Got it. So, when it comes to restaurants, which one is always full – even in the wintertime?
Lido Azzurro is a lovely trattoria on the marina in Amalfi. The atmosphere is family-friendly, and the food is great! The signature arugula and shrimp salad is out of this world, as is the spaghetti with clams, for which owner Antonio Bijou completes the preparation tableside. He’s passionate about our regional cuisine, which is evident in his menu and the locals love him.
Is there anything locals only eat during the colder months?
Eggplant Parmigiana – a staple of Campania’s cuisine. The best places to enjoy it are the family-run trattorias of Positano and Amalfi, where the cooks prepare it according to traditional recipes passed down for generations. There are several variations: with or without eggs, eggplant fried with or without flour, heavy or light on the sauce – the one constant is the stringy buffalo mozzarella.
Are there any areas in town that really come alive during the off-season?
Many small towns and villages celebrate their patron saints or local products with events that attract both residents and visitors curious to experience the Amalfi Coast like a local. For example, for the Sagra della Zeppola, a festival on Positano’s Spiaggia Grande beach in late December, locals prepare the typical frittelle (deep-fried dough), pasta e fagioli, broccoli and sausage paninis, and pizza.
These are cooler months, so how can we enjoy the landscape if we aren’t at the beach?
A highlight of this time of year is the weather. It’s almost always mild, and is ideal for hiking in the mountains. At the end of the season, we organize a wellness retreat at Le Sirenuse. Among the activities are daily four-hour treks, which led me to discover many paths in the Lattari Mountains. I take long walks either alone or with my girlfriend and friends two or three times a week. My favourite is climbing the 1,800 steps to Nocelle—I enjoy it, and it’s also a great workout.
What does your perfect off-season Saturday look like?
I start with breakfast at home, then a walk in the mountains. Despite its three-hour duration, the Path of the Gods is easy, and you can enjoy a sea view the entire way. Or you can go up to Monte Comune, where the farmers of Sant’Agata bring their cows to graze. Their milk is used to make Provolone del Monaco, one of the essential ingredients for pasta alla Nerano, along with fried zucchini, butter, and Parmigiano. Everyone orders the dish in the summer, but it’s a hearty preparation well suited to winter. One of the best places to taste it is Lo Scoglio in Nerano, where you dine on a wooden platform over the sea – a marvel that feels like being on a boat. I’m also very fond of this restaurant because my grandfather got married there. Alternatively, you can go to Acqua Pazza, in Cetara, for the spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, and chili peppers with colatura di alici, the village’s famous anchovy sauce.
What are the other perks of visiting during the winter?
With no traffic or crowds, it’s much easier and more relaxing to visit hot spot archaeological sites, such as Paestum, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and the museums and churches of Naples – all of which are doable day trips from the Amalfi Coast.
