The Italy Thread

[texasdago 7564]

53 minutes ago, locodos said:

Yup drip coffee.  It was on the menu and they had the machine.  However, they had no intention of ever using it.   Oh, I'm sure they talked shit about me, and that's ok.

 

Its probably broken just like the credit card reader.  Sorry... cash only.  wink wink

[Biff Tannen 45663]

6 hours ago, texasdago said:

Some of that is so staged... but I will definitely confirm that if you do the wrong thing in a restaurant, you risk drawing the ire of the owner or waitstaff.  My wife learned the hard way in the late 90s to not order a cappuccino in the evening.  At a minimum, you're getting a very dirty look.

For those wanting to complain about this, please ask for a bottle of ketchup for your bowl of chili at the Texas Chili Parlor and make sure they see you put it on the chili.

 

Oh man.  I had one of the most embarrassing moments the last time I was there, but I had no choice.  We had a flight to catch in Rome, but stopped on the way out of Tuscany (actually in Umbria) in this little town to get the cacio e pepe that they make in the wheel of parmesan.  So damn good.  BUT my MIL also ordered a pork chop.  Well, a) she underestimated the amount of pasta that was coming our way and b) that the pasta would come first and the pork chop second.  There was no WAY we would make our flight if we had waited on that pork chop, so I had to tell them, mid-cook, to cancel it.  I HAD NO CHOICE GOD DAMMIT!  They looked at me like I had stabbed their first born.

[texasdago 7564]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Oh man.  I had one of the most embarrassing moments the last time I was there, but I had no choice.  We had a flight to catch in Rome, but stopped on the way out of Tuscany (actually in Umbria) in this little town to get the cacio e pepe that they make in the wheel of parmesan.  So damn good.  BUT my MIL also ordered a pork chop.  Well, a) she underestimated the amount of pasta that was coming our way and b) that the pasta would come first and the pork chop second.  There was no WAY we would make our flight if we had waited on that pork chop, so I had to tell them, mid-cook, to cancel it.  I HAD NO CHOICE GOD DAMMIT!  They looked at me like I had stabbed their first born.

Yup.  I am the cook of the house and when my teenagers give me crap about what I make for dinner, it does not go over well

[Dignan 355]

We have a trip booked in June for two weeks. Me, the wife, 17 year old son, and 9 year old daughter. yay.  Expecting a few "I AM TIRED" from the daughter, but, should be fun.

We are flying from Austin to Frankfurt to Milan (1 night; cheaper flights) - Venice (3) - Florence (3) - Rome (4) - La Spezia (Cinque Terre) (2) then back to Milan for a flight out.

We planned the whole thing on our own and are hoping we don't over do it. We are pretty much doing all of the touristy stuff since we are first-timers. 

Milan: Duomo
Venice: St Mark's, Doge Palace, explore the city, Lido di Jesolo for a bit
Florence: Uffizi, Duomo Firenze, Accademia, half day driving to Pisa
Rome: Vatican, Pantheon, Collosseum (haven't gotten tickets yet), etc.
La Specia: Train to Cinque Terre

We are staying in airbnbs mostly and have had a fun time getting on Google Earth to check out the surroundings. 

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Looks like a cool trip. The experts will give you lots of recommendations, but my 2 from last summer are La zucca for dinner in Venice and iced coffee at Tazza d’oro after the pantheon.

[Biff Tannen 45663]

Hit 4 Leoni in Florence and get the Fiochetti di pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi.  I think this thread turned me on to it for my first trip to Florence.  You're welcome.

[VABuckeye 2472]

Also eat the butter chicken at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence.  Many believe it’s the best chicken dish in the world.  Myself included.  So simple but so amazing. 

[Mo Horn 8820]

In Manarola in the Cinque Terra get reservations at Trattoria Billy and get the cuttlefish ink pasta, and thank me later. I'm sure I've said this multiple times on this thread, but it's the best plate of pasta I've ever had in my life. 

[Wiler77 1566]

I feel like people bag on Rome.  Not here. Just in general.  If you've never been to Italy, and you are even halfway interested in history, Rome is the most fascinating city on the planet.

They have 2000 year old buildings on every block. The touristy shit is incredible. Forum, Coloseum, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Vatican City, etc etc. And just stop in random places to rest and have a bottle of wine and a bite. The piazza by the Pantheon is a total tourist trap, but one of the best people-watching places I've ever been. I distinctly remember the red wine and pizza my wife and I had on our first trip.  We spent an hour just basking in the sun and scenery.

Food in Rome is underrated as well. Gelato and cacio e pepe will be staples for your kids.

With 4 days in Rome, I might recommend doing a day trip to Pompei. Are you renting a car? It's a fairly easy drive, and it is amazing. Or save for your next trip. Because nobody can do Italy once.

Do not skip seeing David in Florence. I'm not an arts guy, but that was the highlight of Florence to me.  If you have 3 days, you have time to do a day trip to one of the Tuscan towns nearby.

Never been to Venice. Jealous

Nor Cinque Terre. But I have done Amalfi. Same trip as Pompei. God that was a great 5 days.

[texasdago 7564]

17 hours ago, Dignan said:

We have a trip booked in June for two weeks. Me, the wife, 17 year old son, and 9 year old daughter. yay.  Expecting a few "I AM TIRED" from the daughter, but, should be fun.

We are flying from Austin to Frankfurt to Milan (1 night; cheaper flights) - Venice (3) - Florence (3) - Rome (4) - La Spezia (Cinque Terre) (2) then back to Milan for a flight out.

We planned the whole thing on our own and are hoping we don't over do it. We are pretty much doing all of the touristy stuff since we are first-timers. 

Milan: Duomo
Venice: St Mark's, Doge Palace, explore the city, Lido di Jesolo for a bit
Florence: Uffizi, Duomo Firenze, Accademia, half day driving to Pisa
Rome: Vatican, Pantheon, Collosseum (haven't gotten tickets yet), etc.
La Specia: Train to Cinque Terre

We are staying in airbnbs mostly and have had a fun time getting on Google Earth to check out the surroundings. 

You'll have a great time no matter what.  See the Castello Sforzesco in Milano.  I went there one Ferragosto weekend and the town was E M P T Y and walking around there was so peaceful.  

Venice, if you go to Lido, find a nice beach bar/club where you can enjoy chilling for the day, having lunch, aperitive time.  I imagine its not much different than a place like Rimini but more expensive.  Just get into the rhythm of the day.  For Venice, believe me... the further from San Marco, the better the prices and food quality.  San Marco should be explored by try to stay in an area like Dorsoduro and just wander backstreets looking for places that serve cichetti.  You will get lost but Google maps will help you out.  

Rome, explore some of the off-the-beaten path places that are likely to be much less crowded.  Sometimes its nice to get into a park and just chill out for a bit.  We used to like to go to Villa Celimontana, not far from the Colosseum.  Near there you can visit something like this which should be quiet... https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/case-romane-del-celio .  Also, duck into random churches.  I used to like going into Basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli since it was a beautiful church and usually empty.  Also, check out lesser-visited museums like Palazzo Venezia.  June will be a beating in Rome so seek quiet moments.  Trust me.  I've spent an awful lot of time in Rome and now we spend our time in Italy elsewhere.  I've been many times and there's a lot I have not seen so Rome can be visited many many times and each visit can be different.  Agree about going to Tazza d'Oro.  Get the granita.  Also, go to Ostia Antica and/or The Appian Way.

Our summer trip in Italy will be based in Mattinata, Puglia and Rimini in Romagna with little stops on the coast in Le Marche and probably time spent in Bologna to see friends.

[elfenix 34221]

Kinda thought I was getting a sandwich when I asked for porchetta but happy how this turned out

 

 

 

[Biff Tannen 45663]

27 minutes ago, elfenix said:

Kinda thought I was getting a sandwich when I asked for porchetta but happy how this turned out

 

 

 

Got damn.  Where at?

[Firemans4Horn 18034]

Dinner recommendations in Rome(with two kids)? Staying near the Forum. 

[locodos 5387]

4 minutes ago, Firemans4Horn said:

Dinner recommendations in Rome(with two kids)? Staying near the Forum. 

https://www.suppliroma.it/

Probably easy with the kids Pizza & Suppli...   

I don't recall if they had sit down areas, but grab a suppli if you're in Trastevere

[Mo Horn 8820]

1 hour ago, Firemans4Horn said:

Dinner recommendations in Rome(with two kids)? Staying near the Forum. 

We ate here. Caccio E Pepe was outstanding. So was everything else. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yhW7ZQBYrxHVM4ib6

[elfenix 34221]

9 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Got damn.  Where at?

Simoni Lab in Bologna 

[CTC2 2791]

Just landed in Palermo. Spending ten days driving around the island. Any recommendations for food?

[texasdago 7564]

8 hours ago, CTC2 said:

Just landed in Palermo. Spending ten days driving around the island. Any recommendations for food?

Yup... if you head south towards San Vito Lo Capo, I would say https://bagliodonbartolo.com/

If you go to Trapani, I'll see if I can remember where we ate.  Same with Marsala.  

18 hours ago, elfenix said:

Kinda thought I was getting a sandwich when I asked for porchetta but happy how this turned out

 

 

 

You can never go wrong with porchetta

[elfenix 34221]

The entire central city of Florence is a tourist trap. I totally should have stayed there and gotten on one of the sorority girl tours. Texas BBQ in the market looked the part. 

Random Bologna FC pep rally

 

Edit: these guys have more fireworks than a Mexican wedding, and some big enough to feel the shockwave on my face. Guess drawing Juventus is a big deal.

 

Edited May 22 by elfenix

[texasdago 7564]

...and people wonder why I haven't been to Florence in 20 years.  But I digress... Bologna's next match is against Genoa.  They've had their best year in a long long time but I think Juventus is going to pilfer their coach.  I may have been born in Bologna but I root for Juve.

[elfenix 34221]

Thought it was about to end but now I think they're trying to blow up the cathedral 

 

[Firemans4Horn 18034]

Palermo kicks ass. I love walkable cities with no cars. 

[Dignan 355]

One thing I forgot about before our trip was scheduled: The Euro soccer tournament will be going on. Will game times affect if restaurants/shops/etc will be closed etc? Either way, can't wait to watch some matches with the locals. 

[Gil Bang 25907]

 

[texasdago 7564]

1 hour ago, Dignan said:

One thing I forgot about before our trip was scheduled: The Euro soccer tournament will be going on. Will game times affect if restaurants/shops/etc will be closed etc? Either way, can't wait to watch some matches with the locals. 

No... if anything, find a place that will be showing matches.  Our trips to Italy often coincide with the Euros or the WC.  The Euro trips have been fun lately.  The WC trips?  Not so much.  If you are in Rome during any Italy matches, they might show them in Piazza del Popolo.  Check with your local hotel.

[texasdago 7564]

On 5/22/2024 at 4:28 PM, elfenix said:

Thought it was about to end but now I think they're trying to blow up the cathedral 

 

 

Sorry not sorry Bologna.

Motta has agreed to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus when his contract at Bologna ends at the end of June. The Italian coach has been deservedly heralded for his tactical acumen in leading Bologna to Champions League qualification this season and was lauded as a hero. After his final game on Friday night, Motta could not hide his sadness at leaving the club.

BUT I love Bologna and when there we always stop by my old school, go by where I lived and some other favorite places.  Getting dusty in here.

 

[Frieda’s Boss 181]

Wrapping up two weeks in Italy (fly out in the morning). It has been a busy couple of weeks. 
Started in Rome (Trastevere). Saw all the “major” stuff - Vatican City, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc. it was busy obviously but thankfully not too hot yet. 
Next was Sorrento - probably the favorite of the youngers in our group. Charter boat to Capri (couldn’t do Blue Grotto as wave action made it so slow that we would have been waiting for hours). But we got to swim in a few spots and had a good lunch at Panorama on Capri. Also charter boat around to Amalfi and Positano. This was an (expensive) add on, but a lot of fun. Did Pompeii and Herculaneum from here. I liked this more than I thought I would. Again, thankfully not too hot. I can’t imagine doing that with July/August sun beating down on you. We did a quick spin through Naples so probably not representative, but based on our quick run-through, I liked it the least of the big cities. 
Next was Florence and we stayed right down town in the tourist area, but I thought it was great because it made everything easily walkable. Duomo, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, etc. One day train to Lucca and we grabbed bikes and rode to Pisa. This was a ton of fun. Nice bike path along the Arno for the most part. We returned on a more direct path. Cars were conscientious of the bikes. Day trip to Cinque Terre. This made for a long day but the area is beautiful. Would consider a night or two here to hike the trail between. 
Wrapping up in Milan. Definitely a different vibe here but I like it more than I thought I would. Staying near park where Castello is and that is great. Day trips to Lake Como (weather not great which put a damper on it) and Venice (squeezed it in). I was expecting worse from Venice, but we really buzzed through the St Marks area and then just meandered the streets away from there and we really enjoyed it. 
Amazing country to visit, and I feel like there’s so much more to see and do. 
 

[Dignan 355]

Quick update from our trip.

We flew into Milan and made our way from the airport to our hotel near Central Station. Pretty simple. I use Google Maps A LOT when traveling internationally and it has been very trustworthy so far. Duomo Milano was pretty, but man, Milan just felt ….well, if I never went back to Milan I would be ok. Saying that, we do return for our flight out and the son and I will take a tour to San Siro and the wife and daughter (only could find two tickets) are going to see The Last Supper.

We got to Venice by train yesterday and i am already in love. This place is MAGICAL. our Airbnb is a 6 min walk to St Mark's Square which is cool, but we have spent most of our short time here exploring. i love it. heading to Lido Beach here in a few.

For dinner last night we found a place near our stay called Al Vecio Canton. The wife has celiac and they had a nice offering of GF dishes. I had the Spaghetti Alla Busera (mine had prawns, is that Busera?) which was FANTASTIC.

So far we have had a great time and have only been in Italy two days.

[VABuckeye 2472]

There’s a restaurant in north a Venice and the focus of the cuisine is pumpkins.  It was fantastic. Reservations only. Osteria La Zucca

No meat. I went not expecting to like it and loved it. 

[Planet Houston 4930]

The wife and I are taking an anniversary trip to Amalfi next week. Haven’t planned shit other than the hotels. Just the way I like it. 

If anyone has any can’t misses, please let me know. We are in Sorrento for 3 nights and Amalfi for 3 nights. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

9 hours ago, Planet Houston said:

The wife and I are taking an anniversary trip to Amalfi next week. Haven’t planned shit other than the hotels. Just the way I like it. 

If anyone has any can’t misses, please let me know. We are in Sorrento for 3 nights and Amalfi for 3 nights. 

Do a boat trip for the day out of Amalfi.

https://www.amalfiseaservice.com/

Mimmo is the captain and he is fantastic.  When we went in June 2018, it was 600 Euros for the day. It is a 12M boat. In September 2021, it was only 500 Euros for the day, but honestly 500-700 Euros for a day is outstanding.  We loved our days with Mimmo.

Check out Tucci's Searching for Italy season 1.  He does some time on the Amalfi Coast, and there are some gems in there. If I go back, those are on my list.

[texasdago 7564]

11 hours ago, Planet Houston said:

Haven’t planned shit other than the hotels. Just the way I like it. 

This is the way... we go for 3 weeks. To say we have limited plans is an understatement.  Save for a boat tour one day and a quick overnight near some friends in another town, our calendar is largely open.  We do have plans related to a major sporting event... more on that later.

[Dignan 355]

I’ve read a lot before and during this trip about the places we are visiting. I simply cannot BELIEVE there are people on Reddit, etc that say “Venice isn’t worth visiting at all”. For any first time Italy tourist I think it is a MUST. I loved it.

We are now heading to Florence for the next 2.5 days. We shall see what happens!

[Biff Tannen 45663]

3 hours ago, Dignan said:

I’ve read a lot before and during this trip about the places we are visiting. I simply cannot BELIEVE there are people on Reddit, etc that say “Venice isn’t worth visiting at all”. For any first time Italy tourist I think it is a MUST. I loved it.

We are now heading to Florence for the next 2.5 days. We shall see what happens!

I have not been into the heart of Venice yet.  I think we are going to include it in a trip to Croatia in the coming years.  If for no other reason than I want to quote Indiana Jones when I get there.

[texasdago 7564]

3 hours ago, Dignan said:

I’ve read a lot before and during this trip about the places we are visiting. I simply cannot BELIEVE there are people on Reddit, etc that say “Venice isn’t worth visiting at all”. For any first time Italy tourist I think it is a MUST. I loved it.

We are now heading to Florence for the next 2.5 days. We shall see what happens!

Its pure ignorance honestly and its negative people who take one bad experience and then extrapolate it.  Its a fascinating city and, personally, the further you get way from the sestiere of San Marco, the better it gets.  San Marco has amazing sights but it generally more crowded and more expensive with less value.  Its a place worth exploring and getting lost (not hard)

[field 225]

7 hours ago, Dignan said:

I’ve read a lot before and during this trip about the places we are visiting. I simply cannot BELIEVE there are people on Reddit, etc that say “Venice isn’t worth visiting at all”. For any first time Italy tourist I think it is a MUST. I loved it.

We are now heading to Florence for the next 2.5 days. We shall see what happens!

Hope you enjoy it.  We just got back from two weeks in Italy and spent three night in Florence.  That was about two nights too many for me.  Way too crowded for my tastes. Lake Como, on the other hand, magical.

[Dignan 355]

Hope you enjoy it.  We just got back from two weeks in Italy and spent three night in Florence.  That was about two nights too many for me.  Way too crowded for my tastes. Lake Como, on the other hand, magical.

We just got here and holy shit. Crowded as hell. Shocked me. I actually pictured Florence as “laid back”. Hah. We went to the Accademia today and it was an absolute mad house. We did find a nice place to eat though. Side note: the wife has celiac and was worried about the trip. As most of you know, a lot of places offer some GF options. We have found some exclusive GF places and one was here in Florence. Rissoteria Melotti. It’s been my favorite meal since we got to Italy. I had the Risotto with Pepper sauce, Wild Boar Ragù and Chives and it was .

[Biff Tannen 45663]

God damn I miss the food in Italy.  And yeah, Florence is a nightmare these days it seems.  I've gone once in June and once in Sept/Oct and both were pretty nuts, but at least the weather was better in the fall.

[VABuckeye 2472]

He had me at wild boar ragu.  

[texasdago 7564]

18 hours ago, Dignan said:

We just got here and holy shit. Crowded as hell. Shocked me. I actually pictured Florence as “laid back”. Hah.

People think I'm an idiot when I tell them we've avoided the touristy cities... why do I want to go somewhere absolutely packed when I know for a fact there are plenty of amazing sites in Italy that are beautiful, filled with treasures and not as packed.  "But its the only time we might be there..."   I get it but if the experience is ruined by masses of people, was it worth it?  

I've been to NYC lots of times for business and a few times for pleasure.  One year, we went between Christmas and NY and decided to go to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree because the kids wanted to see the Lego store.  Absolute madness... like, you couldn't move because of the crowds.  Did I see the tree?  Yeah, I don't know... maybe.  Lego store?  Nope... couldn't get in.  So... was it worth it?  Nah, we found other things with fewer people and had a great time.  Trust me... Italy offers the amazing experience you have dreamed of in cities that are not the "OMG have you been to ________________!!!!!?!?!?!?!" Instagram-location.

And driving is fine... just don't do it in the center of big cities.  Google Maps is your friend.  TBH, driving in Italy is purposeful.  Know how to drive a stick, stay engaged and you will find it is more fun than driving here.  

[VABuckeye 2472]

And respect biciclists.  There are a lot of them in the summer.

[Biff Tannen 45663]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

And driving is fine... just don't do it in the center of big cities.  Google Maps is your friend.  TBH, driving in Italy is purposeful.  Know how to drive a stick, stay engaged and you will find it is more fun than driving here.  

I LOVE driving in Italy, specifically Tuscany and the Dolomites.  

 

1 hour ago, VABuckeye said:

And respect biciclists.  There are a lot of them in the summer.

Oh man, I'm sure I've rehashed this in this thread somewhere, but the first time I was driving our BMW convertible up to Greve in Chianti, there was also a HUGE bike race that day.  Oh, they don't close the roads.  It's fucking thunderdome.  Round a corner and 40 bicycles are coming down the hill at 50mph and you've just got to quickly pull over and hope they don't drill you.  One guy lost control and slid on his side off the road and into the woods at full speed right in front of us.  We had local villagers looking around the corner 50 yards up the road and telling us when it was safe to go.  We had to stay on the horn around every corner to let any possible bikers know we were coming.  Stressful as hell, but a lot of fun looking back at it.

[Wiler77 1566]

On 6/16/2024 at 11:43 PM, Planet Houston said:

The wife and I are taking an anniversary trip to Amalfi next week. Haven’t planned shit other than the hotels. Just the way I like it. 

If anyone has any can’t misses, please let me know. We are in Sorrento for 3 nights and Amalfi for 3 nights. 

Do you have a car?  If you like hiking, Path of the Gods is a as good as it gets.  We started in Bomerano, hiked to Nocelle, took the stairs down and had a 3 hour lunch at Il San Pietro di Positano, then hiked back.  Packed some nicer clothes in my backpack and changed in the hotel bathrooms. Definitely got some looks when we arrived sweaty after a 3 hour hike, but after a change of clothes and rubbing some rosemary from their bushes on those clothes, I was good to go.  Also had sex on the hike back in an abandoned barn of some sort, so good day all around.  Seriously, I can't recommend the hike enough.

We hired a boat in Amalfi to take us to Capri.  I wish I had done more research ahead of time to find what to really do there, but we had a fantastic lunch at this place. Fresh seafood and good Italian wine looking at at Vesuvius?  Yes please.  Also got to swim in the Med on the way there and back.

Speaking of Vesuvius, if you are even remotely interested in history, Pompeii is fascinating.  Maybe it's too crowded this time of year, I don't know.  But we went in late September and it was awesome.  We had a car, so all of this was fairly easy.

[Planet Houston 4930]

Awesome, thanks all for the recs above. No car, but we are planning on hiking at least some of the Path of the Gods. Might do two boat excursions, one out of Sorrento (first 3 nights) and, if we like it enough to justify thee price tag, one out of Amalfi (next 3 nights). Definitely want to check out Vesuvius but above all else I just want to eat awesome food and drink great wine with amazing backdrops and culture. I think we are going to have a good time. 

Boarding my flight momentarily…let’s gooooooo

[Biff Tannen 45663]

42 minutes ago, Planet Houston said:

I just want to eat awesome food and drink great wine with amazing backdrops and culture

No matter what you do, this will be the experience. Enjoy. It’s amazing. 

[Wiler77 1566]

1 hour ago, Planet Houston said:

 above all else I just want to eat awesome food and drink great wine with amazing backdrops and culture. 

Definitely check out the restaurant we ate at in Positano area. Michelin star on the Med. Seriously a top 5 day of my life.

Also the restaurant in Capri was one of the best combo of view+food I've ever had.  We told our waiter we were in the mood for a dry white wine that wasn't overly expensive, and he came back with a fantastic choice from Northern Italy that was like $25-30 for the bottle.

Perhaps these places are a dime a dozen, but I would seek them out if I went back.

[mchookem 16320]

three weeks ago now...Florence was crowded but it wasn't prohibitive, Rome was much more packed and hectic in our experience. Florence was our favorite stop! we would definitely consider returning...it was just so small and condensed, so easy to get around and see so much incredible art literally everywhere you look. we found it magical! 😊

Rome was incredible in a wholly different way. several times i'd get this feeling in particular, like 'holy crap this is the oldest manmade thing i've ever laid eyes on!' i felt a bit overwhelmed in spots. it's incredible, and a lot to take in! 😮 but...well...the trash was a thing. pretty offputting and i didn't understand it 😕 all over the streets, the gutters, dog shit on sidewalks, trash cans in all the parks were overflowing and not emptied in the three days we were there. twice i'd identified a park where we were going to just sit a bit and cool off in shade...and both times it was literally just overflowing with trash, to the point we kept moving. it was like every street was Bourbon street at the end of the night...but they at least come thru the FQ with street sweepers and such nightly! it didn't ruin anything, it was just an unattractive backdrop in a lot of spots, unfortunate. thought 'eh, big tourist city' initially, but when we met up with our friends in Dublin who had just spent a month in Sicily... they said the same thing about some places there. weird.

i was thinking about it...one, with that many tourists, there really needs to be a robust public works system to clean/clear nightly (like the aforementioned NOLA, or Vegas). or just more receptacles in general. Paris arguably has as many visitors and its gardens/parks were pretty pristine from what we saw. also, between the cigarette butts and the dog shit... that's got to be mostly locals? maybe some sort of public awareness campaign might help (like a 'Don't Mess With Texas' equivalent?) 🤔 also, in high tourist areas, maybe fine people on the spot for littering... seems to work for the RATP enforcers in Paris! 😄

i dunno...we just really marveled at how one could live in such an incredible place ('my apartment is just passed the 200 BC Roman ruins, the ones on the left' 😮😆) and let it get like that regularly. i'm sure there's lots of variables, from public funding/taxes to local corruption, hell maybe even organized crime racket lol. 

[Frieda’s Boss 181]

On 6/19/2024 at 6:48 PM, Wiler77 said:

Also the restaurant in Capri was one of the best combo of view+food I've ever had.  We told our waiter we were in the mood for a dry white wine that wasn't overly expensive, and he came back with a fantastic choice from Northern Italy that was like $25-30 for the bottle.

I think you’re referencing Panorama and, if so, wholeheartedly agree. We had a great lunch there and the views are fantastic. 
 

Random food item. Ducked into a place in Milano called Mamajuanas because it was late and close to where we were. Dominican/South American place. Some of the best fried chicken I’ve had. I was certainly not expecting that. 

[Dignan 355]

We had a good time in Florence. Went to the Accademia and Uffizi. Duomo and more. We had a good time seeing the leaning tower of Pisa. Finally had my Fiorentina steak last night and it was amazing. We decided on a place called Braceria All’11 which was close to where we stayed and had nice reviews. Like I said, it was wonderful. I think our steak was 1.4 kilos and we shared it with our two kids. Hah. Heading to Rome right now with a tour of the colosseum this afternoon.

[elfenix 34221]

Lunch at Mimi Gourmet in Milan just outside of Chinatown, prawn gnocchi and fennel salad

 

Osso Bucco, grilled lettuce with anchovy cream, burrata salet, shark coochie board from Cantina della Vetra next to Colonne di San Lorenzo:

 

 

Anchovy pizza at Rossini Ristorante Pizzeria