plat du jour

Rome: Part Due

Zeph — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:04:01 -0400

Rome. THE city of all cities for centuries way back when, and still one of the greatest cities in the world today. My last trip was less than ideal. I saw lots of churches, tours, tourists, graffiti, garbage, even partook...

Foiled again!

Zeph — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:02:02 -0500

Last day in Rome

Zeph — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:54:35 -0500

So I've been back in Maine for just over three weeks and haven't officially concluded my Italy trip here on the blog. My last day in Italy was a beautiful Saturday in Rome, sunny and 75F. Woke up early and...

Vatican

Zeph — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:29:35 -0500

On tap for today was a morning tour of The Vatican. Rome is in the midst of a early morning thunderstorm. Its pouring rain, and for the first time since I've been in Italy, its cold. If there was going...

Hail and Gunshots

Zeph — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:55:58 -0500

Second day in Rome and while tempted to schedule a day tour to Pompeii or an afternoon tour to the Vatican, I decided against both. There were a few spots within walking distance to my hotel that I wanted to...

Burger Hunting

Zeph — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:16:05 -0500

A week plus of Italian cooking has been great and all, but I was really craving a good burger today. Full blame goes to Tony Bourdain and his new book "Medium Raw", which I would highly recommend to anyone remotely...

The Butcher (take two)

Zeph — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:08:26 -0500

I spent a couple hours yesterday at beautiful Cafe Gilli in Florence writing a piece I was extremely proud of. After a few Negroni cocktails, a couple visits by small finch-like birds, "The Butcher" sadly was lost. A lackluster blogging...

Olive Oil Pressing in Sarteano

Zeph — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:10:22 -0400

So, the other day after visiting Cetona, our guide Lucia mentioned she had a surprise. Upon entering Sarteano, her hometown, we still had no idea where we were headed. Once our shuttle came to a stop, we were met by...

Siena

Zeph — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:24:58 -0400

Siena is the largest city in Tuscany, which also means it is a center for trade. The morning market is a huge flea style market with practically everything, food, clothes, etc. The regional specialty is a porchetta sandwich, which I...

Cetona

Zeph — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:42:58 -0400

Tuesday we headed to Cetona for a bit of shopping, a Vin Santo (sweet wine) tasting, and a visit with Maurizio the Jam maker. The business area of Cetona lies in a small valley, surrounded by sloping hills. The old...