More About Gelato in Italy

While traveling with a group of travel agents in June to the Italian Riviera I did some homework before leaving.  As you know I am a gelato-holic !  Since we were going to San Remo, Rapallo, Santa Margherita and Portofino  I wanted to make sure I carved out a few minutes in each area to have some gelato.

I have been disappointed in some gelato while traveling in Italy but this time it I was more than pleased with the three selections.

After finishing out tour in San Remo the bus stopped not far from the hotel to let a few of us off in front of the gelateria – Gelateria Vecchia Matuzia on Corso Matuzia.  Of course we all enjoyed our gelato as we walked back to the hotel.

One afternoon we took the ferr y to Portofino for lunch and a quick visit.  A quick visit it was to this charming little port and of course while I was waiting for the ferry back to Santa Margherita I spotted a gelato bar.  I could not resist!  While making my selection I noticed the chef creating another batch and storing it in stainless steel drums.  I know I was in the right place.  Gelateria Bar San Greiogio has a wonderful selection and I was in heaven.

While walking back from the ferry to the hotel in Santa Margherita I spotted another gelateria and decided that I would try that one after dinner.  There were a few of us agents that decided we wanted pizza and wine for dinner that night.  After our dinner we walked back to the hotel and of course stopped for gelato at Lato G.  All of us were extremely pleased so much so that one of the agents went back for another helping.

So if you are in these areas of Italy please go to these gelaterias.  You will not be disappointed.

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Biking the Amalfi Coast by Elana Iaciofano

Recently, I took a trip with my triathlon team, Full Throttle Endurance, to the Campania region of Italy for four days of intense cycling. The goal was to cover about 250 miles with assorted daily elevations ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 feet. No small feat, to be sure, but we're FULL THROTTLE AND WE'RE HERE TO TRAIN!!!

Or at least that was the "joke" of the trip as we all attempted to win vacation.

I decided to document the trip from the food perspective. What did we eat? What DIDN'T we eat would be a simpler question, as we certainly left no stone unturned in our search for calories. Luckily, Italians as a people are incredibly accommodating about feeding their guests. So accommodating, in fact, that I'm sure we all made up for our expended calories.

By far, my favorite meal of the trip was our accidental lunch at Hotel Parsifal in Ravello.

Having just swished down the curving pathways of the Amalfi Drive and eeked ourselves up the 5 kilometer climb to Ravello, we were hungry. Famished. "Abbiamo fame", as they say in Italian. We stood doubtfully by some road signs momentarily and contemplated where to go. 

Luckily, one member of our group – Benji – took the proverbial bull by the horns and conversed with the natives to get the low-down on what was happening for lunch. He insisted that we go to Hotel Parsifal where we would be assured impeccable and copious amounts of local fare, expansive views and friendly waitstaff. 

Could nine people in sweaty spandex impose upon such an establishment to partake in all these wonderful enticements? They sure can. And did!

The staff at the Hotel Parsifal was incredibly accommodating and tolerant of our questionable hygiene. We sat on the porch (to air out AND take advantage of the view) while we dined on a specially prepared sample menu prepared by the kitchen staff.

Note: Our server suggested we have the "light" menu because we were cycling. We insisted on the "heavy" menu, as we had no desire to count calories and wanted to stuff ourselves as full as possible in order to propel ourselves back down the mountain all the quicker.

We began with a pasta sampler of housemade ravioli stuffed with porcini mushrooms and a pasta topped with local pesto, made with sun dried tomatoes instead of basil. Both pastas were freshly made and cooked to perfect al-dente proportions. More than that, they seemed light as feathers, melting in your mouth with every forkful.

The stand-out pasta for me was the fresh tagliatelle seafood pasta. The mix of muscles, octopus, clams and shrimp had just been wrangled out of the ocean that day, and the pepper tagliatelle circled it all in a salty, brothy web. I felt I was eating right from the fisherman's net.

Following that we were served platters of meat which included veal, sausage and beef, and a fish sampler featuring giant prawns, lake fish and the most flavorful tuna steaks known to man-kind. I jest you not. I thanked them profusely for whatever they did to that tuna (grazie mille!). Buttery, well seasoned and perfectly rare – both in tenderness and likelihood of me tasting such a thing again.

Unless I go back to Hotel Parsifal..

Be Prepareed for Easter in Rome.

Are you headed to Rome for Easter?  I hope you have your itinerary planned as it is a very busy time of the year to be in Rome.  It can be very exciting despite the crowds!

By the time Holy Week begins there should be a new Pope in place.  If you are in Rome during this time enjoy the excitement when the new Pope is selected.

Sunday March 24 is Palm Sunday and Passion of the Lord.  This is the start of the Holy Week with a mass at St. Peter’s Square in the morning.  This mass is a very long mass and can last about three hours. In Italy the Easter tradition of palm is replaced with olive tree branches.

Holy Thursday is celebrated with two masses in Rome.  This first is at St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning and the second mass is at St. John Lateran in the evening.  Both masses can last more than two hours.

On Good Friday there is another mass at St. Peters in the evening with the Stations of the Cross.  Later in the evening about 9:15pm there is the Way of the Cross, where the Pope traces the Stations of the Cross from the Coliseum to Palatine Hill.

Easter Vigil on Saturday begins at 9pm at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Easter Sunday Mass is celebrated in St. Peter’s Square at about 10:15am.

Tip:   Tickets are necessary so I hope you have planned ahead to get yours.

For more information go to this site:  http://www.papalaudience.org/papal-mass

Enjoy and write me when you return!

Order you copy of Mamma Agata's cookbook and pasta!

I know that I have been writing about my fall tour and my favorite restaurant in Rome, so now I am going to write about my favorite Italian subject and that is:  Mamma Agata’s cooking program in Ravello.

The other day I received, by mail, my first and best Christmas present.  I noticed the package was sent to: Gourmet Getaways.  I could not imagine who was sending me a package.  I didn’t order anything.  Quickly I got out the scissors and managed to get through layers and layers of packaging tape.  Before my eyes were four packages of Mamma Agata’s pasta and a few other prized treats from Italy along with a thank you note from Chiara.

Well, I could not resist making pasta for dinner.  Each package is sealed with the logo and a recipe on the back.  How clever!  Now you can get first hand recipes from Italy!

My husband and I had a wonderful delicious pasta dinner.  It was  so good he had a second portion.  The texture of this pasta is best described by a smooth surface but a definite al dente center!

Suggestion:  cook according to directions but watch is slowly as you do not want to over cook this pasta!  It must have an al-dente center!  That’s what makes it truly Italian.

For those of you that want to book a cooking class please send me an email and we will work together to get you schedules for the best cooking class in Italy.  An experience not to be missed!

Those that cannot go I highly recommend you purchase her cookbook.  You will think you are in Italy and after looking at these pictures you will want to give me a call and book that flight to Italy and register for her class.

If you have not purchased your cookbook you can do so by contacting Mamma Agata at

http://Mammaagata.com/shopping-mamma-agata-cookbook.aspx.

HINT:  Best to order the book directly through Mamma Agata's website so that you can get a signed copy!

If you enter Gourmet Getaways in the dedication portion of the order she will know that I recommended you!  Also she will personally send you a signed copy of the cookbook.

Ostia Antica - an easy visit from Rome

About 30 minutes from Rome lies Ostia Antica!  During our stay in Rome I arranged for a morning tour of this ancient site.  It was a clear day with mild temperatures so it was perfect day to tour this ancient park.  We met our guide at the hotel and drove 30 minutes to Ostia Antica.  I highly recommend having a guide so that they can tell you about the history of this ancient port. Ostica Antica was an ancient port for Rome located right  on the mouth of the Tiber River.  It was founded in the 4^th BC by rich businessmen, merchants, sailors and slaves.  There are many parts to this ancient ruin including: Decumanus Maximus ( the main city street), the Forum, the theatre, Capitolium, an elaborate bath complex,  which still contain beautiful mosaics.  These are just a few mentioned features of this ancient park.

The entire park is quite extensive and can take you up to three hours to explore so wear comfortable shoes!  The entrance fee is 4 euros, and accessible by subway from Rome.  Well worth the visit to see how the people of Rome lived many years ago!  Rome’s answer to Pompeii – only older!