Charlotte and I are vacationing in the Cinque Terre. We love this place and seem to come back year after year. There are many places to stay while in the “five villages,” but we enjoy Riomaggiore the best. Several years ago I discovered The Cinqueterre Residence, a simple, family-owned and modern group of rooms and apartments on a hill above the town center. Our apartment has a simple dual rangetop, frig, microwave and comes stocked with pots, pans and dishes.
So, last night I cooked a meal, and got Charlotte to shoot some video… here is my PRIMI PIATTI course.
This week Charlotte and I are exploring new, for us, little niches of Tuscany. Last summer, I met a young couple who told me about an amazing agiturismo in the remote hills of Chianti. Throughout the course of two weeks I ran into Josh and Ramona several times and they continued to rave about where they were staying. So, I tucked that little morsel of information away in hopes that one day I’d get by the area and check it out.
A few weeks ago, when planning our vacation to Italy, I contacted Ramona and after several text messages got the name and location of the agriturismo. So, here we are!
An Agriturismo can broadly be defined as any agriculturally based operation that brings guest/visitors to a farm for a meal or an overnight stay. Many such agriturismi have popped up in Italy in recent years due to a tax break and stipend offered by the Italian government. Over the course of the next three days, we will visit two such farms that cater to guests.
Today we are relaxing at Agriturismo Savernano! This place is a wonderful retreat that makes me want to slow down, relax and do nothing. In fact, that’s what we’ve done all day… simply nothing! The main building is situated on top of a hill commanding a 360-degree vista of the surrounding mountains, fields and little towns. Even now, while writing this, I can hear the 6:00 p.m. bells tolling from the little village of Viaggio in the valley below. The main building contains eight guest’s bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen and private dwelling area for the owners. The architecture is classic Tuscan… red tiled roof, stonewalls with yellow stucco for contrast, exposed timbered trusses, terra cotta tiled wrap-around porches and plenty of shady seating.
The farm is loaded with grape vines and olive trees from which is produced homemade olive oil and Chianti. To top it all off there is an inviting pool with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for those wanting to future while away an afternoon.
The rooms are modern and up-to-date. All have heating and air conditioning, refrigerators, impressive private baths complete with bidet and hair dryer. The towels are first class, thick, big, fluffy and absorbent. The beds are typical Italian… low to the floor, no box springs and very firm.
Now for the best part! The family prepares a simple dinner each night for its guests. Each morning the evening’s dinner menu is posted on a chalkboard in the reception area. Guests must tell the staff if they plan to eat here tonight. I would suggest that you skip any other dinner plans and return straight away to Savernano for a truly simple and typical dinner. Right now it is 7:00 p.m.; I am sitting on the patio typing this blog entry and can, every now and then, get a whiff of roasting garlic, fresh herbs and boiling pasta! I can’t wait to eat!
Last night, we enjoyed two bottles of their own Chianti (€3 per bottle) and a full dinner! The primi piatti was homemade (I said that already, right) Lasagna al forno, made with the freshest pasta I’ve ever eaten. Charlotte said it was so fresh she could taste the eggs! The vegetable sauce was light with just a hint of tomato, basil and garlic. After we devoured our first plate in about three minutes the owner brought us two more! The second course was wild boar (cinghale) stewed in herbs and red wine. It was fork tender and falling off the bone! Accompanying this was the best eggplant parmignano I’ve ever tasted… fresh, lightly battered and sprinkled with just a small amount of cheese. This all was capped off with vin santo and cantucci (biscotti)!
Agriturismo Savernano is about 41 Km south of Florence, just off the A1 autostrada. Rooms go for about €100 a night for a double. The ambiance, atmosphere, pool, rooms and dinner all make this a great experience and a real value.
I was happy to visit with my friend, Hermann Weidenger, at his hotel in Ruette, Austria. After a long day of driving and touring the king’s castles, it was good to see a welcoming smile and familiar face.
Hotel Ernberg-Zum Dorfwirt, is located less than twenty minutes from the castle area in Reutte, Austria. All the rooms are decorated in the traditional Tyrolian style with lots of wood paneling and comfy beds covered with warm duvets. There is not a bad room in the hotel, so visit here with confidence.
Hermann’s hotel restaurant is very popular, so you would do well to get a reservation as soon as you arrive in town. Luckily, we obtained a reservation at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night, during the height of the Christmas season. The meal was wonderful! The only negative was the smoke due to Austria not banning smoking inside.
It seemed that beef was the speciality of the evening, so both Charlotte and I ordered it. I had a filet and Charlotte had a T-bone. Both came with vegetables, french fries and plenty of special homemade pepper sauce. The entire dining experience was great, but jet-lag began to catch up with us half-way through dinner. We skipped desert and were sound asleep in bed before eight o’clock!
This morning, I heard a NPR story featuring three restaurants in Paris. Paris is loaded with restaurants but these places seem to be a good find. All three featured restaurants are owned by the same chef and are located just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Next time you are in Paris, check them out and let me know what you think. Here’s the NPR link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114250336
On a recent trip to Ireland my group and I did some shopping at the Saturday morning market in Galway. My friend Chuck and I roamed the market selecting fresh fish and vegetables for our dinner. Here’s the “McGuffin Cooking Show.”
I think I’ve posted about this subject before, but it bears repeating. Every time I arrive in Venice I can’t help but look at the crowds of tourists and feel a bit sorry for them. Most people float into Venice for a day or two, visit San Marco, the Doges Palace, the Rialto and shop along the streets that connect the major sights. This is compulsory for the first-time visitor and should not be missed. But, if you’ve got two or more days in Venice I recommend getting off the tourist path and taking a look at the local side of Venice.
Three islands in the Venice lagoon are a delightful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Venice. Murano, famous for glass, Burano, famous for lace, and the Venice Lido, famous for its beach are worth a little time. In the past I’ve preached “staying in Venice near San Marco” to get the ultimate experience of the town. but in recent years I’ve changed my mind. Those I travel with and I have come to enjoy the “retreat” that the Lido offers… small neighborhoods, families with kids, comfy little hotels and a hometown feel. Yes, there are tourist here on the Lido, but most are here for the beach and confine their activities to fun in the sun.
We are due to visit Burano and Murano tomorrow. I’ll give an update on those activities later. Right now I’ve got to eat breakfast and head over to Piazza San Marco. It’s just 10 minutes away by vaporetto, but seem like another world compared to the peace and quiet of my “home away from home” B&B on the Lido.
Three islands in the Venice lagoon are a delightful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Venice. Murano, famous for glass, Burano, famous for lace, and the Venice Lido, famous for its beach are worth a little time. In the past I’ve preached “staying in Venice near San Marco” to get the ultimate experience of the town. but in recent years I’ve changed my mind. Those I travel with and I have come to enjoy the “retreat” that the Lido offers… small neighborhoods, families with kids, comfy little hotels and a hometown feel. Yes, there are tourist here on the Lido, but most are here for the beach and confine their activities to fun in the sun.