When I think about our time along the Amalfi Coast, our stop in Positano and the food we ate there always comes to the forefront of my mind. Before we even stepped foot on the beach or wandered down any beautiful cobblestone streets, we ate the most delicious Italian feast I've ever experienced. Fattoria La Tagliata is a colorful quaint restaurant tucked away into Positano's lush green hillside, high above the shops and hotels in the city center. If our tour guide hadn't suggested it, we may have never known it existed. The locals know all the good stuff. As we walked into the cliffside al fresco dining area, we were greeted by the restaurant owner's son, Peppino, a sweet fella excited for La Tagliata's first patrons of the day. He happily sat us at a rustic table with impeccable sea views and signaled to the kitchen for our feast to begin.
Bottles of house wine were already lining the table, opened and ready to be poured. Naturally, we all dove in like rabid animals as the smell of pecorino and prosciutto began to fill the restaurant. Our first course (aside from the plethora of wine and bread) was a slurry of antipasto bites--homemade buffalo mozzarella (from the local mountains of Campania), proscitutto & peas, mini calzones, parma ham & melon, marinated eggplant, fagioli & chickpeas, and fresh bruschetta--all passed around family style. Next up, a parade of freshly-made pastas including cheese-stuffed ravioli, gnocchi with tomato sauce, fusilli with pumpkin, and meat cannelloni came marching down the table. My favorite? The gnocchi. Like little pillows of heaven swimming in fragrant tomato sauce. D and I still talk about that pasta and how it's the best we've ever tasted. As if the plethora of pasta and antipasto wasn't enough to stuff you full, the last course, a plate of homemade cakes and pastries, just about did us in.
Hands down, the best Italian meal in the history of ever.
If you get the chance to drive along the crystal blue Amalfi Coast, make sure you stop in charming Positano for 3 courses of authentic Italian heaven. Signora Dora and her family will treat you right and leave you speechless with their spell-bounding views and out-of-this-world local homemade cuisine. I'm not sure a meal will ever compare to the one we ate at La Tagliata...and that's quite alright with me. :)
