A few years ago, my bf and I spent a couple of weeks driving around Ireland. I still consider it an adventure on parallel with daily skydiving. One gets used to it, I expect, but that doesn't make it less...exciting. The Irish enjoy their tiny luxury cars, and they enjoy speed. They also enjoy careening down ancient, narrow roads bordered by craggy stone walls and/or nausea-inducing cliffs. Now and then, they enjoy putting a stone wall next to a 90 degree turn next to a sign stating "Speed Limit: 180 km/hr".

Even with all the...excitement,I came away with the feeling that I had found the ultimate way to travel. We had all the freedom we wanted to pull over and examine prehistoric structures, seek out abandoned monasteries, and track fairies through the twists and turns of a misty creek. (really!) 

Our phat wheels again--->

Italians have a reputation for being crazy drivers as well (don't email me about that statement until you finish the article), but I felt that our experience driving in Ireland coupled with our regular expeditions into Manhattan at unfortunate hours took away most of the fear I had about traveling by car in Italy. At it's worst, it would still be pretty wonderful. In that area of the world, it's also necessary (if you have outgrown the backpacking scene). Public transportation is limited, and tends to run on the personal schedule of those holding the bus keys.

I did a fair amount of reading before leaving NYC. Slow-Trav.com hosts an enormously helpful page that links several extremely informative documents covering the nuts and bolts of Italian car travel. You can read all about signage, etiquette, "The Italian Straddle" and insurance.

I would recommend reading through all the articles you can find. In the event that so many words make you anxious, here is a short list of some important points I think you'll need to be aware of.

1)You'll need an International Driving Permit! I only saw this information written out once, so heed well my advice. The IDP is available both my mail and in person from AAA. If you apply by mail, all you need to do is mail in an application. Include a copy of your license and a check for $15 and 2 passport photos. Give it about 8 weeks to arrive, i understand. If you go into your local office, all you need is you license and a credit card. They will take care of the rest! Read this for more about the IDP.

Italian mini-mart--->

3) DON'T F*** AROUND! GET ALL THE INSURANCE! We didn't get ALL of it, so we still had about a $1500 deductable hanging over our heads for 2 weeks. If I popped off a mirror (which I did) which couldn't be popped back on (which it could be thank gawd), we would be liable. If I rammed the car in the the guard rail as soon as I got in it because I couldn't find reverse (which I did) and if it actually damaged the bumper (just the license plate actually) we would be liable. It costs more, yes, but this is not a good place to save money. There are too many tiny roads, too many sharp curves, and too many passing opportunities which require you to pull in your side mirrors. It's not worth risking the extra cash.

This view is only accessible by car--->

BTW: Pay first before ordering your coffee, then hand the barista your receipt. You tell him what you ordered and he'll give it to you. Remember! Most Italians who work in shops know enough English to take your money...fumble in Italian a bit just to be polite though.

5) Be as considerate as the Italians while you drive around. They do like to go fast, but the Italians didn't live up to their 'crazy driver' reputation at all! I found them to be very, very aware. In addition, they (unlike we New Yorkers) are not involved in some 2nd Avenue Caucus Race in which we must all be first to do everything. In Italy, the left lane is for passing - not competing. Ride in the middle or right hand lane. If someone flips their lights at you, get out of their way. If they honk as they go by, half the time they are thanking you. I am aware that our culture shares some of these rules, but the Italians actually follow them. HOWEVER...

Roadside stop along the Amalfi Coast-->

DISCLAIMER: Don't go thinking I am advising you to break the law, I am not. You just need to be prepared for everyone else to do so. The alternative resembles a bug on a windshield.

7) Gasolio means Deisel! Better figure out which one your car drinks before leaving the lot, or you are in danger of learning the hard way! It also helps to learn how to put the car in reverse from an attendant (thanks slow-trav.com) before taking off - see #3.

Basilicata in Autumn-->

8) I saved the best for last: Rome Fiumicino Airport: Rental Car Return is in the covered parking garages (parcheggio coperto) which you access via the roads that lead to the Arrivals drop-off area. If you rent a car from Fiumicino, rental car return is not marked on any of the signs as you approach the airport. I am saving you about 40 mins of driving, a strange session of asking for directions near a corn field and over 2 Euros in tolls by sharing this little tidbit with you. 

Thank me later. 

You're welcome.

I've just spent almost two weeks in Italy, and I can't say I am very happy to be home. I don't want to live there on a permanent basis, but I really think I could've really made something out of an extra couple of months.

Phat rental car with Vesuvius in the background. I learned to heart Italian mini-marts. --->

Many of you know I have inexorably linked myself to Italy. I don't have a drop of Roman blood in my veins, but I drank a lot of wine ... ahem... I studied the language and culture in college. I went so far as to party...ahem...study abroad for six months - becoming somewhat fluent during that time. Now, I have a longstanding deal with myself that I will return every 2 years or so to eat and nap. Or rather...to keep up my language skills. 

This time around, I picked the itinerary out of a mental grab bag. I had a few parameters to work around: After having taken a driving vacation in Ireland, I knew I wanted to try a driving vacation in Italy. I haven't spend tons of time in the southern part of the country, and a car seemed like the best way to discover the most hidden corners. My parents were coming along, and my father really wanted to rent a house for a week as a home base.

After weeks of back and forth, we found a villa in Puglia (the heel of the boot) that tripped our light fandango. In the off season, the price was reasonable for fairly glamorous lodgings. (1000 Euro, 5 km from the sea at the center of a tiny, one-horse town).

I had pondered flying into Naples, but that would require a further 3 hours either in the airport or in flight. We decided that those three hours would be better spent in a car, so we flew to Rome. In my reading and Googling, I came across a listing for a gorgeous agriturismo (small, working farm with guest rooms and food) on top of the ridge that overlooks the shores of the Sorrentine Peninsula. 

The house was *supposedly* a 6 hour drive from the agriturismo, so a stop would be in order. I fancy a bit of driving, but I do NOT fancy spending an entire day in a car when I am supposed to be chilling to the max. Matera, in Basilicata (the arch of the foot of the booot), was rumored to be hospitable and stunning, so we arranged a stopover there.

<---Lemonade cart on the Amalfi Coast

We couldn't fly into Rome and not take time to see any of it, so we booked flights that left us two nights in a hotel in Trastevere at the tail end of the trip.

September is a busy month in New York, what will everyone heading back to work after the summer doldrums. We settled on 12 days at the end of October. The season would be long over (lordy how I dislike crowds) but the weather down there is dominated by the Sol Leone - the Lion Sun. In that it would be an improvement on home. 

I have no idea how I'll organize this chronicle, but all through the trip, I thought about how much I wanted to share it with you. I'll do my best just to charge in...

Italy Ahoy!!

Courtesy of Jaime

 Via [Boing Boing]

via [Hey Okay]

I love the internet.

In my New York City, Saturday mornings mean a trip to a Farmer's Market. Although it's hard to imagine while gawking at Times Square, rich farmland surrounds us. It may be even harder to imagine, but once you get past the industrial ring of northern New Jersey, the rest of the New Jersey looks a bit like Ohio - long flat plains bursting with corn and tomatoes all summer long.

NYC Greenmarkets are set up in neighborhoods all over the five boroughs. The biggest and fanciest takes place in Union Square on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My personal favorite is in McCarren Park - right between Williamsburg and Greenpoint Brooklyn. It's just a few minutes drive from my house in Queens, and it usually works its way into the trajectory of whatever I am up to on a Saturday morning.

I am always sporting a low-level craving for the cool, chewy goodness that is Panzanella - Italian bread salad. To satiate said craving, this Saturday I picked up 5 fresh Jersey roma tomatoes, fresh parsley (both seasonal) anda loaf of olive-semolina Italian bread at the Greenmarket...plus some celery and garlic from the deli.

5 awesome fresh tomatoes
2 stalks celery
1/2 C fresh parsley
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
Any other herb you like - rosemary, basil are both good candidates

Step the first is to roughly chop the tomatoes, place them in a bowl and toss them with a teaspoon of salt. The salt will start drawing out the tomato juices as you complete the other steps.

Take a moment to look through the fridge for inspiration. This is definitely a dish you can improvise. Panzanella can be made with almost anything, and is an excellent use for leftovers. I often have eaten it with red onions and fresh basil.

While the juice is seeping out of the 'maters, cut the bread into 1" cubes, and spread the cubes out on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven.

To the tomatoes, I added 2 stalks of diced celery, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley and a decimated clove of raw garlic. I also added a few tablespoons of olive oil, the same of balsamic vinegar and a ton of fresh pepper.

After about 10 minutes, the cubes should be about the right consistency - that of day-old bread. The juice in the tomato bowl should be collecting nicely. There should be about 1/2 C of liquid.

Once the bread is dry and almost crunchy on the outside, all that's left to do is toss it with the tomato mixture and help yourself. The bread soaks up the juice, becoming flavorful and decadent. The Jersey tomatoes in my case brought a snap of cold freshness.

Think of it as a sandwich in a bowl!!

via [Jezebel]

Via Jaime

I was listening to some British fella (wish I was paying better attention) on BBC World Service today, and he let us all know that he has a favorite word:

Retromingent

Retromingent: Urinating backwards. Also an animal such as a raccoon that urinates backwards. As in: "You have revealed yourself as a miserable, carping, retromingent vigilante, and I for one am sick of wasting my time communicating with you" (Benjamin C. Bradlee, Editor, The Washington Post). From the Latin retro- (back) + mingent from mingere (to urinate).

[MedTerms.com]

How are we going to work this into conversation?

Previously, my favorite word was Bivouac. You have to say it out loud a few times to get the full impact.