The Cinque Terre

Two words.
Cinque Terre.

Five villages clustered along the coast of the Italian Riviera. The Ligurian Sea sits at the doorstep of it's rugged cliffs that jut into the sky.

Tourism here is bustling and booming thanks to travel guru Rick Steves. His book, considered the travel bible to many can be widely seen in the hands of the pilgrim tourist. While travel planning with my wife though, I'd often forget his name and end up calling him Rick James. You know, of "Super Freak" fame. No offense Rick.

If you come to Italy, you must come see this place. There's an expression they use to describe Cinque Terre; "Tra il cielo e la mare". Between the sky and the sea. It indeed looks like a place where God kissed the earth. A world entirely different in it's rythym from the fast paced Roma. We hiked up mountain sides to see remote villages, gawked at the terraces that shape the hillsides; chatted with the locals; drank it's red wines; dipped ourselves into the Mediterranean and passed along the Via Dell'Amore (the Love Walk) where youth through the years committed their love to one another in the language of grafitti.

Oh yeah. And we ate the food.

As they say in Italy, "Cuando mangia in Italia, se mangia bene". When you eat in Italy, you eat well. I cannot argue with that. In the Cinque Terre one eats pasta and fresh fish. One, the other or both. We had Spaghetti alla Scoglia; pasta with shrimp, mussels and clams. Very Mmm. At Manarola (one of the other villages) we had Taglierini with artichoke and shrimp. Taglierini is a type of ribbon pasta egg noodle. The pasta was tossed with artichokes and shrimp. Very good and very delicious. Did you know that shrimp have eyes and little legs? They do and you are not supposed to eat those parts.

For dinner we would go to the Panificio Rossi Bakery. If you stop by, say hi to Roberta. She's fun and helpful. We would pick up a loaf of her bread and stop at one of the local mercatos to purchase sliced Milanese salami and soft pecorino cheese. With that, their local olive oil and Cinque Terre red wine, we would sit at our outdoor terrace and mangiare as the sun said a reluctant goodbye to another day. Fantastico! Did I mention that we brought Jif Peanut Butter? To keep the costs down and have a little bit of home with us. Did I mention how great PB tastes overlooking the village of Riomaggiore and the endless sea? Not too bad!

One Special Meal
La Grota
Fresh Seabass. Caught that day. Eaten that day. Vanessa Signoretto served it to our table. She is part of the family that has owns this lovely restaraunt and specializes in family recipes for it's fare. La Grota is restored from a wine cellar dating back to the 300's. Vanessa was knowledgeable and helpful.
The dish was superb.



Our Special Accomodation
Cinque Terrace Locanda
We stayed here and loved the location. We were at the high part of town so after a meal in the village below, we only had 1,716 winding steps to climb up to our residence. A great way to walk off dinner. Well okay, maybe it was only 913 steps.

Carla is owner/operator and was a wonderful host. She along with Piero and her son Davide could not do enough for us. They made our stay awesome. One of our special treats while there was to enjoy appetizers with Carla and her family. Salami made from local wild pigs. Mozzarella made from Buffalo milk. And more. But getting to know them, hear their stories and laugh with them. Now that was the great part.

We are now in Perugia. But that's a story for next time. Thanks for tagging along with us.

And remember if you are thinking about dropping by the Cinque Terre, don't forget to pick up a copy of that travel guide book by Rick James.

I mean Steves.

When in Rome

Pizza, Pasta and the Pope.
Oh, there's the gelato and can't forget the cappacino.
This will be the last entry from Rome. The time here has been great.

The Pizza
Locanda Barberini Ristorante
The Locanda is said to compose poetry in their kitchen; recited in the form of their dishes.

We orderted a Pizza Napoli. Thin crust. Homemade sauce. Mozzerella and anchovies. Fantastic. I didn't even know that I liked anchovies. Their specialty is "forno a legna". Conventional pizza ovens are gas or electric. Theirs is a wood fired oven, so come in knowing you will wait about 20 minutes or so. But the wait is worth it, for the flavor is unbeatable. We paired it with a Moretti Beer. It was like they were made for each other.

You can get Moretti in California. Unfortunately, you won't find Locandas.

The Pasta

Cafe Vitti
This family owned ristorante is located in the heart of Roma.

We ordered the baked lasagna. Their sauce and pasta are all made there on premises. This lasagna was great. I wish you could have been there to enjoy it with us. But you would have had to order your own plate because we ate ALL of ours. Fresh noodles. Molten parmesan and mozerella cheeses. Flavorful pomodoro sauce. Sitting outside in the plaza underneath the blue skies of Roma. One almost had to pinch oneself.

                                                     

The Pope

We stopped at the Vatican. Gawked at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. My wife asked if when we got home I could do our ceiling like that. Then climed the dome of the Basilica and heard the bells of St. Peter's. Offered to take the Pope out to lunch, but his schedule was a little tight.

Well, maybe next time we're in town.

Ciao

Mangia Goes Mobile

Hello all.
Mangia is going Mobile.

Specifically, we are hopping a plane and leaving the destination spot of California.

And more specifically, we are headed for the destination spot called Italia.

Please join us on our adventures as we explore a new culture, language and land. Oh, and new foods!


Sacramneto
Can airport food actually taste great? I mean, just because one is on the way to Italy does all food automatically taste better?
Is there a psychological influence that one's destination has over one's journey?
I should know.
As a licensed mental health profesional with post graduate training, years of experience and a keen insight into the human psyche. So I'll tell you.
I don't know.
I do know that my wife and I are on the way to Italy. We are sitting at the airport in Sacramento eating an early morning meal and she says to me;
"That was the best breakfast ever!"
It's grilled chicken at the Lemon Grass Grill. And it's in the Sacramento Airport.
Blame it on Italy!
Okay. And now we are off to the boarding gate!

Losa Angeles: LAX
LAX is B-I-G. Notorious for big.
We walk and walk. Walk just a little more and we are at the TSA screening check point.
We plant our feet and take turns posing naked for the agents.
I am sure that I am providing entertainment
If you ever pass this way, just remember:
Raise your arms, palms outward. And smile!
Time for a snack. All that activity has made me hungry.

Ciao e a Presto!