Funny you say that, we were so close to going Le Tre Sorelle the last night and just didn’t make it. It felt and looked like it was a place to be, but we we ended up on the other side of the hill and went to another spot.
Awesome report. Roscioli is indeed the real deal – one of my favorite spots on Earth.
Does anyone have any advice of good Positano spots? I’ll be there for a few days next month and am looking to find something good. I’ve added Le Tre Sorelle to the list.
We liked Il Ritrovo. Location makes it an interesting meal, too. Been a few years though . Having the waiter pick us up and drop us off at our hotel was pretty special, too.
Btw it’s Italy . Fresh produce and cheese so much better than here in the US. Plus seafood good too. Didn’t have a bad meal in Positano nor Capri for a week. I don’t get the complaints .
A reason to return. 
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I hate to be the Debbie Downer in this thread, I just wasn’t wowed by any of the food in Positano. Maybe Bruce just made better choices. And we weren’t seeking Michelin or 4 star dining (as you can see from choices in Rome). Ritrovo was probably the best, and the setting was killer. Guaracino, Bar Bucca, Colline Bakery, Ristorant Max were all just ok. Like they went out of the way not to not find the great products Bruce mentions. It was weird and surprising. Totally different than Rome and Montalcino. Positano was the most obviously saturated tourist place of our trip and the food reflected that imo. Maybe I was just burnt out by the time I got to Positano.
Ryan- One of the best spots, for espresso, cocktails, tasty sandwiches, gelato—Paradise Lounge. Totally casual, walk up from the beach find a seat. Buzzing vibe, great views, strong enough cocktails. And also Good for quick breakfasts, espressos, drinks before dinner, or quick sandwiches/slice of pizza at lunch- was actually our favorite place and we frequented several times while we were there. Enjoy your trip!
La Sponda in the le Sireneuse was lovely, but very expensive.
Go south to the Cilento and you won’t be disappointed. Positano and Amalfi are super-touristy. The best seafood I had in Amalfi was the cuoppo fritto misto.
We really enjoyed Antico Forno Roscioli and Emma on our trip to Rome last October.
We hit Emma twice last October. The Pata Negra Iberica Chorizo pie was nothing short of remarkable…
Yum.
Just back from similar trip.
Rome:
- Emma: great pizza, good pasta, awesome burrata plate (surprisingly interesting Italian craft beer list, but went with a cheap white)
- Rimessa Roscioli: excellent all around, especially enjoyed chatting w the somm and the wine list
- Hostaria Farnese: simple and honest, a gem among more touristy Campo di Fiori spots, pizza and pasta
- Su Ghetto and Renato al Ghetto: only if you’re keeping kosher
- Enjoyed Roman pizza etc at Forno Campo di Fiori, Antico Forno Rimessa, Forno Monteforte, and Panificio Bonci (maybe the best), probably a few others : )
- Fun bites at Trappizino
- Good gelato at a long list of places, frankly none mindblowing - easily best of the trip was at Dondoli in San Gimignano!
- Honestly underwhelmed w coffee at Caffe Roscioli and Sant’ Eustachio (among others), the rest of the world has caught up IMHO
San Gimignano:
- Osteria del Carcere: fantastic meal, especially meats which come from Dario Cecchini
- Dondoli: amazing gelato
Cortona:
- Taverna Pane e Vino: natural wine destination, really cool list of things you won’t find elsewhere, nice relatively simple but well-made food - favorite wine of the trip was a 2017 Meigamma Vermentino di Sardegna here, and picked up three wines from the proprietor that were all fun natural wines (GemmaRosa sangiovese rose was really fun)
Orvieto:
- Bottega del Mastro Norcino: fantastic lunch, housemade salumi rocks, excellent porchetta, right along the highway so convenient if you’re passing by
We recently traveled to Rome and Tuscany, where we had several wonderful dining experiences. Below is a link to my CellarTracker write-up for the trip. Hopefully some of the photos and descriptions will be helpful to those planning a similar trip.
Colin
Thanks Dennis for the recommendation to Locanda Demetra ! I’m trying to book the cooking school experience as my wife has always wanted to do something like this. We’ll at least have lunch there. We leave in 4 weeks: Florence, SML/Camolgi, Bolgheri, Pienza. Can’t wait !
Fred- Nice itinerary! Makes me want to go back. We skipped the cooking school at Locanda but it looked like a hit. The family that runs the operation are so sweet. Lovely group of young people. One of the highlights of our trip. Best lunch view in town. Enjoy! And report back!
Hey Dennis, just got back and it was an absolute blast. We had Locanda booked for class and lunch but my buddy got an awesome visit and lunch lined up at Col d’Orca so we had to cancel. I posted about that in wine talk section.
The rest of the write up is in the travel forum:
I’m already thinking about when we go back. Need to lose a little weight first
Wow Colin, incredible write up and trip. We trudged some of the same ground in Pienza, Sienna and Florence. Our kids are now 21 and 23 and my wife and I both thought about a future trip with them. I can understand why it was a special trip for you. Looks like we had some of the same wines as well. I saw the 2016 Antinori Tignanello Toscana for $89E in Pienza at the only Enoteca that was not overpriced. Regretting now that I did not pull the trigger. I tried the 13 on the trip and was hunting for that one.
Thanks for sharing. I’m bookmarking for a future Rome trip.
Hi Fred:
I’m sorry that I did not respond to your post earlier. We traveled to London/Galway/Dublin/Paris/Champagne during the second half of September and I have not been in the Epicurean Exploits Forum since returning to Las Vegas on September 29th.
Traveling with your adult children will be something that you will never forget. I hope you get a chance to do it! ![[give_heart.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/d901e2193d88b6126aa8b9efc56661d0718d0d2a.gif "heart"){kind=small}
Thanks for your kind words.
Colin
When we can travel again returning to Italy is at the top of our list. This thread has links to other great threads and is just loaded with terrific info to plan a trip if Italy is in your future. Can’t help but reminisce about our trip last year and all that has happened since.
Thanks for resurrecting this thread! Makes me want to go back!!