Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Rest day in Romagna's Plains

Hello from Christina and Giuseppe www.italybestsecrets.com
We depart Portico di Romagna, driving towards Forli' and Ravenna. After a couple of delays caused by roadworks and a stop for a "piadina", a typical Romagna snack (like a flatbread with yummy fillings), we arrive at our destination a little later than expected. The accommodation is a 4 star country style villa/beauty farm surrounded by conifers, fruit trees and rose garden. We were really excited as we thought we could have a massage or beauty treatment, but unfortunately the therapist was unavailable, as Monday is her day off. We retreat to the swimming pool, where we were visited by mosquitoes and the family's dog, a young playful jack russell called Achille. The rooms are stylish and comfortable, but smallish. Dinner is enjoyable, but not our best. The guest sitting room is decorated with antique furniture, colourful ceramic plates and rugs. We set out the next day for a spot of birdwatching, near the Adriatic coast, with the local road maps showing all the best points, however, once we arrive in the area, there is a lack of signs (although lots of signs for hospitality and horse-riding). In the end we give up, and are back on the main road, where we pass a pumpkin market! Yes, that's right, a market dedicated solely to pumpkins, not just the eating variety but decorative gourds. The large pumpkins are enormous and would need to be transported by a minivan. We proceed towards Venice and stop for a seafood lunch in Chioggia, which was certaily worth doing, in terms of quality and price. Back on the road where shortly we arrive at Conegliano, where our relatives are waiting for us. We plan to spend time together, and tonight will visit a local agriturismo producing prosecco. Tomorrow - a short drive to Cison di Valmarino, famous in the region as one of the smallest charming villages, and for its recently restored castle. We sign off now, baci, Christina and Giuseppe. The next episode will be from the Dolomites.

Monday, September 28, 2009

From Ancient Stones to Trulli and National Parks

Salve from Christina and Giuseppe www.italybestsecrets.com. Matera draws you in so the minute we drop off our baggage, we are out exploring this amazing open plan archeological town. Walking up and down on the old stone lanes of Civita suburb, you need to be fit here! We take the elevator to the top floor of a cafe, overlooking Piazza Sedile and facing the Duomo on the opposite side and enjoy a wonderful view of this piazza. Some time remains for quick shopping, then back to the Residence to change ready for dinner at 10pm at Ristorante il Cantuccio. The food is innovative, and to accompany we select Basilisco 2004 Premium Aglianico grape. Next morning we have a typical Italian breakfast at the local cafe, before heading off to Puglia - San Basilio di Mottola. A full day is planned here so immediately upon arriving at the Masseria Cassiere and a warm welcome from our hostess Maria, our destination is Castellana Grotte, the famous caves, recognised by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage Site. And they are certainly spectacular, very large caverns with 40 metres height. We select the short 1 hour tour, lead by a very competent guide. Next stage is a picturesque drive through the typical Puglia countryside with lots of trulli, ancient conical shape houses, that used to be home to the shepherds and workers of the masserias (large country farming estates). Hunger hits us and we stop at Trattoria La Ruota for delicious Puglia specialities (orecchiette pasta) and entertainment provided by the owner Peppino Ceci.
Next stop is Grottaglie, a town known for its ceramics - many studios line a street and you can just stroll along and visit each one. The styles are varied, some are more traditional, featuring the local rooster emblem, and others are contemporary. After some purchases, we drive back to San Basilio through the rain, where Maria and her husband accompany us to dinner at a local rosticceria, owned by a butcher. The meal is sumptuous with a dozen different antipasti followed by roast meats including lamb and beef tagliata. Including wine and mineral water the bill for 6 is only 140 Euro.
Tomorrow is 25 September and our itinerary takes us to Abruzzo. We drive on the autostrada, and note the immense expansion of olive groves, no wonder Puglia is the largest producer in Italy of olive oil. Along the way we see the Adriatic coast until Pescara, cut towards Rome direction and arrive at 840 metre altitude in the locality of Corvara, a small village hugging the side of the mountain. Just out of Corvara is our accommodation at L'Ape Regina Agriturismo, where our friends Marino and Elide give us an affectionate welcome. It is lovely to see them again. Marino takes us on a tour of their extensive property and introduces us to Martina, their donkey, and Nina the goat. Breathtaking views here and we are surrounded by fruit and walnut trees, fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers. All these wonderful ingredients are used to make delicious jams, marmalades, liqueurs and smallgoods. The liqueurs include Nocino made from walnuts, peppermint and limoncello and taste pure and genuine. There is a treehouse for romantics, or rooms which are well furnished and comfortable. The common sitting room is full of books and interesting pictures, and includes a piano. Dining is communal with wonderful foods and lively conversation. Our friends drive back to Rome while we leave a few hours later, heading north for about 400 kms, along the A14 autostrada, then SS67 to Portico di Romagna, from where we are now writing. We stay in an "albergo diffuso", the first one in Emilia Romagna, called Vecchio Convento. It is a very old residence with wide walls and doors, high ceilings and large windows, seemingly made for giant people. The dining room has wooden beam ceilings, a fireplace and the walls are decorated in old kitchen utensils. The food is extraordinary, for presentation, variety and taste. No wonder they offer cooking classes here. Our hostess is Signora Marisa, who has a wonderfully infectious laugh. Next morning we are faced with more food as their breakfast is more like a brunch, with many savoury dishes, including cheeses, smallgoods, scrambled eggs, as well as fresh and stewed fruits, yoghuts, cakes etc. You can tell this is a gourmet stop as they even have different types of honey for guests. They are fully booked for the next night, we unfortunately we have to leave. We will tell you more about their fantastic Italian language school, that also offers other subjects such as music, watercolours, cinema and more, soon on our website www.italybestsecrets.com
Ciao, arrivederci.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Enchanting South

Ciao from Christina and Giuseppe - www.italybestsecrets.com
Firstly, Happy Birthday to Ashley! Hopefully this will catch you before you sign off and go to sleep.
We drive from Terracina on a rainy morning, and stop for an enjoyable coffee break at Pico where a good (what Giuseppe calls 'proper') espresso costs one tenth of the amount you would pay in Venice. At Pontecorvo we enter the A1 autostrada towards Naples and exit at Caianello, looking for a suitable lunch spot on the way to Benevento. In the quiet and people free Faicchio, a medieval town, with an impressive monastery and tower, we find a friendly restaurant, very unimposing, as they often are in Italy, and have the best lunch we have had so far. Bruschetta with chopped tomato, prosciutto, local ricotta cheese garnished with chestnut honey, pecorino with pomegranate honey - these form the antipasto. We all chose different pasta dishes, and they were all superb. Followed by roast lamb with the most delicious roast potatoes, and green salad. Completed by dessert - chocolate and mascarpone sponge. All washed down with a good Aglianico and mineral water. Hmmm, molto buono! Total cost 92 Euro for the four of us.
Feeling replete, we continue our drive towards Avellino, Salerno and Agropoli. Traffic around the Battipaglia-Agropoli area is chaotic and stressful and to top it off, the speed limit is 50 kms, meaning that trucks and cars are hooting at us and wishing to overtake (so much for the speed limit). A couple of mistakes are made, resulting in delays in the arrival to our destination Pollica. Our accommodation is at The Convent in Pollica (a real Franciscan convent), which is located at the top of a winding road with hairpin turns. We never seem to arrive! As we start to climb we see the coastline and it is absolutely spectacular in the evening light. Finally we arrive and are rewarded by warm hospitality and excellent food lovingly cooked by Angela. The rooms are spartan, but do have private facilities. From the windows we soak in breathtaking views up to Palinuro Gulf.
Gardens with fruit and olive trees, and roses lead us towards the terrace which has a very large and imposing statue of St. Francis with his arms outstretched.
The next morning we decide to do some exercise and take the walking track to Celso, the adjacent village. This take us about one hour all up. In the afternoon we all visit the archeological park at Velia, which is much larger than we thought. The entry fee is 2 Euro, which includes an english language brochure. Velia is a slice of history of the settlement originally founded here by a Greek colony of Foce.
At Pioppi, a charming coastal village below Pollica, we find the Museum of the Mediterranean Diet closed as Tuesday is their day of closure.
Back to the Convent for rest, in readiness for another delicious dinner that evening which is the most enjoyable so far. The menu: fried pizza with tomato sugo, marinated anchovies, typical of this area; monkfish and calamari in guazzetto (similar to a fish soup); eggplant stuffed with cheese and herbs; chocolate cake made with ground hazelnuts and fresh nectarines. Our tariff at the Convent included breakfast and dinner, including mineral water and wine, at a cost of 40 Euro per person per day. Unbeatable value, for 5 star hospitality and panoramic views. Interestingly, the Convent is run by a local co-op, who have to pay the two resident elderly monks 10 Euro per person per day, a bit like a licence fee. We catch a glimpse of the monks, it would have been great to chat to them, but they stay in solitude. Apparently sometimes they conduct holy mass at the local church.
Departure in sunny weather the following morning, to Matera, city of the old stones.
Driving there is a pleasure, through winding roads with hills and olive and fruit trees, a huge lake with a dam and unexpected beautiful villages like Montesano della Marcellana, where we encounter the weekly market in the main piazza with a gothic style church, built in 1958 by a local who made his fortune in Venezuela.
Back on the road where the landscape is changing to Calanchi rocks, white looking rocks, which gives a moon like appearance to the land. Lunch is at the Agriturismo i Calanchi, near Pisticci. Different flavours here, we have crossed into Basilicata region. We arrive at Matera on schedule around 3pm, and Signor Franco meets us at a rendezvous point and drives ahead towards his property, Residence San Gennaro, a few steps from the Duomo. We are so glad he is with us, as the laneways are narrow and we would not know where to park. Our rooms at the Residence are very characteristic of Matera, being carved out of a grotto, are very spacious and comfortable, with independent entrances. Signor Franco is very kind and gives us some maps for our afternoon sightseeing, followed by another wonderful dinner. Tomorrow we are off to Puglia, so please stay with us. Bye for now, Christina and Giuseppe, xx.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Marvelllous Montefalco (Umbria)

Salve from www.italybestsecrets.com!
First stop today is Montefalco, a jewel of a town in the heart of Umbria, the green heart of Italy. The countryside is absolutely stunning, with banks of beautiful green olive trees, some with gnarled trunks, and upward growing leaves, also fields of corn, potatoes and tobacco. The roads leading to the hilltops are the same as they were 30 years ago, except now there are more international travellers in this area - American, Dutch, English, Swiss - were some of the accents we encountered. We were all here to visit the Montefalco Wine Festival celebrating the annual harvest of Sagrantino, the famous local grape. We decide to attend a vertical wine tasting in the afternoon and a music and dance event in the Saint Francis museum in the evening, followed by a light dinner at the wine bar Alchimista right in the main square. The atmosphere in town is lively, the only sadness is that we cannot attend the main street festival on Sunday when wine, various local dishes including beans and sweets are offered free to everyone. We lodge at Villa Mustafa', a gorgeous country villa, taking its name from the musician Domenico Mustafa', born in Umbria, who was the resident lyric vocalist at the Sistine Chapel. Giuseppe Verdi was his contemporary. We enter the property via an ancient stone gate, and proceed along a white gravel road, surrounded by luminous olive and fruit trees. The hosts are warm and friendly and most hospitable. The decor is lovely, with soft pastel colours and old family photos. In the distance you can see Gualdo Cattaneo. The nights are very quiet and we are woken up by the rooster and birds chirping away. The day after we proceed to Viterbo, and it's warm and sunny. On the way we have a short stop in the village of Bagnaia, the entry point to one of Italy's wonderful villa gardens, Villa Lante. Viterbo is just 5 kms away, where we meet up with our friends from Claremont, Western Australia. To beat the jetlag we take our friends to the thermal baths Terme dei Papi, and this works a treat, all our sore backs and necks are gone! The reason we are in Viterbo is to attend a Baroque Concert in the Duomo, featuring the European Chamber Orchestra with guest artists Sir James and Lady Galway. Before the concert we enjoy a pizza alfresco in the old part of town. Standing ovation for the musicians and the Galways of course. The accommodation is in a modern agriturismo 5 kms from town. We depart the next day, heading towards Terracina, via Valmontone Outlet Centre for a spot of shopping, arriving at this coastal town in the afternoon. The next day we visit the island of Ponza, with a package including the ferry to the island, a short island cruise and lunch. We loved Frontone Beach, lying on the hot stones and enjoying the sunshine and scenery. We stay at Villa Ida, a country B and B, with friendly hosts, panoramic views of Terracina and the bay beyond. The town has several Roman archeological sites, part of the old Appian Way. The food specialities we tried include Prosciutto di Bassiano and Moscato di Terracina, both sensational at the Trattoria Olmata. Today we are off to Pollica, in the Cilento National Park. Ciao for now, baci, Christina and Giuseppe.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ciao Italia, we have arrived!

Ciao from www.italybestsecrets.com
We touch down at Rome Fiumicino Airport at 6am Tuesday ..... it has been raining. First stop the airport bar for italian coffee with yummy brioche! After collecting our hire car, a zippy Fiat Punto diesel, we head off on the A18 towards Civitavecchia, via Lake Bracciano (does that sound familiar? it's where Tom and Katie Cruise celebrated their wedding). The drive is on a windy road but very pleasant, not chaotic or congested. We enjoy the green scenery, pine groves, oaks, chestnuts and bamboo. First stop is Sutri, an Etruscan village, on the SS2 Cassia, where we walk into the roman amphitheatre and the adjacent rupestrian (stone) church, originally built by a sect pre dating christianity, then remodelled as a christian church with frescoes. If only these walls could talk! To view these amazing sights you must be accompanied by a town guide and sign the visitors book.
Our stomachs start to grumble, so we head into Sutri's piazza and the Panificio where we enjoy pizza bianca rosmarino each for only one euro and twenty cents. Off we go to Soratte Outlet Centre, near the A1 exit Ponzano Romano for a spot of quick shopping. On the way appearing before us suddenly is the hamlet of Calcata, built on tufa stone, and home to artists and other creative people.
We leave Soratte and drive to Farfa Abbey passing lots of lovely olive trees, after a recommendation from the friendly shop assistant. What a great tip! Farfa Abbey is marvellous, not only the original abbey tower and cloisters, library but the whole complex is for pedestrians only, and some of the original space has been converted to small charming shops or B & B's. You park nearby just outside the abbey walls, walk across a road and you enter another world! Unfortunately the cafe here is closed, so we decide to drive towards Rieti. Just after the town of Toffia, we see a sign for San Benedetto Agriturismo and head there along a white gravel lane. We are in the Sabina zone, well known for its extraordinary quality of extra virgin olive oil. The biggest olive tree in the world is in this area, apparently you can fit 7 pigs in the tree's trunk! The hostess says they are closed today, but very kindly offers to feed us. The owners are very friendly, and show us around the property, they have horses, pet donkeys, they make their own olive oil and wine ... what more could you want. The wine is a blend of Malvasia Bianca and Verdicchio. We leave promising to exchange emails.
Our first three choices for accommodation for the evening are booked out. So there must still be quite a few visitors in the area. We drive towards Valnerina crossing the Lazio-Umbria border, and by now are starting to feel the jetlag. We are instantly revived by the sight of the Marmore Waterfall, near Terni, the highest waterfall in Italy. It is spectacular, with plumes of water spray and an amazing energy. We take a couple of photos, then proceed towards Norcia, stopping at a 2 star hotel at Scheggino, a medieval town built along the banks of the River Nera, where the clock bell tower still chimes on the hour, but that does not disturb our sleep. What a day!
We know that the next day we don't have to drive as far, as we are now in Umbria, ready to visit our relatives. Talk to you soon, Ciao ciao.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Getting ready for our tour .....

Ciao from www.italybestsecrets.com. One week to go .... and we leave on our holiday to the "Bel Paese". As well as catching up with family and friends, Giuseppe and I will meet up with some Perth friends and go on a discovery tour starting at Viterbo and working our way down the Tyrrhenian coast and taking in the Cilento National Park, which is a UNESCO Natural Heritage site, continuing on to Matera - city of stones, then on to Puglia (the heel of Italy), before heading back in a northerly direction to the region of Abruzzo to stay with friends and to support the region with our presence following the devestating earthquake on 6 April at L'Aquila. Along the way some of the highlights will be a Baroque concert in Viterbo, a stop near the Circe National Park and the town of Gaeta, archeological sites (to be divulged along the way) and overnighting at various types of accommodation properties including an a former convent with stunning views and fine food! All that and more, without breaking the budget! Stay with us along the way, and we will keep you informed about our journey. Ciao ciao, Christina