Luna d'Agerola and San Lazzaro

Time for a quick word about where I'm staying.
Agerola is a group of villages/towns around a valley 600m above the Amalfi coast, overlooking Conca dei Marini and the Gulf of Salerno. They are largely unspoiled by the synthetic tourist culture, invented by the more famous shoreline towns like Amalfi and Positano. They're further, vertically from the beach and the cruise ships.
Whilst leading hiking groups I've been staying at the agriturismo of Luna d'Agerola, hosted by the Acampora family, for 5 years - they're my Italian family.
The siblings, Ferdinando, Giovanna and Valentino do the daily running of the agriturismo whilst the oldest brother Pasquale is partially detached from the day to day running and  works a lot on his farm but he's strongly committed to wine making and maintaining the local food traditions, producing from salami to limoncello.

 

 

Valentino in the kitchen in Luna d'Agerola apron

The town of San Lazzaro is quite small and its piazza at the terminus of the bus route for Amalfi. You don't 'pass through' San Lazzaro because it's at the end of the road, perched atop huge limestone cliffs. I recommend a coffee or an ice cream in I Vizi del Generale, right on the piazza. (Thank you to Anna and Edwina for correcting my mis-translation that this was the 'face' of the General - it is the 'Vices'.) There's a new bar this year but I know where my loyalties lie. There's a story about the General in question but no time for that now.

I Vizi del Generale

I also love Da Gigino, the trattoria/pizzeria sitting unassuming along from the piazza. This serves the most excellent pizzas and other local food in a slightly eccentric style. Family run, Gigino and his wife are usually busy at the pizza oven whilst Massimo looks after  the customers.
San Lazzaro is a place which has seen a gentle increase in the number of visitors over the last few years. This may be set to continue as they redevelop the old Colonia Montana that sits at the highest point of the village into a 'University' to teach the regional traditions of food and culture. The renovation has been going on for months and will change the place - that's for sure.

View of terraces  from the Colonia Montana