Italy…

[Beowulf]

Really amazing two days. Spotted two Guzzi V7’s. Walking everywhere enjoying the food positively amazing. Looking at sculptures I have spent vast Amounts time studying. I was always fascinated by Bernini. So quite a day.

[pebra]

 

Let's see and hear more!

How's the grappa? 

[twowheeladdict]

   I think the closest I will ever get to visiting Italy was the 4 weeks I spent on the north end of Boston. 

[Scout63]

Yes please more pictures and stories of great food.

[Beowulf]

Had a 4 course meal the first night. Quite excellent. Started with a flatbread baked with rosemary. Bruschetta to follow, than pasta. After that beef with arugula. Than desert.

Wine was provided throughout of course and quite good.

Had pizza Al italgio from a walk in shop. Very nice policeman having dinner on duty offered nice suggestions. Small place. Had gelato at Trevi fountain (ok but not the really good stuff).

Had espresso at Cafe Greco.
I will try to include more pictures. Tomorrow is dinner in Tuscany. Forgive the spelling. With tonight’s dinner one of the best Tiramisu deserts I have ever had. Drinking different Italian beers mostly peroni.

[Huzo]

Had a 4 course meal the first night. Quite excellent. Started with a flatbread baked with rosemary. Bruschetta to follow, than pasta. After that beef with arugula. Than desert.

Wine was provided throughout of course and quite good.

Had pizza Al italgio from a walk in shop. Very nice policeman having dinner on duty offered nice suggestions. Small place. Had gelato at Trevi fountain (ok but not the really good stuff).

Had espresso at Cafe Greco.
I will try to include more pictures. Tomorrow is dinner in Tuscany. Forgive the spelling. With tonight’s dinner one of the best Tiramisu deserts I have ever had. Drinking different Italian beers mostly peroni.

What are the current requirements for border crossings, masks and vaccination proof ?
What was your country of departure and are there many hoops to navigate at airports etc...?

[Beowulf]

What are the current requirements for border crossings, masks and vaccination proof ?
What was your country of departure and are there many hoops to navigate at airports etc...?

I been using my vaccination card. After Amsterdam stamping my passport that’s been the one time I needed it. I came from Texas flying out of Houston to Amsterdam than Amsterdam to Rome.  Pretty easy process. Italy is not renewing their requirements end of this month as I understand it and a mask is not required while outside walking. Hope that helps

[Anomaly]

Beowolf-- you were in Rome last night? Me too! I'm at Fiumicino now flying to JFK and then on to Seattle-- my 89 year-old mother just had emergency surgery in WA state so  I am abandoning wife and dog to rush back.
Last night we barely got into the hotel we always use when dropping one of us off for a flight-- we had both just taken the rapid tests- me for the flight and my wife foe a temporary Green Pass for the hotel. But the hotel initially wouldn't accept my wife's temp green pass/negative test result (she is French and on a slightly different vaccination schedule than the Italians who don't recognize her French Green Pass.... But, as Beowolf-- notes, all this is supposed to go away soon just in time for the tourist onslaught. Anyway, they relented and let us into the room we had booked.
While parking the car, the CV joint(s) exploded (literally) but that is a different story...

[Anomaly]

On a happier note, last Saturday we took a break from the vineyard and went to Siena for the day- an old friend from Amsterdam was in town selling their wild-caught oysters at some Chi-Chi wine festival so we drove to see her for the first time since -. It was a beautiful blue sky day and the duomo was bathed in sun:

[Beowulf]

On a happier note, last Saturday we took a break from the vineyard and went to Siena for the day- an old friend from Amsterdam was in town selling their wild-caught oysters at some Chi-Chi wine festival so we drove to see her for the first time since -. It was a beautiful blue sky day and the duomo was bathed in sun:


 sorry to hear of your troubles and hope you have things go well for you. I’m all too familiar with things going wrong.

[Murray]

If you are in Florence and decide the queues for the standard Florence stuff is way too long I've had this place highly recommended to me, especially if you like science type stuff, https://www.museogalileo.it/en/

[Huzo]

I been using my vaccination card. After Amsterdam stamping my passport that’s been the one time I needed it. I came from Texas flying out of Houston to Amsterdam than Amsterdam to Rome.  Pretty easy process. Italy is not renewing their requirements end of this month as I understand it and a mask is not required while outside walking. Hope that helps

It sure does, thanks.

[Beowulf]

 so here is where Machiavelli lived for some time and it’s now an amazing winery with a restaurant. Went through the secret passage( not so secret) to dinner. Had several week paired wines with dinner. Oh and dinner, man where do I start? Highlights the wineries own Chianti with truffle ravioli and then several kinds of meat with a wine called Toscana. To say this wine was good I’d the understatement of the century. The food was amazing.

[bad Chad]

Nice!   

By the way, you don't need to scratch out lic plates, they are Public, anyone, can access them, and what about the poor guy in the smart car? he he

[Bulldog9]

Nice.  SWMBO tells me we are going to Italy this Summer.  I think she and her sister are planning Naples/Salerno.  Not sure I can work in a trip up to Mandello de Laurio, we are only there a week. I am hoping to visit the town my grandmother came from Accetura. We are going to celebrate her sisters wedding, so I will be the package.

[Scout63]

Still more great food notes. Thanks Beowulf. Vicarious traveling is a thing now.

[Beowulf]

. As many of you did I used ENI 10w60 until it wasn’t available. So this cracked me up. Probably just me but I thought I’d share.

[Beowulf]

 more pictures from today. To be able to see the chisel marks was amazing. I use to sculpt stone so following the angles and chisels used captivated me. Stopped by the Guzzi dealer in Florence. Dealer asked me questions about the modifications legal in Texas. Made me a deal on tshirts. Very nice.

[garbln]

Italy, the land of no bad food!

[Beowulf]

Italy, the land of no bad food!

So true.









 

So we started with polenta topped by boar sauce. Next we had a pasta. After the famous steak florentine aged 25 days and weighed out at 1 kilo brought to our table before cooking for approval. All I can say is that’s the best steak of my life. I think I have never tasted it’s equal. Dinner at Hosteria de Gannino If you are ever in Florence you simply must. We went off the beaten path got our hair done in a tiny shop very nice lady who gave us the suggestion. Nice haircuts as well.
We were the only tourists in the restaurant. The waiters insisted we stay as long as we could and refused a tip. Simply a most memorable night filled with wine and amazing food.

[Scout63]

Wow.

[Beowulf]

. Stopped by the leaning tower of Pisa. The pictures don’t capture the severity of how far this tower is leaning. At least to me. Had a quick espresso and on to Venice!

[Beowulf]

Side note . I do not benefit in any way but if you care to the winery sells online delivered to your door. Machiavelli’s old place….Sarceni is the name of the winery I believe.  So if you wish to travel a little vicariously…..if you buy wine back home look for the black rooster on the label. Sign of a superior Sangiovese/ Chianti…

[Huzo]

. Stopped by the leaning tower of Pisa. The pictures don’t capture the severity of how far this tower is leaning. At least to me. Had a quick espresso and on to Venice!

I asked the guide when at the top.
She said currently 3.5 degrees (I think), but has been more. It will fall at 5.5 degrees.
There is a bloody great plumb bob pointing at a mark on the floor to show if it’s falling...!


Great..

[Scout63]

. Stopped by the leaning tower of Pisa. The pictures don’t capture the severity of how far this tower is leaning. At least to me. Had a quick espresso and on to Venice!

Before I got a Guzzi I would have attributed that to Italian engineering. 

[Beowulf]

 tonight featured Venetian flavors. Pretty good but my taste buds and and heart is still in Tuscany. The meal for tonight was sardines in a pickled onion, cured meats, risotto and a pasta comprised of penne and an olive based sauce, chicken livers for the first and second course. The third course was a seabass in an olive based sauce as well. Tiramisu for dessert and the highlight of the meal. Tomorrow some exploration and yes because I’m a tourist I’m arranging a gondola ride. I bought leather jackets in Florence before heading to Venice so should look rather good when my Guzzi is resurrected. Hope you guys are enjoying this at least a fraction of what I am.

[Huzo]

I sat at the apex of one of those bridges over a canal in Venice on my last trip.
In the space of an hour I must have seen 50 people of advanced years struggling up and over with those infernal airport style wheeled travel cases, one old lady was completely stuck with no obvious plan to get across.
They get jagged under the lip on the stone stairs.
On that occasion I carried it over for her.
Anyway.
I thought, if you were a young, good looking guy (I’m neither) and was on hand to carry the case up and over, you’d do pretty well € wise, if you received a small tip each time.
The line of semi debilitated cashed up tourists looked endless...

BTW.
I’ll share these shots with you of Venice 2019. You would have seen the same stuff I guess but a great reminder.

[Huzo]

Before I got a Guzzi I would have attributed that to Italian engineering.

There’s a great big beam if I recall or maybe cables inside, running from the uphill side at the base to the downhill side at the top.
It was installed to go into tension as the thing tries to topple.
The last two decks at the top were placed off centre apparently, to try to get the centre of mass back in place.....!

[Scout63]

I love this thread.  Thanks Beowulf and Huzo. Sara and I have never been - we always seem to end up in Provence or southern Spain.  Italy is next up and steak is on the menu.

[Huzo]

I love this thread.  Thanks Beowulf and Huzo. Sara and I have never been - we always seem to end up in Provence or southern Spain.  Italy is next up and steak is on the menu.

It’s Beouwulf’s thread mate and I hesitated to put my own stuff in. But I thought it relevant and will leave my pictorial contribution at that.
BTW.
That white fluffy stuff around the bike, just gets in EVERYWHERE...!