Tucked up in the hills above Positano is a wonderful, family run, restaurant – with one of the best views in the whole of Italy.  The food’s pretty fabulous too.  We stopped off at ‘La Tagliata‘ for lunch during our day trip to the Amalfi Coast and the experience was so good I felt compelled to share – just in case you happen to be passing one day…

As we entered the restaurant a smiling Peppi greets us; ‘Come and meet Mama’.  Surprised, we drop by the kitchen to say Buon Giorno to Signora Dora, wife of Don Luigi who started up the restaurant.  She was busy cooking but not too busy to ask ‘how hungry are you?’  If I wasn’t before, I soon became so as I was enveloped by the delicious aromas that wafted from the pots and pans over which she and son Vicenzo weaved their magic.

The dining room is semi-open and shaded from the sun with drapes over the open sides of the terrace.  Sepia photographs of the family hang on the old stone walls alongside vines of home-grown, freshly picked plum tomatoes and strings of garlic.  I’m liking this place.  A lot. And it’s about to get even better.  We are shown to our table and the view is mesmerizing.  As we look down through lush green foliage and past tumbling petunias the deep blue sea of the Amalfi Coast sparkles in the sunshine.  We can see for miles as the winding coast road wends into the distance.  Far below us is Positano, its pale yellow, cream and muted-red painted houses clinging to the clilffs while the coast meanders into the distant haze of the afternoon.

Peppi, who never seems to stop smiling, uncorks a fruity bottle of red from the cellar.  We’re having a selection of starters, a pasta main course, dessert and a bottle of wine for €25 each.  There’s no set menu as such; whatever is harvested from the organic garden that day is used as ingredients for that days feast – it’s all part of the charm.  A medley of mouth-watering antipasti arrives; crisp bruschetta, nutty potatoes, parma ham and melon – there’s no room left on the table.  More food arrives and we juggle the dishes to make room for aubergine in tomato sauce and broccoli.  I’m going to need to pace myself here…

It’s buzzy in La Tagliata with a good mix of locals and tourists. Peppi chats with diners and introduces Mama to newcomers – it’s very relaxed and has the air of a hot, lazy Sunday afternoon which could stretch on forever.  Our main course arrives; a shared dish of  fresh, home-made pastas – cheese-stuffed ravioli, gnocchi, a meat cannelloni and fusilli – a burst of Mediterranean freshness, the warmth of garlic all nicely al dente and garnished with aromatic basil.  Good, traditional, wholesome food.

When dessert is served it actually looks too good to eat – of course we don’t let that stop us!  A perfectly formed profiterole topped with glistening dark chocolate sauce sits beside a light, crisp pastry topped with strawberries and custard.  A hazelnut cake with a creamy, dreamy, chocolate filling completes the mouth-watering trio.  A bowl of deep-red, gleaming, cherries finishes off the ensemble together with the ubiquitous bottle of Limoncello.

If you’re passing Positano and looking for authentic, home-grown, Italian food cooked with passion you’ll find it at La Tagliata – just make sure you’re hungry when you go…

For a meat main course instead of pasta the cost is €30 and to have both the pasta and meat main courses the cost is €35.  directions to La Tagliata here.  B&B also available

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A Taste of Italy – Sorrento

Making the Most of the Amalfi Coast

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