My Favorite Beach in Positano – La Scogliera Beach Club

Positano

Terrazzo at La SCOGLIERA BEACH CLUB

I first spent a couple wonderful days at La Scogliera Beach Club way back in the Summer of 1985. I was a young man of just 23 back then, and getting a Chaise Lounge and hanging out at La Scogliera was like a dream come true. Like I had seen in movies as a kid, Agent 007 James Bond and the like swimming exclusive Mediterranean Beach, lounging at exclusive beach clubs with beautiful European Women, and living “The Good Life,” and here, so was I. Yes it was a dream come true. Most young men my age would have opted for one of the free beaches, but not I. I would pay more to be among the beautiful people. Especially the gorgeous bikini clad girls. Or just half a bikini? Just the bottoms as the sun bathed going topless, I must say I enjoyed it all so very much. I had my chaise lounge, Campari & OJ, lovely music playing, the Sun, the Sand, the Beach, Beautiful Women, “yes, I was in 7th Heaven,” to say the least, I felt like a King back then. Being in Positano, gorgeous girls, great Italian Food, Cocktails, gelato, properly pulled Espresso, the World’s Best Pizza, the Casa Albertina, “what more could I want?” Not much I tell you. I was oh so happy those days in Positano, on the Amalfi Coast, Italy, for I was living my dream. My dream I saw on all those James Bond movies, growing up as a young boy in 1960s and 70s America.

We went to the Rivoli Theater in Rutherford, New Jersey. Yes I watched Bond, Sean Connery and Roger Moore, and I wanted to be just like them. Well, not a Secret Agent, but I wanted to travel the World, going to exotic locals with beautiful women, Deluxe Hotels, cars, Champagne & Caviar, as they say. Yes, movies like Summertime (Venice), William Holden in Hong Kong in The World of Suzy Wong, Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, “that’s what I wanted,” and here I was at the exclusive beach club La Scogliera in Positano, on the Jet-Set Amalfi Coast. My dreams had come true. I savored it all, took it all in, and was appreciative at being there, in this one of the World’s most beautiful spots of all.

I spent my day, just hanging out, either lounging on my chaise lounge, sipping my Campari, soaking in the Amalfi Coast Sun. I swam a lot. Yes, I’m not usually a beach person, except when I’m in places like; Capri, Positano, the Costa Brava, or French Riviera. Then I become one. A beach person, and so when I’m on Capri or Positano, I hang at the beach and spend quite a lot of time swimming the Mediterranean (Tyrrhenian Sea). I go in the water, and I’m swimming at least 15 to 20 minutes at a time, even up to 30 minutes before getting out of the water. Oh yes, I love swimming the waters of Capri (Da Luigi Beach Club) and Positano. I swim out and just float there at times, looking at the town that just seems to sprout and shoot up out of the sea, straight up to dizzying heights above. This scene is quite dramatic and awe inspiring, both on Capri and Positano, and I love it. Yes I love floating on my back and looking out at the beautiful scene before me, the seagulls are singing, and I can faintly hear the music at the club, and chitter-chatter of people on the beach. It all blends together for the most lovely sound. That special sound of the seashore, do you know what I mean?

Yes, back in 1985, as a young man, I paid more ($8) to be and the beach, and felt it was worth every penny to be there. These days, a chaise lounge can run you anywhere from 20 to 40 Euro for the day, depending upon the time you are there, the price varies. Now I would not pay 4o Euro a day, that’s a bit much. I would however pay 25 Euro to have a private chaise at La Scogliera Beach Club, Positano. That’s the price (25 Euro) I pay for a chaise lounge and towel at Da Luigi Beach Club on by the Faraglioni Rocks in Capri. Expensive? Yes, but worth every penny to treat yourself to a special treat, “don’t you think?”

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

At The BEACH

La SCOGLIERA

The Restaurant

La SCOGLIERA BEACH CLUB

POSITANO

View from La SCOGLIERA BEACH CLUB

The AMALFI COAST

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My Writing Routine

Me at Caffe Reggio

During the height of the Pandemic

Greenwich Village, New York

I finished my book POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

Travel Guide – Cookbook here, in February 2021

Doing a little writing today, and thought I would write about it. My normal everyday process. Well first off, it is my day off, and I am enjoying it. Just to have the time off to relax and do whatever I want, or need to do, and not have to go into work and work. That is my regular 9 to 5, and not my writing. Yes, like most writers, I do have a 9 – 5, so to speak. That is the bulk of my income comes from my regular job, and not from my writing, although I do make a decent little chunk of change from my book sales, it is not enough to fully support me. Not yet anyway.

And so I am here today at my coffee spot, and where I write, or work on promoting my books through a few blogs and websites I have as well as a bit of social media, mostly on Instagram, posting stuff, some just related to me and things I like, as well as promoting my books, and yes I guess me.

My main coffee spot these days and for the past 7 years since Caffe Dante closed, is at the Marlton Hotel in Greenwich Village, a great little spot, it is nice and comfy, quiet, and relaxing, and I love it. All the people working here are very friendly and take great care of me, which I really appreciate, and again, I love coming here for my daily coffee, and to relax, and that is exactly what I am doing right this very minute, sipping my coffee, writing, relaxing, and savoring just that, sipping coffee, writing, and enjoying the day off. The day off from the 9 to 5, not writing, and promoting, and so here I am.

I started coming to The Marlton Hotel when it first opened, I think it was about 2012. My main place for my daily coffee ( Cappuccino ) was Caffe Dante on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village. I had my morning and afternoon, and sometimes nighttime coffee, everyday at Caffe Dante for exactly 30 years. I first started going there in the Summer of 1985, after I got back from my first trip to Italy, and many new Italian, and Worldly discoveries, being in Europe for an entire month. It was an eye opening trip that taught me many things. I will never forget it and all the wonderful times in : Rome, Florence with my high-school friend JoAnne, meeting up with friends in Barcelona, a romantic fling in The South of France (Nice & Monaco), on to the most Serene Republic of Venice, Italy, then down to Positano and The Amalfi Coast before heading back up to Rome for a couple more days before flying home to New York. Yes, again, it was a most wonderful trip.

So I had my daily coffee at CafFe Dante for exactly 30 years from 1985 until my pal Mario Flotta sold the place and it closed down in 2015, a most sad day for me. Dante was my second home, and I was friends with the owner Mario, and all the girls (waitresses) who worked there.

As I said, I started going to The Marlton ever since they opened their doors. It is a cool boutique hotel owned by Shawn McPherson who has great style and runs wonderful establishments in both New York and Los Angeles, and is also a partner at The Maritime Hotel with my old pal Eric Goode, who was a top night club impresario in 1980s NYC, with such clubs as AREA and MK. After being very successful with nightclubs in the 80s and 90s, Eric got into the hotel business in the New Millennium, and is a partner as I said at The Maritime, and now, also at The Bowery Hotel in the East Village of New York. Anyway, I am at the Marlton, but Eric is not a partner here. Anyway?

Yes, I come here everyday and I love it. Some days I write, and some days I work on my websites, blogs, and other promotional avenues. I am always doing some kind of work with these things, and because of my diligence over the years, one of my Instagram accounts has taken off, and as a result my book sales have skyrocketed by 300% as of late, and I am super excited by that. And as I write, Mina just came on over the sound system. “I love it. No Rap Hip Hop Crap at The Marlton. Just great music, they play here, and that is something that I am very grateful for, and it helps one relax, as that is a main incentive of coming here. Relaxing.

I come, and Sangee, Jack, or Fun get me my coffee. I open up my Amazon KDP Dashboard and see how many books I have sold, that is usually the first thing on my agenda. I check Facebook and Instagram, and then I either do some writing, either on the current book I am working on, to write a little article or blog post, and also so promo work, and that is what I do. Most times, before I get to The Marlton, I don’t really have a game plan ahead of time, and I just do as I have just described. Although there are times that I do have a game plan ahead of time, and that is usually when I have been going on a writing tear on my current book, or the book is almost done, and I am either doing some editing, or formatting of the book, for the proper format of the manuscript to be sent in to the publisher, and that is what I do. And of course, most of the times I do not go crazy, and I am not in a rush, but taking it easy, and taking it as it comes, day by day, as far as my writing and promo work goes, that is the way I do it.

BOOKS By DANIEL BELLINO

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New York Italian – Congradulations on the 100 Thousand Followers on Instagram

NEW YORK ITALIAN

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“WE THANK YOU ALL” !!!

Please continue Following Us and We Love Your Comments. It’s great getting Feedback

from all our Loyal Followers, so once again, “Thank You” and if you know anyone who

might like the content we provide at @NewYork.Italian – Instagram please tell them

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SUNDAY SAUCE

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SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino “Z” was

The # 1 BESTSELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOK on Kindle

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How I Increased My Book Sales 5 Times – Almost Overnight – Quadruple Your Sales

THEN UNCREASED 5 TIMES in NO TIME

BEST SELLING TRAVEL & COOKBOOK

by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

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HOW I INCREASED MY BOOK SALE 5 TIMES – Almost Overnight !

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m happy, and proud to say that my Book Sales have quite literally increased 5 Fold almost overnight. Yes, they Tripled, Quadrupled, and then my book sales increase by a mutiple of 5, yes overnight. But this tremendous increase in my book sales on Amazon .com

may have soured in just a few days time (5 days), from an average of about 2.5 books a day, to about 15 of my books being sold almost everyday, it actually took years to accomplish this wonderful feat, that will put substancially more money in my pockets, each and every month, I hope for a long time to come.

I published my first book “La Tavola” 10 years agon, on June 18, 2012 … I’ve been working hard, to try to increase sales ever since. The book didn’t sell fast at all. It took time, and has been a slow grind to increase sales to get as many sales as possible, each and every month since 2012. My sales are throught the World’s Biggest Book Seller of them all. Yes Amazon. Amazon has been a boom to me and other authors who might not get published, if not for Amazon. They have offered me, and thousands of authors, who might never get pusblished and sell books, and possibly make a lving, if Amazon did not exist. Because of Amazon, not only have I become a published author, but I am a Bestselling Author several times over, with books like Grandma Bellino’s Italian Cookbook, Segreto Italiano, Got ANt Kahlua (aka The Big Lebowski Cookbook) and more. All thanks to Amazon and the services that they provide. Services that publish your book, and put it on the greatest sales platform on Earth, Amazon.com …

WhenI first published my book La Tavola in 2012, it took a few month before I made any money at all. Yes I sold a few books, but Amazon will not cut you any check for less than $100 … In the beginining, when I say just a few sale, I mean a few sales. Like just 4, 5, or 6 book sales a month at first. In the first year and a half or so, it would take 3 or 5 months before I’d have enough sales to total $100 or more, and thus have Amazon send me my very own Check, paid to me, for sales of books that I had written. After a while, about a year and a half, I’d get sales of $100 or more in a month, and I started getting Checks every month. This was exciting, It wasn’t a lot of sales, or money, but it was something, and it was an increase. I started blogging, trying to increase my sales. The content of my blogs, was mostly about food, cooking, and recipes, and of Italian Food, and Italian American Cutlture, Italian New York, and Italy, and it’s many wonderful cities and places : Vencie, ROme, Florence, Capri, and Positano, and all of Italy, and of course its cuisine, the foods of Italy, is what I wrote about, and posted pictures in my blogs.

I started getting checks from Amazon, every month for something over $100, but much less than $200 a month, eventually I’d get enough sales, whereby I was getting checks every month for $300 a month, and then about 4 or 5 Hundred Dollars a month, which was the point I was at up until October of 2022.

… to be Continued …

In October of 2022, I posted a short video clip of Frank Sinatra singing “My Way” on my Instagram page NewYork.Italian … The video starting getting traction with Thousands of Likes, and was in the # Spot on the Hashtag #NewYorkItalian on Instagram. From there I started getting a lot more Instagram Followers … I started posting a considerable amount of post, several a day. All related to Italian New York, the people, Food, restaurants, Italian Specialty Shops, Pizzerias, Pastry Shops, Italian Butcher Shops, Italian Music, and anything to do with anything Italian, in New York, America, and the motherland, Italy. I started getting 1,000 new Followers everyday, then 2 thousand, and starting in the New Year of 2023, 5 to 6 Thousand New Followers every single day. “I was Blowing Up” as they say. And so were my books sales, mostly of my books : SUNDAY SAUCE,

Grandma Bellino’s Italian Cookbook, and my latest POSITANO The AMALFI COAST Travel Guide – Cookbook. I went from selling 2 or 3 books a day, or maybe more on better days, but usually just 2 to 3 books sold a day, to 15 to 20 a day or more, practically over night.

Most months, my total book sales are between 75 to 90 books sold a month on Amazon .com … My checks would average between $350 to $450 a month. “Not bad” And I was happy with these numbers, but always working to increase my sales, by promoting them on my Blogs, Facebook groups & Pages, and my Instagram accounts. I always felt that maybe one day everything would “Blow Up” getting a lot more traffic on one of my websites, or Instagram accounts, and now it fianally has. My Instagram “NewYork.Italian” has blown up, and thus my Book Sales, which is my ultimate goal, to sell more of my books all the time. And so I have.

Looking at my Amazon Book Sales dashboard today (January 15, 2023), I have book sales of 230 Books sold so far for the Month of January 2023 … I sold 215 Paperback Books and have 15 Kindle book sales so far, and the month is only half way through, and the first few days, the sales had not yet kicked into high speed until about January 5th.

“Hello again folks. I’m back. A few days later. It’s January 15, 2023, and by Instagram page

@NewYork.Italian is now 83,000 Followers and Counting. I expect the Magical Number of 100,000 in 10 days or less, and then 250,000, then on to a half Million, and on to 1 MILLION Followers and maybe even more. “We’ll see?”

January 15, 2023

@NewYork.Italian

83,000 plus INSTAGRAM Followers

“THANKS ALL So MUCH”

Daniel Bellino

FOLLOW US !!!

Yes, I’m up to more than 83 Thousand followers as of January 15, 2023.

GANDMA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK is a HOT SELLER in January 2022

NONNA BELLION’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

Daniel Bellino “Z”

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SUNDAY SAUCE

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Amalfi Coast Italian Lemon Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN LEMON COOKIES

Italian Lemon Cookies

I love lemon desserts. The bright, citrus flavor just makes my whole day better and lights up my mood. I’ve seen lemon desserts done in magically delicious ways and I’ve seen them leave me puckering so hard I thought my face would stay that way. This lemon drop cookie recipe is the former. Sweet lemon glaze coats and not too sweet biscuit-like cookie for a perfectly balanced bite of citrus you’ll crave!

COOKIE RECIPE

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 lemon)
⅓ cup milk

GLAZE

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
½ tablespoon lemon zest (1/2 lemon)

INSTRUCTIONS

COOKIES

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar for 1 minute or until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture. Beat until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix to combine.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add the milk and mix to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated. The dough should be the consistency of a very thick, sticky cake batter.
Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon) to portion the cookie dough onto parchment paper or silicone mat lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 11-13 minute, or until the bottom edges are golden brown.
Carefully remove from the oven. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

GLAZE

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
Place the wire racks (with the cookies one them) over some foil or over a baking sheet.
Use a spoon to top each cookie with a heaping teaspoon of frosting. Use the back of your spoon to spread the glaze all over the cookie. Return the cookie to the wire rack and let the frosting finish coating the cookies. Let set until the glaze firms up a little, about 15-20 minutes. (The glaze will not set up completely, but will stop dripping down the cookie.)
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

NOTES

If you glaze looks too thin, you can add more powdered sugar a tablespoon or two at a time. If it looks too thick, add milk a teaspoon or two at a time until your desired consistency is reached. This is a glaze, not a frosting, it should be on the runny side.
You can add more lemon juice and zest to the glaze if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor.
If you like, you can drizzle or spoon the glaze over the cookies while they’re sitting on a wire rack. I usually dip the tops and put them back on the baking sheet to set up.

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How I Spent My Covid Days in Greenwich Village New York – Coffee Lunch and Dinner

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Barrow Street, Greenwich Village

NEW YORK NY

2020

Here’s one of my spots for my morning coffee during the strongest days of the Covid19 Pandemic.

I’d get up every morning and make Breakfast at home. Then take a shower, get dressed and go out for my first coffee of the day. With breakfast at home, I drank Tea. I don’t drink coffee in my home, as I like to go out to the cafe for coffee and writing. In the first days of Covid I’d go and get a coffee at the Korean Market on Bleecker at Jones Street. Then I’d go to a local park or a house stoop and have my coffee, send and read text messages, read the News on my Google New Feed, check my Instagram, make post, and make telephone calls for 90 minutes or so. Then I’d go back home and make lunch.

After lunch, I’d go back out for my 2nd Coffee of the day. Then I’d go home and make dinner. I’d cook a tasty Cheeseburger, make some Pasta, Pork Dumplings, or some kind of a sandwich. Maybe 3 times a month I’d make a big pot of Lentil or Vegetable Soup. Once a month I’d cook a big pot of Chili that I would make Burritos and Tacos for a week. And every now and then I’d make my famous Ragu Bolognese. I used to make it more often than I do now, and two or three times a year I’ll make some Coq au Vin.

About NEW YORK BURGERS

The last year or so I’ve been eating a lot more Burgers. I really like making them, as I make then so good, and the price of a Burger in some places is crazy. They can be $20 or $24 or even more. Damn, it would cost you $5o or more just to have a Burger and a drink. By the time you pay for the Burger, let’s say it’s $20? And you can’t really go into one of these place and not get at least one drink. I’m not a big beer drinker, so I’m going to have a glass of wine or a cocktail. Let’s say the average price of one of these items is $12, OK ? So we’ve got $20 for the burger, another $12 for a drink, that’s $36 right there. Then we’ve got tax at about $2.90, or 4 dollars, so that’s a sub-total of $39, plus tip, which I’d leave $10, for a total of $49, which is just rught there around the $50 mark, for just a Cheeseburger, and one Drink, and you have to pay tax and leave a tip. Do you wee what I’m talking about? And if you have a second drink, you could be up near $70 ? This is insane. Well, if you can afford ot pay $50 or more for one drink and a Burger, God Bless You. Me, I could do it, but I don’t want to. Well maybe if I’m getting together with some good friends, now and then, but I’m not going to do that a whole lot.

I get my Burger Fix at home. My Burgers taste Damn Good. I buy some good ground Sirloin for about $6.99 a pound. I season it well with salt and Black Pepper. I put on some Mustard, Ketchup or BBQ Sauce, some Cheddar Cheese and about 3 slices of Dill Pickle and I’m all set with one of the Best Damn Burgers in all of New York City, and all for about $2.75 or so? Let’s say $3 and I’ve got one of the Best Burgers in all of New York City. Trust me, I make a better Burger than just about any place in New York. I’m not spending a 5o dollar bill for no damn Burger. “I’ll make it mayself, and it’s Damn Good.”

Basta !

DBZ

HOW to COOK a DAMN TASTY BURGER

RECIPE in The BADASS COOKBOOK

MAKE The BEST DAMN BURGER

In NEW YORK CITY

RECIPE

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Me and My Girl Dante

1992

NYC

BOOKS by DANIEL

MY LATEST BOOK

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2022 / 2023

Back in ITALY 2022

CAPRI

Da LUIGI BEACH CLUB

My Favorite Swimming Sport

CAPRI

MARINA PICCOLO

CAPRI

Carthusian Monastery

Capri

EDUARDO

CARTHUSIAN BARBER SHOP

The GRAN HOTEL QUISISANA

RESERVATIONS & INFO

Vintage CAPRI TAXI

The Last One Left

CAPRI

AT BAR TIBERIO

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CAPRI

After My Swim

MARINA PICCOLA

CAPRI

2022

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

NAPLES CAPRI SORRENTO

TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK

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My Favorite Lemonade Stand

Capri

Via Tragara

FIND a ROOM on CAPRI

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CAPRI

“APEROL SPRITZ TIME”

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CAPRI

2022

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Dinner with Family

Dinner with Family

BAR PITTI

NEW YORK

With Cousins Joe, Eddie, and Tommy, and friends Tarik and Michele, at our favorite Italian Restaurant in New York, Bar Pitti (20220). Great meal. Giovanni gave us two bottles of Solaia on the house. A personal gift from Gio to cousins Joe and Eddie. Thanks Gio, quite tasty. We had a great meal, antipasti, pasta and our main courses. Good times with friends and family, sharing a meal at the table, can’t be beat.