Friday, April 29, 2022

Relaxation Amalfi Coast Style

 



"RELAXATION" 









NEED a HOTEL ?

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST










POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK





Go to TUSCANY Florence Pisa


 The TREASURES of TUSCANY 

GUIDED TOUR




Start in Florence

Visit Pisa & The Leaning Tower at Piazza Mirocali

Visit San Gigminano and The Chianti Classico Region

With a Wonderful Wine Tasting Lunch





San Gimignano





PISA


TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Spend a memorable day discovering the highlights of Tuscany: Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena

  • Enjoy a typical Tuscan lunch and a wine tasting

See all the treasures Tuscany has to offer with stops at Pisa, San Gimignano, and Siena. Tour the scenic Chianti countryside and enjoy a Tuscan lunch served with local wines.

Begin with a tour of Pisa and admire the stunning Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Monumental Cemetery, and the celebrated Leaning Tower. Continue to a wine estate or restaurant in the foothills of San Gimignano and enjoy a typical Tuscan lunch with wine tasting.

After lunch, explore one of the most famous medieval hilltop villages in Italy, San Gimignano, and discover the maze of cobbled streets, small squares, and many local artisan shops.

Take in the panoramic views of the Chianti countryside, before stopping in Siena.


Here, a specialist guide joins the group and leads the walk around the most important squares to the Cathedral. Finish your tour with a coffee and visit the local shops.



TOUR INFO & RESERVATIONS



This TOUR SELLS OUT FAST - BOOK TODAY







The LEANING TOWER of PISA

CATHEDRAL of PISA






CHIANTI COUNTRYSIDE

Enjoy a wonderful Chianti Tasting Lunch in The Tuscan Countryside







Need a Hotel






GOING to The AMALFI COAST ?



POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL / COOKBOOK



"DON'T LEAVE HOME Without IT" !










Thursday, April 28, 2022

A Day in CAPRI

 



SORRENTO to CAPRI BOAT TOUR







SWIMMING / CRUSING

And MORE



YOUR CAPRI TOUR HIGHLIGHTS



  • Sail around Capri to admire the dramatic coastal scenery of the island
  • Go swimming and snorkeling at two different coves
  • Opt to visit the Blue Grotto and admire the intense blue of this famous sea cave
  • Explore the narrow winding streets of Capri at your own pace
  • Enjoy a light lunch onboard, and sample the traditional liqueur Limoncello



In the morning you will either be picked up from your hotel in the Sorrento area, or will make your own way to the Marina Lobra port in Massa Lubrense. Board your comfortable boat that accommodates up to 12 people and start cruising along the Sorrento coastline.

Admire views of the Marciano Waterfall, before heading out to sea and towards the Island of Capri. If you select the early morning option including the Blue Grotto, you will arrive there right as it opens, avoiding the long queues.

Board a small rowboat to marvel at the intense blue color of this unique sea cave, formed over thousands of years by erosion. Next, circumnavigate Capri to admire the dramatic coastal scenery of the island.

See the White Grotto, the Green Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks, a natural arch, and the lighthouse of Punta Carena. Your guide will explain the wonders of Capri and its surroundings as you go.

The boat will make stops at 2 different coves to go snorkeling and admire the rich marine life of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Enjoy a light lunch consisting of a Caprese sandwich or salad and your choice of drinks.

The boat will then drop you off on Capri, where you will have 4 hours to discover this beautiful island at your own pace. You could do some shopping and have a drink in the charming town, or take the chairlift to the top of Mount Solaro and hike back down. Meet back at the boat and start the return journey back to the port. En route, enjoy a tasting of Limoncello, the traditional Neapolitan liqueur. Your trip will end either at the port in Massa Lubrense, or with a drop-off at your hotel, depending on the option selected.




INFO & RESERVATIONS










POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE







Sophia Loren T Shirt

 



Sophia Loren & Jane Mansfield

HOLLYWOOD  1957







SOPHIA LOREN

And JANE MANSFIELD

ROMANOFF'S RESTAURANT

HOLLYWOOD



Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Pompeii Vesuvius Wine Tasting Lunch Tour

MEET at POMPEII TRAIN STATION

To START an AMAZING POMPEII VESUVIUS TOUR

The ANCIENT RUINS of POMPEII & WINE TOUR

 

Mount VESUVIUS WINERY TOUR
 
And ANCIENT RUINS of POMPEII
 
With WINE TASTING LUNCH on The VINEYARD
 
 
TOUR DETAILS

 
Take the train and get off at "Pompei Scavi" (Pompeii Circumvesuviana train station).
 
From this station, a private transfer will take you to the enchanting "Sorrento Winery" located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
 
On arrival, Maria Paola and her family (the owners) will greet you with a welcome drink. After a brief introduction, take a tour among the vines, some of which are more than a hundred years old. Enjoy the wonderful view above the Gulf of Naples.
 
Continue your activity and enjoy a 4-course lunch made of local and homemade products. Each dish will be paired with a different glass of wine.
 
At the end of your lunch, you will come back to Pompeii Scavi railway station.
.
.
The SORRENTO VINEYARDS
.
.
.
On The SORRENTO WINERT Tour
With a WONDERFUL WINE TASTING LUNCH
 
by MARIA PAOLA
 
 
 
 
Includes :
 
  • Guided wine tour with tasting and 4-course lunch
  • Round-trip transportation to and from Pompeii
  • Live tour commentary in Englis

 
  • Take a vine tour and meet the winery owners
  • Experience the slopes of Mount Vesuvius
  • Enjoy a 4-course lunch made of local and homemade products
 
 
 
.
.
Can You Picture Yourslef Here ?
IF YOU CAN CLICK HERE !
.
.
.
You Will Have a BEAUTIFUL WINE LUNCH
On The SLOPES of Mt. VESUVIUS
.
.
.
DRINK LACRYMA CHRIST WINE
"The TEARS of CHRIST"
.
.
AFTER LUNCH
YOU WILL BE BROUGHT BACK to POMPEII
The ANCIENT RUINS of POMPEII
 
 
 
 
 
"DON'T LEAVE HOME without IT" !!!
 
 
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
 
TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK
 
 
NEED a ROOM ?
 
CAPRI - POSITANO - SORRENTO
 
The AMALFI COAST
 
 
 

Monday, April 18, 2022

Puglia Italy Trip

 




BARI, ITALY

APULIA


Heading to Bari, Italy on May 7th 2022. Going with my cousin Tony and his wife Debbie. We'll be in Salerno for 2 days, seeing our cousins before heading to Bari on the 7th May. We'll stay in Bari for 4 days, using it as a base to explore Puglia. We're not sure where we'll end up going, driving around in our car (rental). Most likely : Monopoli, Locorotondo, Lecce, whereever the wind takes us.

Tony and Debbie are leaving Puglia on the 11th, to fly to Spain. I'll be staying on. I just booked some Trullo accomodations in Alberobello for two nights, startin on the 11th of May, and I'll check out on the 13th of the month. I'm staying at  Trullo Antica Dell Fileria ... I have 2 days to check out The Land of Trulli. Hope it's good. I'll probably go to Locorotondo or Cisternino on my secend day for a half a day of eating, drinking wine, and exploration. Not sure yet whether I'll be able to rent a scooter, or, if not, I'll take a bus or car service to get back and forth. I prefer to rent a scooter, if they're not insanely expensive, or if available. We'll see.

After my two days in Alberabello and the surrounding area, I don't know where I'll go from there. I may stay in Puglia. I can head to Sicily or the Amalfi Coast, or Abruzzo, before going back to Rome to catch my flight back home to New York. Again, we'll see when the time comes. So for now, I'm researching things to do, and places to go in Apulia, and other options.







CISTERNINO, ITALY

PUGLIA






GRILLED SAUSAGES

From ZIO PIETRO

CISTERNONO




Zio Pietro

Cisternino





Cisternino





HOTELS ALL OVER PUGLIA

BARI  - OSTUNI - ALBERABELLO

And  MORE










GOING to POSITANO ?

The AMALFI COAST ?




POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

ITALY

NAPLES  CAPRI  SORRENTO

TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK








The BEST of ITALY

And PUGLIA !!!



PIZZA PASTA VESPAS

And MORE !!!!





BARI




"MANGIA BENE" !!!

BARI






BARI

DOCUMENTARIO







MONOPOLI






MONOPOLI,  ITALY 

Video





Bari Cecchio

Old Town






BARI




BARI VECCHIO

OLD TOWN

BARI, ITALY





Bari Vecchio






Bari Vecchio

ITALY











HOTELS in PUGLIA

And ALL of ITALY

And The WORLD









RECIPES FROM MY NONNA

GRANDMA BELLINO'S COOKBOOK








BARI





ORECHHIETTE in BARI

Video








Alberobello









BEST of PUGLIA




BEST of PUGLIA

And MATERA

Alex Polizzi








OSTUNI



The WHITE CITY






OSTUNI

The WHITE CITY






Piazza Liberta

The Main Piazza of Ostuni






CATHEDRAL of St MARY

OSTUNI 

Gothic




CISTERNINO




CISTERNINO


Video Tour

Sights, Trattoria, Butcher Shops & ?





Fornello Pronto !!!








Mangia Bene











CANTINA di CASALINI

CISTERNINO

ITALY





MOZART



















GALLIPOLI



GALLIPOLI

TRAVEL GUIDE





BEACH at GALLIPOLI





Fish Market

Gallipoli

ITALY





Gallipoli






STATUE of PADRE PIO

GALLIPOLI










CATHEDRALE of SANTA' AGATA

GALLIPOLI






Spiaggia Purita

Gallipoli




















"I Might Go to Matera" ?




Matera, Italy











MASSERIA JORCHE












JORCHE MASSERIA

PUGLIA








PASTICCIOTTI



RECIPE 

Ingredients :

Pastry :

  • 600g of flour
  • 300g of lard
  • 300g of sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • The grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 sachet of baking powder


For the custard:

1 quart of milk

  • 100g of flour
  • 300g of sugar
  • The yolks of 6 eggs
  • The peel of one lemon

Mix the flour with the lard. Add the sugar, the egg yolks (set aside the egg whites), the grated rind of a lemon, a pinch of salt, a packet of yeast. Mix the ingredients well and leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard.

Roll out the dough into a 7-8 mm thick sheet, line the bottom and sides of the pasticciotti molds, greased with butter and sprinkled with flour. Fill with custard, cover with more pastry, seal the edges well and brush with beaten egg white and bake at 180 °. Allow the pasta to cook and brown the surface of the pasticciotti. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and remove from the molds.








FAVA CHICORIA



The baked and ground roots were used as a coffee substitute during WWII when espresso was a luxury item sold uniquely on the black market. When a particular espresso is of inferior quality, it's often compared to the wartime surrogate coffee beverage.

This recipe is typical of the splendid region of Puglia, features the pairing of bitter cicoria leaves and a delicate fava bean purée.





RECIPE

Ingredients :

250 g (1/2 lb) dried and peeled fava beans, soaked overnight
500 g (1.1 lb) bitter greens (like black kale, aka cavolo nero, dandelion, or chicory)
optional, 6 slices crusty peasant bread, 1" thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Drain the fava beans and place in a saucepan. Cover with water, cover the pot, and cook over medium-high flame. Skim the foam that rises to the top once the water boils.

Once there is no more foam, add a generous pinch of salt and cook the beans, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until they have dissolved into the water and have taken the consistency of clotted cream. You may have to add more boiling water to keep beans from scorching.

Using a hand blender beat in 1/4 cup olive oil and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

While the beans cook, soak the greens in and baking soda, rinse several times in clean water, and then place them in a saucepan over high heat and cook them in the water that clings to their leaves, adding a little more water if necessary to prevent scorching. Once they are very tender, remove from the pot, squeeze out excess water, and dress with the remaining olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve the greens and fava puree in soup bowls over a slice of grilled or toasted bread, drizzled with a thread of raw oil.





SWEET & SAVORY ITALIAN RAVIOLI

PUGLIESE




SWEET & SAVORY RAVIOLI

FROM PUGLIA




RAVIOLI PUGLIESE

From Santa AGATA

APULIA





The Ragu is made with Pork Belly Braciole

Sausages and Pomodoro





"I've never seen this before"

But I Love it !!!

Maccheroni over Ravioli

with Sugo di Pomodoro & Pecorino






FAVORITE ITALIAN DISHES

And SECRET RECIPES






ROAD TRIP

BARI to LECCEE





Stops in POLIGNANO all' MARE

SAVELETTRI - ROCA

GROTTA San CRISTIFORO (Lecce Province)

San ANDREA - GALLIPOLI








BEST of PUGLIA



POLIGNANO al MARE

Swimming in Ancient Ruins - Torre Cinotola





PUGLIA

The MOST INFORMATION VIDEO




PUGLIA

LOTS of HELPFUL FACTS & INFO










BARI