Just like that, Our Italian Romance turns 4 years old today! From the beginning, this blog site was created to share our love of Italy and to honor our late sister in law.
We have enjoyed posting stories of our time spent travelling throughout this wonderful country. Our posts are created to inspire our readers to visit Italy for themselves. We truly hope to encourage you all to make plans to visit Italy for yourself and discover new hidden gems. Why? Because Italy’s unique beauty and culture is extraordinary…
The current world health crisis of Covid-19 dominates the world news as we all know. Unfortunately, this has forced the cancellation of all trips to Italy for so many of us.
As disappointing as this is, we take solace in knowing that when the time comes for Italia to open its doors to visitors once again… we will be there!
But for now…..
We will have to make due with reliving the happy times of past trips to get us through this period of isolation. Stay tuned for upcoming posts and keep dreaming of Italy.
Thank you for supporting us and please stay safe ❤
T & P
Abbracci virtuali a tutti (Virtual hugs to everyone)
We at OIR always love bringing you uplifting stories of the wonderful things we discover while travelling throughout the amazing country of Italy. We feel extremely fortunate to have made the trip to the Italian peninsula as many times as we have.
To date, we have made the trip to Italy 5 times in 9 years. It really has been life changing to invest so much time thinking, talking and travelling to this remarkable country.
Without a doubt, we’ve spent countless hours reminiscing of things we’ve seen and done and… what we will do next in Italia. These have been hours well spent. The friends we’ve made along the way including our B & B hosts, fellow travellers and locals have been fantastico.
Enter, the Elephant in the room … Coronavirus (COVID-19)
It is absolutely heartbreaking to watch this wretched COVID-19 rip though Italy and the world for that matter. Seeing Italy close down completely is like watching a poorly written B movie disaster flick. It’s an unbelievable story line, and yet, here it is.
The images of empty streets and piazzas coming out of Italy are shocking and disheartening. It is like the life force of the country no longer flows through their streets.
The people have become captives in their own homes and have been forced to wait out the pandemic. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones.
The character of the Italian people
If there is a bright spot, the Italian people are making Limoncello from the lemons they have been handed. Watching them sing from their balcony’s to socialize with one another is a heartwarming display of making the best of a bad situation. When they sing and play music… it’s like they are saying “Up yours COVID-19”.
Plans to Visit Italy in late May…hopefully
Our plans for the end of May rest on shaky ground at the moment. We planned our 6th trip to Orvieto a year ago. If things don’t improve considerably by the end of April, we will have to reluctantly cancel our trip.
Ironically, even if Italy begins to recover by the time we are set to leave, we Canadians may be in lock down as the virus starts taking its hold of North America. I hope that we can show the same characterthat they haveshown.
There is always hope that September is COVID-19 free.
If the worst does in fact come to pass and our plans are cancelled, fear not Italia, we will be back in mid-September. It’s always been in our plans to see Italy in the fall. Maybe this will be that year!
How about we end this post on happy note?
Here is a selection of photographs we’ve picked from past trips to help remind us all why we will return to Italy when this has all passed. Enjoy and we will see you as soon as we can Italia!
Vintage doors in Italia are truly swinging works of art
Throughout Italy’s historical centres, you most certainly will find countless arched doorways showcasing the craftsmanship of Italian woodworkers. Take a stroll down any historic street in Italia and undoubtedly you will be rewarded by discovering one of their creations.
As I sit here snacking on keto approved cauliflower crackers and sipping on carbonated water, my mind drifts back to happier times and happier places. Naturally, Italy is our happy place and dining on delicious plates of carbonara are our happy times.
When it comes to pasta dishes that I’ve enjoyed over the years… and there have been many, the traditional Roman style Carbonara stands out as my Official Italian Comfort Food.
It’s the simplicity of its ingredients! Let’s start with the pasta. Typically you will find that spaghetti, linguine and fettuccine are the popular go to pasta options. Winding these long, sauce catching strips of pasta around a fork is an important part of building anticipation for that very first delicious bite. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my lips.
Choosing a good hard cheese is key for creating the overall flavor and texture of the dish. Pecorino or maybe Parmigiano-Reggiano are solid cheese choices, (excuse the pun).
To create the right sauce for the carbonara, you will need a couple farm fresh eggs and the hard cheese of your choice. These two ingredients give this tasty sauce the stickiness needed for it to cling to the pasta.
In orderto elevate this pasta dish above all others, usethe traditional Pancetta (belly) or Guanciale (cheek). These are the typical cuts of pork that are used. For me, Pancetta is the one. In my humble opinion, Guanciale is a bit too fatty. Don’t get me wrong, I will eat it and I will enjoy it but… I carry with me a fat aversion since childhood. It’s a quirk not easily overcome.
To put the crown on this wonderful pasta dish, you need to top it off with a dusting of the worlds number one spice. Pepper! Yes my friends, give that pepper grinder a good crank to make it an authentic dish of Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Buon Appetito!
If you would like to see how easy it is to make carbonara for yourself, check out this link.
I’m getting a vibe from the universe that possibly, just possibly, you may not agree with me regarding which pasta dish is, in fact, the King of Pasta!
To appease the masses, I’ll offer up my runner up pasta dishes which, in their own right, are molto bellissimo.
Pasta al Pomodoro – Pasta with Tomatoes
No matter which pasta noodle you choose, once topped with either a straight tomato sauce or bolognese sauce, it’s nothing less than fantastic! There is only one reason I can’t crown spaghetti al pomodoro as king. Frankly, it’s not the first food that comes to mind when I dream of cheating on keto. Carbonara is!
Frutti di Mare – Seafood Pasta
As far as visually pleasing dishes go, it’s hard to beat a well plated seafood pasta dish. With a medley of fresh fish and pasta smothered in tasty tomato sauce, it’s a very popular choice. I for one, don’t particularly care for the fishy taste of these dishes but… my wife loves them!
Last but certainly not least
Here we have a wonderful collection of pasta dishes using tortellini, tagliolini, fettuccine and spaghetti noodles. And let’s not forget the lovely lasagna noodle.
The variety of sauces used to bring pasta to life are infinite. Some of our favorites include, olive oil and garlic, white cheese, Alfredo and Porcini/ mushroom sauce. If you were wondering… yes they were ALL fantastic!
What’s YOUR favorite pasta?
Here’s your chance to enlighten me on the best pasta in Italia. Let me know what makes you say… Mamma mia, assolutamente delizioso.
There comes a time after every trip to Italy, the inevitable will occur. The return of the Italian blues. Don’t laugh, it’s a thing! Well, it is for us anyhow.
After recently spending just over a month in Italy, you would think that we would be content after such an amazing trip. Nope, its the complete opposite if anything. Being back home just reinforces the fact that we need to go back as soon as we can, to resume our quest to discover all that is Italy.
There are still so many regions to visit and so many things to see. Each time we return, our must see list gets longer instead of shorter.
Grey skies give us the blues
Lush green grass means rain, rain and more rain!
The only thing worse than feeling blue about leaving Italy, is coming home to what is arguably one of worst summers on the prairies that we’ve seen in decades. Now, I hate being that weather whiner guy but, come on! Yes, this summer has left us a touch cranky.
I will confess though, things could have been worse. We could have been here for the whole soggy spring season. Fortunately, we had the month of June in Italy which gave us a month of blue skies and hot, hot temperatures. It’s our friends and family we feel bad for! These poor souls have had to endure rain filled, overcast days the whole time we were away.
A cure for the Italian blues
Blue skies and blue waters
Let’s face it, unless we’re in Italy drinking cappuccinos on a patio, there is no cure for the IB’s (Italian Blues). The best we can hope for is that we make it through the day without weeping.
That said, we have a few tricks in our toolbox that help us take the edge off the IB’s.
The first trick is to visit our favorite local Italian cafes and restaurants, just to get a bit of a taste of Italia. It’s not the same, but it is something!
Next we revisit all the places we’ve previously been to in Italy via photos we’ve taken while in country. This way we get to relive our happy times in our happy place by simply swiping through images on the computer.
Last but not least, we start planning our next trips to Italy. What places will we see next or which places will we see again? This step will keep us busy for months and months. There’s no time to be blue when you’re planning an exciting holiday, now is there?
Being blue isn’t always a bad thing
To make this point, we here at OIR would like to share with you photos from Italia capturing the color blue. Blue skies, blue water and all things featuring the color blue.
Perhaps you may be suffering through a case of your own blues. If so, this might be the incentive you need to begin making your own plans for an Italian vacation!
When planning our 2019 trip to Italy, we knew Milan would be our final stop. It’s been a while since we last visited and we needed a Duomo di Milano fix! The biggest problem for us getting to Milano was… well… it signaled the end of our vacation. It’s pretty hard to live in the moment knowing the plane ride home is only hours away and this is the end of us being in our happy place.
That said, time to make the best of things. Andiamo!
What to see, what to see?
With only two days allotted for exploring Milan (with part of that time being lost to fixing a return flight issue), we wanted to prioritise what we needed to see. It was narrowed down to the Duomo, the Vittorio Emaneule II, the Navigli canal and… I’ll wait to tell you the forth one for now. I don’t want to lose you too early!
First stop, The Duomo of course
The Duomo
We found a hotel which was one hundred feet around the corner from the Piazza del Duomo. TheDuomo and Italy’s oldest mall Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (1877) both look onto the piazza.
An incredible sight to behold, the Duomo looks like a castle in a medieval fantasy movie. I half expected to see 3 dragons do a flyby while we stood there gawking. Even though we have seen the Duomo several times before, it is still mesmerizing!
The amount of detail put into its design is staggering. You could spend days trying to photograph every statue, every gargoyle and every ornate trim piece and still miss parts of it. Walking into the Nave is like entering an old redwood forest with its massive support columns reaching high up into its canopy. Fantastico!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Under the Dome
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II consists of identical quadrants connected in the center with an amazing domed glass and steel ceiling. The high-end shops, restaurants and beautiful mosaic floors make it a can’t miss stop.
The large open piazza welcomes thousands of visitors every day and is a great place to make new friends. I can’t tell you how many guys came up to us and offered us colorful string bracelets of friendship as gifts… They were so enthusiastic, they even tried to tie them on our wrist themselves…
How could we not mention the other guys with the bundles of roses? These flower toting romantics were keenly perceptive and picked up on the lovebird vibe we must have been giving off.
Next up… the Navigli Canal
On our first trip to Milan, we missed seeing this very popular attraction. The reason this happened was, we had no clue it existed! In fact, we walked within a stones throw of it, but stopped a few steps short of discovering the canal. You can imagine the smacking sound of hand on forehead when we realized, there are canals in Milan!
Navigli Canal
Navigli Canal has inviting bars and ristoranti lining both sides of the waterway which proved too hard to resist. The canal itself was clean and the water was clear. So clear in fact, you can easily spot fish swimming in it.
We went in the afternoon, but it’s far more active in the evening hours, but it was perfect for us.
Last but not least we went to… the FIRST Starbucks in Italy!
Starbucks Milano
I know, I know. You can stop screaming at your screen now. We heard and read the good and bad views about it’s opening in Milan, but we thought we’d check out what all the ruckus was about for ourselves.
As a rule,
we’re not regulars at Starbucks back home. The coffee is fine, but we wouldn’t
go out of our way to visit one. This Starbucks
is hugely different than any one you would have visited. As luck would have it, the Milano Starbucks Reserve
Roastery was only a few hundred yards from our hotel room. I know, right?
The facade of the former post office building remains intact and the Starbucks signage is respectfully discreet. So much so that we almost walked by it altogether. The outdoor seating area consists of multiple trellised units covered in wonderful shade giving vines.
More than just another coffee shop in Milano
The stores 25,000 square foot layout is in a word,AMAZING. It’s big and it’s visually pleasing. From the bean conveying system to its center piece roaster, the store is beautiful and has an undeniable Italian flair to it. You can indulge in pastries, baked goods, pizza, fresh bread or have a drink in the 2nd floor lounge.
Aperol Spritz per favore
Of course they also specialize in coffee and tea! The staff were very friendly and busy filling orders from eager customers. The line ups were nowhere as long as we had heard. It was quick to place an order, easy to find seating and the food was molto bene.
If coffee flavored gelato sounds good to you, try their speciality treat, Affogato. It’s more than just a delicious coffee gelato treat, it’s a dramatic show, handcrafted right in front of you. The process uses milk which is flash chilled using their nitrogen infusion system.
Affogato Baby
The nitrogen fusion process briefly creates a heavy fog which envelops the affogato station. It’s like watching a mad scientist at work! The gelato created has an ultra smooth texture to it which is very pleasing to the tongue.
To add to the experience, a shot of espresso is given to you to pour over the gelato yourself. It is unique to be given a part in the creation of this dolce treat. All in all, it was a great experience.
So here we are again!
We are now done with our 2019 trip to the beautiful country of Italia. Once again, Italy did not disappoint. We didn’t see everything we planned to see, but we saw more than enough to keep us happy until we return.
Thank you for joining us on the trip via our blog posts. Thanks for all your positive comments. We are very happy that you enjoyed the photos we shared.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts where we’ll be sharing more of our best of Italy experiences with you.
What can I say about Bergamo, Città Alta? Really, all that needs to be said is WOW! After spending a week in Portovenere relaxing by the sea, we weren’t too keen to return to a big city, so we booked 2 nights in Bergamo before heading to our final destination of Milano. What a great decision.
Awestruck by the Artwork
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the reason we came to Bergamo
All we knew about this medieval town was that it had a spectacular Duomo, especially when viewing it from the Campanone (tower) across from it. What we didn’t know is that the inside was even more remarkable.
We have seen our share of beautiful churches, but this one took our breath away. It is stunning. With its multicolored ceiling highlighted with over the top gold, this Duomo will leave you in awe!
Bergamo is a place for night owls
Bergamo is active well into the Night
The upper towns main corso is alive with locals and visitors strolling up and down its length. It is a bit slower getting up in the mornings, (good luck getting a cappuccino or espresso before 7 am) but they do stay up late into the night. The streets are full until after midnight and it’s not uncommon to see kids playing in the piazzas at 10:30 pm.
The shops and restaurants are many and the Piazza Vecchia is a great meeting place for everyone. Contarini Fountain is by Italian standards a bit underwhelming, however this does not diminish how popular it is. Everyone who steps up can’t resist dipping their hands into the water, splashing it on themselves and taking a sip.
Where are the cats?
When we put together a photo spread to feature in our blog, we tend to add a pic or two of the local felines. Why? Well, we love cats (and dogs too).
Over the last two days we haven’t seen a single cat. No pictures of cats, no cats in windows, not a cat hair on anyone’s black pants! It’s weird.
What they do have is dogs, lots of dogs. Owners of big dogs and owners of very little dogs all walking the streets for their daily meet and greet in the Piazza. I guess this may explain the lack of cats!
Put Bergamo on your must-see list
If you’re in or around Milan and want a great day trip give Bergamo a look. Better yet, stay there a couple of nights to get a feel of this great old city on the hill, you won’t be disappointed.
We’ve seen it both ways, nevertheless, it’s a great place to visit when you need some Italian coastal vibes.
We’re finally on the seaside leg of our trip in the picturesque fishing village of Portovenere, Liguria. We planned this seven-night stay on the coast because we knew that we’d need some decompression time. It’s hard work exploring Italia, eating great food and living La Dolce Vita, you know!
Although it’s similar to the more popular and busy towns of the Cinque Terre, in our opinion, it has one major advantage going for it. The main train line that services the Cinque Terre does not reach this area. From a selfish prospective, this helps prevent the tourist crush that flood the streets every time the train stops in those towns.
Oh yes, it’s popular!
Portovenere does see its share of cruise ship day trippers due to its proximity to the port city of La Spezia. However, the layout of the town is able to disperse crowds in various directions effectively. It’s spread over a larger area and has a nice, long promenade adjacent to the marina, beaches and restaurants.
The main options of travel to get here are bus, ferry or car. Each one of these has its advantages and disadvantages, but we prefer the freedom of having our own car. The bonus for us is that the apartment we rented has a private/free parking stall, which is quite unusual.
Patio with a View
Our days consist of getting up early, watching the sunrise from our amazing patio, enjoying a few cappuccinos al fresco and watching the morning “rush hour” in the harbour. A quick walk into town for another cappuccino and warm pastry and then a fresh squeezed OJ before we start exploring the labyrinth of narrow streets and endless stairs.
There are numerous historical sites to appreciate, fantastic cliff side views and photo ops around every corner. It’s a shutterbugs dream! To top it all off, if you like great tropical weather, inviting blue seas, a plethora of restaurants serving local cuisine, in a relaxed atmosphere… this should be on your must see list!
We’ve left the laid-back living of Chianti behind for the bustling cities of Bologna and Modena. These two cities are similar in size with Bologna being the busier of the two. Both places have been on our must see list for a while and we finally knocked them off.
Thank God and Bologna for portico’s
After venturing down the streets in the midday heat, you will be grateful for the genius of the Portico. The network of Portico’s that Bologna is famous for, make sightseeing bearable in +33 C temps. Without them they would have had to drag my withered carcass out of the main piazza… I’m sure of it!
Bologna is an easy city to walk about and has lots of historical sites to take in. For us, the old market in the Quadrilatero and lunch at the popular Eataly were highlights.
We found Bologna to be busy, but manageable. We’re glad to have finally seen this important città and it was well worth the visit.
Feeding the parking meter monster
The hardest part of Bologna, I would say, was finding parking close to the centre of the old city. Our apartment was great, but we needed to find street parking for our car. Not as easy as you would think. We did find a spot reasonably close to the apartment, but the parking meter assigned to the lot was a hungry beast. We forked out about 60 bucks CA over the 3 nights stay to keep the beast satisfied.
Modena
A half hour or so northwest of Bologna is the city of Modena, birthplace of traditional balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico. The city prides itself in giving the world this super flavorful condiment. I was never a fan of balsamic vinegar in my youth, but as I have aged, so has my palate. Drizzled on a mixed salad, fruit or on some aged cheese, balsamico works perfectly.
The city is a lot less busy when it comes to street and pedestrian traffic. Duomo di Modena is easily seen from a distance by its bright white bell tower. Construction started in the year 1099 and was completed in 1319.
What we found so interesting about the Duomo was the stark contrast between its exterior and interior, visually speaking. The facade is mostly white that stands out beautifully against a deep blue sky. The interior is surprisingly dark. Constructed primarily of dark brown bricks in the Romanesque style, it seems very cave-like inside. Immensely interesting!
As crazy as this may sound, we never did find a shop that did Balsamic tastings which we’ve heard so much about. To be fair though, we really didn’t try that hard either. Instead, we found a nice ristorante across from the duomo and had a great lunch. Great day trip.
Next stop Portovenere for some much needed decompression and a view of the Ligurian Sea for 7 nights.
The Chianti region in Tuscany is not only a visual treat, but a perfect place to relax and recharge after spending time in the bigger cities. You can jump into your car and travel down winding, scenic roads. Trust me when I say there are a lot of these roads to choose from when you’re in the Chianti Classico region. Don’t forget your Gravol if you’re one that falls victim to motion sickness…
We toured through several towns in the 4 days we were in this area. The ones that left the biggest impressions were Castellina, Greve, Panzano, Volpaia, Radda, Gaiole and Vertine.
Colle di Val d’Elsa is slightly out of the Chianti region, but we missed it the last 2 times and it was well worth the trip.
It’s been painfully hard for us to minimize the number of photos we wanted to share with you in this post. You can probably tell we are not minimalists…
