Travel Tales from Italy

Pizza.  Pasta.  Vino.  All things you associate with Italy and I managed to sample all of them in copious amounts on my recent trip.  

The last time I was in Italy I did a food and wine tour through Tuscany; this time I travelled with my boyfriend to see his family and friends.

The trip was great, but exhausting!  We travelled from north to south, west to east – maximizing the 15 days we were there.  After landing in Rome, we took a train straight to Naples.  If you’ve been to Naples, you know how crazy it is.  If you haven’t been to Naples, then whoa!  It is another world, filled with things we don’t see in Canada very often.  

It’s a city without rules.  Huge piles of garbage fill the streets, cars don’t stop for red lights and helmets while riding a scooter is unheard of.   One of the craziest things I saw was a mom, 2-year-old and a dad crowded on a tiny Vespa, without helmets, weaving in and out of traffic.  Coming from rigid, law-abiding Canada, I was shocked.  Crossing the street is also a challenge, but vehicles are respectful of pedestrians. Naples is great for people watching, but it’s famous for the pizza, which is unparalleled in flavour and simplicity.  We ate at Da Michele, the most famous pizzeria in the world. Known for its use of natural ingredients, and time-tested method of leavening pizza dough, it’s no wonder why the pizzeria has had some famous clients (Julia Roberts eats there in “Eat, Pray, Love”).  We paid 4 euros for an entire pizza, but was quickly gobbled up while soaking up the sunshine.

On our travels, we walked 20 kilometres around the city.  The people at the hotel thought we were nuts!  We were going to take the cable car, but they were on strike (apparently this happens quite often).  Fortified by pizza, we trekked around this spectacular city taking in the views of the nearby islands from the highest point of Naples.  It was spectacular.

After Naples, we took the ferry to the island of Capri.  It is stunning, but Capri is not for the traveller on a budget.  With money in your pocket, Capri is great; but, filled with tourist trap restaurants.  We stayed in Anacapri,which is a little less “touristy” (which isn’t saying much) and a little cheaper.  Stunning views can be seen from all over the island and it’s complete with a great transit system.  A couple of euros and you can traverse the entire island with ease. 

From Capri, we went south to Calabria: the undiscovered gem of the entire country.  The coastline is stunningly beautiful. Heading inland, little villages and mountains create a picture-perfect landscape.  From Vinitaly, I reported on the wines of Calabria. Gaglioppo is the main red grape.  Unoaked, it is partnered well with local meats and cheeses. I tasted a few, proving to be real competitors with the best Super Tuscans.  Purchasing local wines in each of town and matching then with meats, breads and cheeses was a real highlight – experiences that cannot be replicated.

From Calabria we flew to Milan, which is a very safe and beautiful city.  It reminds me of Hamburg, Germany and Toronto, actually.  I found the people of Milan to be quite cold.  The people in stores were rude and tended to avoid eye contact. That aside, there are many good reasons to visit the city. Milan has every designer imaginable and lots of bargain outlets for the shopaholic. The Duomo is fantastic and there is La Scala, the most famous opera house in the world.  We spent some time in Park Sempione, which is like Milan’s version of Toronto’s High Park. 

While I was in Italy, Verona was hosting Vinitaly – one of the largest wine shows in the world.  We stayed in a little town at Lake Garda called “Pescheira del Garda” and took a 15-minute train ride to Verona for the two days we spent at the show.  Lake Garda is a huge resort area, populated mainly by locals.  It was also the scene of one of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever seen, the sun slowly set over the lake creating this magical vista that cannot properly be captured by camera.

Vinitaly was an incredible experience.  All the wine regions of Italy are represented in big buildings at the exhibition centre.  I focused on a different wine each day, like Calabria. I even visited the Agrifood building to savour dthe various olive oils.  The best oil I tasted came from olives grown at the base of Mount Etna in Siciliy. Visitors can also sample espresso from all the different beans across the country.  It was a bonanza of Italian goodness. 

Our travels soon took me to Venice, a place now close to my heart.  I had seen pictures of Venice but nothing can prepare you for it.  I fell in love at night, looking over the Rialto bridge and watching the gondolas float down the water. We stood in Piazza San Marco as a quartet played classical music, and travelled by foot and by ferry.  A 24-hour pass cost 18 euros, a good deal considering each one-way fare is 3 euros.  The city is always crowded with tourists, but you can always find a quiet corner with another beautiful building overlooking the water.  Venice is a must-see place in every way. 

NOTE: To avoid having a poor “touristy” meal,  hit up the grocery stores for local meats, cheeses and bread.  We had a mini-Venice feast in our hotel room, while listening to the din of the crowd outside. 

Post Venice, we travelled to Abruzzo to visit my boyfriend’s family.  The coastal areas of Abruzzo are amazing and I bet you didn’t know there was an actual mountain range in Abruzzo. I tried some amazing wines from the region, including the white grape Passerina (a new favourite) and drank the famous Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  It’s readily available here at the LCBO. 

Overall, the trip was a fascinating look into how Italians live.  The country is at a crossroads with the artisan component of the economy –  as craftspeople die, the next generation seems more interested in the North American lifestyle. The very things that make Italy special, like tradition and family businesses, are fading.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 50 years.

Stuff I learned:

• When you know someone and you say good-bye, you say “Ciao”. 
• When you don’t know them you say “Arrividerci”. 
• Italian women create an immaculate home space, while men look after everything outside the house. For example, I made the mistake of pouring my boyfriend some mineral water, big no-no in their culture. 
• Wine is CHEAP.  We bought a bottle of Dom Perignon as a gift for someone for 104 euros, about $150 Canadian. That same bottle in Canada is over 200 dollars.  Local bottles of wine are also affordable, averaging 3 euros. 
• Most of the stores (even in major cities) are open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., close for a three-hour lunch, then re-open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Italians live for the simple pleasures: a walk in the sunshine, a great coffee and delicious food. Next time, I’m going to try to slow down a little bit, live more simply and instill the little things that make the Italian lifestyle so attractive.  Italy is a very special place and I can’t wait to return.