We apologize for the tardy blog post. We’ve been engulfed in some good family fun and haven’t had much time to reflect. Onwards…

After our brief visit to Milan, we headed south to Genoa (Genova) Italy. Genoa is Italy’s 6^th largest city and the birthplace of Italian culinary hits such as pesto and focaccia bread … a reason in itself to make a stop. Although Genoa was the European Capital of Culture in 2004, it is still a destination mostly skipped by tourists on their way down to the more popular Cinque Terre region. Yes, it’s a somewhat industrial port town and yes, there is a lot of diversity (Italians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Ecuadorians and Senegalese) but there is still a great amount of Italian history and a wonderful pedestrian-only historic center to go along with the gritty but welcoming cityscape. Genoa boasts plentiful historical palaces that were once home to Italian royalty but are now open to the public for viewing, plus several of the most stunning church interiors we’ve seen thus far. We ate delicious pesto each day and enjoyed perusing the windy, narrow alleyways.  We also took a day trip to Camogli, a small beach town north of Cinque Terre where Foccacia Con Formaggio (cheese) is a dietary staple and enjoyed some of the local flavor while basking in some Italian Rivera beaches. We had a great experience in Genoa and a special thanks goes out to our Airbnb host Giuseppe and his wife who hosted us in their beautiful home.

From Genoa we headed down to Florence where we were lucky enough to have an apartment for four days and where we were able to cook most meals and save on some of the most expensive dining in the country. Contrary to Genoa, Florence is the tourist capital of Italy. However, despite the throngs of tourists, we were still able to roam the city and learn a great deal about renaissance history thanks to a walking tour hosted by a Rick Steve’s pod cast.  We were also fortunate enough to take a food tour with Taste Florence where we were educated on different types of balsamic vinegars, olive oils, prosciuttos and wines of the regions. We toured the central market and a variety of local specialty shops for some of the tastiest dishes in town. We topped off the tour with a visit to an artisanal Gelateria where we scooped up some incredibly tasty gelato; including flavors such as vanilla with fresh mint and dark chocolate with chilies. We found that the tour opened us up to more authentic Italian dishes that we never thought to order previously. So yes, there is more to Italian cuisine than just pizza, pasta and paninis!

After Florence, we met up with Adena’s sister Leah and her boyfriend Lukas in Rome.  We immediately headed south and spent the night in Gaeta, a small port town with an even smaller medieval center. We enjoyed some thirst quenching Aperol Spritzes while overlooking the waterfront. After a harrowing three hour drive, we made it to Positano on the Amalfi coast.  We stayed in the sleepy cliff side village of Nocelle, located 2000 steps (or 500 meters) above Positano with unbelievable views of the coast.  Nocelle is located in a protected forest area and there are only a handful of bed and breakfasts and even fewer restaurants.  We spent a day walking from Nocelle to Praino along the Path of the Gods, high above the coastline and on the edge of cliffs.  We ate delicious meats, cheeses, fresh pastas and enjoyed copious amounts of local wine each night.  If you want to enjoy the Amalfi coast but prefer to avoid the swarm of tourists in Positano center, Nocelle is a wonderful alternative. Thanks Leah and Lucas for finding such a hidden gem for us!

From Nocelle we took another harrowing drive south along the coast to Omignano, an extremely small (official population of 1,600 but feels like much less) mountain town located in the Cliento and Vallo di Diano National Park. We are currently staying in a newly renovated house in the hillside with a family who made us a wonderful Italian dinner with freshly made pasta and zucchini. We tried our hand at rolling some fresh pasta, but we were really out of our league. We are clearly out of place here in Omignano, but it’s refreshing to know that there are still relatively untouched places in Italy to visit where speaking English is not possible.  We are glad we’ve brushed up on our Italian. Next up is where it all began … Bella Roma.