DITIRAMBO NIGHTS – LOGBOOK
2th July 2025: Stardust
Wednesday, 25th June – Eight days to go. 09:46 AM. By Emilia Filocamo
Here we go again. The anticipation returns, tinged with that quiet thrill, that nervous excitement that always precedes something special.
Armando Aristarco is in that rare space where inspiration and creation blur. A momentary spark becomes a dish. The idea turns to flavour. In that split-second between thought and instinct, something brilliant takes form.
The second Ditirambo Night at Caruso, a Belmond Hotel on the Amalfi Coast, is set for Wednesday, 2 July. This one, though, reaches higher. And we mean that literally. Because at Caruso, aiming high isn’t a stylistic choice, it’s a calling. The goal, as always, is to transport guests into the flavours of the Mediterranean, of the Cilento, of the land itself. But this time, the invitation is also to look up. To point to the sky.
Stardust is the name, and soul, of this evening, beginning at 7:00 PM. It’s not just a journey through the Mediterranean Diet, or the usual friendly, flavour-packed “duel” between two Cilentan producers. It’s a step into the universe.
Picture this: one of Ravello’s legendary sunsets, where red and violet stretch out across the sea and climb the mountains. Imagine the outline of Caruso’s infinity pool, its shimmering edge like the bow of a ship set for the stars, dotted with telescopes. There, two guests from Naples’ AstroCampania Association, chaired by Massimo Corbisiero, will lead the way: Professor Giuseppe Ruggiero and astrophotographer Simeone Pendolo, guiding guests through the night sky as it unfolds above Caruso, softly, silently, over sea and shadow.
From aperitivo to late night, guests will be invited to approach the telescopes, to look up, to travel elsewhere, without ever leaving the terrace.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Caruso’s Executive Chef and his guest producers will be crafting dreams on a plate. Their menu is still under wraps, intentionally so, to keep curiosity alive. But whispers have already begun. Hints of powder, spice or starlight, of shimmer, of cosmic dust. Maybe it’s something stitched into the night sky like sequins. Maybe it lands on the plate like coloured snow. Either way, it fascinates.
At just past ten, Aristarco is already deep in his process. No distractions now. This time, the magic won’t be in contrasts or complexity, but in detail. In texture. In the balance between boldness and restraint. A dash of this, a trace of that, barely a gram, just enough to astonish.
Though we’re told he may allow himself one indulgence: a glance toward the moon.
As all of this unfolds, the evening will drift gently on the music of Maestro Angelo Loia. The notes will carry the mystery of the spices, the delicate puzzle of flavours, the constellation of memories stitched into this ancient, eternal night.
Because at Caruso, they really do try to offer you the moon.
And this time? They just might.
And if the moon isn’t quite enough, the stars will be there too, closer than ever. Still shining, still out of reach… or maybe just ready to fall.
Because at Caruso, sometimes, that’s exactly what happens.
Ph: Federica Giordano