Sorrento for the day

Posted on August 27, 2024 by toscanakiwi

Our driver arrived promptly at 10:30am and we were off to Sorrento for the day. Alberto was a great driver, just the right amount of chat and info, and great skills getting us over the hill to Sorrento feeling good – it is a twisting road and can cause a queasy stomach.

Because he is from Sorrento Alberto drove a route that took us along the edge of the cliff past some great views and some stunning hotels and homes.

It was hot today in Sorrento, either 28 degrees if you believe Apple’s weather app, 32 degrees if you believe il Meteo which is the equivalent of our Metservice app, or 39 degrees according the sign outside the Farmacia in the main square. It felt like the Farmacia was closest. Ideal weather for shopping.

Alberto dropped us in the middle of Sorrento at which point the shopping began.

Jean stumbled across Marella last year when we were here. Its parent brand is Max Mara and it has the essence of that top end clothing brand with somewhat more reasonable pricing. The clothes look great. And there is one in Sorrento.

So while I sat in the “husband chair” she was dazzled with options. One thing we notice is the sales assistants are also fashion experts – this goes with this, and with this and when we add this, and what about this … so half an hour later Jean has a selection of clothes being rung up and a bag so full the handles break after leaving the shop.

“The husband” also did a little shopping bagging a rather nice Bulova watch for the collection.

Lunch was at Fauno bar, followed by a few more hours shopping while “the husband” found himself a nice quiet bar and an endless supply of Heineken to fill in the time.

Alberto then took us home and the purchases were unveiled one by one. For you to see the purchases, gentle reader, you’ll have to wait for our return.

A day at the beach

Posted on August 25, 2024 by toscanakiwi

On Friday we went to the beach. There were three options – Arienzo beach – 239 steps below our villa, Spiaggia Grande – the main beach in Positano and Fornillo beach which is one bay on from the Spiaggia Grande.

Arienzo beach is home of the famous Arienzo beach club which we have visited before. It is close to the casa and private but has changed in the last few years. It used to cost 10 Euro for a towel, lounger and umbrella plus whatever you spent on lunch and drinks. Since Covid, it has become an Instagram hotspot and now only offers packages which start at 350 Euro for the “basic experience” which includes loungers, umbrellas, lunch and a bottle of bubbles, and goes up to 850 Euro for the “VIP experience” which include a 20 minute photo shoot, vintage champagne and caviar. Yikes, that makes for an expensive day out.

Spiaggia Grande is the beach you see in all the classic shots of Positano. Rows of loungers and umbrellas all lined up like soldiers. It is close to the village but is very busy. It seems better value for money than Arienzo beach but we have tended to avoid the hustle and bustle that comes with it’s hundreds of keen beach goers.

Which brings us to Fornillo beach, the quiet alternative to the main beach and where we spent a day last year.

It is a longer walk to get there and back on a hot day but it’s worth it. Jean got to swim in the sea, taste the salty waters of the Med, and fulfil her piscean needs.

Casa e Bottega – revisited

Posted on August 23, 2024 by toscanakiwi

One of our favourite places in Positano is Casa e Bottega. We wrote a story about it last year and we were keen to revisit this year. Checking our schedule of events – yes we have one, but that’s another story – Tuesday was the allocated day we walked down to the village for lunch at the cafe.

Casa e Bottega is both a cafe and an arts and craft store which, for one of us is dangerous. Last year we bought a ceramic jug for the kitchen which Jean then nursed home wrapped in copious layers of bubble wrap in her carry on luggage.

Bad news, this year the moment we walked in she spotted this years purchase, another jug which will go well with the one we bought last year. I am seeing the start of a dangerous trend here.

As always the food was excellent and the company of the staff and owner, the lovely Vito (who also owns the Palazzo Murat Hotel) was delightful. He confirmed what we had felt from day one, that the village is less busy and more relaxed than last year with less people visiting on day trips.

For him that meant a hotel that was still fully booked during the peak season but less people spending at the bars and restaurants. Given how frantic last year was, he genuinely thought this was a good thing. A sentiment echoed by everyone else we have talked with this trip.

One thing about the Casa I had forgotten were the two resident dogs who have free rein of the cafe, sleeping in their beds in one corner, walking around being patted by the patrons, or simply lying down wherever they want. Being dog owners separated from our girls, it was great to be able have a pat or have a head laid on your knee for a gentle rub.

Wellington’s leaking pipes crisis reaches Positano

Posted on August 23, 2024 by toscanakiwi

Just as Wellington Water cleaned up a major leak on Kent Terrace yesterday, a leak in Casetta Arienzo robbed us of our hot water.

Yesterday afternoon a loud hissing started emanating from the roof of the casetta. A plume of hot steam started to appear above the villa and the hot water supply promptly stopped. For those not familiar with Italian plumbing (myself included) when houses are built into cliff-sides it’s usual for things like water cylinders, gas tanks, wiring, piping and electrics to be mounted externally. Hence the dramatic steam display when our hot water tank (sitting on the roof of the casetta) failed.

It was enough to stop passers by who stared, pointed, looked worried, and asked each other meaningful questions which we didn’t know the meaning of.

A quick call to the hotel and our friend Pascal arrived on his trusty Vespa. He looked both confused and worried, and after making sure we were ok disappeared up the path that led to the roof and the tank. He took on the steaming monster singlehanded and seemed to win.

He managed to stop the noise and the steam and the water that had started to cascade down the cliff, but restoring the hot water was a job for a professional. First thing this morning a plumber – whose name might have been Mario – arrived at the cassetta and within 15 mins the hot water was back on.

Maybe we should see if Wellington Water would like to use the services of Mario?

Dinner at Eden Roc

Posted on August 22, 2024 by toscanakiwi

On Tuesday night we had dinner at Eden Roc Hotel’s in-house restaurant Adamo ed Eva. We had a table with a spectacular view (thank you Carlo) and enjoyed food and wine that was seriously excellent.

The service was also second to none – thank you Michael – it made for a great night.

Given the location, seafood seemed the way to go ordering prawns in a tempura batter with avocado foam and ricotta cheese as an entree and oven roasted sea bass in a lemon scented panko crumb with quenelle potato and raw and cooked vegetables as a main. No dessert however, as we both have new clothes that we still want to fit at the end of our holiday.

A broom, a broom, my kingdom for a broom

Posted on August 21, 2024 by toscanakiwi

Those of you who know Jean well are aware of her need to clean. She cleans the house after our cleaner has been, she vacuums on a regular basis – daily over the weekend. It’s a type of therapy I think.

When we returned from Europe after our stay in 2011 one of the few items shipped home was the vacuum cleaner Jean had bought in Italy and which was in the back of our car and visited 4 countries with us (all of which were cleaner when we left) before it was shipped to New Zealand. We have it still.

Jean cleans not because she has too, but simply because she can.

So yesterday afternoon she was at the reception desk in the hotel trying to ask two slightly bemused and confused staff members for a broom. No not a cleaner to come to the villa, just a broom and a pan so she could keep the terrace and the apartment tidy. To their credit, there was a broom and pan waiting for us when we got back to the villa about 30 mins later. Much to her delight.

Paradise?

Posted on August 19, 2024 by toscanakiwi

We arrived in Positano to hot, humid weather. Within a few hours that had changed. Our first night included thunder, lightning, rain and fire.

It reminded us less of paradise and more of that other place.

Thunder storms are not normal in August but we had one rumble through overnight Saturday which was accompanied by rain. This was quite handy as it helped damp down the fire that broke out, also on Saturday night, alongside the coastal road. Thanks to jet lag Jean managed to capture the action at 3am.

Thunder, lightning, rain and fire – welcome to Positano

The next morning it rained again – which left Jean acting like a caged lion waiting for the weather to improve as the pool at Eden Roc hotel was calling. It did improve and it was off to the alimentari for provisions (most importantly gin and beer), followed by an afternoon basking by the pool at Eden Roc Hotel. Normal transmission had resumed.

Arriving in Positano

Posted on August 19, 2024 by toscanakiwi

After a half days travel from Rome we arrived in Positano yesterday afternoon. We had a quiet night – the jet lag was still there so it was early to bed.

We watched the sun go down through a humid haze as the sky slowly changed colour.

Views of Rome you don’t usually see

Posted on August 18, 2024 by toscanakiwi

In a world of Instagram perfection I thought it was time to show some views of Rome that wouldn’t normally make the cut. Alternate captions welcomed.

Tour guide showing group a well known local umbrella

The Monster House

Posted on August 17, 2024 by toscanakiwi

About 30 metres from the top of the Spanish Steps is this unique house. It is Palazzo Zuccari, also known as the House of Monsters of Rome, which now houses the Bibliotheca Hertziana.

The Bibliotheca Hertziana is a highly specialised library which can only be accessed after completing a doctorate in History of Arts or Humanities – although there are now daily tours available.

This facia was originally the back of a house built in the 1500s (before the Spanish Steps were built) which was the entrance to a garden. The owner, an artist, wanted a striking entrance that contrasted with the beauty of the garden beyond. Hence the monsters sculpted around the doors and windows.

Also, please note Jean doing her best Insta pose.

Flying High with Emirates

Posted on August 17, 2024 by toscanakiwi

Thank you Emirates. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in your business class cabin on route to Rome. It felt like the golden age of flying when it was more than just a way to get from A to B, but rather was an experience in it’s own right.

There was room to spread out, great food and drink, and service that was unmatched. Nothing was too much trouble for your wonderful staff and how you managed to produce my pan-fried beef tenderloin served with thyme jus, mashed potatoes and blanched broccoli in an aeroplane at 40,000 feet is a mystery to me.

Emirates pride themselves on their diversity of crew and our cabin was served by a team brought together from all corners of the globe. All with a single-minded focus to ensure our trip was as relaxed and enjoyable as possible.

And to top off the experience, there is the cocktail bar at the rear of their cabin. The ideal place to stretch you legs, meet fellow travellers, enjoy a quiet drink and, in Jean’s case, make new friends.

I said previously that we were Premium Economy travellers – and while that is a great experience, this was special. The chance to upgrade was well worth the extra cost and has made us rethink how we will travel in future.

And yes Emirates, this post is a shameless attempt to get the offer of an upgrade when we return home in September.

Upgrade!

Posted on August 14, 2024 by toscanakiwi

We are Premium Economy flyers. The added legroom we get is worth the additional cost over economy. But the leap to business class is just too much for us to handle.

Unless, of course, Emirates email us and offer an upgrade at a great price – and that’s what happened yesterday. We had the chance to upgrade our Dubai to Rome leg. Clearly there were some seats upstairs that were unsold – now there are two less.

Lie flat beds and a bar – what more could you want?

Back to Italy

Posted on August 12, 2024 by toscanakiwi

We weren’t planning to visit Italy this year. Last year’s trip was on such a scale and the credit card bills were so large that we were genuinely planning a “stay at home” year.

But last year, on a whim, we had pencil booked a two week stay at Casetta Arienzo in Positano for August this year.

We ignored the time late last year when we usually book the early bird flights to Europe. We were mentally not going, we had checked out, so to speak.

Until an email arrived in May from the lovely people at Eden Roc Hotel asking us to confirm or cancel the booking for Casetta Arienzo. That changed things.

Or more accurately, we came to our senses.

Within a fortnight in May we arranged everything – flights (thank you Petra our lovely travel agent of 25 years), hotels (some old favourites and some new experiences), train trips, rental cars in Italy and all that goes along with a holiday.

We are going for a month, staying in Positano for two weeks, spending a week or so catching up with friends in Tuscany and making up the remaining time in Rome.

Time has flown and it’s now mid August and we’re flying out in a couple of days. We can’t wait.

Photos and more photos

Posted on October 10, 2023 by toscanakiwi

We’ve been home from Italy for just over a month. Time for us to settle back into home life, sort through all the photographs we’ve taken, and load a selection into a holiday gallery on SmugMug.

If you’d like to see some shots from the blog and some new ones you won’t have seen, click here.

All the photos were taken using iPhones – as opposed to the usual Nikon camera back and lenses I have lugged to Europe in the past. All in all, apart from not having any real control over the depth of field, they look pretty good.

Food glorious food

Posted on September 13, 2023 by toscanakiwi

We left Rome on a high note – from a culinary viewpoint. Our two last nights were dining out – at Aroma next to the colosseum and then at La Pergola in Hotel Cavalieri.

Aroma has one Michelin star and La Pergola has three – so we were expecting fireworks. And we got them.

Aroma offers a range of degustation menus to choose from, excellent service and a view from your table that is quite spectacular. La Pergola offers both degustation and al la carte menus, immaculate service and views across Rome.

The staff at Hotel Barocco were interested in our comparison between the two as one of the front desk staff is the cousin of the chef at Aroma.

it’s fair to say that both provide exquisite food and a fine wine list. And both delight with small surprises as the meal progresses.

There is a formality at La Pergola which comes with three Michelin stars – there’s someone to escort you to the toilets, just to make sure you don’t get lost and while you’re gone a fresh napkin is provided at the table for no reason other than your old one was wrinkled. Their mineral water list is longer than almost any other restaurant’s wine list and your meal is timed to perfection – they know how long to leave between courses – so all you need to do is concentrate on the food.

Aroma feels younger and slightly edgier. There is a fraction less precision but that comes across as less formality. Given their menu approach, food and wines are matched which is a real treat and we lingered longer there to chat with the staff.

Which one is better – we couldn’t call it. So the question we posed ourselves was – if we were taking someone out to dinner in Rome and wanted to surprise and delight them which would we choose?

It would be Aroma, but only by a wafer thin margin.