"BELLISSIMO" is the adjective that all my foreign customers refer to me at my restaurant Pineta 1903 on the Amalfi Coast, when they taste one of the dishes in this book. In reality, the right adjective would be "Buonissimo" which means very good. In fact, Bellissimo means very beautiful. But if you think about it, Beautiful and Good (in Italian, Bello e Buono) are part of the same medal. And a dish cannot be beautiful if it is not also good, and vice versa, it cannot be good if it is not also beautiful.
The original title in Italian of this Cookbook is "BELLO 'E 'BUONO", which in Italian and, above all, in Neapolitan language, also has other exceptions, such as "something that happens suddenly".
All the recipes in this book belong to the best dishes of the Authentic Cuisine of the Amalfi Coast and all are served in my restaurant. They are not written theoretical recipes, as happens for most cookbooks, by those who have never put them into practice.
By reproducing these recipes, you will taste authentic traditional dishes from the Amalfi Coast and, even if virtually, it will be like being at my restaurant, the Pineta 1903, in Italy near Amalfi.
If you want to taste the original ones and you are on the Amalfi Coast, you can always come to Pineta 1903, I will be happy to give you my personal welcome.
... and I hope that after you have realized one of these recipes into practice and tasted it, you too can say: BELLISSIMO!!
Buon Appetito!
Carlo de Filippo
