Category: Food & Drink

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Rome

Oh well, when in Rome…

Ron Burgundy

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE SUFFERED A CORRUPTED SD CARD – AN EXTREMELY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE! I THOUGHT I HAD LOST ALL OF MY PHOTOS. FORTUNATELY, I MANAGED TO RECOVER MOST OF THEM, ALBEIT IN MUCH LOWER QUALITY. I STILL WANTED TO POST AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO, BUT PLEASE EXCUSE ANY RESIDUAL GRAININESS AND/OR GENERALLY CRAP PHOTOS.
Thanks guys!

Rome is brimming with history – it is literally coming up through the ground in the form of ruins on almost every corner. You could spend years here, and still not learn everything there is to know. We stayed in a suburb near the university called Testaccio, which I would highly recommend if you are ever visiting Rome! It’s a bit grungy, but there are lots of cool restaurants, cafes, delis, bars, parks and markets; and plenty of public transport options which will take you in to the city in just 15 minutes. It reminded us a lot of home, which was nice after being away for so long. One unexpected feature – there was an ancient pyramid right near the metro station. It was built as a tomb in about 18BC for some kind of religious figure we had never heard of…super random and surprisingly well maintained! We walked along the Tiber River, through the Jewish Ghetto and into Vatican city. It was about an hour walk, but took us through some really interesting places that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

Just North of Vatican city, we joined The Roman Food Tour for an evening exploring the Prati district. Our guide, Jess, was full of beans and facts! She taught us about DOP products, Italian wines and traditional Roman cooking. We tasted buffalo mozzarella, truffle pecorino, cured meats and cheeses, Roman pizza “by the slice”, ravioli, gnocchi, and of course plenty of wine. It was another delicious evening in a really cool district, and heaps of fun too! Highly recommend.

Unfortunately in Rome, there are a couple of sights that never have an off-season. Crowds are unavoidable, but you can’t go all the way to Rome and skip them! Luckily we had a week in Rome, so we could spread out the sights and just tackle one a day.

The Coloseum is such an impressive structure, both visually and architecturally. When you think about the time in which it was built, their ability to design arches and physically manoeuvre such large blocks of stone, and then fix them together in a way that would withstand the test of time; it’s awe inspiring. We visited during a time when they were conducting restoration works on the tunnels underneath the “stage”, so we were able to see all of the inner workings that you usually wouldn’t see.

We were lucky enough to eat dinner at an amazing Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the Colosseum called Aroma. The food was amazing and the view spectacular! Sadly, our experience was somewhat tarnished by something I have never encountered before. Sam and I were given two different menus: one had prices listed while the other did not. I’ll let you guess who was given the menu with the prices! When we realised this, we were both in shock. I could imagine that this may have been common practice in the past, but we couldn’t believe that they would make such as assumption in 2019 and we were both quite offended. Unfortunately this put a bit of a downer on what was otherwise a fabulous experience. (By the way, I paid at the end just to stick it to them!)

The next day we tackled another enormous crowd. We visited the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. I cannot tell you a single thing about the museum. It was so crowded in there that you couldn’t see the floor, let alone stop to look at anything. We just got pushed through with the herd until we ended up in the Sistine chapel. I probably could have lifted my feet off the floor and still been carried through with the crowd. There’s nothing like visiting a heavily populated tourist destination to make you lose faith in humanity! Despite the many signs and announcements asking for silence in the chapel and requesting no photography, there were a huge number of people taking photos and talking. All that aside, it is pretty magnificent to see such a historic piece of art up close. The view from the top of St Peter’s Basilica is pretty good too.

Our next day was set aside for the Trevi Fountain, Altar of the Fatherland, the Spanish Steps & the Pantheon. I have to say, the Pantheon was one of the most impressive religious buildings we have been to. Again, the marble is marvellous! We had many gelato stops along the way to make up for the lack of gelato stops thus far.

We had the most wonderful time in Rome, and could definitely stay for many more weeks! Even with all the time we had, we still felt rushed to see everything! It’s a huge city with so many sides to explore and I can’t wait to come back.

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Siena

Disclaimer: I have suffered a corrupted SD card – an extremely traumatic experience! I thought I had lost all of my photos. Fortunately, I managed to recover most of them, albeit in much lower quality. I still wanted to post and let you know what we’ve been up to, but Please excuse any residual graininess and/or generally crap photos.
Thanks guys!

We had one last leg of driving before leaving our car in Siena. It was nice while it lasted, but I’m glad we didn’t have to drive through any major cities! We arrived at B&B I Tetti di Siena and were pleasantly surprised. It was a pretty epic view, which turned out to be a very easy way for us to gauge the weather each morning. We had a few bottles of wine from Tuscany, so when there was inclement weather we could just sit by the window and watch the clouds roll over the city. Not too shabby.

We were lucky enough to have another special visitor here in Siena! Here we are sneaking up on our poor unsuspecting victim…

…got him! Poor sucker. He bought us lunch AND took a whole lot of our holiday purchases home in his luggage. As far as honeymoon-crashers go, he did pretty good! Always great to see such a friendly face, even if it was only for an hour.

We visited the Cathedral of Siena and marvelled at the marble! Seriously, I’m obsessed. We’ve seen this all the way through Italy, particularly in churches, but this Cathedral boasts particularly intricate floors. So pretty, so sophisticated, such delicate colours and patterns. Considering the age of most of the churches here, it’s also in excellent condition. When we win the lottery and build our dream mansion, it will have Italian-inspired marble floors all the way through. The official colours of Siena are black and white, so the interior of the Cathedral and baptistery are designed with these colours as a feature. It’s quite a harsh colour palette for a church, but the floors seem to balance it out. I bloody love those floors.

We spent a lot of time in Piazza del Campo, people-watching, eating long lunches and drinking into the evening. We’re very predictable, I know. We’re both aware, and we plan to work on it…after we have finished enjoying our honeymoon. The piazza follows a fairly steep slope all the way down into the centre, where there is a drain. We found a bar called Key Largo with a very precarious staircase up onto a balcony. It was completely empty, with an uninterrupted view over the whole piazza – perfect for our people-watching purposes! Definitely a hidden gem. The balcony is very clearly visible from the piazza, but I think most people must not know how to get up there. You have to walk through to the back of the bar to find the staircase. The sandwich shop beside us seemed to have access as well – one to check out!

There is a facade that seems to stand alone beside the Duomo, which was built in the beginning stages of a project that planned to expand the cathedral. It was to be the facade of the New Duomo, however the building was never completed. The facade remains as a museum and a panoramic viewing platform, so we climbed it. Yes, we spent our afternoon doing something other than eating and drinking! Weird.

While we had a great time eating and drinking in the Old Town, we always like to venture off the beaten path a bit, so we went for a walk outside the city gates. On the way out we stumbled across Ravioli Wang, somewhat reminiscent of Mario Tokyo at our beloved Strathfield station. We didn’t eat there despite the temptation, but I couldn’t resist taking a photo. Love a good cultural mash-up. After passing the gates we found suburban Siena, with local eateries preparing for dinner service and nonnas tending to their gardens. It was quite astounding to discover that after walking just 30 minutes past the gates, we found ourselves among vineyards, olive groves and wide open paddocks. It felt as though we had walked all the way back to Greve! A really nice way to spend a day, seeing how the locals live.

By the time we returned, it was after dark and we saw the city in a new light. Siena is strangely quiet at night time. We found a beautiful restaurant with a casual atmosphere and friendly staff. Osteria Permalico is positioned on one of the steeper streets of Siena, and the outdoor tables are set on individual “stages” so that they don’t slide down the hill! When you venture inside you will find exposed brick walls lined with bottles of and spirits and local wines, alongside beautiful photos of the local area. The jukebox plays all-time classics and sets the mood perfectly. The staff get in their daily cardio, literally running up and down the hill to take orders and deliver food. We sat outside under the full moon – the atmosphere and the food were both unbelievable.

We have now exhausted our supply of honeymoon-crashers and will be forced to endure each other’s company for the next couple of weeks…stay tuned!

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Greve

Never lose your childish innocence. It’s the most important thing.

Katherine, Under the Tuscan Sun

We hired a car in Florence and drove through the rolling hills of Tuscan wine country to a villa in Greve, a town in the Chianti region. Nothing like a couple of days under the Tuscan sun, am I right?

We stayed at Villa Bordoni, one of the most special places I’ve ever been. After staying in a relatively basic budget hotel in Florence, it felt even more luxurious when we arrived here. The villa is set between two vineyards where they grow the grapes for their own wine. The rooms are beautiful, the views are beautiful, the restaurant serves beautiful food, there is even a beautiful gym overlooking the beautiful pool. The pool looked so inviting that we forced ourselves to go for a swim, even though the water temperature was about 4 degrees. It was such a relaxing stay – just catching up on reading and sampling the wines while taking in the view.

The next day, we took advantage of the hire car and went for a drive around some of the local towns: Greve, Montefioralle and Panzano. There were some beautiful farmers markets, and the cellar doors/restaurants of many local wineries. The views along the way were so captivating, we had to pull over a couple of times. The fields are lined with either olive groves or grape vines, and the sun comes streaming through the clouds to illuminate small pockets as the day goes on.

On our final night we went into Panzano for a bucket list experience. If you are familiar with the Netflix series Chef’s Table, you will have heard of Dario Checchini. He is an animal lover who was studying to be a vet until he inherited a butcher shop from his father when he fell ill. He spent years battling with his own morals until he came up with a way to run the shop that he felt comfortable with. He has farmland where they rear the cattle in an ethical way, and they are sure to use every part of the animal so that its life has not gone to waste. He began by opening the shop as a restaurant at night, with one long communal table and a set menu designed to bring people together. It goes by the name of Antica Macelleria Cecchini. It has grown in popularity, particularly since being featured on a number of television programs, and there are now multiple dining rooms across both sides of the street. We booked well in advance for this experience, and I’m so glad we did! When we arrived, there were staff preparing appetisers and pouring welcome wines as AC/DC blasted out from the shopfront. This was aperitivo hour, and the crowd was sprawled across the street until a bell rang and we all streamed in through the doors.

We opted for the Officina della Bistecca menu, which celebrates the Florentine steak in its purest form. It was basically a meat fest, including three different types of steak along with beef tartare and baked potatoes served with pork fat. Although we were eating in a butcher shop, considering Dario’s background it was not surprising to see a vegetarian menu available. If I could have my time again, I would opt for the menu at Solociccia, the dining room across the road. It had a bit more variety in its ingredients – there is such a thing as too much meat! As someone who has been trying to cut down on my meat consumption in general, this was a little much for me. In saying that, Dario’s ethos is definitely one I can get behind, and if you’re going to have a meat fest – this is the place to do it! They treat every piece of meat with so much care and respect, and it really comes through in the flavour.

Greve is a place where you could spend weeks if you wanted to. Villa Bordoni was such a peaceful place to base ourselves, and there is so much to see in the surrounding towns. We will definitely be returning to Chianti!

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Florence

If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.

Michelangelo

Our visit to Florence was very brief in relation to all of our other stops. We only really had one full day, so we did a lot of walking! It didn’t help that our accommodation was a 45 minute walk into the city centre…poor planning.

Our first stop was the Uffizi Gallery, home to many beautiful Italian artworks, mostly from the Renaissance period. The building itself is stunning, with ornate ceilings, doors, flooring, window frames…you get it. To our surprise, photographs were allowed and encouraged (even though we weren’t allowed to bring our water bottle inside) – priorities?? It’s pretty amazing to come so close to works by such influential artists. Michelangelo, Botticelli and Da Vinci are just the beginning. I didn’t manage to get many photos of the artworks themselves thanks to the crowds. It’s dog eat dog in there. I did manage to get one of The Birth of Venus though, with a guest appearance from a random tourist. I think I really got his best angle.
We spotted another inclusive strategy here, with 3D models of some of the most famous paintings so that visually impaired visitors could experience them as well. Alongside the models was a description of the work in both text and braille. They’re pretty good at inclusion over here!

We walked around the city and saw the major sights. The Duomo is extremely impressive to look at. The scale of it is so enormous, and the detail in the stone cladding is amazing. If we had more time we would have loved to climb to the top of the tower, but we had to keep moving!

We walked along the Ponte Vecchio, which does not feel like a bridge at all. It is a bustling street clad with multi-story buildings on either side, all sparkling full of golden jewellery. We learnt that when Florence was bombed during WWII, all of the bridges along the river were destroyed except for the Ponte Vecchio. Pretty unbelievable. There is actually a secret passageway all the way from the Piti Palace to the city centre, which runs along the top of the shops on the Ponte Vecchio. So much history in one little strip.

We visited the churches of some smaller communities in the city, and we were privileged enough to see Michelangelo’s first sculpture. He sculpted Jesus on a crucifix, which he gifted to the church who allowed him to conduct medical research on bodies before they were buried. The sculpture depicted Jesus nude, so the church were too ashamed to display it publicly. It was hidden for centuries, and only rediscovered after there was a flood in the church and it had to be cleaned out. It is very little known and we were the only people visiting – we felt extremely fortunate to have stumbled upon this opportunity!

We went to a traditional Italian Opera performance, which was held in a beautiful little chapel called Santa Monaca Church. It was not a full Opera as we had expected, but a collection of songs from different Operas. There was just one pianist, one male and one female singer. In such close proximity, their voices blew us away. Such an amazing experience. Unfortunately photos were not allowed, although a picture couldn’t have done the performance justice anyway! We enjoyed the long walk home much more than our brisk morning walk! The river is beautiful and shimmering at night time.

We will definitely be back to Florence. We really didn’t have enough time to enjoy the city properly – we saw most of the main sights, but we couldn’t explore much further. We loved the feel of this city, brimming with art and culture; there is certainly more for us to discover!

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Bologna

Life is too short, and I’m Italian. I’d much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.

Sophia Bush

Well, our journey from Malcesine to Bologna was tedious and extremely frustrating.
Hot tip: Don’t try and travel anywhere near Lake Garda by bus on a Saturday. There is one single-lane road in and out, and it seems all the Italians make their way up there from Verona for the weekend. The first bus was delayed by an hour, which meant we missed our connection and waited an hour for the next bus (which was also delayed, so it was more like 90 minutes!) and another hour for our train.

BUT…we are finally in Bologna and life is good! Far be it from me to complain about waiting for bus while gallivanting on a 7-week European adventure! The view from our Airbnb isn’t bad either.

Bologna is widely known as the “food capital” of Italy, being the home of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar of Modena, Parma ham, mortadella and everything in between. We tried a traditional local dish called Tortellini in Brodo, which is simply freshly made tortellini floating in a meat based broth. It was a strange sensation, almost like a short soup with an Italian twist! Of course we had some spaghetti bolognese, but you dare not call it that here! You need to order Tagliatelle al Ragu. The Bolognese people are very particular about this, and I’m with them! It is so much more delicious with tagliatelle rather than spaghetti – the thicker pasta holds the sauce much more nicely. We visited one particularly popular restaurant called Osteria dell’Orsa to try both of these dishes. It was well worth the wait!

The city is filled with covered walkways called porticos. They are all beautifully tiled and create gorgeous shadows at different times of day. The main square, Piazza Maggiore, hosts Basilica di San Petronio – an enormous Gothic church with 22 chapels. It’s a beautiful church on the inside, with each chapel being decorated slightly differently depending on who owns them. There are many towers throughout the city, but there are two right beside each other. One of these leans even more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

We came across the city’s oldest Osteria, Osteria del Sole, where they only serve alcoholic beverages. If you don’t drink, you are kindly asked to wait outside! They don’t serve food either, but you can bring your own. We picked up some tigelle and went in and had lunch with the locals in a very homely environment.

On our final night, we discovered the university district. I wish we had found it a little earlier, as there were bars and restaurants full of locals, in what seemed like a glimpse into real Bolognese life. The city centre can often feel completely geared to tourists, and you’re never sure if you are seeing the authentic culture or lifestyle of the city. If I am lucky enough to return to Bologna, I will definitely be starting by exploring the city fringe!

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Verona

I’ve always found it funny when people call Romeo and Juliet “the greatest love story ever told” because – man – it does not work out well for those kids, you know? I’d like to think the greatest love story ever told would at least let them be together for more than a few hours!

Ryan North

We made it to Verona – the city of love! Home to Juliet’s balcony, this city is absolutely plastered with declarations of love and devotion. You can find initials within love hearts scribbled on walls, footpaths, bridges, tables, archways…any flat surface seems to be fair game.

Although neither of us had much interest, we thought we should visit Casa di Giulietta when in Verona. We made our way through the crowds and had a brief glimpse of Juliet’s balcony. We learned very quickly that the love notes we had seen across the rest of the city were nothing compared to the walls of Juliet’s house. True Romeo and Juliet fans had written letters, and stuck them to the walls using chewing gum or band aids…so romantic! Despite the guards and numerous signs warning of fines for defacing the property, one couple had even managed to write their names on one of the cobblestones right in the middle of the square. We didn’t really understand the hype, but it was definitely an interesting sight!

A leisurely walk around the city revealed more beautiful archways, churches, fountains, balconies and lush gardens. The detail on the exterior of the buildings is incredible – and it’s amazing that it has stood the test of time. The Adige River runs through the city, and the many bridges that cross it feel quintessentially European! We climbed up the hill to get a broader view of the city (and to work off the pasta) and we were not disappointed.

As usual, we had lots of great food and wine here (we were even lucky enough to catch up with a great friend for a long lunch!) – but there was one particularly special place that we visited. Salumeria Gironda sits alongside the river, and from the street it appears to be your usual deli selling cured meats and cheeses. But if you venture out the back you will find a precious courtyard overlooking the river and the castle beyond. The staff will pack up your purchases into a little picnic basket, give you some plastic cups for your wine, and you can sit out the back and enjoy it with a pretty special view. Being later in the afternoon, business was slowing down so we even had the courtyard to ourselves – bonus!

Verona is a beautiful city – lots to see, lots to experience, and while the “love graffiti” across the city could be seen as vandalism by many, it certainly adds a distinctive charm that can only be found here in Verona.

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Munich

Without question the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.

Dave Barry

On the next leg of our honeymoon, we met some fabulous friends in Munich for Oktoberfest. I didn’t take the camera in to the festival itself for fear of drowning it, so no photos of the beer halls unfortunately!
We spent the first day in the Hofbrauhaus tent – enormous! The scale of this tent is unbelievable, and the steins were flowing steadily from 10am. On the second day we visited the Pscorr Festzelt Braurosl tent, which is slightly smaller but just as vibrant. We noticed far more locals here, and the brass band kept the whole crowd entertained playing traditional German sing-alongs.

We eventually took some time out from the festival to see the other sights of Munich (including the Hofbrauhaus beer hall – such a change of scenery!) We wandered around Marienplatz, the main square of the city, and took in the incredible Gothic-style architecture. We ate tasty German delicacies – pretzels, pork knuckle, bratwurst, ox goulash, sauerkraut, pork belly and of course lots of beer. It’s a delicious diet, but definitely not sustainable for us! After just one weekend we were all feeling a little under the weather.

We will definitely be back for Oktoberfest…Sam was in his element!

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Dubrovnik

You think Earth’s gravity is really something when you’re climbing the stairs.

Rainer Weiss

We made it to our apartment in Dubrovnik after a 4 hour ferry ride, 30 minute uphill walk, and what felt like a million stairs. While we welcomed the exercise after so much delicious food, I’m not sure we needed quite this much!

It didn’t take us long to get used to the stairs, and they made for some wonderful views. We walked up and down the steep, narrow lane ways; and made our way around the city’s outer wall. It was beautiful to take in all the terracotta rooves alongside the enormity of the ocean. There are entire sections of the Old Town that were destroyed during the Croatian War of Independence – some areas are being rebuilt, while others are now home to lush greenery, which I think adds a touch of charm.

In the following days, we strolled around the Old Town seeing the main sights. The entire city has been built from limestone, and almost all the pavers are rectangular. There is one perfectly square stone in the main street, which marks the exact centre of the Old Town. We stumbled across a bar perched outside the city walls. They call these Buza bars, where people grab a drink and scatter themselves across the cliff face before jumping into the sea for a swim.

Another quirk we noticed throughout the whole city was the number of cats roaming the streets. A few times, we saw people coming out of their homes or workplaces to place food out on the street for their furry friends.

We went for a walk beyond the Old Town to explore a little further. Along the way we found delicious food (surprise!) and more amazing views of the wide open ocean.

Four days was the perfect amount of time to see Dubrovnik – and enjoy some welcome relaxation time too! We’ve had no shortage of things to see, stairs to climb or food to eat. What a beauty.

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Split

My perfect beach town isn’t a fancy resort or glitzy planned community. It’s a place with a hometown grocery that has decent meat, seafood, and a deli…

Mary Kay Andrews

We have arrived in Croatia to the warm welcome of Split. What a contrast! Here you will find beautiful stone buildings and cobblestone paths, and to our delight, a dog on every corner!

There are old towns and then there are old towns. Garbage trucks make their way through the narrow lanes all day, while residents and shop-owners emerge from each side to empty their rubbish into the back. At the local market, vendors weigh their produce using traditional balance scales.

We were lucky enough to experience a culinary tour of Split with a very charismatic and knowledgeable guide named Jacov. He showed us around the fish markets and taught us all about classic Dalmatian-style seafood. We bought the most exotic looking fish, and took it to Diocletian’s Wine House, where the chef prepared it into a delicious feast. We then spent the afternoon eating and drinking to our hearts’ content. Strongly recommend!!!
https://splitwalkingtour.com/package/split-culinary-tour/

We’ve had a magnificent time in Split. Great food, quality family time and fascinating culture. Looking forward to seeing more of Croatia as we make our way to Dubrovnik!