Everything You Need (and Want) to Know About One of the Most Famous Restaurants on the Amalfi Coast: Lo Scoglio!
A favorite of Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Spielberg, Lo Scoglio is known the world over for its zucchini pasta and spectacular view
You didn’t think I was done with Italy, yet... did you?
Didn’t think so.
I was there for 10 days, and it wasn’t all fun and games.
L to R, Beth Buccini, Jill Schwartz, Alina Cho, Michelle Bergeron McMaster, Jennifer Carlston at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Source: Foto Flash Capri
Ok, well, maybe it was.
That photo of us dancing?
It was taken at Lo Scoglio, one of the most famous restaurants in Italy.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
A place known the world over for its zucchini pasta.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
A dish so good, I actually dream about it.
Lo Scoglio is located in the heart of Marina del Cantone on the Amalfi Coast — about a 30-minute boat ride from Capri.
I sat down with the third-generation co-owner of the restaurant, Antonia De Simone.
L to R, Margherita De Simone, Antonia De Simone, Chef Tommaso De Simone, the third-generation owners of Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
We talked about why her grandmother started the restaurant, the meaning behind the name, Lo Scoglio, and what goes into that famous zucchini pasta.
64 YEARS AND COUNTING
ALINA CHO: Your grandmother started the restaurant in 1958.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Yes, my grandmother.
ALINA CHO: What was the idea? What was her dream?
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: The reason why [she did it] is because we have a farm, and they had produce from the farm.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
What is the best way to sell the produce? Open a restaurant.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
You know, women are always very smart.
ALINA CHO: Yes, that is true.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Lo Scoglio was born like that. And she wanted to open this restaurant in Marina del Cantone, in this bay that was a fishing village.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
ALINA CHO: Tell me a little bit about the name, Lo Scoglio. It means “the boulder.”
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Yes, because it's built on a boulder. And, so, it's for that reason the restaurant is called Lo Scoglio.
ALINA CHO: Well, and because of the way it’s built, you literally feel like you are floating on the water.
Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Our guiding philosophy is farm to table, sea to table. The fresh fish comes to us every morning. We have a menu, but [what we serve] depends on what’s available day to day. It’s nature that decides for us. And then my brother, Tommaso, the chef, will cook it.
WHAT GOES INTO THAT FAMOUS ZUCCHINI PASTA?
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: The pasta with zucchini — my grandmother always told me that the pasta with zucchini is the dish the fishermen’s wives would cook for their husbands. Because they didn't have fish — they were waiting for the fish — so they had to choose a plate using the ingredients…
ALINA CHO: … the ingredients they had.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: The ingredients we find in our region, and zucchini here grow up in a wonderful way. They’re very tasty and it's for that reason that the pasta with zucchini is very famous here.
Source: Our Edible Italy
Our way is very simple. We don't use eggs, just zucchini and basil and parmesan cheese and a little bit of butter.
ALINA CHO: I must say, I tried to make the zucchini pasta in New York, and it was not the same.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Honestly, everybody thinks that we have a special secret. The secret is the zucchini.
ALINA CHO: It’s just not the same anywhere else.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: We are very proud of our farms. We have more than 15 farmers that work for us.
ALINA CHO: Wow, so every morning fresh vegetables arrive?
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Twice a day. Early in the morning and then again in the late afternoon.
THE FOOD IS FAMOUS AND SO IS THE CLIENTELE
ALINA CHO: Tell me, you have quite a celebrity clientele.
Elton John with the De Simone Family at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Yes, yes, yes. Sometimes, we didn't expect to host legends of music, of sports, but what we love so much is the idea that they always feel at home.
Jennifer Lopez at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
David Beckham with Chef Tommaso De Simone at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
Tom Hanks with Antonia De Simone at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
Emily Ratajkowski at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
ALINA CHO: Are there any famous people or celebrities you've met, and you thought, “Oh my gosh, I'm so proud to have had them at Lo Scoglio.”
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Me, for example, personally, when I met Steven Spielberg, I had…
ALINA CHO: ... goosebumps?
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: Yeah, it was so emotional. But also, he is such a humble person with personality.
ALINA CHO: That’s so nice.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: And Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce Springsteen at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
Or Bono.
L to R, Margherita De Simone, Bono, Antonia De Simone at Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Instagram: @ristoranteloscoglio
Imagine, for a girl who was born listening to their songs.
ALINA CHO: Of course.
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: I could not imagine. And the fact that they leave the restaurant and tell me that they had the best lunch of their life makes me very proud.
ALINA CHO: What do you think keeps people coming back to Lo Scoglio year after year?
ANTONIA DE SIMONE: The produce of our farm, the zucchini pasta. And they feel at home. And the final reason is because imagine [being able to] have a good lunch by the sea in a wonderful bay like Nerano.
Source: Italy Foodies
There’s nothing that compares to this.