October 17
Wonderful day with Daniela visiting the Testaccio market in Rome and then walked to her home in the beautiful Aventine Hill area to cook our lunch. Joined another student, Monica from Houston. We made some amazing dishes using local and fresh ingredients. Pictures speak a thousand words…….
Now for the Secondi and Dolce….
Contact me for recipes or to book a class with Daniela!
Ciao from Roma!
October 18
Arrived via train on Saturday during the “World Peace” demonstrations. Demonstrators filled the streets along one side of the Termini (train station). We could hear and see the crowds and thankfully made it to our rental apartment just fine. Only a couple of incidents where cars were burned by a small group of militants. Otherwise fairly peaceful and contained to a specific area of the city.
Rented an apartment near Trevi Fountain for 3 nights. Found a great family restaurant with my sister-in-law, Mary and had one of my favorite dishes, Spaghetti Carbonara. Weather continues to be beautiful.
Renting an apartment vs hotel stays
Pros
Live like an Italian – neighborhood experience.
Additional Space
Kitchen facilities – can prepare some meals if you choose
Usually less expensive
Washing machine
Cons
Limited onsite support – need to be resourceful
Learning curve for electronics, lighting, heating, cooling etc…
Herculaneum (Ercolano)
October 15
Visited the ruins of Herculaneum, a seaside resort which was buried after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Most people visit Pompeii due to the size of the excavation. Herculanium, about 1/4th the size of Pompeii & receives about 20% of the visitors, making it a more intimate site. Only 1/3rd of the ruins are excavated due to the new city of Herculaneum occupied by residents above the ruins.
It was discovered in 1709 (2 years before Pompeii) by Prince Elbeuf while he tunneled for treasures that were thought to have been buried in the mud flows from the eruption.
Herculaneum was a seaside resort for the wealthy. Many of the houses were more elaborately constructed. The town is closer to Vesuvius and was buried under a heavy lava flow and mud thus preserving much of the town’s homes and town. We viewed preserved wood, the water system using lead pipes, and thermal baths. There are homes and the market showing shops and the way of life with many of paintings from the walls of the homes still in good condition. Thanks to the recent Packard foundation, additional restoration has taken place and it is a site well worth visiting. Our guide, Carmine was invaluable and very passionate about sharing the history of Herculaneum.
October 12th – Beautiful morning drive from Positano up the coast. Recommend having a driver to enjoy the views and towns of Priano, Amalfi and Ravello dotting the coastline.
Cooking class with Mamma Agata & Chiara from 10:30 – 5:00 with a fun group of 12. Started with lemon cake & cappuccino, demonstration and tasting of eggplant fried, rolled and parmigiana, pastas with Farmer sauce and sausage & peppers. Secondi of chicken with lemon, fish and insalata mista. Ending with what else, Limoncello. Words cannot due justice to the amazing views, our incredible hosts and to die for food. Pictures will give you a snapshot of a day with memories of a lifetime. Let me know when you are ready to go!!! Special thanks to my brother Dan for great photography and our kind and generous hosts.
Took time to adjust to jet lag and walked the town of Positano. The bright sun, beautiful blue sky and sea have a serene effect and makes you want to stay forever. Walking is the only way to see the town and be advised not to have too much luggage! There is a good range of properties from B&B’s to 5 star properties, some with lift and others without but no matter what you walk everywhere. Plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views. Our hotel was on the top of the hillside and had beautiful views. Always get a place with views. It is well worth the splurge.
Wonderful seafood and had my favorite Zuppa di Cozze pictured below.
Arriving at Naples airport is a convenient port of entry for visiting the Amalfi Coast. Our private driver Alfonso navigated with the ease of a local and gave us an education of the land keeping us awake to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The views are amazing and much easier to enjoy when you have someone else driving the winding roads with switchback turns. The hillsides are covered with sheer rocks and terraced lemon and olive groves. It is the season for harvesting olives and we could see the setting of nets below the trees. Alfonzo said the picking is still done by hand and the window of time is only 10 hours from picking to crushing to get the best extra virgin oil. The weather is amazing and the warmest it has been in October for 125 years.
Leaving today for a one month journey through Italy visiting my valued vendors, inspecting properties and uncovering new gems for designing customized itineraries for Italy. 1st stop Naples with a private transfer with my great drivers to Positano along the Amalfi Coast. First big event will be a cooking class with the famous Mamma Agata and daughter Chiara Lima at Mamma Agata’s Hidden Treasure in Ravello. I look forward to sharing many amazing places and people with you over the next 30 days.
Beginning January 2011 there will be a fee applied to lodging in Rome. Introduced as an “overnight accomodation tax” the fee charged will be 2 euro per person, per night and applied at the end of the stay. Children aged 10 years or younger will be exempt from payment. The fee is intended to financially assist the city’s efforts in organizing urban services and aimed at ensuring the standard of the tourists’ stay be efficient and of the best quality. I wanted all of you traveling and staying in Rome to be aware this is now in effect and not to be surprised by the accomodation tax at the end of your stay. It is not quoted presently in the nightly rate and will be added to you stay at the end. Most hotels are listing this as an additional cost outside of the quote for the room per night. This will apply to hotels, apartments, rented rooms, holiday homes etc… 4 and 5 star hotels will charge 3 euro per person per night. The per night maximum is 10 days. Rome continues to be a wonderful city to visit! Hotel rates in New York continue to have high tax/service rates such as 14.75% and $3.50 per room, per night occupancy tax so Rome is still a bargin!
New activity from Mt. Etna in Sicily created spectacular fire fountains and lava flows on the eastern flank of the Southeast Crater. It started January 11 and stunning photos were captured. It closed the Catania airport for a short time but has reopened today, Thursday, January 13th. Read more about this amazing event along with pictures from Dr. Boris Behncke & others.
A very rare event when Florence and much of Italy received snow! As you can imagine, motorways, rail, air and local traffic around Tuscany were at a standstill. Rome also had snow for the third time in 42 years. Check out some great pictures from Living Venice blog…amazing photos!