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Amalfi Coast, Here We Come!

11/17/2016

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 The Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour continues....

The group has allotted three nights to the Amalfi Coast, and I have decided to homebase us in the stunning town of Positano, where the buildings spill from the mountains to the sea.  We have so much to see and do and eat and drink. Let's get started!
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Though our time in Naples was a little bit cloudy and damp, once we arrive to Positano, all that changes....nothing but sunshine!
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​As a surprise for this special group, I've organized a full day, private boat trip to the Isle of Capri. (They thought they were taking the ferry for a short tour.)
We cruise our way to Capri, then spend the whole morning making our way all around the island at our leisure. With our small boat, we can nose right into little grottos to admire the rocks and crystalline waters. The weather in this late moment of September even permits us a swim! And then we get to go right through the rocks, and raise our wineglasses in salute as we do so!
Once we're done touring the island by water, it's time to tour it on land. Our open-air taxis await!
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Look waaaay down there! There are the rocks our boat went through on our way here!
The taxis bring us to the lovely town of Anacapri. Once there, we take the individual chairlifts to the tippy top for Amazing (yes, with a capital "A") views!
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By now, we've really built up an appetite (even though we had delicious snacks and Prosecco on the boat). Time to take the chairlift back down and go eat! We have a really wonderful Slow Food lunch waiting for us.
Well, we are filled to the brim, and our taxis and boat await. There's just a little time to do some shopping, then off we go back to the marina where our captain, Roberto is waiting for us. As the sun lowers, we make our way back to Positano.
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As we approach Positano, Captain Robbie gives us a farewell serenade with Bocelli music. (He never even told me he could sing!)

Today has truly been a Bella Giornata. We've had so many memorable experiences. We've seen such natural beauty, eaten fantastic food, danced, sang and laughed our hearts out. Thank you to my wonderful colleagues in Italy for making the day so special. Thanks to Robbie, Lavinia and Vicenzo. Until we meet again!

Tomorrow....we work for our food!
Stay tuned for more fun adventures with the Bisaccia Family.
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Naples: A City Well Lived In

11/5/2016

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Continuing the Journey on the Amalfi Coast/Puglia Tour:

Naples is really a city like no other. I always call it a "city well lived in". Why? Well, it has a reputation for many things; chaotic traffic, petty crime, chaos in general...all somewhat true. Rome has all those things too, but Rome always feels so touristic, while Naples feels like you're just witnessing life happening. 

Here, the group is posing around the famous Pulcinella statue. Pulcinella was a classic character from Italian theatre. Represented as a "fool", the character in fact rather thumbed its nose at government rules and bureaucracy...I guess that explains a few things right there.

Lest you think Naples is all negative connotation, nothing could be further from the truth. Its streets are simply fascinating; filled with history, great food and traditions, and beautiful art. Naples is full of things to see and deserves any amount of time you can afford to spend there. 

​Here are a few things I found while wandering:
Turns out we were in the nick of time to help the city finish celebrating the Miracle of St. Gennaro (This occurs on Sept. 19, and we arrived on the 20th). Here's a link to an explanation: 
​https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/09/19/famed-blood-miracle-san-gennaro-unfolds-naples/
We were visiting the Church of St. Gennaro and got to see the liquified blood! The priest below is holding the ampule and people were welcome to come and give it a kiss. Also notice the shape of San Gennaro's hat...below on the right, on the bronze bust.
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Of course, because it was such a special time, the pastry shops were also creating something special to help celebrate. I tasted a San Gennaro hat-shaped pastry....it was delicious! There was even an explanation of what was in it.
A lovely tradition in Napoli is called Caffe' Sospeso, or "Suspended Coffee". What it means, is you can pay ahead for a coffee for someone who will need one and not have the money. So if a coffee shop advertises this service, I can pay for a coffee for someone in need. At any time, someone who can't afford one, or forgot their wallet can stop in for a "free" coffee....not on the house, but on whoever chose to pay for one. So civilized.
We saw many sights on our walking tour with our officially licensed guide, but what better way to take in the traditions of Napoli than with a pizza lunch?

And to end the evening? We made our own karaoke party!
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Oh those knuckleheads! Maybe everyone was a little rummy from having just arrived to Italy yesterday. Or maybe, this is just a fun-loving group! 

You'll see in the days ahead.....

Next stop: Pompei and then the true Amalfi Coast begins!
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Rome, Day 2: Begins Exactly How it Should

10/1/2014

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My second day in Rome begins exactly how it should....exactly how I had hoped it would....with a wonderful cappuccino, a beautiful cornetto, and the company of a great friend. Though I had a million things to tick off of my "to-do" list, there is no more civilized way to start the day than to welcome it the Italian way. And so rather than stand at the bar for a knock-it-back espresso, we took to a table to start the day with sips, munches, and conversation. Ahh......

Next stop, the fabulous Trionfale Market. Every time I'm in Rome I love to stop in here, not only to make purchases.....which I did, but just to soak up the local flavor. I mean that quite literally as I had samples of porchetta, olives, wine cookies and mozzarella cheese while shopping! Speaking of mozzarella cheese....the hubster will love these photos. I couldn't bring home these fascinatingly shaped cheeses, so he'll have to settle for the giant package of wine cookies I bought for him instead.
Recycling! I love the clever use of empty wine bottles to display the sausages.












More market photos:
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You know I'm all about the food and wine, so it seemed appropriate that after the food market, I should make my next stop one of Rome's best wine shops.

I'll take you inside in a moment. First, notice the young man's head in the bottom right side of the photograph? It appears that his head is resting on the sidewalk. How can that be?

It was delivery day. When that happens, they open the metal "storm doors" in the sidewalk. Installed underground is a slide. One young man climbs down into the hole and places boxes of wine at the top of the slide. Inside the store, in the lower level, another young man is receiving the cases at the bottom of the slide. Genius!

Now, let's go inside! It's beautiful, isn't it? The photo on the left is all liquors, grappas, etc. The photo on the right is just one of the many aisles downstairs filled with wines from every region of Italy!
Unfortunately, my lunch photos didn't come out very well....though the lunch itself was delicious. Instead, I bring you post-lunch photos. The best way to finish lunch is with a great macchiato or espresso. Today, I discovered a great new coffee place in my old neighborhood. Oh my goodness, it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Though my lunch photos didn't turn out, my dinner photos did. This evening Rome was hit with an amazing thunderstorm. The rain was torrential, and lightning strikes and thunder abounded. It was the kind of rainstorm for which waterproof clothing was invented....and for which, it doesn't work. And to top it off, I was hungry. I was hungry at the peak, most rainy, lightning-ish, thunder-y part of the storm. Go figure. I ventured forth, down the slippery Spanish Steps, slogging my way to the pizza-by-the-slice place I meant to go to yesterday. Odd, hardly anyone else in the city was out at all. The shop was nearly empty and they were eager to tell me about all the different kinds of pizza available this evening. I chose two types: one with truffles and porcini mushrooms (so decadent!) and the other with artichokes (love them!). Torrential rain, crackling thunder, lightning spikes, shoes soaked. Worth it!!
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Naples: A Coffee Lover’s Paradise

4/30/2014

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I’d always heard the coffee in Naples was better than the coffee in Rome; better in fact than anyone else’s. 

In Italy, food and wine is so regionalized; every area thinks theirs is the best. But it’s so true. Each region specializes in certain wines, certain pastas, certain cheeses, etc. In each area, it truly is best to eat and drink what the region dictates. Start tasting, and you too will soon realize, Italians have earned their bragging rights.

So, what is it about the coffee in Naples that makes it so special? I've just returned from a 10-day research trip to Italy. A visit to Naples and the Amalfi Coast was on my list, so I was itching to try the coffee and find out for myself. And now I know. I immediately noticed two things the baristas in Naples do distinctly differently from those in Rome:

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1)      All the espresso machines I saw in Naples are hand-pulled rather than push button. Unfortunately, I did not snap a photo of their machines, so instead, I’m posting a photo of my personal machine. This is a hand pull (not automatic push button) machine that I have been using for nearly 30 years. (Actually, this is the second machine in 30 years. The first one bit the dust after 20 years, and I replaced it with the exact same thing.)

To be honest, I'm not sure why hand-pulling tastes better than push-button. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of pressure that builds in the machine before you pull. Regardless, everyone in Naples is pulling; everyone in Rome is pushing.


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2)      They keep their cups really hot! All the coffee bars had their espresso cups submerged in very hot circulating water. They either used tongs, or quickly stuck their fingers in there to snag a cup. These hot cups keep the coffee at the perfect temperature for drinking. Genius.

In Rome, clean cups are stacked above the machine, which is a warm place, but not a hot place. This is always my complaint when I make an espresso for myself at home; my coffee is never hot enough. By the time the espresso is done dripping into my little espresso cup, it is cooling down quickly. From now on, I'm going to preheat my espresso cups at home with hot water. This is a light bulb moment.


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Additionally, there were some different coffee drinks available in Naples which I’d never had before. Here you see lined up and ready for the day, an assortment of plastic cups which have been pre-drizzled with chocolate syrup, Nutella syrup, etc., ready to be filled with coffee concoctions. Interesting, no?


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Aside from that, I had a fantastic espresso drink called a “caldo-freddo”. It means “hot-cold”. The barista started with the perfect shot of espresso in a hot cup. He added a spoonful of sugar, and gave it a quick stir. Then….here comes the good part…..in goes a dollop of creamy loveliness from this machine. It was like a melon ball size scoop of soft serve vanilla gelato!

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Lastly, a nice drizzle of chocolate syrup to top it off. It was decadently sweet, but not cloyingly so because the portion was so small; so just-the-right-size. It was creamy and chocolaty with that perfect balance of coffee in the background. 

Seriously Delicious.

Yes. It is true. Naples has the best coffee...on the planet.

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Rome: A City in which to Wander

4/28/2014

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Ah Rome. I have just returned from a ten day research trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Umbria. As usual, I intended to blog my way through this most recent trip to Italy….but sigh, life got in the way. I was so busy meeting up with old friends, meeting great new friends, eating, drinking wine, driving a stick shift again, strolling, sightseeing…..the list is really endless. Suffice it to say, I was busy. My morning alarm went off at 7a.m. every day, but I wasn’t going to sleep until between midnight and 1 a.m. every night! With all those waking hours, you’d think I would have had more time at the computer. But I did not. Oh well. Here are my “better late than never” blog posts:

 Whenever I arrive to Rome, my routine is basically the same: Drop bags off, shower, and hit the streets on foot. Rome is a wonderfully walkable city, and the best way to get over jetlag is to just get out there in the fresh air. I always arrive hungry (because that's usually the state of my life), and in need of a coffee (which coincidentally, is also the usual state of my life). I had a lot of appointments in Rome during the first three days of my trip. However, I always leave time to just stroll the streets of the city either alone or with friends. Walk along with me, won’t you?

In the top photo, you see a selection of pizza by the slice. It was all so delicious, and look how fresh that basil is!

The luscious whipped cream concoction you see above is one of my very favorite treats in Rome. It is called a caffe granita con panna and it is a surefire jetlag cure. The barista places some unsweetened whipped cream in the bottom of the cup, tops it with two scoops of coffee granita; a sweet, frozen, caffeine-laden concoction then tops the whole thing off with more unsweetened whipped cream. It is so delicious, so refreshing, and so delicious! Did I say that already?

Below, a few street scenes:

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Are these not the most adorable dogs? They were all blissfully napping in the sunshine. I was thinking I should join them, but there was so much more to see.





Yard art anyone? I love this outdoor shop. I wish I had bought something from here when I lived in Rome, so I could have had it shipped back to the U.S. with all my other household goods. Instead, I stop in here once in a while to do some wishful shopping.....and leave empty-handed.

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Okay, I had to do a double take when I saw this street performer! He appears to be floating in mid-air! Street performers want you to toss a few coins in their bucket to have your picture taken with them. They are in every city, but usually it's the same old tired golden mummy or creepy Statue of Liberty. Kudos to this guy for coming up with something new.

One of the things I love most about Rome are its neighborhood covered markets. The produce and other products available are amazingly fresh and delicious. Here are a few photos compiled from several markets I went to:

And last, but certainly not least, I always try to set aside a day for cooking with my kitchen cohorts. We made an amazing lunch of  a spaghetti carbonara, homemade gnocchi with amatriciana sauce, a spring vegetable dish called vignarola alla romana, carciofi agrodolce and agretti. Delizioso!
Do you see now why I had no time to blog at the computer? 
After Rome, I headed off to Naples.....what fun! I can't wait to tell you all about it. Stay tuned for the next post-trip blog. A presto!
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Day Two Rome: Food, Fun, and Friendship

10/7/2013

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Day two of my trip to Italy is devoted to old friends who like me, share a passion for food. My dear friend Wendy Holloway runs a bed and breakfast/cooking school called Flavor of Italy. Whenever I’m in town, my friends and I gather in her wonderful kitchen in the countryside of Riano outside Rome for a day of cooking and camaraderie. Holly Magazzino and Thelma Gambino join us for a full day of cooking, laughter, eating, joking, drinking, yakking and more eating and drinking.
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But before catching the train to Wendy’s house, I must have the classic Italian breakfast; a cappuccino and a cornetto. When breakfasting at home, most Italians make a stovetop espresso and add hot milk sans foam. But when having breakfast out, a cappuccino is a must.  And if one is indulging in a fancy cappuccino, why not include a lovely cornetto?  These pastries are usually brushed with a light sugar coating, and good ones are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and served warm and fresh. Sigh.

At Wendy’s, we plan on making three dishes: Ravioli Caprese, Torta Caprese and Cacio è pepe. To start we make the Ravioli Caprese as it is a little time consuming to make the dough and filling. Wendy makes a basic tomato sauce that is so flavorful and simmers atop the stove while we take turns rolling out the dough until it’s so thin we can see the pattern of her marble counters through it. We make a filling of two kinds of cheese combined with lots of fresh marjoram, and make what seems like an overabundance of ravioli (though we manage to consume most of them). 
In addition to the ravioli, we also make Cacio è Pepe. This is one of my favorite classic Roman pastas whose preparation has simply eluded me. Wendy shows us how to “toss” the cheese into the pasta rather than stir it in as I have been doing. Last of all, we create a most delicious and decadent Torta Caprese; a cake made with ground almonds rather than traditional flour, and lots of deep, dark chocolate.  It has crispy edges and a gooey innards. We all moan as we take our first bite.
Eventually, after much chatting and laughter, we decide we can finally indulge in some dinner. But it is going to have to be a light dinner after such a heavy lunch. We head to a nearby restaurant where we order nothing but vegetables cooked expertly over wood-fired coals. We start with tomato bruschetta. The cook creates wood coals on the right side of his grill and shovels them beneath the cooking grate as the evening wears on. He grills our bread, drizzles it with olive oil, and tops it with nice fresh tomato slices and a sprinkle of salt. So simple. So delicious. We also order grilled radicchio and grilled porcini mushrooms. The in-season vegetables are smoky, tender/crispy and oh-so-delicious.  Again….So simple. So delicious.
Day two comes to an end after twelve hours in each other’s company.  We are tired and full, but rejuvenated by our time together. The four of us realize for the first time that we span four decades, and yet somehow, we have so much in common and enjoy each other’s company immensely. Another day in Rome; another day well spent.
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Day One: A Resurrection in Rome

10/3/2013

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Rome was calling me. No, I don’t have the pope on speed dial, but Rome was calling. Once you have lived in Rome, regardless of whether you tossed coins in that beautiful fountain, you will return. Rome gets into your blood, under your skin, into your pores like no other city on earth to me. Yes, it is chaos and noise and bureaucracy, but it is also infinite beauty, and a way of life that is simply so…..simple. And so I find myself back in Rome, ready for a resurrection, eager to return to a city where a new discovery is around every corner. Join me on a little pictorial trip of Rome: Day one.

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Lucky me, I have arrived in Rome just in time for lunch. Never one to dilly-dally where food is concerned, I toss my bags in my room, take the quickest of showers to refresh and revive myself, and head out the door to find good food. It’s Rome; I don’t have to go far. Not long into my stroll, I discover a new pizza-by-the-slice place called Grano. I wander in to see if it looks good, and……well, let’s just say it was so hard to decide which kind to have….so I only picked three.  Pizza-by-the-slice is weighed in Italy.  Isn’t that a great concept? You merely point out how much of each kind you would like, they cut off your piece with a big pair of scissors, weigh it, and put it in the big oven to reheat. In the meantime, you get your receipt, take it to the cashier, pay for your pizza, adding a drink if you’d like and by the time you get back to the pizza counter, your hot pizza is ready. This new place had some really interesting and delicious combinations:
1)      Radicchio with gorgonzola and walnuts
2)      Porcini mushrooms (They’re everywhere because they’re in season now!) with truffles
3)      Eggplant with tomato sauce
Not only will I be returning to Rome; I will be returning to this place!

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Jet lag is beginning to set in. Time for a pick-me-up, and I know just the thing.  I head over to my favorite building in the whole city, the Pantheon. Nearby is one of my favorite treats in the whole city; a granita di caffe con panna from the coffeehouse Taza D’Oro. They squeeze some unsweetened whipped cream into the bottom of your cup, add in two scoops of sweetened coffee flavored icy granita, and top it off with more whipped cream. The strong coffee is tempered by the sweetness of the granita mixture which is tempered by the unsweetened whipped cream. It is perfection. It is THE cure for jet lag….in my opinion.


With a full belly and a nice jolt of caffeine, it was time to take in a little culture.  And what could be more apropos than a viewing of a fresco by Rafael.  Tucked in a little out of the way corner, not far from Piazza Navona, is the Chiostro del Bramante. The Cloister of Bramante is attached to a church called Santa Maria della Pace.  In this church is a most beautiful fresco by Rafael commissioned in 1500.  And from the upper reaches of the Cloister, if you look out a certain window, you get a bird’s eye view of Rafael’s fantastic work of art.  Looking at it makes me……sigh.
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Next stop is one of my favorite markets for some food shopping to bring back to the U.S. This is one of many cases where the internet is simply misinformation. The market is not open late on this day as I had read on-line. Most of it is closed. Most, but not all. The fresh pasta shop is open. No, I will not be bringing fresh pasta back to the States, but the lady who makes the fresh pasta happens to also love making red wine cookies, and she has a fresh plate sitting out! When she sees me eyeing them, she hands me the plate and tells me to have one. Not wanting to offend her in any way, I help myself. They are SO good; better than the ones I've been trying to make at home which need more work. I’ll take a dozen please. For the equivalent of $4.00, I get 12 huge, delicious crispy cookies baked with red wine and glistening with sugar crystals.

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With not much of the market open, I realize I will have to return another day to finish my shopping and so I head out. Glancing at my watch, I realize, it’s “wine time”. This is perfect!  Nearby is a wine bar I’ve been wanting to try out. The little bar has a few tables and chairs out on the sidewalk. Securing a spot on this beautiful day, I pop my head indoors to let them know I’m out there and find an adorable basement wine bar filled with music paraphernalia and legs of prosciutto ready to be hand-carved. Passaguai prides itself on its use of local products, and so I order a wine from the Lazio region. Ever in need of a little munchie, I also order a plate of mixed bruschette and a bowl of olives. The olives are incredibly buttery and when the bruschette arrive, they are beautifully plated and delicious. The wine, a blend which includes the cesanese grape, is one I hope to learn more about on this trip. It is wonderful. My bill amazes me when I ask for it. Not by the expense of it, but by the lack of expense. Welcome back to Rome.

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As I head back to my dear friend’s apartment, I catch a glimpse of the sunset over St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. What truer sign is there that I am in Rome? I have been resurrected. 


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Welcome back to Italy!

9/25/2012

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As I await the arrival of my tour group, I have a few days to acclimate, pin down final logistics, visit with old friends, and of course…..a girl's gotta eat.

I’ve been here two days so far, and have already tried something new, discovered two new restaurants to return to, and eaten old favorites.  My old favorites were each discovered at new places:  
The first is octopus and potato salad.  I had this at a new place called RED (Read, Eat, Dream) a great new bookstore/culinary shop/café on Via del Corso.  This shop is a lot like the old Borders stores that I used to love in that people can relax with free wifi and shop for books and have a coffee.  Yet, even better than Borders, it has a full café in the back with not only coffee, but wine and menu items.  Now that Borders is no more in the U.S., maybe Barnes and Noble should get on board and start serving some wine amongst the stacks!  To be honest, it wasn’t the best octopus potato salad I’ve ever had, but I loved the whole concept of the store.

The second old favorite was pasta alla amatriciana.  This, I loved.  I had lunch today with old friends at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try, called Da Armando al Pantheon.  There are a ton of restaurants that have this classic dish on their menus.  I eat it when I’m in Rome because it’s so hard to make at home.  It requires guanciale which is the cured jowl of a pig.  While many cured parts of the pig are readily available in the U.S., the cheek is less available, and of course is very expensive.  At home, I make this dish with pancetta and it’s simply not the same.  After our meal at Armando’s, we ordered espresso and it came in these adorable little cups with lids.  It was creamy, hot and delicious.

So, I did mention that I tried something new today…..tripe….yipes!  When we were at Armando’s the waiter wanted to tell us about today’s specials which included tripe, “a delicious and classic Roman dish”, we were told.  Yes, I know its classic, but was it delicious?  Well….yes and no.  For those of you who don’t know, tripe is basically the stomach lining of a cow, or pig.  Our little group decided we should order it since I’d never had it, so we asked if we could just have a small taste.  After our meal, here came a plate with about ½ a cup of tripe in a lovely tomato based sauce.  And there was the chef in the background giving us the “thumbs up” signal encouraging us to dig in.  One of the group simply refused, having had it before and knowing better.  Another in the group gave it the old college try…but her back was to the chef (He couldn’t see her facial reaction).  That left me, facing the chef. So how was it?  Well, the sauce was delicious with lots of fresh black pepper, but the tripe itself….well, I don’t need to order it again.  It’s a textural thing.  I kept a stiff upper lip and finished the dish as we all three returned the thumbs up with big smiles on our faces.  He was so happy.  

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And my parting shot for the day:
I spent some time reading and making phone calls in the Villa Borghese park late this afternoon.  As I was leaving the park and the sun was beginning to set, I was able to capture this photo.

Can't wait for my tour group to discover Rome!

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Italian Coffee Culture

1/26/2012

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My first real Italian cappuccino
The first time I tried to order a coffee in Italy, I almost ended up with a glass of milk.  The day I arrived, I walked into the nearest bar and ordered a "latte".  The bar man looked at me oddly and asked me a question.  Not speaking a word of Italian at the time, I'm sure a pretty blank look appeared on my face.  He walked over to the refrigerator and pointed to a bottle of milk.  I said, "No, no....coffee please!"  He smiled and responded, "Un caffe latte."  Yes, the word latte simply means milk in Italian.  You need to add that extra coffee word or you're not going to get your morning caffeine fix.

Coming from Oregon where coffee and urban coffee culture reigns supreme, I found Italian coffee culture to be quite different.  The first thing to learn is where a good bar is.  In the U.S. we go to bars for alcohol.   In Italy, the bar is where you go for coffee, oh and also for alcohol......even combined sometimes.  Bars range from tiny local dives to Gran Caffes with gleaming wood bars, brass rails and suited waiters.  In Oregon, we order giant size coffees and lounge around on couches while chatting or surfing the web on laptops using a coffee shop's wifi.  In Italy, you belly up to the bar, knock back your coffee and go on your merry way.....several times a day.

In Oregon I always hear people making the craziest coffee orders......grande half-caf mocha no whip, tall soy latte with 1 pump hazelnut syrup, venti skinny latte no foam. ( Yech!  I'm a purist myself.....give me all the caffeine, whole milk and nothing else.)  In Italy, there are no sizes.  Very rarely is there a choice of skim milk vs. whole.  There are no flavorings to add.  Don't ask them to hold the foam.....that's what it's all about!  That and just plain old good coffee.  The best part of all is that it ALWAYS come in a real cup and saucer.  You're not expected to get it to go.  Why would you when you're just going to quickly gulp it down, head back out and return in a few hours for another one? 

Usually, you order at the cash register, get a receipt, find a spot at the bar, give the receipt to the barista and tell him what you want.  He tears your receipt nearly in half and places it on the bar as a reminder that he's already taken your order.  He slaps a saucer on the bar in front of you, places a tiny spoon on it and moments later, he returns with a luscious cup of joy; whether it be espresso, cappuccino or a caffe latte.  Nearby there will be big bowls of sugar packets for you to choose from.  Slurp it down, leave a €0.10 or €0.20 coin as tip next to your empty cup, head out the door, and start looking for the next bar.

In a local bar you can expect to get your coffee drink for as little as  €0.80, the equivalant of just over a dollar IF you take it at the bar.  At bigger, more touristy locations it will be more like 1 euro.  If you decide to rest your weary feet and sit at a table for a while, then a waiter will serve you.  You can then expect to pay at least twice, if not four times as much.  I have gotten away in some places with ordering from the bar, carrying my coffee to a table myself, and returning my empty cup to the bar in a timely manner.   You should never pick up your coffee from the bar, use a table, and leave your empty dishes there after paying bar price.  Better to rest your weary feet over a nice long lunch.

As I mentioned earlier, the bar is also where alcohol is served.  Usually, mid morning, you can find shopkeepers and other local workers stopping in for a caffe corretto, something I personally could never get used to.  It's a shot of espresso with a shot of grappa.....something to reinvigorate those who have been up since the crack of dawn.  Most Italians don't drink cappuccino after about 11am, but they will certainly make one for you if you order it.  If espresso is not to your liking, try a caffe macchiato.  It means "stained" and it's a shot of espresso with just a dab of milk to tame it down a little.  Or you could order a caffe americano which is generally an espresso topped up with hot water, making it more like our version of drip coffee.

Regardless of your coffee tastes, if you go to Italy, get thyself to a bar right away and as often as possible.  Scout out which ones have the best cornetti, the sweet croissants that are perfect for breakfast with your coffee.  I love walking the streets of Rome listening for that telltale clink of coffee cups on saucers.  Really.  You can hear it from the streets and know that a bar is nearby.....sustenance is just over there.   

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