Eating out in southern Italy...'Il vicoletto'

Recently I celebrated my birthday. I had a fantastic day with lots of lovely presents (especially from my parents, who sent over a lovely big package of goodies) and a lovely get together with my 'Italian family'! But of course, I also had to celebrate with my two favourite girls. So what did we decide to do? Eat. And drink. And eat some more.

We went to a local, family run restaurant in my town, 'Il vicoletto', which is just off the main street. I and the Irish one had been before, but it was the Welsh one's first experience. We knew we were going to be fed well, but we didn't imagine how well!

Let me first explain the concept of eating out in southern Italy. Firstly, be prepared to eat a lot, because you will be given a lot. Usually, the meal is split into several courses: The antipasti, the primo, the secondo, and the dolce. Doesn't sound like too much of an effort really. But sometimes there are a couple of starters. And a couple of 'Primo's. So, if you're a bit of a 'picker', like I tend to be, you need to physically and mentally prepare yourself for a whole lot of food. I suppose you're thinking that you could just skip some courses, resist some dishes. But ohhh no. It's not possible. Because it's all just TOO. DAMN. GOOD.

Behold, the lovely things that were placed in front of us (all accompanied by a gorgeous pink wine):

Antipasti 1: Little prosciutto nibbles, courgette lasagne and a homemade cheese

Antipasti 2: Gammon, potato and ham bites, fritata and peppers

Antipasti 3: Grilled aubergine, ricotta and courgette bake and a mini torcinello

Antipasti 4: Slow cooked beef in red wine (SO good)

Primo 1: Homemade pasta with green beans and potato

Primo 2: Pasta with ham and a sauce that was quite similar to carbonara but with a bit more of a bite!

No secondo- just dolce! We were absolutely stuffed so couldn't possibly fit in a meat course. We opted for the ricotta and chocolate tart and cherry tart instead.

The bill came to €25 each and we had the pleasure of being served by such lovely staff (service is often rather bad here...let's just say that they don't usually work for tips....). When our stomachs have recovered, we will definitely go again!!

For a couple of reviews (literally a couple!), have a look at the trip advisor website (all in Italian though!): Il Vicoletto