Da Barracca

On a coast where the dining choices seem divided between pretentious, overpriced temples of haute cuisine and unmemorable restaurants with their pizza ovens aimed squarely at the tourist masses, it’s refreshing to find a holdout like Da Barracca. This genuine local trattoria (albeit with a somewhat hackneyed fishing-net décor) is hidden on a small, enclosed piazza, just steps away from the hurly-burly of Amalfi’s main square. The home-cooking recipes would be familiar to any Campanian grandmother; for example, gnocchi alla sorrentina, a gooey casserole of potato dumplings, fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella. If you don’t expect fancy cooking or solicitous service, you won’t be disappointed.