When Life Gives You Lemons, Start Cooking in Sorrento, Italy!   

By Donnie Sexton
Senior Writer

Wearing a starched linen apron, my husband Ed carefully caressed the ravioli dough.

The setting was a greenhouse/garden space in Sorrento, Italy. This was a first for us – first time in Sorrento, first time in a cooking class, and first time venturing abroad with a Stage 4 stomach cancer diagnosis for Ed.

The dreaded news came on Feb. 7, and from there, we have endured months of a painful, agonizing chemo journey. But we decided early on not to let the cancer define our every move, especially our desire to travel.

Firebird Tours

So, with some trepidation, we planned a trip to Italy for our third time exploring this European treasure chest. My passion for travel has always involved hours of research and planning. Nailing down every detail and uncovering hidden gems to factor into any excursion has always been gratifying.

But this time, I took a back seat and left the planning in the hands of a travel agency, Firebird Tours. I told them the trip needed to be hassle-free – no group travel, no flagging down Ubers or taxis, no running for trains, and no excess walking.  In preparation for the trip, Ed took a six-week break from chemo to be strong enough to make the journey.

Getting Around Amalfi Coast

We settled on a private driver for ease of getting around during our 10-day exploration of two areas – the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. Our agent, Inga, offered many suggestions for using the city of Sorrento for four nights as a base. Inga factored in a drive along the Amalfi coast, winery visits with tastings, a stop at a limoncello factory, and, best of all, a tour of a lemon farm followed by a cooking class in Amalfi.

Bombarded with Lemons

Arriving in Sorrento, we were bombarded with everything lemon. I’m talking endless stores selling dish towels, aprons, ceramic plates, candles, vases, bowls, and clothing decorated with lemon motifs. Lemon products were boundless – oils, candies, candles, cookies, soaps, pasta, and the coup de grâce, limoncello. Limoncello is an Italian liqueur typically served at the end of a meal as a “digestive.”

Sorrento lemons

Our lemon-infused afternoon started with a guided tour of the II Pizzo lemon grove in a historic 19^th-century estate in Sorrento. As we walked among the trees, host Pia Ruoppo thoroughly explained the type of lemons grown in the Sorrento peninsula since the 16^th century.

A combination of a mild Mediterranean climate and clay soil of volcanic origin (think nearby Mt. Vesuvius) produces one of the world’s most desired lemons, ‘Ovale di Sorrento.’ The lemon groves are protected from the elements by a mesh covering held up by tall wooden poles. The Sorrento lemon tends to be rounder in shape, possessing an enticing aroma with sweet, thick peels full of essential oils.

Limoncello

Our walk concluded with a taste of limoncello in a serene garden setting, accompanied by a parting gift of a printout of Grandma Ruoppo’s recipe for limoncello. Her recipe is simple. Lemon rinds are added to a bottle of 95% alcohol and then allowed to sit for a week. A mixture of 4 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar is heated to a syrup consistency, cooled, and then added to the alcohol (minus the rinds).

The mixture is allowed to sit for 20 days before serving. We discovered the same process for making limoncello is used to produce a wide variety of liqueurs infused with ingredients such as green walnuts, melons, fennel, pistachios, mandarin oranges, arugula, apples, cherries, and strawberries. Who knew?

Ruoppo Family

Then, we were off to the cooking class in a magical greenhouse owned by the Ruoppo family. The family first settled in the Sorrento region in the 1800s. Pia’s great-great-grandfather, Francesco, was among the first to plant lemon trees in Sorrento. His son, Luigi, further developed the family business as a nursery producer, gardener, and florist.

His son Claudio, father to Pia, continued the family tradition but specialized in flowers for weddings and events. Pia mentioned with great pride that her dad became the most sought-after florist in Sorrento. While mostly retired now, we had the pleasure of meeting Claudio, who was hard at work arranging bouquets for a friend’s wedding.

Cooking Class in Sorrento

Pia’s sister, executive chef Francesca, orchestrated our cooking class, giving careful instructions with each entree, which included bruschetta, baked mozzarella, ravioli, and a most delicious lemon Caprese cake. The first order of business was cutting tomatoes, onions, basil, and garlic for the bruschetta topping.

Meanwhile, Francesca was crafting an appetizer using a large lemon leaf, topped with a generous slice of mozzarella, then topped with lemon zest and a second lemon leaf before popping the dish into the oven to melt.

Ravioli

Making ricotta-stuffed ravioli was a bit of work. I mixed and kneaded the dough, then flattened it out with a rolling pin before sending it to a pasta machine.

Using a ravioli stamp, we cut out little circles of dough, which we filled with dollops of seasoned ricotta cheese.

Francesca boiled the little circles of goodness for two minutes, then coated them with a lemon sauce. While I’m fond of ravioli, I wouldn’t try this at home as it’s too much work! It’s better to enjoy it in an Italian restaurant!

Best dinner ever!

We crafted a delightful lemon Caprese cake – carefully mixing almond flour, white chocolate, egg yolks, egg whites, and limoncello. The class concluded with a sit-down dinner for us in a romantic setting, complimented with white wine and limoncello. Maybe because we had created the dishes or all ingredients were so fresh and accented with lemon zest, we caulked this meal up as our numero ono on our Italian journey.

Regarding the limoncello – well, we weren’t a huge fan. A shot glass of this digestive was all I could handle with the 95% proof combined with a tart taste!

Fattoria Terranova

Today, Pia and her five siblings carry on the family tradition of a plant nursery and greenhouse, adding in cooking classes. But this is just the tip of the iceberg for what the family has created as a sustainable agritourism entity to be enjoyed by visitors worldwide.

Many moons ago, Claudio and wife Olga purchased land roughly six miles from Sorrento to develop the farm-to-fork, Fattoria Terranova.

Not only are there accommodations at the farm, but it can be transformed into a gorgeous setting for weddings or other events. Various cooking classes, wine tastings, farm and rose garden tours, and a kilometer-zero restaurant are part of the operations. A KM zero restaurant is defined as using and consuming food from the production area.

Long-lasting Memories

Our biggest regret was learning about Fattoria Terranova during the cooking class. Had we known about the farmhouse opportunities, booking a stay there would have been worthwhile. We’ve toyed with the idea of a repeat visit to Sorrento to take advantage of all Fattoria Terranova has to offer. 

As I watched Ed delve into our cooking class, taking great joy from the chopping, mixing, and kneading processes, I tucked these memories next to my heart, knowing they would come in handy down the road.

Cancer is unfair and cruel, as we have witnessed.  But these joy-filled moments will help sustain us on the journey when the going gets so tough.