Foodtopia Moments

Pineapple swan

Last night we headed to Ristorante Netti, relieved to see that the financial crisis had not claimed the place. We had our pizzas, mine with sauce, mozzarella, sharp provolone, and spicy salami; mom’s with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, Grana Padano shavings and olive oil. Then we had pineapple art  for dessert .

Vegetable medley

Today, we had a medley of vegetables over some day old bakery bread. It was delicious and the day old bread provided the perfect firmness for the vegetable juices. Melanzane (eggplant), zucchini, pomodorini (small tomatoes), cipolla (onion), basilica (basil), pepperoni rosso (red pepper), olio di oliva (olive oil) and patate (potatoes) made up the delicious mix.

First Day(s) Hiccups

Mom with her Netti Pizza at Ristorante Netti.
Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes, parm cheese shavings,
arugula and Olive Oil.

There is always something when you open a house for the first time in nearly a year. This year, a trash can is missing and the washing machine doesn't drain. To top it off, my Zia (aunt) fell yesterday ending up in the ER, and now her face looks like she went a half a round with Mike Tyson.

We spent much of the past 48 hours sleeping and cleaning, though we did manage to do some shopping. We tried to head to Carrefour, one of the biggest markets around, but it has succumbed to the financial crisis, as have a handful of businesses in our little town. Half of the gardening is done, and tomorrow I'll finish up to be all ready to spend Saturday scrubbing the patio floor and washing the inside of the house.

The people here keep asking me what they are saying in America about the Italian crisis. I've

let them know we have our own problems and hear more about Cyprus, Spain and Greece. The Italians are always willing to strike up a conversation about the crisis and I've heard it described as a very dark period in the country’s history that will probably last another 15 years. It could get bad visiting here soon.

We did manage to visit Ristorante Netti last night. Once again, the best pizza I've ever eaten. 

Foodtopia Moments

Last night I was tired. However, I pushed through and made sure to head into Rome and to a restaurant I enjoy near Piazza Navona. It was under new management, but some of the food was still great. I had a mixed salad, a mixed bruschetta plate, and spaghetti carbonara. The last dish was American gourmet, but par for the course in Rome. To end the night, I ordered a Manhattan at the hotel bar, which came with my own snack tray.

A Fortuitous Travel Day

Vittore Emmanuelle

Piazza Navona

When I awoke about 36 hours ago, I didn't know what to expect from my day of travel. My seat on my connecting flight was unconfirmed and I did not know what to do about my luggage when I connected to a different airline. Not to mention, I would be spending 4 sleepy hours in an airport that was in a country whose language I don't know.

Piazza Navona

Quickly, though, the day turned into a great one for travel. While checking in for my flight to Frankfurt online, I upgraded to United's Economy Plus, which just means more leg room. I took a seat in front of an exit row so I could recline. When we boarded the plane, the flight attendant saw that my row was full, but the exit row was empty, so she switched me. The seats didn't recline but I was able to curl up just enough to be comfortable on three seats. I even managed to sleep about 2 hours. I saw the movie "Admission" with Tina Fey, tried to watch "The Guilt Trip" with Seth Rogen (blatantly unwatchable), and fell asleep watching "Gangster Squad" with Sean Penn. 

The Pantheon

While dropping off my bag at the airport, I was given a seat assignment on my connecting flight, and my bag was checked through. The Frankfurt Airport was easy to manage, had plenty of pretzels and other baked goods, and the flight came with an empty seat next to me.

Upon arrival in Rome, I went straight to the Hilton Rome Airport Hotel to check in. They upgraded me to an executive room with access to the executive lounge. That’s when I took a two hour slumber with the blackout curtains keeping the room dark as night.

Trevi Fountain

Il Coloseo

When I got up, I really wanted to just stay in and chill. But how could I pass up an opportunity to head into Rome for dinner. The hotel had a shuttle that when it left was driving through a rain storm. By the time we got to the center of Rome, the rain was done and I was able to stay dry in my 2-hour sprint around the historic city.

I saw the Memorial to Vittorio Emmanuelle where my dad had served as a guard, The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain. From the shuttle bus I also saw the Circus Maximus, Foro Romano, Il Coloseo, and the Arch of Constantine. All in all it was a fun outing in which I probably walked about 4 miles and managed to eat a good dinner.

Airport people watching

Waiting for a flight can be a nervous time for some. But for others it is a time to plan and to people watch. I'm writing this from Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport. I'm all checked through to Rome via Frankfurt. Let the adventure begin.

Introducing...

Based on all the feedback I get from readers of this blog, I've created a new blog that I'll work on year round. Introducing the Voracious Voyager blog. It can be found at http://voraciousvoyager.blogspot.com

Three Trips Set

With school winding down, the time has arrived for me to begin traveling. In the coming weeks and months I will be updating this blog as I travel South to Florida and East to Italy (and possibly other European countries). And yes, I will definitely include updates on culinary delights that I find along the way.

I will be announcing updates via Facebook, or you can subscribe directly to this blog and get notifications when I update.See you in a couple of weeks when I head to Southwest Florida.