Day 6: a trip to...Caserta

Hello everybody,
I hope wheather in your county is better the here: in Italy we definitely have no summer.

This afternoon, my wish is to talk you abou one of the most amazing royal buliding we have in Italy: the Reggia di Caserta, north of Naples, in the region Campania, southern Italy.

Caserta could be also a good place for business trip or as a base of your holidays in the Gulf of Naples, in case the best hotels of Naples would be busy.

It has a popoulation of about 80,000 people, is perfectly linked to the motorway both to Rome or Naples direction and it has a nice old town, where to have a walk tasting a local gelato or having a good limoncello, the fantastic lemon liqueur typical of the Napolitan coast.

Of course, the jewel of the town is the Reggia di Caserta, the royal residence of the Spanish family Borboun, kings of Naples. It was the biggest palace and one of the biggest buildings of the 18th century and nowadays is one of the most visited spot of the entire region Campania, a very richful of art, nature and masterpieces area.

The Reggia is best known for its Barroque style but especially for its amazing and guge gardens that may remind the wonderful Royal Palace of Versailles, France.
Today, after the visit of the palace with all its rooms, histories, paintings, pieces of furniture, I strictly reccommend to have a look to the royal gardens up to the highest fountain, the perfect place to have a total look of gardens and palace together, exactly like in the photo.
You can have a walk of about 1 hour return or take a bus (fee is one € per trip) or rent a coach with a horse and a charioteer.



I would like to show you some pictures of the palace inside, including the main stairs, the entire building from the main entrance and a couple of amazing rooms. This surely will encourage you for a visit. Closed on Tuesday.

        

     

And as I know that a long visit and an amazing walk in this enormous area will surely make you hungry, I have to finish my description with a couple of suggestion about food.
Of course, I will write about Naples in a separate section but Caserta itself has a big range of offer in term of food and wine. The Province of Caserta is known worldwide for its production of Mozzarella di bufala, a kind of mozzarella made with the milk of the domestic buffalo, born and nursed in the area.
Try your mozzarella lonely or with ham or onto the pizza Margherita, the classical one.
Not bad the salted anchovy and the lang sausage, just for the most fearless travellers!

The perfect end for your visit is a glass of a local wine: the Pallagrello, also called in a dialect word, the Rotondetto (from Rotondo, round) because of the shape of its grapes.
In the past, it was one of the favourite wine of the Borboun family! So, a perfect connection to the cultural visit!
Moreover, it is one of the very few cases of wine variety with both types of berry, white and red.

  

Try it in both varieties: Bianco with seafood and risotto or nero with meat, mozzarella and pastas.
Have a nice trip and see you soon!

Day 5: a trip to... Cinque Terre

  

Good morning lovers of trip!|
Today I'm very glad to show one of the places where mostly I used to go during the year because of my job: the Cinque Terre!

Five small villages with a total population of 5,000 people in the east side of the beautiful region Liguria, north-west of Italy, only 100 kilometres from Genoa and a little bit more from Florence.

In few words, this area has been isoleted for centuries because of its position between mountain (Appenines) and sea (Ligurian Sea) with only connection paths from west to east and no roads or train line.

Only in 19th and 20th century, especially after the unification of Italy and the two wars, a railways with five stations was introduced and a couple of roads were created to connect all villages to Spezia or the Vara Valley.

The village's names are from west to east: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. Today the best solution to get there is to stay in a bigger city like Genoa, Spezia or Florence parking your car there. From these places you can easily travel to the area by train or mixing both train and boats.


My suggestion if possible is to start from east to west (in a rising order of beauty), I mean from Riomaggiore, a small village perfect as a commencing spot to start any hiking tour. Till a couple of years ago, a nice path, called Via dell'Amore (Love Path) was open to connect the village to the next one, Manarola. Today it's closed for maintenance works.
About 15 kilometres separate all villages in a natural landscape composed by several vineyards, coloured small houses and sorrounded by high and arduous mountains.

Less then five minutes by train and you get in Manarola, perfectly separeted in a new area, around the train station and the medieval side, up on the hill, accessible with many steps and hard for elder people, that could stay down in the modern side in one of the many typical restaurants or shops.
Manarola, in case of a very windy day could close its port and consequently its ferry service because the embarkment area was created basically on the rock and it would be too dangerous for a boat to approach the spot in a changeable condition.



The very big passion for hikers is Corniglia, the only one of the fve villages with no marina and only accsesible by train to the station and from there with a notable climb through hundreds steps to reach the centre. Because of this, Corniglia is probably the less known village but for this reason it's still wilder and more similar to the place of 30/40 years ago before the massive invasion of tourists from all over the world.


From Corniglia, you can arrive in Vernazza in five minutes. This is defintely my favourite village. Sorrounded by a defensive tower, become today a panoramic restaurant, Vernazza was strongly damaged by a flood in 2011 but today has come back to the everyday life with a lot of restauration and improvement to roads and services. Its beautiful main church has on the back a terracy, used by sun lovers to get tanned or just to realx with one of the most amazing view of the coast. Many bars offers Farinata, a local dish prepared with chickpea and served in slices for a prefect fast take-away.


Finally, Monterosso! A perfect place for shopping, swimming and eating. 50% of the entire local population live here and the city is divided in two sides: the old one, damaged by the same flood which blemished Vernazza with many restaurants, shops and wine cellars and the modern one with a long beach offering any kinf of service including restautants, showers, chairs, umbrellas (on charge). Here, you'd arrive by train in the station that has also the best information service for all yout itineraries in the zone.

Well, yout trip is going to end and this is time to relax, try a good food and a good glass of wine. If you don't have a lot of time, try the Focaccia, a sort of pizza made with only oliv oil and salts and served in squared slices (sometimes topped with onions, olives, cheese, vegetables, potatoes) or a sandwich called focaccina (similar to focaccia but used as a panini in a round shape) wit tomatoes and anchovies.
If you prefere to seat down somewhere (restaurants are many and have a vaste range of offer in food and prices), try a Bruschetta for starter, a slice of bread topped with local olive oli, salt, oregano and tomatoes.
Seafood salad is one of the best local dish you may try but to be sure that your choice corresponds really to the Cinque Terre tradition, have a Spaghetti with mussels or Muscoli ripieni, mussels staffed with a cream of ham and vegetables. Mussel farms are everywhere along the coast line here.

A good wine with this courts must be a Cinque Terre DOC, a perfect mix of Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes.dry with a straw yellow colour and a delicate aroma.

 

In case you prefer a dessert wine, don't lost the chance to buy a glass of Sciachetrà, a passito wine, also produced only in the Cinque Terre, to be served with dessert or cheese.

  

Have a nice excursion and see you soon!!

Day 4: a trip to...Islands Maddalena and Caprera

Hello travellers! Hope you're well and ready for a nice and lucartive weekend.

This Friday, I'd like to introduce one of my favourite Italian places: Islands Maddalena and Caprera, North of Sardinia.
First of all, La Maddalena is a city od about 11,000 inhabitants composed by seven islands, making part of the archipelago with the same name.
Maddalena and Caprera are just the tho most important and populated because of their position and shape.

The best way to arrive there is by ferry from Palau, a nice village in the Sardinian area named Gallura, a good place for relaxing in one of the wonderful beaches or making practice for sail beginners.
Several private companies work all day long to carry on cars, coaches and simple passengers to La Maddalena, in a short trip of only 15/20 minutes.

Once you arrive in the city, I strongly reccommend a panoramic tour by car to pass through the so called Friendship Bridge that joins Maddalena and Caprera Islands.

If Maddalena is the centre of business with hotels, stores and restaurantes, Caprera is extremely wild but for this reason very fascinating.
The Italian national hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi chose Caprera as place to live till his deat in the second half of 19th century and there he built his own home inspired into a Brazilian fazenda because of his several trips to South America. Today, the house, the garden and the space all around is a national public museum.
Remember that every Italian museum it is closed on Monday.

After your visit you can come back to Maddalena but taking a long and beautiful panoramic road, with compulsory stops to the local beach where the colour of the water is deeply emerald.

It is a sort of European Caribbeean: nothing to envy to the amazing Latin beaches in the Atlantic Ocean.

Many bars close to the beach are open in the summer season to try one of the best Sardinian offer: candies and cakes made with sugar and honey, a topic of the entire island or the Ravioli dolci, typical of the Gallura, prepared with ricotta and lemon.

Then, when you arrive again to Maddalena, find a spot to park your car in the port area (big parking with a cheap rate to pay) and have a walk in the centre of the village where many shops will wait for you for a souvenir or to buy typical product in food and beverages setting.

Take a photo in his bench with Giuseppe Garibaldi who seems to wait all tourists to talk and explain his adventures.


Finally, have lunch trying a Spaghetti alla bottarga, a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe (fish eggs), typically from grey mullet. This dish is served with generous local oliv oil and sometimes if required with local hot pepper.







The best manner to combine this court is with a glass of Vermentino della Gallura, a white wine, a DOCG wine that legend says to be imported from Andalusia (Spain) or Island Madeira (Portugal). Produced mainly in Gallura, it's today one of the most exported and known Sardinian wines. Produced in the island since the 14th century, today it presents other varieties in Tuscany and Liguria and especially in Corsica, the French island. To be served cool and with seafood courts. Enjoy!

Day 3: a trip to...Trieste

 

Hello travellers from all over the world! Hope you are fine today.
Ready for a new trip? I would like to introduce one of my favourite Italian city: Trieste, the capital of the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, East of Venice, close to the boarder with Slovenia.

210,000 people live in this town on the Gulf of Trieste, in a position of croassroads of Germanic, Latin and Slavic culture. An important centre in the period of the Habsburg Kingdom, being the fourth biggest city of the empire after Vienna, Budapest and Prague and the only one having a port.
Ruled by the US army after the Second War till 1954, when it was finally given back to Italy, todays is a very mixed destination, with lots cultural centres, foreing languages school and an important kind of bilinguism, mainly Italian but also Slovenian.

Town of great poets and writers, like Umberto Saba or Italo Svevo, here born but also good place to spread new culture, like English literature with Professor James Joyce or French literature with Mr. Stendhal as a French consul in the city.

The main square of Trieste is Piazza Unità d'Italia, one of the largest squares of Europe with direct access by few steps to the Adriatic Sea. Here, there are some of the most important and beautiful buildings of the city which date back different period but mainly concern the Habsburg period.

Not far from here, only 5 minutes walking it is asy to get into the old Jewisj district with good restaurants and the best antique stores of the city.

Don't forget that the foundation of the city was during the Roman Empire and the oldest part of the town is on the top of a hill, called Saint Justus, with ruins of original Roman buldings and where today you can visit the Cathedrak of Trieste, built in 14th century with Gotic style and wonderful Byzantine mosaiques in the interior. 

A very sad place in the city is the so called Risiera di San Sabba, a place that just is worth a visit in order not to forget history. It was a Nazi Concentration camp during the Second War, used especially as a transit camp for thousands political or religious prisoners on the way to Auscwhitz. It was built in 1913 and firstly used as a rice-husking facility (rice is riso in Italian).

A good manner to leave the city with a wonderful visit is the Castle of Miramare (from Spanish look at athe sea), built in 1856 by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian for his wife. It was hence one of the Habsburg residence all around Euopea, distinguished by nice gardens with also tropical trees imported by Mexico, conquerd by Ferdinand himself. Today it shows some of the best view on the Bay of Trieste with overllok towards the Slovenian territory.


As always, I'd like to give you some suggestions about food and wine. The city is on the coast but sorrounded by foothills and mountains. For this reason, its kitchen is perfectly mixed with seafood and meat. I reccommend to try the Prosciutto di San Daniele, a variety of Italian prosciutto crudo, ideal for any aperitif or Formaggio di grotta, cheese matured in local caves. Very nice Risotto with seafood and to end something that belongs to Slavic culture: the Jusgoslavian Cevapcici, a grill dish of minced meat, today very popular in all Italian North-east.

Well, at the very end taste one of the several quality of Friulan grappas but for wine, order one of my favourite Italian kinds: the Refoscolo dal Peduncolo Rosso. The grape is the refosco and the production is mainly limited to Friuli Venezia Giulia. Deeply coloured it has flavours of plums and almond notes.
Perfect with any kind of local dish composed with meat or pastas or prosciutti.

   

Day 2: a trip to... the Sila

 

Good day everyone!
Hope your first trip to my land was interesting as you wished!
Today I'd like to introduce a place many kilometres away from my city: the very fascinating mountain area of Sila, Calabria.
First of all, once you arrive in Calabria to the International airport of Lamezia or Reggio Calabria, I suggest to rent a car... this marvellous region has not a very strong system of communication by train. There are no ways to discover this land with your own car, stopping wherever you want in any moment...

I reccomend to find a spot as your base to then depart to find out the region: a right place could be Cosenza.
150,000 hectars with lakes, mounts, campings, hotels and agriturismo where to practice your favourite activity. We are in the extreme South of the peninsula, along three provinces, Cosenza, Catanzaro and Crotone.

Cosenza is a city that mixes perfectly centuries of history, tradition and culture and a modern kind, with a good university, nice shops and many hotels. Capitals of the Bruzi, a Pre-roman population, called the Calabrian Athens for its cultural performance in the past, it was the city of the second most important Accademy of studies in the Kingdom of Naples and in general in Europe.
Walking through Corso Telesio it is easy to arrive at the Cathedral, chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage as a symbol of peace in the world. Theatres, villas, churches make Cosenza one of the most refined cultural centre of the entire Southern Italy. In the proximity of the town, there are many other places that are worth a visit.

North of Cosenza: Altomonte is a small village of mountain rich of art and history, being one of the favourite places of Queen Joana of Naples. In one of its several museum it is supposed to be conserved one of the thorns of the crown worn by Jesus on the cross. Many legends explain how this amazing object could arrive there... A vist to the Civic Museum is needed!

Not far from Altomonte, one of the city which lost a great part of its population because of the early 20th century migration was Morano Calabro. Even if today people are less then 50% with respect to 1900's, the village calls every year thousands of toursits because of its position like a painting. Small and narrow streets, a lot of up and down and several people very happy to spend a time chatting with visitors especially if from abroad.


Through the Sila and especially towards the Province of Crotone, many lakes, bike lanes, agriturismi and also ski restorts are a useful idea to stop, enjoy and breath the real territory!
My opinion is about San Giovanni in Fiore, the highest and most populated city of Italy, 17,000 people at 1,119 m.l.s.This is the place of the Abbay Florense, one of the biggest and most important churches of the region. In this part of Sila, it snows very frequently in winter time and in the past the area was isoletd for many months during the year.
Good place to stop for a good lunch, having the pitta, the local bread made since generations with a popular tradition, the antipasto silano, mix of local vegetables including the local famous Silan potatoe. A roasted pork is perfect to finsh your meal, of course including a zeppola as a dessert, a sort of Southern Italy beignet, prepared in the Silan variety with baked black cherries.

Finally, a nice place to stop is Santa Severina: it could be the begenning or the end or your trip to the Sila: hidden in the mountains, can be recognized only when the main road starts to climb up to the the amazing old wall, part of the perfectly conserved Castle of Santa Serverina. This village was conquered and ruled by several population and the result was a combination of style in culture, architecture and tradition. Many Bizantines tracks are evident in the streets of this very relaxing spot.


Don't forget to stop in one of the many botteghe of the Sila to try traditional salami, cheese and drink a local wine: a Verbicaro Rosso, produced with Gaglioppo, Greco Nero or Bianco, Guarnaccia and Malvasia grapes. Perfect to taste with salami, fowl, spicy dishes, typical of the Calabrian tradition!
Another good variety is the Verbicaro Bianco, produced with Greco Bianco, Malvasia Bianca and Guarnaccia grapes. Perfect to taste with sea food salads of the Ionic coast.

  

Day 1: a trip to...Monferrato

Welcome everybody!
My name is Alessandro, I am 31, was born and live in Italy and I would like to introduce you to a trip all around Italy in 365 days... Not exactly as quick as "Around the world in eighty days" but we are not in a hurry!
I am a professional translator but also an escort guide and I have been spending days, weeks, months travelling in my beautiful country to show people all beauties of Italy: art, culture, lansdcapes, traditions but also something that makes Italy popular in all the five continents, our amazing wines!
My idea is to make a sort of trip with you, talking about a certain place ending any adventure with a wine tasting, because as Pindarus said "Wine raises soul and thoughts and apprehensions get away from human's heart".

Today as it is the first step to my colossal final goal, I want to make something very easy to me: a welcome guide to Monferrato, the beautiful hilly area of Piedmont, sorrounded by vineyards where I was born and live.

Less than one month ago Monferrato, Roero and Langhe were declareted by UNESCO a Human's world Heritage, something amazing for an area of hectares and hectares of grapes, fields and farmsteads. At the end of 18th century most people tried to escape from these inhospitable and crude lands to the new world: Argentina, US, Brasil and nobody could have believed that today this area would have been one of the most visited places of Piedmont by travellers, tourists and wine lovers.


The Monferrato is an area included in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti, 50 km North of Genoa and 70 South-East of Turin. According to last surveys, the origin of the name is due to the the union of the terms "Monte" for mountain and "farro", a kind of cereal there cultivated.
Under this name, one of the strongest medieval states in the Italian peninsula was created: first, the March of Monferrato, then the Duchy of Monferrato, having Casale (the city where I live) its capital!

 Probably, the best way to enter and enjoy the Monferrato is through its South gate, arriving from the Appenines, I mean from Savona or Genoa, the coast line on the Ligurian Sea to Acqui Terme. This town of about 20,000 inhabitants is even today considered the capital of the "Alto Monferrato", the south-side of the region. Ambitious, prosperous, loved since the Roman age for its climate, position and hot spring, Acqui is crossed from the River Bormida that makes on one side the old town with its wonderful monument and churches and on the other the modern district with the public pool, most of hotels, bars and discoes. The place is famous for its spa due to the 75° hot water used for liver and stomach treatments but also for mud baths, asthma therapy or simply baths with all modern comforts and supports. You can't leave Acqui without a dish, or better, a bowl of Ravioli col vino, a local variety for the very Italian ravioli, stuffed with meat and cooked with a local red wine, normally Barbera that once you finish the Ravioli can be tasted and drunk in the same bowl.
If you are not sated yet, order as a dessert a bunet, a kind of budino prepared with eggs, sugar, milk and rhum plus dry amaretti.


When you're full, come back to your car and take a panoramic road to reach Casale, today considered capital of the Basso Monferrato, the North side of the area. 65 km of beautiful roads commencing on from Acqui to Cassine via Ricaldone to appreciete the most amazing panoramas.
The capital of the province, Alessandria is in the middle of the way between Acqui and Casale and could represent a prefect stop for shopping in the main street, Corso Roma or for visiting one of the city museum, like the Pinacoteca, the Museum of the River or especially the Museum of the battle of Marenco, 5 km East of Alessandria when the Troop of Napoleon defeated the Austrian army.

Finally, you arrive to Casale, an industrial town of about 40,000 people perfectly sorrounded by charming and mild hills covered by several qualities of grapes. A complusory stop must be in the main square, occupied by the old castle that todays hosts the wine house of the Monferrato.
Park your car there in the withe line (no fees) and have a walk to the city centre trying the krumiri, the most popular biscuit, having the shape of the moustache of the King Victor Emanuel II, in honour of which the cookie was created. Even if they are sold and known all over Italy, only in the centre of Casale you can find the Krumiri Rossi with the original recipe, still produced in a small factory in the central Via Lanza sice 1878.


When you have had a look to the shops in Via roma and arrived to one of the most important Jewish Synagogue of Italy (check the opening time before planning your visit) it's time to find a spot in one of the nice bars of the centre to taste a local wine: in Monferrato, we produce red wines like Dolcetto, Grignolino, Ruché, Freisa or Bonarda, white wines like Cortese or dessert wine like Moscato, Brachetto or Malvasia but I'd like to focus the attention on the Barbera, a very traditional wine, underestimated for long periods and today considered a key in any good restaurant of Monferrato and not only...
The Barbera is made from the Barbera grapes and its kind "d'Asti" passed from DOC to DOCG (the maximum state for an Italian wine) in 2008. We know its production began in central Monferrato in the 13th century but to be considered a wine of the Piedmont List of wine we had to wait 1798. Today it is absolutely the first quality of grapes produced in all region.



I hope you have enjoyed this trip with me! Tomorrow, we must take a plane because our trip together is not only made of Pindaric flights but also of big changes of territories, traditions, climates, culture and wine!
See you soon again in these pages...
Cele