Posts tagged ‘Italy’
Italy by Knife & Fork
Rome, Florence, Venice… Whichever Italian city you’re in, one thing stays the same. Food is calling on every corner, “Mangia, mangia!” Here’s a few ways to answer the call when not eating a scheduled tour meal.
You can’t go wrong with authentic Italian pizza. But try to think beyond pepperoni because you can’t order that from a real pizzeria. (It’s called salame piccante, actually.) Try a classic Neopolitan style made with simple fresh ingredients like tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil and olive oil (which you can see pressed at an olive oil making tour.) Just know this pie is a far cry from what you usually eat out of a cardboard delivery box. Even watch a master pizzaiolo knead, toss and bake the crust in a coal- or wood-fired oven. It’ll give you new respect for the word handmade. More…
My Favorite: Rest Stop In Italy
Our aim with these My Favorite: posts is to give our well-traveled Explorica employees a chance to share some of their favorite travel experiences with all of you.
This week’s my favorite comes from our Client Services Manager Sarah Vessenes. Take it away, Sarah…
When driving on any Autostrada (state highway) in Italy, you will inevitably come across an Autogrill–the Italian version of what in America we consider the “rest” or “truck” stop.
These little off-highway gems differ in just about every way from their American counterparts, and the differences are apparent the moment you pull over.
On any given day at the Autogrill, you’re bound to come across Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Lancias, a random Lamborghini or Ferrari, as well as more than a few of the Vespas–those classic, modern scooters favored among the young and intrepid.
Gawking at the cars is all well and good, but once inside the Autogrill, the real adventure begins.
Autogrills are a mix of rest stop, coffee shop, bar, restaurant, souvenir store…oh and gas station. As you first enter, you’ll invariably encounter a really diverse assortment of Italians bustling about the cafe, angling for their espressi, soft drinks, orange juice, or even beer or wine. *
* Make sure you go to the cashier first! Order your coffee or soda or sandwich, then bring your receipt to the counter for service. This is what real Italians do…
After you’ve loaded up on espresso, or had yourself a Mortadella sandwich with a Fanta, make sure you visit the restroom before hitting the road. Don’t forget your ‘spicci’–or change–as the restrooms at the Auto Grill usually come with a fee of 25-50 centessimi (cents) to use them. Then its back on the road to Roma.
Everyone in Italy–from your local farmer, to your Autostrada truck driver, to your Milanese fashionista stops at the Autogrill, so it is a great way to get an authentic and amazing feel for the whole region.
There is even a subculture that has grown around the Auto Grill. Just take a look on Facebook and you’ll see numerous groups devoted to the Autogrill. Which reminds me, I need to go join one.
Ora basta! See you on the A1!
My Favorite: Restaurant in Italy
Our aim with these My Favorite: posts is to give our well-traveled Explorica employees a chance to share some of their favorite travel experiences with all of you.
This week’s my favorite comes from Program Consultant Julie Castanino. Take it away, Julie…
Italian food is my passion, so I had to choose one of my favorite restaurants in Italy. Valle Dame is located on the same steep hill as Cortona, a quaint Italian town filled with little shops, good food and even better wine. If you pass Cortona, and continue on a tiny winding road that has no streetlights, somewhere along the way you will find Valle Dame. It appears to be more of a home than a restaurant and that is definitely the feeling you get when you are there.
You have to be open to trying different food, and picky eaters might want to pass on this one. There is not a menu and typically the chef, who is usually your waitress, prepares the same primi course for the entire table.
Are you having second thoughts, yet? Don’t.
I assure you, the food is well worth ever having a choice of what to eat. Most of the pasta is handmade (pici pasta is the pasta of the area), the wine from the Cortona area, and the meat is fresh and flavorful. Before you know it, you are talking with the 3 tables surrounding you, people from all over, somehow finding a way to converse because you feel the need to talk about the delicious food. And 3 hours later, you are wondering how you can get to your car after eating all of that food!
I went with my family and I remember when we were leaving, we felt like we had to take something with us to remember this tiny place on the dark road high up in the hill of Cortona. So we have one souvenir that we will hold onto until we all make it back there soon!
