In the courtyard of Juliet’s house and nearby shops, you see hearts, hearts, hearts. Every object imaginable becomes a heart! Mugs, hats, note books, mouse pads, necklaces, cushions…you get the picture. In Juliet’s house I succumbed to gold, glass heart earrings. Yes, getting them in Juliet’s house makes them feel special!

Juliet’s supposed house, with nine rooms on four floors, is a beautifully restored 12^th century home of a well off family. If you like visiting historic houses like I do, it’s worth going in just for that. A sparse variety of art adorns the rooms, but the main draws for us romantic types are exhibits telling Romeo & Juliet’s story, the bed from Zafferelli’s movie, and the chance to write to Juliet for love life advice. Choose the old fashioned way by “mailing” a note in the red mailbox. If you’re a techie, write in the form on their nearby computer and click your call for romance help.

Touching the computer screen leads to a marvelous array of information. Get lost in the romantic world of Verona and its tragic lovers as you learn about the history of Verona and the house, Romeo & Juliet movies, plays and dance productions, and Romeo & Juliet’s story.

After having fun taking pictures of hearts, in the historic centre, I dined at Osteria Romeo & Giuletta. In this homey spot I really enjoyed the pasta with anchovies, pine nuts and raisins and my glass of robust local Ripasso wine. I felt adventurous so ordered snails in a tomato and vegetable sauce with polenta. A delicate dish, but I discovered I’m no snail connoisseur.

In the osteria’s one bathroom, in the women’s cubicle, beside the toilet sat a pretty little table, its top with roses, butterflies and a message, “Love is the beauty of the soul, bears all things, believes all things.” A lovely thought for the day! Did men using this washroom benefit from this message too? I peeked inside the men’s cubicle. No table, not even a plaque for them. Another benefit of being a woman!

Where To Stay

In the historic centre, you’ll find a good choice of hotels. I was happy at three star Hotel Milano a few steps from the Roman arena. Modern rooms, quiet on the back side, and a good breakfast buffet. Please note: you get decent coffee only if you order a cappuccino from the bar. I inspected the three star Hotel Giuletta e Romeo, four star Hotel Accademia, four star Hotel Colomba D’Oro and five star Hotel Due Torri and would happily stay in them all.

EnjoyVerona’s beauty, views, architecture, walks, wine, food and romantic kitsch on your own or as part of our new Cooking & Amarone Wine tour!

How To Enjoy Verona Part 2: Love Is In The Air Everywhere & Where To Stay

Mama Margaret Cowan

Thinking of travelling to Italy? Are you asking yourself, “Where should I go? What should I do? How do I best get around?” 

Get the answers to your questions and insider tips as you dine Italian style in Vancouver with Italy travel expert, Mama Margaret Cowan. Gather around your table on Tuesday, June 5 at 8:15 p.m. at La Quercia Restaurant at 3689 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. Deadline: May 28 

In a small, friendly group limited to six people and Mama Margaret, enjoy good Italian wines and excellent Italian cuisine and ask all you’ve ever wanted to know about travelling in Italy.

Possible topics:

• what Italian regions are best for you
• best times to go
• ins and outs of your transport choices
• places and experiences off the beaten track for your interests. 

Mama Margaret has been travelling to Italy for 40 years, lived there three years, speaks Italian and now goes there every year. Her tour company, Mama Margaret & Friends, has been running cooking tours in Italy since 1995. She writes a weeklyItaly travel and food newsletter. She knows and loves Italy! 

You’ll enjoy their “alla famiglia” seven course menu at $45 per person and pay for your own food and wine. Your conversation with Mama Margaret is free. However, to hold your spot, Mama Margaret requires $30 per person payable in advance on VISA or Mastercard which she’ll deduct off each person’s final bill at La Quercia.  

To reserve or for more information, contact Mama Margaret at 604-681-4074 in Vancouver or email margaret@italycookingschools.com .

Vancouver Italy Travel Q&A Dinner With Mama Margaret

Rome’s Spanish Steps in March 2012

As you begin planning your time in Rome or other major Italian cities, have you ever asked these questions? To help you to enjoy the experiences you want and avoid disappointment, long time Rome resident and blogger Amanda Ruggeri of Revealed Rome has written an excellent article, “Five Frustrating Things Someone Coming To Rome Can Say”.

In her list of frustrating comments from travelers in the planning stage, she gives you a frank dose of reality, as if she’s saying, “No! Please, don’t do it that way.” She tells you why each idea is frustrating and cringe inducing to her, and unrealistic for you, and what you can do about it. 

1. I want to eat the best, authentic food in Rome, and then walk five minutes to my hotel near Trevi fountain.
2. I’m in Rome for two days. How can I see everything?
3. I’ve rented a car for when I’m in Rome. What’s parking and driving like?
4. I’ve booked a hotel out of the centre to save money. What’s the best way to get into the centre each day?
5. We’re just going to play it by ear. 

Check out her responses to these questions and ideas at revealedrome.com so you get the best out of your time in glorious Rome. 

Her comments are equally valid for any other big Italian city with an overwhelming number of attractions like Turin,Venice, Florence, Naples orPalermo.

Frustrated Rome Travel Expert Gives Practical Answers To Common First Timer Questions

Verona on the Adige River

The Adige River winds around Verona, adding extra flavour to it. One evening, local friends and I drank wine outside at Bar Al Ponte (via Ponte Pietra 26) overlooking the river, its Roman bridge and a castle on the hill. Beautiful, as the sun set and city lights came on, giving the scene a glow! Later we drove across the river to a hilltop to admire Verona illuminated by night. Dazzling!  

Verona by night

In the historic centre, I felt enveloped in beauty and history. Its many lovely buildings, inviting piazzas and fine streets, some paved in marble, reveal its Roman, medieval/Gothic and Renaissance layers. I climbed up to the top of its well maintained Roman arena, (1st century A.D.), where operas happen in summer. Imagine seeing Aida there on a warm summer evening—a unique experience. 

If you love music,Verona offers lots of operas and concerts year round. Worth planning your visit around them.

Its famous Piazza delle Erbe is flanked by a Baroque palace, a Renaissance era palace with façade of colourful frescoes, fine shops and cafes. Its market still has fruit and vegetable stands, but now souvenir stands outnumber them. A great spot for people watching! Just off the piazza, I climbed 368 steps to the top of Torre Lamberti, to take in fabulous panoramas. Their elevator takes you up the first 243 steps. Well worth the climb!

Piazza delle Erbe from top of Torre Lamberti

Wine lovers know Verona because of the nearby Valpolicella wine country, home to rich, robust Amarone wine and its siblings, Valpolicella, Ripasso and Recioto. Wine bars pour many wines by the glass and offer snacks or light dinners. Most wine bars are on side streets, so ask locals where to go. I relaxed with a glass of Valpolicella at a small, simple one I found near the Roman arena at Via Alberto Mario 23.  At the well known Antica Bottega del Vino at Vicolo Scudo di Francia 3, I saw regulars and tourists. I felt its Amarone at 10 Euros was over priced, (so drank Ripasso) as was my plate of six small pieces of good cheese, each eaten in two dainty little bites, at 8 Euros.

wine bar on Via Alberto Mario

With our Verona born guide for our new cooking and Amarone wine tour, I ate “al fresco” at the popular Ostregheteria on Via Sottoriva 23 that serves typical, little Veronese  snacks. The day before I’d walked along Via Sottoriva, a picturesque street in a historic area between Piazza delle Erbe and Adige River, but saw few tourists. My newVerona friend said most tourists stick to the area from the Roman arena to Piazza delle Erbe and never get down there.

Margaret with our local guide dining on Via Sottoriva

I dined well on the classic Veneto dish of sardines with a slightly sour sauce of onions marinated in vinegar and raisins, with salad and a glass of good local white wine.

Tune in next week for part two —Verona: Romeo and Juliet Experiences & Where To Stay

How To Enjoy Verona: Much More Than Romeo & Juliet

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, Iona from Vancouver Island was back in the cardiac ward of  Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital. All her friends, except her husband’s aunt in West Vancouver, live far away on Vancouver Island. I can walk to St. Paul’s in 15 minutes from my place, so I visited Iona six days out of the seven she spent there. The first day I gave her some purple tulips. The other days we simply talked or took a little walk around the hospital floor. 

We’d celebrated my birthday together over the years. A few times I’d gone to their home and she’d made a birthday cake. For my 60^th birthday, she made a special trip to have lunch with me in West Vancouver. This year I’d have a birthday lunch with a friend on May 5, but was at a loose end to celebrate with a friend on the actual day, May 4. 

Iona said, “Let’s celebrate here!” The idea tickled me. A new experience! She loves chocolate cake. I went to Whole Foods (Capers) where I knew they use good chocolate and the cake would taste like real cake. Back in the comfy, quiet cardiac ward lounge with a wide city view, I unpacked the forks, knife and napkins and divided the big slab of dark chocolate cake in two. We found ourselves in chocolate heaven! Top quality chocolate. Then Iona sang “Happy Birthday” to me. 

I reflected that with my visits, I’d given her the most precious gift you can give, my time and attention. More than money, more than stuff, we all crave spending time with people we care about. I have lots of projects going on, but every week I make time to re-connect with one or two good friends. 

Who would you like to spend more time with? Is there anyone who lives far away from you that you’d like to re-connect with more often?

Chocolate Birthday Cake On The Cardiac Ward & A Precious Gift

Trevi Fountain crowded on a March afternoon. Lots of Italian school groups in March & April

Are you thinking of visiting Rome, but then think, “No, it’s a big, noisy, crowded, touristy city!” On the other hand, especially if you haven’t visited Italy for awhile or it’s your first time there, you feel “I can’t miss Rome!” A great article by Amanda Ruggeri at her excellent Rome site, revealedrome.com, gives you six tips for enjoying Rome so you feel less engulfed by noise and people.  

Love new Roman drinking experiences? Katie Parla, Rome food blogger, journalist and guide, at parlafood.com has written about a new “birreria—place to drink beer” in Rome’s Testaccio area and a wine store in the centre that sells natural wines, including ones made by four women winery owners in Piedmont, Trento in the north east of Italy, Tuscany and Sicily. Lots of ideas for exploring Rome on her blog and in her new Rome For Foodies app! 

The Italian forum at slowtrav.com now has an excellent thread on resources for planning your time in Rome so check it out!

When I’m in Rome, I stay with my Roman friend, Lucia whom I’ve known since 1996 when I rented a room in her home through an Italian language school I attended. I eat at home with her and her friends, family and cat who don’t speak or meow English. This March we drove into the countryside to see her new house in the hills outside Rome. 

In Rome this March I also inspected several three and four star hotels and met Katie Parla for a drink in the Monti neighbourhood near the Colosseum. A new area for me. I really liked its down to earth, cozy feel and its mix of families and local businesses with some tourists. Sometimes in RomeI’ll take in major art exhibitions or enjoy rambling around new or familiar neighbourhoods on foot. 

I don’t do much planning for my personal time in Rome. My first priority is visiting Lucia. My Italian friends are important to me just like my Canadian ones. I went to Lucia’s 60^th birthday and retirement party in 2011 and to her daughter’s wedding in 2010.

How To Plan Your Time In Rome

Iona and me in Horseshoe Bay just outside Vancouver on May 4, 2010

That’s what one of my best friends, Iona, age 60, told me when she decided to go to Italy last September with a woman friend, leaving her family to fend for themselves for three weeks. I met her when I was 9. 

She knew she was scheduled for open heart surgery that October and felt worried about the outcome, like any of us in her situation would. “I hope I make it,” she said. 

The rock of her family, she’s always there for their adult kids and her many women friends when problems arise and they do—often. She dotes on her delightful grandkids. She has a solid relationship with her self-employed husband and keeps their rural property organized. She forgets about herself and comes last. She’s an artist but doesn’t have time to paint anymore.

Ten years ago to celebrate her 50^th birthday, I took her and her then 12 year old daughter to Italy. Iona had never been to Italy and fell in love with it, especially in Venice, where she felt an odd sensation of having been there before. She’d only visited Europe once about 30 years ago in a rather unromantic holiday in Paris with her soon to be ex-husband. 

Last September, in spite of some personality differences between her and a long time friend, she had a lovely time, walking lots on her own in Venice, 5 Terre etc and chatting to fellow travelers in her outgoing, warm way. Her first international trip since our Italy trip. 

On March 30 her open heart surgery went well, but now she’s back in the cardiac ward in the same Vancouver hospital. A “setback”. She’s having trouble breathing again. The doctors are figuring out what’s wrong with her. 

On my visits with her in hospital, she frets about how she has so many things to do for so many people back home on Vancouver Island, instead of lying in a hospital bed. I reply, “This is your health. This is your time. Let go of everything else for now.” 

Just like she did when she went to Italy in 2011 and 2001. Time just for her. 

It all reminds me to do stuff I’ve wanted to do or love doing now, while my health is still good. 

What have you wanted to do that you haven’t done yet or haven’t done for awhile? When will you do it?

“I’m Going To Italy Now—It Might Be My Last Time”

Smoking Mount Etna viewed from Catania airport, March 18, 2012.

Despite the economic problems in Europe, the Euro has stayed stable this spring, but some air fares have been going up. Kathy McCabe of Dream of Italy at her dreamofitaly.com’s Travel To Italy blog (mid way down her home page) lists nine great tips to get the best airfares to Italy.  

Some of Kathy’s tips:

• Fares are way cheaper in May than in June, so go in May if you can.
• Most expensive times are August and Christmas when Italians travel for holidays.
• Book flights through main hubs like Rome and then take an Italian airline within Italy. 

One of my big, long time pet peeves is that you get cheaper fares on Alitalia within Italy by going to their Italian or UK site instead of their American site. For example, let’s say you’re flying from Rome to Catania in Sicily on Tuesday, May 15 and returning Tuesday, May 22. On their Italian and U.K. sites, you can get “promo” fares which don’t appear their American site. 

The Italian site’s promo fare return comes to 133 Euros (unless you take the cheaper 4:15 p.m. Rome to Catania flight for 16 Euros less) or about $180 Cdn/U.S. The U.K. site’s promo fare totals 108 pounds or about $178 Cdn/U.S. (unless you take the 4:15 p.m. Rome to Catania flight).

Their American site’s best return price in the “easy” fare level is $314! I’m amazed and mystified that Alitalia is still doing this kind of price gouging. If you live in North America, book online on their Italian site. I do all the time. 

Of course, Alitalia has competition like blu-express.com, airitaly.eu, meridiana.it and from the UK, Easy Jet and Ryan Air.

10 Tips On Getting Good Air Fares To & Within Italy

villa hotel exterior at night

One of our most popular Italian cooking school tours at a small, four star, historic villa hotel overlooking Sorrento and the Bayof Naples is offering an amazing discount and upgrade if you book cooking tours for May or June, 2012.   

We’ve sent many ecstatic food lovers to have fun with the joyful Neapolitan chef in cooking classes in state of the art kitchen and explore the Amalfi Coast and Bay of Naples. One well travelled, 50 something couple said the thoughtful personal service was among the best service they’d ever experienced.

For a six day tour, the regular May and June price is 2500 Euros per person (about $3400 Cdn/U.S or about 2150 pounds) if you choose their beautiful classic rooms. Now you can go for 2100 Euros per person (about $2800 Cdn/U.S. or about 1800 pounds) ! You save 400 Euros (about $540 Cdn/U.S. or about 344 pounds). 

cooking students having fun in the hotel’s kitchen

PLUS if you book a classic room, they’ll upgrade you to a junior suite, normally costing 400 Euros more. This means a total gift of 800 Euros or about $1080 Cdn/U.S. or 688 pounds!  

If you book a junior suite, they’ll upgrade you to the penthouse suite, a value of 200 Euros or about $270 Cdn/U.S. or 170 pounds. 

Similar discounts and upgrades apply on their four night tours. 

Contact Mama Margaret today for more information and to book this wonderful cooking school tour at these special spring prices.

Discounts & Upgrades on Sorrento Villa Cooking Tour, Value Up To $1000

Villa San Giorgio on the right with village, San Giorgio in back.

On my last trip to Italy, in the Veneto I stayed at Villa San Giorgio, an eight room hotel in a Valpolicella wine country hill town with fabulous views all the way to Lake Garda. In my chats with the very friendly manager, Gabriele, I revealed that I appreciated good food. 

One evening, after overindulging on lunch and snacks, for dinner all I wanted was a few slices of salami, cheese and bread with a glass of milk. At the hotel I found Gabriele at the bar and told him of my simple needs. 

He smiled, “That doesn’t sound too interesting” and came back with some bread and two bottles of olive oil, one from Lake Garda and the other from somewhere in Tuscany. He set out the bread and two small plates, where he poured a healthy amount of the two olive oils. 

As I dipped my bread in the two oils, he asked, “What differences can you taste?”  For me, the Lake Garda olive oil felt softer in the throat and tasted milder than the sharper Tuscan one. The Tuscan olive oil felt thinner in texture than the fatter Lake Gardaone. A new experience for me! Which one did I prefer? The Tuscan one that grabbed me in my throat. Gabriele pointed out the Lake Garda olive oil is great on fish. 

Then I enjoyed a bit of salami, cheese and bread with a glass of milk. I hadn’t confined myself to just bread and milk though. I’d participated in an unexpected, “gourmet” experience! 

What thoughtful service have you experienced in hotels, B&Bs or agriturismos in Italy? Let’s hear your stories!

Thoughtful Service For Food Lover: Beyond Bread & Milk