hollywood
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Posts posted by hollywood
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Craig Camp recently said on this site: The problem with all those California wines you see in those wine stores is that they are all basically the same wine with different labels. It does not matter which brand you buy they will all taste about the same (so just buy the one on sale). California is suffering from technical political correctness in its wine making.
Other than your wines, do you recommend any California wines for everday drinking?
Other than screw tops (!), have you got anything new in the works you would care to share? Any unidentified fermented objects (UFOs)?
Cheers!
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But how about "Venezia is Italy's answer to Disneyworld--strong attraction, but packed with tourists and the food is mostly terrible"?
Somehow this doesn't trip off the tongue as easily, and it doesn't address the issue of Roma for contrast. But I'm not disputing the accuracy of the statement. They don't call it the bridge of sighs for nothing. Although good food can be found in Venezia.
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Now if only we could find a way to open it with a lighter.....
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hollywood, i think the plan is to get to rome via car, and dump it there. however, that does imply that i'll have to drive in rome. i'd almost rather lose it before then, but i'm assuming there's some benefit to making the trip from tuscany to rome via car.
Then try to find a drop off on the outskirts. Where's the airport? You don't want to drive in Rome. Also, you don't want to arrive at a rush hour.
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My amateur thoughts are:
1. might be better to pick either Siena or Bologna as opposed to both-- you'll just get unpacked and have to do it again.
2. what are you doing with the car in Rome? Where are you getting rid of it? This could be a hassle. Maybe train from Pisa to Rome??
3. you're not thinking of driving in Rome, are you? Not recommended unless you are making National Lampoon's Italian Vacation.
4. the location in Rome sounds nice--pretty close to most of the obvious sites except the Vatican.
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He said he learned to drive in Rome which helps. Not having been to Rome, is it worse than Milan?
Let's put it this way. There were probably fewer accidents in the blackout than normal because the drivers couldn't see where they were going.
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Venezia is a tourist attraction that has a city and Roma is a city that has tourist attractions.
Pretty slick. I'm stealing this.
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If you want relatively inexpensive CA wines with some degree of uniqueness, look to Bonny Doone.
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If you make it to Perugia,
Chocolate?
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The writer has a point though it's unfortunate he didn't spend some time trying to find good values in California. For daily drinking, I think most Californians look to Sutter Home or Kendall Jackson. Not particularly good, but cheap and plentiful. Otherwise, we go to Trader Joe's and check what's on sale. Hence, the notorious Two Buck Chuck. Or, go to discounters and get French, Italian, Spanish, German, Australian, Chilean, etc.
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The best places I've eaten in Tuscany were the aforesaid Locanda dell'Amorosa (and, yes, it is a nice place to stay as well) and La Chiusa in Montefollonico. I'd agree with the comments about Assisi and its cathedral. I wonder to what extent it's been restored since the earthquake. As for San Gimignano, it may be a one trick pony and not worth much time but it's a very beautiful one trick pony.
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I doubt it. It was probably filmed in Canada or somewhere in the former Soviet bloc, in order to trim production costs!
I was inclined toward your view when I started looking at Touchstone's official site, looking for location info. If you go to the link and then to the Behind The Scenes section, the claim is that the film was done on location in Cortona, Positano, Rome and Florence. Pretty nice locales for a sappy film. http://tuscansun.movies.go.com/main.html
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The new chick flick, Under the Tuscan Sun, might have some relevance in terms of a look at the countryside.
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He also has/had a place in Marina Del Rey. Rockenwagner, that it.
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In truth, however, I do believe that a majority of Americans experience some variation of a curious life cycle of visits to Italy. Either together (as Tommy is doing) or separately, Roma, Firenze and Venezia get done. Each is unique, but a case could be made that they are three of the LEAST Italian cities in Italy. Next, Capri, the Amalfi Coast and, for some, Portofino/Santa Margherita offer the beach experience. After that, the advanced students reject the urban tourism and beach things altogether, in favor of the villa in Tuscany (or Umbria) trip, which I always view as a step in the right direction, in that it presents you with a genuine opportunity to begin to understand La Dolce Vita, the miracle of everyday Italian life (except that few are shrewd enough to do it in a farmhouse in Piemonte!).
Pretty much describes my arc--although I did begin in Padua. But that's another story.
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In his subtle way, Mr. Klapp is telling you that there's a difference between Northern Italians and those in Rome and to the South. The food, the wine, the sauces, the literature, etc.
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If you do stay in Venice on one of the canals, don't forget to lower the metal shades over the windows. Otherwise you could wake up to bright sunlight and lots of boat traffic noise pretty early. OTOH, if you don't have an alarm clock and want an early start.....
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Is there a French equivalent of Spanglish?
Parlez-vous franglais?
Hope Chirac's not lurking about.
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Foodzealot/Carolyn....I think we're on the right track...and will definitely run a couple ideas past my friends. They know all the good places but wanted to know our thoughts.
Campanile...We were there the first month it opened (used to live in CA). Yeah, great stuff. Also to Patina...very esoteric cooking..loved it.
I'm actually reading up on the last four you mentioned...Many we know in LA go to AOC so that's on the list. Sona sounds interesting as do the others.
A couple more days of research and I'll narrow it to two and let my friends voice their opinions.
The tough part of LA restaurants has always been the noise level. We just call the SCREAMERS...LOL.
A few rare exceptions like L'Orangerie...but not too many. So, if any on your list are a bit more quiet, that would be a consideration. We haven't seen our friends in several months...be nice to talk a little. Best food is still very important though.
Thanks...
FoodZealot is definitely right on the places with the most buzz. L'Orangerie has had ups and downs. Depends on who the current chef is and what he's doing. Meanwhile some other picks to consider are Josie and La Cachette, neither of which is noisy but both very good. Josie, incidentally, has free corkage Mondays. If you just want to let your hair down and enjoy some good food, you might check out what Monkeymay's doing at North on Sunset near Crescent Heights.
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Have you tried the Stinking Rose on La Cienega in Beverly Hills.
Is the stinking rose any good? There is one in SF that I've never had any interest in visiting. It seems like a shithole tourist trap, but maybe I'm wrong.
That's the general consensus.
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For that reason, I suspect your Mexican restaurant should be called Casa Louise or Chez Luisa. You don't want to make the natives too uncomfortable.
Yeah, somebody might accuse you of globalization.
Is there a French equivalent of Spanglish? -
Here's a cool site with pictures of stuff to see in Italy. http://www.photovault.com/Link/Cities/Euro...laces/Rome.html
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In a way it's too bad a certain someone's not here to call you a tourist.
Anyway, the answer to your question is: it depends. It depends on who you are and who's going. If you have kids going along that probably slows things down. If you see this as a survey on which to base later trips, then you might want to do 4 cities or 3 and the country. If you intend to spend substantial amounts of time online, then 2 cities would make more sense. If it's your first trip abroad, that could cut either way. It also depends if you are driving or taking trains. Cars give you flexibility and fewer delays in terms of scheduling. But you are in a bit of a cocoon. Trains require reservations (be sure to pay the little extra to get seat reservations), but increase your chances of meeting and interacting with the locals. Train food is nothing to get excited about, whereas in a car you could plan stops at places that have good stuff. The more places you try to cover the more time you spend making arrangements and getting there the less time you have to be there. There is something to be said for doing your homework and saturating yourself in just 1 or 2 spots. There's also the city and the country contrast. Something to be said for that. But being a city guy and this being your first outing in Italy, you might be more comfortable doing cities only. There's also the question of whether you are going to meet up with someone else while you are there. If you have a friend on the ground, you can get lots of info, leads and entrees that you wouldn't otherwise get. OTOH, if he's not really your friend, or he's real cheap, etc., don't go out of your way.Two miscellaneous points: in Rome during the afternoon break/siesta, the cabdrivers routinely run red lights. Say your prayers and get used to it. In hotel minibars, you'll often find little bottles (look sort of like mini olive oil bottles) with premade Compari and soda. These are good for soothing a parched throat or relaxing after a long day of touring.
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tommy,
What Craig said. Also, read this book. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books
It won't tell you anything useful but it is about Italy and it's a fun read.
As for the Vatican, after waiting in that interminable line (get there early), run do not walk past all the "stuff" and head straight for the Sistine Chapel. Forget the rest IMHO, there's much better stuff elsewhere if you want it. A trip to La Rosetta in Roma for a seafood feast is a requirement. You might want to look at Madonna's Like A Virgin video in prep for Venice. Be on the lookout for bootleg concert CDs anywhere--not cheap but generally good stuff. If kids with sheets of cardboard approach you, say near the Colosseum in Roma, cross the street or start flicking your bic at them (generally, they are pickpockets).
You don't strike me as a clothes guy but if you are some time roaming the stores (and some buying guide) in Milan might pay off. Women generally like deals they can get on Italian shoes. Prada has an outlet store near Tuscany or Florence, I forget. Ciao.
Trip to Italy 101
in Italy: Dining
Posted · Edited by hollywood (log)
This sounds like a nice trip. You could spend a day less in Florence and a day more in Rome depending on your priorities, e.g., more or less emphasis on art (advantage Florence), more or less emphasis on high end food (Florence), more or less emphasis on tomatoes (Rome), more or less emphasis on sites/architecture(Rome), etc. Just my opinions. Of course, it also depends on arrival and departure times as to whether you're getting full days, whether you are making journeys out to the countryside, etc. BTW, you'll find those pesky Vespas in Florence, too, swarming around like bees.