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The Italy Thread


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53 minutes ago, locodos said:

Yup drip coffee.  It was on the menu and they had the machine.  However, they had no intention of ever using it.   Oh, I'm sure they talked shit about me, and that's ok.

 

Its probably broken just like the credit card reader.  Sorry... cash only.  wink wink

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6 hours ago, texasdago said:

Some of that is so staged... but I will definitely confirm that if you do the wrong thing in a restaurant, you risk drawing the ire of the owner or waitstaff.  My wife learned the hard way in the late 90s to not order a cappuccino in the evening.  At a minimum, you're getting a very dirty look.

For those wanting to complain about this, please ask for a bottle of ketchup for your bowl of chili at the Texas Chili Parlor and make sure they see you put it on the chili.

 

Oh man.  I had one of the most embarrassing moments the last time I was there, but I had no choice.  We had a flight to catch in Rome, but stopped on the way out of Tuscany (actually in Umbria) in this little town to get the cacio e pepe that they make in the wheel of parmesan.  So damn good.  BUT my MIL also ordered a pork chop.  Well, a) she underestimated the amount of pasta that was coming our way and b) that the pasta would come first and the pork chop second.  There was no WAY we would make our flight if we had waited on that pork chop, so I had to tell them, mid-cook, to cancel it.  I HAD NO CHOICE GOD DAMMIT!  They looked at me like I had stabbed their first born.

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1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Oh man.  I had one of the most embarrassing moments the last time I was there, but I had no choice.  We had a flight to catch in Rome, but stopped on the way out of Tuscany (actually in Umbria) in this little town to get the cacio e pepe that they make in the wheel of parmesan.  So damn good.  BUT my MIL also ordered a pork chop.  Well, a) she underestimated the amount of pasta that was coming our way and b) that the pasta would come first and the pork chop second.  There was no WAY we would make our flight if we had waited on that pork chop, so I had to tell them, mid-cook, to cancel it.  I HAD NO CHOICE GOD DAMMIT!  They looked at me like I had stabbed their first born.

Yup.  I am the cook of the house and when my teenagers give me crap about what I make for dinner, it does not go over well

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have a trip booked in June for two weeks. Me, the wife, 17 year old son, and 9 year old daughter. yay. :) Expecting a few "I AM TIRED" from the daughter, but, should be fun.

We are flying from Austin to Frankfurt to Milan (1 night; cheaper flights) - Venice (3) - Florence (3) - Rome (4) - La Spezia (Cinque Terre) (2) then back to Milan for a flight out.

We planned the whole thing on our own and are hoping we don't over do it. We are pretty much doing all of the touristy stuff since we are first-timers. 

Milan: Duomo
Venice: St Mark's, Doge Palace, explore the city, Lido di Jesolo for a bit
Florence: Uffizi, Duomo Firenze, Accademia, half day driving to Pisa
Rome: Vatican, Pantheon, Collosseum (haven't gotten tickets yet), etc.
La Specia: Train to Cinque Terre

We are staying in airbnbs mostly and have had a fun time getting on Google Earth to check out the surroundings. 

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I feel like people bag on Rome.  Not here. Just in general.  If you've never been to Italy, and you are even halfway interested in history, Rome is the most fascinating city on the planet.

They have 2000 year old buildings on every block. The touristy shit is incredible. Forum, Coloseum, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Vatican City, etc etc. And just stop in random places to rest and have a bottle of wine and a bite. The piazza by the Pantheon is a total tourist trap, but one of the best people-watching places I've ever been. I distinctly remember the red wine and pizza my wife and I had on our first trip.  We spent an hour just basking in the sun and scenery.

Food in Rome is underrated as well. Gelato and cacio e pepe will be staples for your kids.

With 4 days in Rome, I might recommend doing a day trip to Pompei. Are you renting a car? It's a fairly easy drive, and it is amazing. Or save for your next trip. Because nobody can do Italy once.

Do not skip seeing David in Florence. I'm not an arts guy, but that was the highlight of Florence to me.  If you have 3 days, you have time to do a day trip to one of the Tuscan towns nearby.

Never been to Venice. Jealous

Nor Cinque Terre. But I have done Amalfi. Same trip as Pompei. God that was a great 5 days.

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17 hours ago, Dignan said:

We have a trip booked in June for two weeks. Me, the wife, 17 year old son, and 9 year old daughter. yay. :) Expecting a few "I AM TIRED" from the daughter, but, should be fun.

We are flying from Austin to Frankfurt to Milan (1 night; cheaper flights) - Venice (3) - Florence (3) - Rome (4) - La Spezia (Cinque Terre) (2) then back to Milan for a flight out.

We planned the whole thing on our own and are hoping we don't over do it. We are pretty much doing all of the touristy stuff since we are first-timers. 

Milan: Duomo
Venice: St Mark's, Doge Palace, explore the city, Lido di Jesolo for a bit
Florence: Uffizi, Duomo Firenze, Accademia, half day driving to Pisa
Rome: Vatican, Pantheon, Collosseum (haven't gotten tickets yet), etc.
La Specia: Train to Cinque Terre

We are staying in airbnbs mostly and have had a fun time getting on Google Earth to check out the surroundings. 

You'll have a great time no matter what.  See the Castello Sforzesco in Milano.  I went there one Ferragosto weekend and the town was E M P T Y and walking around there was so peaceful.  

Venice, if you go to Lido, find a nice beach bar/club where you can enjoy chilling for the day, having lunch, aperitive time.  I imagine its not much different than a place like Rimini but more expensive.  Just get into the rhythm of the day.  For Venice, believe me... the further from San Marco, the better the prices and food quality.  San Marco should be explored by try to stay in an area like Dorsoduro and just wander backstreets looking for places that serve cichetti.  You will get lost but Google maps will help you out.  

Rome, explore some of the off-the-beaten path places that are likely to be much less crowded.  Sometimes its nice to get into a park and just chill out for a bit.  We used to like to go to Villa Celimontana, not far from the Colosseum.  Near there you can visit something like this which should be quiet... https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/case-romane-del-celio .  Also, duck into random churches.  I used to like going into Basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli since it was a beautiful church and usually empty.  Also, check out lesser-visited museums like Palazzo Venezia.  June will be a beating in Rome so seek quiet moments.  Trust me.  I've spent an awful lot of time in Rome and now we spend our time in Italy elsewhere.  I've been many times and there's a lot I have not seen so Rome can be visited many many times and each visit can be different.  Agree about going to Tazza d'Oro.  Get the granita.  Also, go to Ostia Antica and/or The Appian Way.

Our summer trip in Italy will be based in Mattinata, Puglia and Rimini in Romagna with little stops on the coast in Le Marche and probably time spent in Bologna to see friends.

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