Sorrento is a hell of a city. It’s actually quite small, but it’s the quality that counts, right? Anyway, Sorrento is near across the Gulf of Naples from…Naples. And it’s one of the top 10 most beautiful places I have ever been.
They’ve got some decent food, too.
The reason for my cross country trip (it was pretty far, about 4 hours from Rome) was that a friend of mine from BU was a chaperone on a school trip, and they were making their last stop there. Their group actually turned out to be hilarious, and the first night, I had dinner with Allyn (my friend, who is a she, and who goes by her middle name), and the teachers from the trip.
There was a hilarious moment outside the restaurant when I, attempting to clear up some confusion regarding an incredibly vulgar phrase that I had picked up. Well, I asked the tour guide, who was a young brit, and he basically stood there in shock, having expected something like “where can I buy limonchello?” Little did he know I wouldn’t ask something quite as boring as that!
So anyway, it went like this. I said to him, in the middle of a street:
Gentleman Gourmand: “So, I’ve got a question for you.”
Adam: “Shoot.”
GG: “So, is it ‘vafanculo, or vavanguno?”
Adam: *stunned look*
Latin professor: *breaks into insane laugher*
Middle-aged-woman-walking-by-not-with-the-group turns towards me and says “vaffanCULO” and keeps walking.
Latin professor: *even more incredibly insane laughter*
GG: *almost crying from laughing so hard*
It was the highlight of Sorrento.
Note: Do not attempt this at home, you will get assaulted. The term roughly refers to someone “engaging themselves” in their “less than appropriate area” in a “most vulgar fashion.” You have been warned.
As luck would have it, I ate both lunch and dinner at the same restaurant on my second day. For lunch, I had Tortellini in Brodo and some type of pasta Bolognese, both of which were very, very good, especially the Tortellini. It evoked memories of summers ago in Colorado at the only restaurant in Telluride that Ralph Lauren will eat (at which I had very good Tortellini in Brodo. But not with Ralph).
Oh, and I had an amazing pitcher of white wine with peaches in it. Mmm.
For dinner, I had “mixed marinated stuff” which was delicious. The “stuff” comprised of salmon, shrimp, sardines, olives etc. Next, the same Tortellini, then some pork. No comment on the pork.
Actually, for dinner the night before I had a very interesting meal. Fodors recommended a place down by the water known for their “fried local seafood.” I feel for the poor tourists, expecting fried fish the likes of Red Lobster. What I got when I ordered it, was a huge tray of completely whole fish, that had been perfectly fried.
I ate everything but the spines and the teeth of the bigger ones. And I do mean everything.
It was delicious.
(By the way, Sorrento is of course famous for it’s lemons, which are amazingly sweet. It evidently has to do with the ash from Mount Vesuvius, and they are amazing. One of the most popular products they make with it is Limoncello, a sweet digestivo, which I had many of during my two days there. The lemon ices and lemon gelato were phenomenal as well.)
Andrew Baber is a