome
Jean not being photographed at Le Galli Bar in Positano
Jean not being photographed by the pool at Eden Roc Hotel
Jean not being photographed at the alimentari in Positano

Positano – first impressions

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We arrived in Positano on Saturday and have settled into villa life. The jet lag is pretty much gone and we’re feeling human again. The last couple of days have been spent in and about the hotel pool dealing to our winter whiteness, and even after a couple of days we are both a little browner and a little more able to fit in with the locals.

One thing we were expecting – the crowds – were much reduced on two years ago.

The last time we were here Positano was packed. Mid August is peak season and the combination of the village population trebling as hotels and Air BnBs fill up, and the day trippers arriving by the coach load, meant the village could barely cope.

Good news – this is not so much the case this year. Everyone we have talked to puts this down to a combination of economic uncertainty (particularly holding back American visitors), global unease and shifting travel habits with more visitors earlier and later in the season. In fact one local said with some shock, that some hotel rooms were available at 24 hours notice which, for the last few years has been unheard of.

Day trippers still mean the village is crowded between 10am and 3pm but much less so than in the past.

And the hotels are finding that they are booked longer into the shoulder season. Eden Roc Hotel closes at the end of October which is traditionally when bookings have dropped dramatically but this year they are fully booked right to closing day.

Positano – summer 2025 (stock image)
Positano – summer 2026

Pillow fight

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Both girls love being on the pillow in the study – but when one gets there first (Bella) the other (Ellie) gets as close as possible hoping for the best.