gelateria @ bar centrale

riomaggiore, italy

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after a confusing stop at the train station (the machine wouldn't take non-european credit cards and the ticket attendant didn't seem to mind that everyone in line was going to miss the next train), we eventually made it to riomaggiore, one of the colorful cinque terre towns. derek's parents enjoyed a café overlooking the ocean while derek and i hiked up to the top of the village along the main street lined with shops and restaurants. we took a detour on the way back and it was great fun exploring the steep and narrow stairways and passages where the residents live. it's amazing how they built everything into the side of the cliff. after all that walking, derek and i needed some refreshments. two foamy affogatos topped with whipped cream definitely did the trick.

lato g

santa margherita ligure, italy

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warm night on the italian riviera - perfect for some gelato. i got one scoop of hazelnut and one scoop of milk chocolate, both precariously perched on a small sugar cone. walking around, enjoying our dessert, derek and i found an old staircase with a beautiful baroque church at the very top - chiesa di san giacomo. it looked very solemn, historical, and sacred. so what did we do? finished our gelato and then raced each other up the stairs. had to work off the gelato somehow.

reve cafe & restaurant

santa margherita ligure, italy

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santa margherita ligure was our home base for visiting the famed cinque terre in the italian riviera. definitely a resort town - lots of yachts and people who look like they own yachts. wandering around town, we liked the look of reve - a small but busy restaurant mostly hidden from the street. the harried proprietor cheerfully greeted us, asked us to wait, and then eventually let us sit outside in the courtyard. and we were just in time because many groups after us were turned away. the friendly proprietor kept apologizing for delays, but we were perfectly content enjoying the warm ocean breeze with a bottle of rosé. dinner was excellent - my pacchieri with anchovies was perfectly al dente. the santa margherita shrimp, cooked in lemon and olive oil, were incredibly fresh and juicy. mmm, shrimp juice.

al solito posto

pisa, italy

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pizza in pisa! i have no idea where pizza originated from, but for some reason, there were tons of pizza places immediately around the leaning tower of pisa complex (the piazza dei miracoli). we didn't stop in any of those, but on the way back to the car derek's dad found al solito posto and we paused for a snack. the BEST pizza EVER. fresh creamy cheese, amazing pink sauce, perfect crust. it hit all the right notes - sweet, creamy, tart, chewy, with fragrant basil. once you've finished taking hundreds of pictures of a slightly crooked tower, eat here!

la falterona

florence, italy

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sure, most people go to florence to see the amazing artwork, il duomo, maybe the famous statue of david. where did we go? the food market! mercato central is a must-see in florence - a bustling market full of both old and new. the lower floor has all kinds of traditional italian food stands - sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, spices, dried fruits, dried meats, cheeses, flowers, and more. upstairs had a more modern (almost hipster?) feel - clean white countertops for espresso, wooden countertops for the artisan pizza stand, small batch gelato - a modern hangout above the historical market.

we found a restaurant nearby that clearly benefited from its proximity to the market. the freshest mozzarella di bufala i've ever tasted, served with salty melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto. i ordered pici maialino - which i remember from eating at maialino in nyc means piglet. so i had piglet spaghetti. and it was delicious. i highly recommend both this spot and mercato central if you can tear yourself away from the art and architecture.

golden view

florence, italy

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our GPS was useless in florence. it kept directing us down streets that seemed to be restricted. i couldn't read the italian on the signs, but there was a certain "do not enter" look to them. eventually we found parking about a half mile away from the restaurant. the "golden view" here was a great view of the famous ponte vecchio bridge. that was about all i liked about this restaurant, though. there was an unpleasant smell wafting up from the arno river which put a damper on the whole meal. but it was fun watching the rowboats go by.

all'osteria bottega

bologna, italy

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this might have been my favorite stop on our european tour. derek and i realized that the trip from venice to florence would take us through bologna and derek loves a good bolognese sauce. a quick internet check found the ny times' 36 hours in bologna and all'osteria bottega. an adorable restaurant in a tiny alley with miniscule parking spots (good thing derek is an expert parallel parker). the proprietor didn't speak a lot of english but was completely charming. she gestured a lot whenever she spoke to us in italian and in response, i nodded and smiled a lot. so she continued to speak to me in italian charades. we ordered salumi, melanzane parmigiana, tagliatelle with onion ragu, and of course pasta with bolognese sauce. everything was perfectly prepared and delicious. and when the proprietor served the melanzane parmigiana, she kept saying "no fritto" and patting her stomach, which i took to mean that her traditional preparation of eggplant parmigiana is healthier than the fried american version!

il panificio crosara claudio

venice, italy

when i travel, i like to do what the locals do. (maybe i watched too many episodes of rick steves' show growing up). but it's difficult when you don't actually know what the locals do. so i asked the concierge at our hotel where i could find a venetian breakfast. she was very confused. then i asked, what do italians eat for breakfast? still confused, she said that they sometimes eat pastries. not wanting to prolong a conversation that was probably painful for both of us, i asked where i could find some pastries. she directed me down the street to il panificio crosara claudio, where derek and i found a tiny bakery full of wonderful pastry scents. with my rudimentary italian (i know how to point and say cannoli), i ordered a chocolate cannoli, a vanilla conchiglia, and a chocolate croissant. probably more than your average venetian would eat, but hey, i'm a tourist. the conchiglia was the best of the bunch - lightly sweet yet rich vanilla cream in a crispy sweet shell. molto bene!

ristorante principessa

venice, italy

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venice is very touristy. beautiful, but touristy. of course, we're tourists, so i'm not sure i can really complain. anyway, there's a lot of touristy restaurants along the water near where the shuttle stops are. ristorante principessa was one of them. my lasagna was too salty, but everyone else's food was okay. not the best spot for food, but great service and it was lovely sitting outside in view of the boats.

osteria da carla

venice, italy

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derek and i enjoyed walking around venice from square to square - up and down little bridges over small canals. part of our exploration was trying to find a restaurant that wasn't advertising a "menù turistico." finally, near san marco, i peeked through a small alley and saw some promising signage. i dragged derek through the alley and found a cute restaurant at the end. the menu had two pastas: "pasta" and "fish pasta" - the "pasta" was fettucine in red sauce and my "fish pasta" was spaghetti with calamari. admittedly, those were probably the most touristy items on the menu. oh well. still good. adding a bottle of local venetian wine definitely helped.

le café

venice, italy

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not only was the quiet gallerie dell'accademia a good spot to hide from the rain, but viewing the 17th and 18th century paintings of venetian canals and buildings gave us a great historical perspective when we walked through those same places later that day. felt like we were walking through an old painting (albeit an old painting crowded with tourists and strangely aggressive pigeons). all that culture required a coffee break - or a caffé - at le café in a nearby square. loved this spot: outdoor seating for people watching and they served my caffé (espresso to us americans) with a small buttery biscuit, cold whipped cream, and a cute little pitcher of water. seriously, this is how espresso should always be served.

trattori ai cacciatori

venice, italy

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venezia! took a very long drive through a beautiful mountain landscape (picture the von trapp family escaping the third reich with a nun singing in the background). thankfully, a gas station near the border served a fantastic espresso with a super creamy piece of chocolate. we finally reached venice in the late afternoon, parked the car, and took a water taxi to giudecca island where our hotel was located. our concierge recommended trattori ai caccitori for dinner. derek, his parents, and i sat outside right next to the water, watching the waves continuously lap against the edge of the island. in this setting, of course i ordered seafood pasta - scampi with fettucine. a rich, flavorful, almost spicy red sauce coating perfectly al dente fettucine. the shrimp itself was incredibly juicy and fresh. best meal in venezia, hands down. and i swear it's not because i had gas station beef jerky for lunch. not only was the food good, but i loved the relative quiet and calm of this restaurant (compared to the more touristy parts of venice), the friendly service, and the beautiful view of the main island.