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traveling to italy
On 13 May 2004 20:14:05 -0700, (winemonger)
wrote:
>Mike Tommasi > wrote in message news:
>
>> The other route is to stick to the country, go to small towns and be
>> close to the vineyards. Maybe you have already seen the top sites in
>> Italy, and the country route is appealing. In that case, you would
>> need a car and I could recommend an itinerary, something like Barolo,
>> Alto Adige, Friuli, Toscana, Campania.
>
>Thanks Mike-
>
>I have done the city thing before, so I am all about the countryside.
>I did a bit of driving around the Piemonte region before, and am
>particularly interested in exploring it further. Will have to stop by
>Alba; I know it isn't truffle season, but they still have some really
>tasty things for sale. We will have a car (and to respond to the
>first few posts: I am cautious, but pretty darn fearless) and we like
>to hit the unbeaten paths.
Since this is where your trip starts, Turin has become a happening
place (it used to be the city to avoid). The top museum of egyptology
in the world, and Italy's top contemporary art museum at nearby
Rivoli. Lots of art. In Turin, eat at the Osteria Antiche Sere.
Regarding your tour, 12 days is a short time, I would stick to the
Langhe and Roero area of Piemonte, and then do the Chianti, Bolgheri
and Brunello areas. Between the two, you might want to stop by Genova
(it is culture capital of Europe and a really interesting city,
offbeat) and by the Cinque Terre (but dont buy any Sciacchetra, the
real stuff cannot be found except in one place...).
I would recomend that in Turin you buy some of the Slow Food
"Itinerari Slow" touring guides, especially the ones for the wine
regions. They are in italian, but you can easily figure out the texts,
just by following the maps and the recommended places. Not only do you
get to find out where you can eat real food at a good price, you also
get winery lists, driving itineraries, walking tours, history,
architecture, things to see, etc..
They cost 9.80 Euro each, less if you are a member. Some of the
current titles that I recommend:
Bra e il Roero (Piemonte)
Barolo e Barbaresco (Piemonte)
Montalcino e Montepulciano (Piemonte)
Torino
Trentino
If you want to be sure to find them all, after Torino drive straight
to Bra, which is a good place to taste wine, and go to the Slow Food
headquarters to find these guides. They used to have one called Guida
delle Langhe e del Roero. For eating, nothing beats the Guida delle
osterie, a large book listing hundreds of places whre you can eat good
authentic Italian food for less than 30 Euro and get to choose from an
excellent wine list. I use it all the time and have not been
disappointed. The guide deliberately leaves out trendoid places that
think that authenticity simply means sprinkling a few drops of (fake)
balsamic vinegar over everything, including dessert. In the same
building as SF you will find the Osteria Boccondivino, worth stopping
by for lunch.
Some places not on the guide:
In Piemonte, if you want to splurge, go eat at Guido, in his new
magnificent surroundings at Pollenzo, near Bra. This is a truly
remarkable place, both for food and for the beauty of the dining room.
I would also try Antica Corona Reale in Cervere, better known as Da
Renzo. You may not want to try the fried frogs, but the food is great.
If you head for the Bolgheri area and want to splurge again, a stop at
the legendary Gambero Rosso is recommended, Pierangelini is another
culinary genius. It is at San Vincenzo, on the Tuscan coast,
definitely not a touristy area but people go there.
Mike
Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail
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