Auguri in Ischia

The day Alex and I booked our flights for this five month trip through Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East, I was online booking a long weekend in Ischia.  I had the perfect place saved on AirBnB, and I knew it was exactly where I wanted to spend my birthday on May 31.  

So where’s Ischia?

A one hour ferry ride from the Molo Beverello Port in Naples lies Ischia, Capri’s neighbor.  All I knew about the island was that three Italian friends told me they loved it.  I didn’t ask why, what was there, or where to stay....(turns out you should stay in Ischia Ponte, there are lots of spas and shopping, and there are castles and aqueducts…that’s pretty much all there is to know).

Fortunately, we ended up here.

With Gina Menegazzi, Italian grandmamma extraordinaire.  Her two-bedroom apartment overlooks the stunning Castello Aragonese, the azure sea in front, and a row of pastel colored houses weathered from the ocean winds.  The sea is so close to the windows that you can hear the waves lapping all day and night, and you feel a sort of constant drowsiness and relaxation.  I slept better there than I have since the cave in Cappadocia, and that’s saying something. 

Breakfast every morning was fresh baked bread with fresh honey, butter, and lemon and orange jam made by Gina herself. On May 31^st, I woke up to happy birthdays from my tempory grandmother and Alex, and a wonderful breakfast by the sea. 

Next it was shopping and pizza by the water, followed by an absolutely incredible dinner at Il Pontille.  In case you ever find yourself in Italy, do yourself a favor: just tell the waiters to surprise you.  It ends well.

After the owner insisted that Alex was in fact Matt Damon, we were given four glasses of prosecco and some birthday cake.  We were so full that we forgot to go home and light the candle on the lemon cake we bought that afternoon.

No matter, we had it for breakfast the next morning overlooking that gorgeous ocean.

When I blew out my candle, I made the obligatory wish.  Guess what it was? 

That 26 would be as good as 25.  What an incredible end to another fabulous year.

The Pizza Scene in Naples

From the time that I booked a flight to Naples, I was thinking about pizza. Alex and I landed around 11 a.m. – just in time for lunch.  As soon as we dropped our bags in our cheap hotel, we were heading to the much heralded Mecca of pizza in Naples – Da Michele. 

Lines.  Long, long lines.  While it has been a local favorite for years, Da Michele now has a cult status among the ladies courtesy of Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love.  They say the lines move fast and the waiters will kick you out of your seat if you’re lingering, so maybe try it if you have the chance.  We chose not to.  We ended up at Pizzeria Trianon just up the street, and the pizza was absolutely perfect (and three euros). 

The next day, it was time for round two.  After getting the nod from our hotel owner, we headed to Pizzeria Di Matteo on Via Dei Tribunali.  Tribunali is one of the most casually delicious streets I have ever seen – pizza and street food galore.  I’m not sure how it was possible to beat our first stop, but this pie did – hands down.  For two euros, we grabbed a large margherita to go.  The pie was piping hot, and the sauce was bright and perfectly fresh.  The crust was soft but lightly charred, and the cheese was a little more sparse that you might find at a restaurant with tables and inside service, but seriously, this is perfect street pizza.  No complaints. At all.  They also sell slightly smaller pizzas for a single Euro apiece, which may be the best bargain in Europe.

While waiting for our pizza, I noticed a small photo of a young President Clinton on the wall.  This is the pizzeria he visited during the 1994 G7 summit in Naples.  WJC knows his food, so I knew we had picked an absolute gem.

A few doors down from Di Matteo are two stunning churches sandwiching Via dei Tribunali in between them.  We cracked open our box, folded the pizza in fourths, and ate with sauce dripping down our hands. 

The pizza was plenty of food, but we had to sample the other goods on offer.  Meet crocche - mashed potatoes filled with fresh mozzarella that are battered then fried.  (I forgot to take a photo, so excuse this terrible one borrowed from the internet). 

It might not surprise you that we were back for dinner.  In addition to our pizza, we tried deep-fried zucchini blossoms and arancini di rossa.  Arancini di rossa are baseball-sized rice balls filled with meat, cheese, tomato, and peas.  This is sort of a fried, Italian shepherd’s pie, and it is delicious fat kid food.

While walking towards Di Matteo for the second time, I noticed this. 

After President Clinton’s visit to Di Matteo, the brother of the pizzaiolo at Di Matteo opened up his own restaurant – named after Clinton – just down the block.  We also saw that the daughter of the brother of the pizzaiolo (confused yet?) opened up a spot too.  We didn’t get to try hers, but I guess this gives us another reason to go back?

Our time in Naples was probably the most pizza packed two days in my life.  We were each downing entire pies sometimes twice a day...a tradition that has carried over to Ischia.  If you get the chance to head to Naples, you absolutely cannot miss the chance to put down your own pie.  No, you may not eat just one slice or two...it's the entire thing - right down the hatch.  Buon appetito!