Flavors of Italy

This is a Guest post by Janet Becker. 

Everybody has dreamed at least once to sit in a premium restaurant with a glass of fine wine and a stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea, with that blue that cuts your breath away. And where to go when you want to get all these?

Think about Italy! You have probably joked at least once with friends acting like Italians, with their unmistakable accent and with their large arm movements. But Italy is not only about friendly people, summer perfume and beautiful views.

Italy is also about FOOD. Great food, taste and diversity. We have Italian restaurants all over the world and the Italian cuisine is one of the most famous in the world. Then it's obvious that you must taste it there, where it all started from. So here we have some tips that will lead you to the world of Italian tastes.

Go to Naples for Pizza

• Known as the city of pizza, Napoli is the third city of Italy, after Milan and Rome. In 2004 a document was released with the original recipe of Neapolitan pizza.
• The best pizza in Naples can sometimes be found in small restaurants that don’t allow a reservation. One of the best options is Pizzaiolo del Presidente. Situated in the center of Naples, the restaurant has its name from a funny story. After Bill Clinton ate there and rated the pizza as the best he had ever eaten, the boss renamed it Pizzaiolo del Presitente (The president’s pizza).
• Another great option is pizzeria Da Michele, on Via Sersale 13. Here you can taste the famous Pizza Margherita or the delicious Pizza Quattro Stagioni, which means four seasons.

Venice for Fish and Sea Food

• If you want a genuine seafood experience, you must go to the most famous fish market in Italy. Situated in Venice, Rialto Market offers you a large range of fresh fish and seafood. The food can be cooked in front of you and, as a tip, fresh seafood and home-made Italian pasta make the best combination.
• Another good option is Ristorante Marco Polo, situated in the touristic center of Venice. The restaurant offers quality service and cozy atmosphere, along with the best seafood and fish specialties, which makes it perfect for a great and authentic Italian experience.

Milan for Pasta

• As a reward for its special cuisine, Milan has several world-known restaurants. One of them in Antica Osteria della Lanterna, an authentic place situated in the center of Milan. Here you can enjoy the best home-made pasta in Milan, with genuine Italian decorations and served by a local gentile woman.
• Another great place is the Pastamadre Restaurant, meaning Mother of Pasta. This cozy place is situated on Via Bernadino Corio 8 and, of course, the main dish is pasta. Whether you want the well-known Carbonara or you prefer something that you’ve never heard about, this is one of the best places in Milan to try it and you surely won’t be disappointed.

So, if you decided to go there for a culinary experience, you should prepare your luggage and your passport. You should know that there are no special visa requirements for Italy, unlike for US, where you need an ESTA approval to travel, so you are free to go to Italy and enjoy your holiday. Buon appetito!

LEGO and going back to the 1930’s

The day before Christmas Eve we decided to drive El Camino up to Palo Alto and visit “Living LEGO-cy” exhibit at Museum of American Heritage (MOAH). My stepson Xavier is a big LEGO fan so we wanted to check it out. It turns out to be so much fun! The display is so detailed that you can look at it for like an hour and still discover new things. Especially we enjoyed the trains - I had no idea LEGO makes trains. 

In the kitchen with... George Washington

On our recent trip to DC we visited not only Gettysburg but also Mount Vernon, the estate and plantation that belonged to the first American President George Washington, now his burial site and a world famous museum. The place is no doubt very historical and a must-see. When Dave is into historical figures, I am more of low key and interested in everyday life of people in different times. Mount Vernon satisfied us both. Dave saw where George Washington lived and buried, and I saw how people lived back then and how they ran their household.

Going back in time: a Gettysburg-inspired dinner

Food and traveling always come together, and I am not talking about just eating out but expanding your own culinary skills as well. In September Dave and I were visiting DC. After checking out the major attractions and going to the Nationals vs Marlins game (the new Nationals ballpark is amazing!) we decided to do a day trip to Gettysburg, the site of the famous battle during the Civil War. 

To tell you the truth I had not know about it until recently (shame on me!) but Gettysburg was on Dave’s bucket list for a long time. The trip turned out to be a real eye opener for me. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, near the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle was the bloodiest in the American history with 50,000 people killed or wounded and is described as a turning point in the whole Civil War.

Now it is my time to be a guest blogger

The previous post was by a guest blogger. I am very excited about it and hope it opens a door to many other guests in my virtual kitchen. I was a guest blogger too! 

The post for Traveling Canucks about Volgograd, my Grandma's hometown, I wrote several months ago, when she was still with us, but it went live after she had passed away. So it is in a way my tribute to her. 

I was contemplating on re-posting it on my blog - it is more a travel post than a kitchen one, but since I don't have a stand-alone travel blog yet (Dave and I have been thinking about it for quite a while but when do we have time to get serious about it?), and the post is featuring a local specialty ...so I think it is ok post it here too. And hey, it is my own blog so I can do whatever I want here, right?

Here you go: Tribute to the WWII Heroes on the Banks of Russia’s Volga River

Would you like to see more travel-related posts on this blog? Comments are always welcome;)