the restaurant at Il Monastero

As I have said to several people already, if you don't eat well in Italy, you are doing Italy wrong....

You know, not every meal needs to be fancy, and not all of the good food we had in Italy was fancy.  But oh, yes, we did fancy as well.  At least one meal in each of our destinations was fancy.  I embrace the fancy.  And so it was that we had dinner at the restaurant at our hotel, Il Monastero.

I think it was our second night on Ischia when we dined there.  We put on our pretty clothes and came down from our room, the first customers in the small dining room. 

I think we were always the first or among the first.  Even in Italy, like Spain, they dine later than we typically would.

Because we could not agree on doing the mixed seafood and land menu as a table, Conrad and I opted for the seafood only,

and Van opted for the land. 

Tastes were shared across the table, have no fear.  We enjoyed an Ischia white wine

and then, later, an Ischia red.  And oh, yes, I had some chilled Rucolino to cap the evening.

Bread service started us off,

and then we were gifted a little amuse that featured olive oil, foccacia, tomato sauces, and cheese. 

That sauce pattern emulates the floor tiles in the hotels, by the way.

And then it was off to the races, as it were:

A lovely fish tartare that included raspberries in the garnish.  That was a nice surprise.

Raw shrimp with cheese and a lovely tomato sauce.

Citrus risotto with squid.  This was my least favourite, and while I liked it, I envied Van his ravioli with zucchini.

Ditalini pasta with green beans and shrimp.

Cod served under a rich "foam" (more like a mousse, it was thick) of potato.

A trio of desserts.

Then came a bombolini which was so delightful that it could have been the only dessert itself.  And that's the Rucolino with it.

I may have liked the risotto the least, but it was still pretty good.  I loved the cod and the raw shrimp and the tartare especially.  I tasted some of what Van had, and it was tasty.  Meanwhile, the service was terrific.  The one server gave us great recommendations on wine.  We enjoyed the meal thoroughly.  Outside, a thunderstorm blew through.  Our first great meal in Italy - hooray!

hotel gardens

A small break here before I press on.  I would be remiss if I didn't share photos from the hotel gardens.  The fruits and vegetables they grew supplied the restaurant.  Hotel guests were free to roam the gardens, and there were places to sit and just enjoy the peace of the space. 

The Il Monastero grounds also included a small vineyard.  Indeed, there was wine produced and bottled.  I don't think we tried it, alas, and the vines had been harvested not long before we traveled there.  Still, it made for a lovely setting, especially with part of the castle complex looming above.

Some garden photos, then.  More to come from Ischia and the rest of Italy! 

Italy recap: getting there

Brace yourselves, friends:  there will be many recap posts to come.  Many.  Well, until I both run out of endurance and have to move on to other blog topics!  But many.  And although I am starting with the start of the trip, I will certainly feel free to pop all over the place in my blogging depending on mood and energy.  So, ready to go on a deeper dive into the recent vacation?

We headed to LAX early in the morning on September 10. 

18 days ago - wow!  It was before the Polaris Lounge opened, but we were through the doors as soon as it did, appreciating how quiet it was. 

Eventually it was aboard our first flight,

to Newark.  Some airplane breakfast in our bellies,

then some napping all around.

We had time in the lounge in Newark, and I showered and changed, freshening up for the overnight flight to Naples.  We headed to the gate,

then boarded and got our pod seats. 

Dinner was served,

but you know I availed myself of some champagne first! 

Lights out, and I think I managed something like 2-4 hours of sleep.

I had a window seat for the flight overseas, and that meant that when I woke up, I was able to peek out and get my first glimpse of Italy on this trip, the mountainous northwest of the country. 

We continued down past the coast

and then over the middle of the country, affording me views of lakes and mountains and towns and even the Adriatic coast. 

Lovely to watch and try to figure out on Google Maps.

We landed, more or less on time.  We deplaned not via a jetbridge but down stairs

and headed to a bus that would take us over to the terminal.  Luggage, customs, and then on to meet a driver who hustled us by car to the port

for us to catch a ferry over to Ischia. 

That crossing was a pleasant one, an hour and a half or so.  Another driver met us on Ischia and took us through the town and across the causeway, depositing us at the foot of the castle complex.  We walked through a tunnel

to an elevator, headed up, and emerged just below a plaza where we caught a closer look at our fantastic first hotel, Il Monastero. 

It wasn't long after that that we were checked in and unpacking, settling in to enjoy the first leg of what was a very good trip indeed!