Most people are probably familiar with the scavi (ruins, excavations) of the ancient city of Pompeii, but there is also a charming little town of Pompeii located right up against the site. We noticed in our tourist books that food would be so much better in the actual town than at the ruins themselves, and by luck, we passed a little Ristorante which offered free parking.
I had a foccacia pizza (thin crust) with olive oil, basil and lots of pomodori (halved cherry tomatoes – and lots of them, at my request). We also enjoyed a Margherita Pizza, and a vegetable (verdure) lasagna with eggplant, zucchini and ricotta cheese. We were overcharged by 20 euros here – the actual bill for this meal, which included a glass of wine (for one person) and two bottles of aqua (water) minerale for all of us actually came to 31.50 euros. The bill was corrected upon our request and we were off to view the ruins.
Dinner that night was cooked by our hostess – skinless chicken breasts dipped in beaten egg, then rolled in Zatarain’s Chick Fri Mix (purchased at the commissary on the base here in Naples) and browned in olive oil in the cast-iron frying pan. Then, the chicken was placed in a baking pan with halved red-skinned potatoes sprinkled with dried Rosemary, sliced (local) mushrooms (which had first been browned in the same frying pan along with some sliced onions) and then about a 1/2-cup of sherry was poured over top. This was baked at 350 degrees for about an hour-and-a-half. This was accompanied by a bottle of vino bianco (white wine) purchased from the base which read on the label: Michele Alois, Caulino, Campania Falanghina and was a local wine.
The next day, Saturday, September 22, found us in Vietri sul Mare along the Amalfi coast shopping for pottery. Lunch in Vietri comprised 2 shared Caprese salads (tomatoes, rounds of mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves) and another antipasto – this time verdure (with the eggplant and zucchini first sauteed in olive oil), Spaghetti alla Vongole (clams), and Pesce Grillo (a grilled whole fish, head and tail removed and filleted at the table) with olive oil, vinegar and basil, and or course, the obligatory aqua minerale. The bill, which was correct, came to forty-one euros.
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