De MariaHouse is run by a typical Italian family (grandmother, sons, daughter in law), with the grandmother in charge and the only one who really speaks English. It´s located in the little village of Santa Agata. Theresa started the B&B about 4 years ago and it still looks impeccable, clean, modern and with good facilities.The restaurant, which is the main business for the family, operates already for 50 years and a great place to start enjoying the italian kitchen like the locals do, who frequently visit the restaurant too.There are like 10 rooms, 5 with a view of the valley, 5 with a view of the lemon orchard.Breakfast was great, every day, with great pastries and coffee.
Buses connect the little village to the rest of the peninsula, bus schedules are available in the B&B and run very tight and get you to all the touristic highlights of the peninsula. The only problem is that the buses don´t ride very frequent, so visits to various places on the same day are difficult.The bus stop is adjacent to the B&B, bus tickets cost 1 Euro 20 or 2 Euro 40 and you can buy them at the Tabachi that is situated just around the corner from the B&B and it will take you to the bus station in Sorrento.We recommend you rent a speedboat to do your own tour down in Sorrento with: It´s definitely not cheap, but a GREAT experience.The De Maria House is located in a very peaceful and quiet area of Pastena. We landed in Naples & rented a car. Having driven in Italy before we knew what to expect so were not too intimidated and got to the B&B with only a few wrong turns! Theresa welcomed us warmly, and though we speak little Italian and she doesn't have command of English we were able to communicate our famished and tired state. She sat us in the gazebo-like restaurant and served us a wonderful cabresé salad of fresh tomatoes and soft mozzarella followed by spinach and cheese ravioli in bolognese sauce. What a way to begin our culinary experiences in Italy!
Our room was lovely, with a distant view of Capri off to the north. The mattress was firm and comfortable and the room quiet. We slept well for the three nights there.Breakfast is served on a long table covered with a variety of pastries, breads, meat & cheese as well a boiled eggs for those of us who prefer an American breakfast. A variety of coffee alternatives was much appreciated as well as fresh juice and fruit. We did not go away hungry!
The highlights of our stay were chatting with Michele who speaks English well and was very knowledgeable about all topics we chose to discuss with him. He is also the chef. One evening he made us pizza which had just enough wood oven taste, thin crust and delicious toppings for us to declare it was the best pizza we had in our 2 1/2 weeks in Italy. To top it off, Michele makes his own limoncello from the lemons in the back yard. It was a perfect way to finish the meal. Again we have to say it was the best we had on our trip, hands down.Finally, Massa Lubrense is a beautiful area where we hiked daily on the cliffs overlooking Capri and the Bay of Naples. Tutu Bella!
Thank you Theresa and Michele!
