La Mia Prima Classe

As I sit and eat quite possibly the juiciest orange I have ever tasted, I am again reminded that I am most definitely in Italy. Not that it’s easy to forget mind you, but certain images and sounds as I wander the streets of Piano de Sorrento make me smile on the inside and out. The constant hum of scooters, the light beeps of tiny cars, cheerful greetings and conversations among residents on the street, and the ring of cathedral bells are all overwhelmingly charming.

Let’s not forget the multitude of tastes that bombard you as well. Scott and I treated ourselves to dinner Saturday night at Il Buco (www.ilbucoristorante.it) a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant on the Sorrento Peninsula overlooking the gulf. The dining room is in the wine cellar of an old monastery, laden with bricks, soothing colors, and a very gracious staff. We did a 6-course chef’s tasting menu, including a squid dish prepared three ways (ceviche, fried, and grilled), a lobster tail served with a cauliflower cream and micro greens, a spaghetti with roasted red peppers, olives, and mint, a lemon-mozzarella ravioli with a sea urchin broth topped with shrimp scampi, and the most delicious strawberry tiramisu you could ever imagine. All paired with a rich white wine which was a local blend from the area.

Yesterday I began my cooking class at Mami Camilla with Chef Bellagio Longo. Four hours a day of cooking, learning, and tasting with the chef and fellow students—what a delight. After we cook we sit and eat with any guests of the bed and breakfast, and also guests of their other bed and breakfast location. Last night, Scott was here to join us as well as a traveler from Thailand here for a couple of days before he moves on to explore the rest of Italy.

Our 4-course menu was superb: to start, a fried Violetta eggplant sandwich filled with ham and cheese, next a homemade spaghetti with zucchini and olive oil, followed by fried shrimp with cabbage, tomatoes and an anchovy sauce, and last but not least, a slice of chocolate caprese—a flourless dark chocolate cake with chopped almonds, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. All just enough to make me dream of food and anxiously await today’s cooking adventures.