Cilento Fairy Tales: Lunch at Caffe dell'Arte

The simply stunning Caffe dell'Arte

It started to rain almost as soon as we'd finished breakfast, so we set off for our walk armed with one of the Palazzo Avino's distinctive blue umbrellas, although the rain had stopped as we stepped into Via San Giovanni del Toro. As we approached Viale Richard Wagner we heard classical music being played, and the first rumbles of thunder - nature's music competing with man's. Beyond the Piazza Duomo we discovered a marching band was playing from the shelter of the tunnel along Via Giovanni Boccaccio, so we stopped to listen & watch for a while before they set off for the piazza & the few of us about at 10 am on a Sunday morning followed them to where they stopped directly in front of the Duomo. When they finished, we all applauded them before they dispersed and hubby & I set off to hunt for a ceramic bowl for me to bring home as a memento of this particular weekend.

'Live happilly'

Souvenir found, we sat in the piazza & had a coffee - illy, of course. I then stood in the doorway of the Duomo & enjoyed Mass for a while, before we set off down Via della Marra for a bit of 'window shopping' (which turned into 'real' shopping - hubby bought a pair of casual shoes). As we did so, the heavens opened, and I mean TRULY opened. We decided not to wait for it to stop but paddled our way back along the Via & up Viale Richard Wagner to the Palazzo Avino to dry out, pack & think about having lunch - last meal at the hotel before leaving for home. And oh, what a perfect lunch we had......

Il Salmone

Firstly, as there was a storm raging, lunch was being served in Caffe dell'Arte, rather than on the Terrazza Belvedere. So no fantastic view to look at while we ate, but how elegant the decor we sat in as we dined. And the lunch itself? Hubby & I both chose Il Salmone for starters - marinated with salt, sugar & citrus, served with vegetable oil dip, exotic fruit, champagne vinegar & oil scented with vanilla. For our mains, I chose Le Penne con Pomodoro, Basilico e Olio Extravergine & hubby chose Pesce dalla Griglia, accompagnato da verdure grigliate e Salsa Mediterranea. Presentation was a delight & the flavours of such simple ingredients once again exploded on our tongues.