Just back from Tuscany

[imcarthur]

One of the most beautiful places in the world. Too many tourists but every vista is a postcard. Thanks for the pics. Did you drive the coast road & the over the mountain roads?

Ian

[slodave]

The memories... I lost all my digi pix from Tuscany .

We stayed in this apt. for about two weeks in 2001.

[efhughes3]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

One of the most beautiful places in the world. Too many tourists but every vista is a postcard. Thanks for the pics. Did you drive the coast road & the over the mountain roads?

Ian

Indeed...it's tough to imagine deciding that terrain would be a good place to build roads and towns.

We took a train down from Rome to Naples, and went from there to Positano. We did some day trips to Amalfi, Sorrento, Pompeii.

We hired a driver for our trips....that is one crazy road system. I cut a deal on the front side with a company that gave us new Mercedes with a driver when we needed it. Not cheap, but the two guys we had for our trips were great guys, and steered us to some great restaurants we may not've gone to. Too many buses coming over from Sorrento and Naples cruise ships. And it wasn't even summer, when I hear it is ludicrous.

Tuscany is the place to drive and enjoy it.

[Dottore]

We love Tuscany as well, particularly the driving.

Here's a random pic from our last trip.

We had one of the best meals of our life at that little table. A local grilled sage-sausage to start, followed by a small anchovy and pine nut pasta, followed by veal scallopini in a Barolo reduction, and some outstanding pecorino cheese.

[efhughes3]

Here are a couple of pics from Florence a couple of years ago. Taking FRESH honey, some orange rind, Pecorino cheese and some good bread was an unbelievable combo!







Guess I'll throw in a Siena pic too:

[Monza_dh]

I've been to Italy a handful of times to visit my wife's family mostly in the north: Torino, Bergamo, Genoa and one uncle in Sicily. Like all over Europe people drive like they just robbed a bank,in Italy probably common, and in the North where the money is you will see many high end cars. Ferrari's, Audis, Bimmers, Benz'z P-Cars etc. One one trip to the Courmayeur I was passed by two Ferrari's and an Audi RS4 wagon doing well over 100mph. My crap Fiat Pinto rental was almost blown over.

As for the food I think you guys are high! Italian food varies region to region and even town to town. If you are in the touristy places eating prix fix menus, then yes you will be sick of it the same pizza and bowl of pasta . You need to venture off the beaten path a bit or one more street/alley-way from the main piazza to get some variety and real local flavor. There's tends to be more of a meat focus in the north, more fish along the coast and just about everything in Umbria and Tuscany.

If you get sick of the food while on a long trip just spend a few days over the border in Switzerland or Austria then you'll be wishing you were back in Italy just for the food!!

Lago Maggiore:



Bergamo:






Cinque Terra from the sea:


And while I love Italy, I love France a bit more....

[Jim Bremner]

the smoked rabbit was in Bergamo. neat city

[Cornpanzer]

Nice thread! Keep up the good info. I find these discussions much more rounded than most I read on travel forums

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by efhughes3

We took a train down from Rome to Naples, and went from there to Positano. We did some day trips to Amalfi, Sorrento, Pompeii. . . . Tuscany is the place to drive and enjoy it.

Italian driving is all about attitude & nerve. We flew into Rome & rented a car & drove straight to Amalfi - the same day without any real sleep. If I was doing it again, I would not drive it until the next day. All went well until I took a wrong exit off the Autostrade in Naples. Then it was 1 1/2 hours of sheer mania in Naples & suburbs & being tired just made it worse. Once we finally got to Sorrento, the hop over the mountain was great & the coast road was no big deal. 6 hours of steering wheel time. After that first day, I got a feel for the driving & all went well during our over the mountain day trips to Pompeii etc.

Driving in Tuscany & Umbria later in the trip was fabulous. You just have to drive fast with medium aggression level & all is well. In other words, gag & blindfold your spouse & it is fun.

In May/June, I am going to test my nerve again with 13 days meandering aound Sicily. I can't wait.

Ian

[efhughes3]

I've relished every meal I've had there, whether expensive or not. One of the best (and most expensive) lunches I've ever had was @ a restaurant called Sophia's in Sorrento. They picked us up at a shopping center in the house van, and drove us down a one way lane between block walls, thru a citurs orchard and to the restaurant that was actually in an old farmhouse. Sure it was "ethnocentric", but what a meal!

[Monza_dh]

While I've had many great meals in Italy, including home cooked meals from my wife's aunts, my best memory of the perfect meal was when my wife and I were in Cinque Terra we stumbled upon a small food shop fon the water for lunch.

The old man made me a panini in this order: He took a large fresh baked piece of warm focaccia and sliced two large pieces. He then took a large fresh ball of mozzarella out of its water and a large tomato and sliced off two large pieces each. He then grabbed a massive leg of pig and slowly shaved of paper thin slices or prosciutto. Lastly pick he picked a few fresh leaves off a basil plant from the window and assembled all on the focaccia then drizzled with olive oil. He wrapped it up in some white paper so I could take it on the ferry. It was one of the best meals let aone sandwichs I've ever had!

[vash]

anyone remember the method of moving farming supplies in cinco terra?



breakfast in (i think this is) venice


it would have been a top 5 vacation, if it my wingnuts sister didnt go berzerk.

[efhughes3]

Vash: Funny comment about the sister, I've got one of those too.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by vash

it would have been a top 5 vacation, if it my wingnuts sister didnt go berzerk.

Please do tell . . .

Ian

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Monza_dh

The old man made me a panini in this order: He took a large fresh baked piece of warm focaccia and sliced two large pieces. He then took a large fresh ball of mozzarella out of its water and a large tomato and sliced off two large pieces each. He then grabbed a massive leg of pig and slowly shaved of paper thin slices or prosciutto. Lastly pick he picked a few fresh leaves off a basil plant from the window and assembled all on the focaccia then drizzled with olive oil. He wrapped it up in some white paper so I could take it on the ferry. It was one of the best meals let aone sandwichs I've ever had!

I love those meals in Italy. To make the most out of simple, fresh ingredients is a particular Italian art.

I had a tomato once, in Cortona, with a splash of olive oil and some grated pecorino. It tasted sublime.

[imcarthur]

Did somebody say gelato? Nothing . . . well, very little . . . beats a cold gelato on a hot day sitting in the piazza of some small Italian town. Limone per favore.

Ian