Places to eat

:?: Hi Italy4me (or anyone else with the info) but as it's your patch thought you might know. Do you know of OK places to get a bite (simple not full scale deluxe) in Cetraro or possibly Belvedere or in between? Would need to be at about 7 - 7.30 in the evening. Cheers

[Italy4me]

Hi Margaret,
Spent ages posting you a reply but I think I must have hit a wrong button and have lost it..gnashing of teeth...
will try again tomorrow as I am more than ready for bed now.
Thanks for your question, will respond asap,
Lesley

[Italy4me]

Originally Posted by Margaret

:?: Hi Italy4me (or anyone else with the info) but as it's your patch thought you might know. Do you know of OK places to get a bite (simple not full scale deluxe) in Cetraro or possibly Belvedere or in between? Would need to be at about 7 - 7.30 in the evening. Cheers

Hi Margaret,

Unfortunately we have not managed to explore as far as Cetraro (although I see that Thomson are offering a very nice hotel there as part of a package holiday for next year).
We were busy with painting and furniture buying so didn't get very far from home - something to be remedied next trip!
We ate a number of times at Le Sirene as it was recommeneded to us by our neighbour (who also happens to be the pizza chef) and it is just up the road from our house.
It is just off the main coastal road (SS18) outside Diamante.
If you were to eat there between 7 and 7.30 you would have a lovely view of the sunset along the Gulf of Policastro - although we found that eating at that time we largely had the place to ourselves 8-).
On our last night (Saturday) we ate with Tony about 9.30 and found it was heaving with large Italian family groups (so I suppose that says something itself for the standard).
We found the prices very reasonable and the gamberoni and spigola (king prawns and sea bass) were tested and are to be recommended.
It had the usual fare of seafood, fish, meat, pasta & pizza.
It may well be too far south of your chosen area and there does seem to be very many places to eat all along the coast - maybe others will have some other ideas for you, I'd also be interested to hear of other good places to eat.
Best wishes & let us know of any particular good spots you find,
Lesley & Brian

Hi Lesley and Brian - thanks for the info - will let you know how we get on. Cetraro is further south so Diamante may be a bit far north for us, though we did Scalea-Cetraro in very short time when we were there so maybe not. Cheers

[Italy4me]

Hi Margaret,
Do you have a house in Cetraro?
Or are you just there on holiday soon?
Just curious (or should that be nosy) 8-)

And yes, I meant Diamante would be too far North rather than South (I'm also not very good with left and right - just ask my husband!

Regards, Lesley

Hi Lesley - you can never be as nosey as me! No, with luck we will soon have an appt in Scalea but my husband who will be there for a week will be having regular hospital treatment in Cetraro finishing quite late (the reason for 7-7.30) and we'll eat before the trek back to Scalea. Actually the talk of hospitals reminds me of another note I wanted to put on the site - apparently there's a new hospital sitting unused in Scalea - maybe there are as many convolutions with the Italian health system as the NHS as far as hospital building, funding etc goes! Cheers, Margaret

[Italy4me]

Hi again Margaret,
I vaguely remember mention of the hospital (and in fact saw a very posh looking building on our way home that looked very much like a hospital and it looked ready to be occupied).

I have recently finished Annie Hawes book, Journey to the South and she talks of many unfinished projects in Southern Italy that are funded by EU money.
They are started and once the trigger for payment is passed and the 'grants' or whatever are paid out then the work ends and the project sits without any further progress.
I would hope that wasn't the case with the hospital (if it was the building Im thinking of then it was a lot further forward than the airport, for instance!)

I couldn't get to the article you mentioned via your link (although could get the main page). Could you post it again, please - or let me know the title of the page I should be looking for?
Many thanks & best wishes, Lesley

Hi Lesley, must have written the site name wrong - David's put the right one under Health. Think it's probably as he says - and as your book says. The site is in Italian but would make a good 'lesson' for anyone learning as interesting and the Italian is more a spade a spade and less super polite round the universe than a lot of Italian stuff. Wonder what Calabria will be like in 50 years time (or even 20). Oh for time travel! Cheers, Margaret