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Saturday, February 7, 2009

Italy!

I am lucky enough to be married to a chef who does get a couple weeks off each year. For the past three years Erik and I have gone away during the spring and this year we're off to Italy! We've been saving for the last 12 months and the vouchers we got coming from Costa Rica helped to send us overseas. We're landing in Milan mid-April then driving/railing around from Milan to Florence, Parma, and Venice. Hopefully we'll also end up in some small towns and authentic Italian restaurants.

Erik went once with his parents for the big millennium. Remember that? But this will be my first time. I'm looking forward to warm pasta, salty cheeses, Earthy wine, and one of a kind handbags.

Anyone who's been to Italy is encouraged to let me know any travelers pointers and tips. I'm really looking forward to this and I want it to be perfect!

DCW_NYC
-Hilary-

3 comments:

Chef WAG said...

My OH is a Chef in London, we went to Italy a few years back and stayed in Tuscany, we visited Pisa, Florence and Sienna... be warned Italian drivers are mad and there are thousands (no exaggeration) of mopeds... Florence was by far the worst place in the world to drive around, we were amazed by cars driving the wrong way down the road on more than one occasion!!
The food is amazing… no doubt about it. The meditation sun makes their produce taste amazing, we went self catering and had hours of fun walking around the markets selecting delights then returning to our villa where the Chef conjured up some fabulous dishes.
Dinning out was an experience…. simple mamas sauce and pasta and wild boar… yummy. Try not to get caught up in the tourist pizza there is so much more on offer.
We did however chose the worst time to go… August.... which is a month of holiday, most places were closed and to top it off we were caught in the worst week of rain and thunder that I have ever experienced.
Hope you have a lovely time.
http://chefwag.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I lived in Northern Italy for 6 weeks during college...the best piece of advice anyone ever gave me was from a professor. While we were in Venice, he told us to "get lost...it's an island, you can't fall off". That made all the difference in the world. We wandered around and found a great family restaurant on some back road and had the best meal for only 10 euros.

Also, when you're in Florence, pay the 5 euros or whatever it is to go to the top of the duomo. As long as you're not claustrophobic (the stairways are tiny), it's COMPLETELY worth the hike to the top. Breathtaking.

Most of all, have fun!

Anonymous said...

I'm jealous! I've only been to Southern Italy, so I can't really give any recommendations, but I will tell you that I still have scars from a "scooter situation." They're not as docile as they seem.

Have a blast!