Sunday morning I decided to take advantage of yet another gorgeous Sorrento day by taking the train into town for a Hop On-Hop Off bus tour of the city and its surrounding areas.  You know the bus line I’m talking about—the huge red, double-decker bus that you see cruising around cities even in the United States.  This was my first tour of this kind and I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant that it would be a smidge corny by the appearance of the bus, but it really wasn’t! As it turns out it was a very affordable and informative way to learn about the history of the city, as well as have a chance to see surrounding towns that I probably would not get to on my own.  The bus tour included stops in the city off Sorrento like Piazza Lauro, Rione Cappuccini, Cocumella, and Piazza Tasso, but then we went off the beaten track and into the gorgeous areas overlooking the bay and the Isle of Capri: Massa Lubrense, Termini, and Sant’Agata sui due Golfi.  If you get a change to take a Hop On-Hop Off tour when you are traveling, I highly recommend that you do!

The next stop on my personal tour was a truly delightful meal at L’Antica Trattoria (http://www.lanticatrattoria.com/) located right off of Piazza Tasso on Via P.R. Guiliani.  An eclectic outdoor patio filled with enormous yellow umbrellas, flowers galore, and rustic ceramic tile work adorning walls and throughout the restaurant.  Open since 1950, this restaurant exudes local charm and has a variety of tasting menus for dinner, a light menu for lunch, and an a la carte menu—choices to satisfy anyone’s palate.  I started with a Negroni—a gin and Campari cocktail with an orange slice, followed by an antipasti plate of grilled mixed vegetables.  A simple dish of grilled fennel, tomato, sweet potato, zucchini and eggplant topped with fruity olive oil and mint leaves.  (The mint was a surprising accompaniment to this plate as I would normally expect basil instead, but the sweetness of the mint was a much brighter flavor that really worked well with the freshness of the overall dish.) 

For my main course I ordered the sliced filet of beef served over a rocket, cherry tomato, and Parmesan salad.  I love the use of rocket in this region in addition to its close relative, arugula. Rocket is a bit larger in size and has a more concentrated peppery flavor, which was nicely offset here with the salty Parmesan cheese and the richness of perfectly cooked beef. To satisfy my sweet tooth I ordered a crispy cannoli filled with a luscious lemon cream,  topped with sliced apples, raspberries, strawberries and kiwi, and finished off with a concentrated lemon sauce.  Unlike any cannoli I have ever had, the shell was very thin and had a marvelous crispness to it; almost as if it were made out of a smooth crepe batter and then lightly fried.  What can I say? A spectacular and relaxing meal that paired nicely with a spectacular and relaxing walk back to my hotel.

Tagged: culinary school, externship, Italy, L'Antica Trattoria, Mami Camilla cooking school, Sorrento