Although I am not sure many folks here will follow in our footsteps, here are a few comments and photos of the food we ate in an area that is among my favorites for a coastal vacation in Italy.
Maratea occupies a stretch of coastline of about 20 miles in length, give or take, along the Tyrrenhian Sea coast on the west of the Italian peninsula, just south of the Cilento (another region that appears fairly undiscovered by American travelers and sandwiched between Calabria to the south and Campania to the north. Therefore, the food of this area has more in common with coastal Calabria and coastal Campania than it does the bulk of the Basilicata region, which is largely inland and which we visited after our 5 nights (too short!) in Maratea.
Maratea is a bit confusing to the newcomer, as the “town” encompasses various “fracciones” along the sea and inland, as well as the small, pretty and walkable hill town of Maratea itself.
Our hotel was in Acquafredda which is a fracccione at the northern tip of the Maratea stretch; the closest town for serious food, or other, shopping, is Sapri in Campania, less than a half hours drive. We had a rental car which is pretty much of a necessity if you visit Maratea. The coastal roads are narrow and very curvy, and much more challenging to drive than the Amalfi Coast, which I do not find challenging to drive. Unfortunately the roads are unlit at night so, unless you dine early in the season and early in the evening, you will face some fun at the wheel!
SO: WE tend not to eat lunch in Italy and, instead, snack on foods bought at whatever local market is convenient. Dinners three of our five nights in Maratea (and one Sunday lunch) took place at a place I had liked very much on a prior trip: DA CESARE, in the fraccione of Cersuta, just south of Acquafredda and our hotel (about a 15 minute drive, tops). Like almost all of the restaurants in this area, it specializes in seafood, although they are adept at tailoring dishes to diners wishes which, in this case, meant that one of us would order simple pasta with tomato sauce, followed by fried calamari (on numerous nights) while I tried to sample a broader spectrum of the menu.
This is not a fancy, fine restaurant, but the welcome is so warm (where else, given a tight parking situation, would a staff member exit the restaurant and implore us to park in her own driveway, just down the road???). It’s right on the highway, below the tracks of the train that runs to Naples and south. But the interior is nice enough and the atmosphere is great.
So here are some photos:
Spaghetti with clams; I ordered this several times; excellent!
Roast prawns and squid:
Fried calamari:
Lemon sorbet:
On another night, we chose a dessert new to me but famed in the region: Tartufo di Pizzo, named after its hometown in Calabria , with IGP status!!!
Interior of DA CESARE, Maratea:
Sadly, I never was abble to try the pasta with lobster, as I neglected to read the note on the menu that instructed that this dish had to be ordered in advance, which was also, by the way, the case in a restaurant we loved in coastal Sicily, where I did remember to order it in advance. (Scala in PortoPalo di Capo Passero, where I hope to return next September)
Here are a few of the SlowFood Presidium food products of the Basilicata region; someday I will taste them all!
