“What’s the catch?” Trenitalia.com says, “The MINI offer can be booked up two days before departure on this website, at authorised travel agencies and through our call centre, also with ticketless option, at ticket desks and self-service ticket machines at train stations.” 

The Mini fares are hidden two layers down at the very useful, informative trenitalia.com. On their home page, choose your departing city, arriving city and day and time. A second page pops up with a choice of trains and prices. No Mini fares there! 

Where are the Mini fares? Select your train departure time (click on “select” button on the right of the regular train fare) and click on “continue” at the bottom of the train choices list. Up pops a third screen with more fare choices including the Mini one. 

The number of Mini seats is limited and varies with the day of the week, the train and the class you choose. For example, on trenitalia.com I entered Tuesday, March 6 leaving Rome at 9:15 a.m., arriving Florence at 10:46. Regular 2^nd class fare is 45 Euros (about $60) and 1st class 63 Euros (about $85). Mini fare was 39 Euros (about $58). What about 9 Euros? 

When can I travel from Rome to Florence on March 6 for 9 Euros? I tested 10 departure times. I’d pay:

• 19 Euros (about $25) if I went at 10:45 a.m. or 3:15 p.m.
• 29 Euros (about $39) if I left at 6:15 a.m., 7:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m.
• 39 Euros (about $58) at 8:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. 

Then I gave up. The good news is I get a nice discount if I leave mid morning and pay 19 Euros, instead of 45 Euros for 2^nd class or 63 Euros 1^st class. 

Do many 9 Euro fares actually exist? Yes. On the excellent slowtrav.com website’sItaly forum, where I first saw GAC’s post about mini fares, some people wrote how they bought 9 Euro tickets from Florence to Rome and fromVenice to Bologna. 

Please note: Train schedules only go out for about a month, so trenitalia.com won’t work beyond then. 

What if you want to change your Mini ticket? Not so easy. Trenitalia says, “ All MINI tickets, including tickets purchased online and with ticketless option, can be changed solely at ticket desks at train stations or at the travel agency where the ticket was issued up to midnight of the day before departure. Changes can be made only once. You are only allowed to change the departure date or time for the same category of train or service, subject to a change fee (equal to the difference to the corresponding full base price).

Amazing Deal! 9 Euros+ Fares On Trains Between Cities Anywhere In Italy

view from Ravello’s Strada Panoramica down over Minori

An American woman phoned me with questions about a cooking school and culture tour for her and her husband with a delightful family in Sorrento. They were going to fly into and out of Naples. As well as the four night cooking tour, they wanted to explore the Amalfi Coast and Capri for a total of 12 nights. She didn’t know the region and needed an expert’s help on planning their itinerary. Me, Mama Margaret!

What was most important to them? As soon as she said they loved beautiful nature and sea views, I said, “Ravello is for you. Just above Amalfi and well worth the winding road up. For me, the most beautiful place on theAmalfiCoast.” They also wanted to stay onCapri and have private transport throughout their holiday.

I created an itinerary with a night in Naples on arrival, two nights on Capri, two nights in Ravello and the four day cooking tour near Sorrento. We carefully researched and booked lovely four star hotels in Naples, Capri, Ravello and Sorrento. Three properties have stunning sea views. The Sorrento hotel is conveniently close to the cooking school. For six stages in their trip, we arranged private drivers to take care of them and their luggage door to door. Carefree, relaxing for them! A pleasure for us to make a difference in their special holiday! I lived on the Amalfi Coast 30 years ago and have returned since so know the lay of the land well.

Phone us today for more Italian cooking school tour information and advice on travelling in Italy. You’ll save time and stress and get expert Italy travel advice—faster and better help if you phone or Skype us.

Couple’s Amalfi Coast Dreams Come True With Mama Margaret’s Help

colours in Vernazza with the steeple of Santa Margherita church

Almost four months after the tragic floods devastated Vernazza and Monterosso, two of the five coastal towns in the Cinque Terre, businesses are starting to re-open. 

At savevernazza.com/traveladvisor you can see a long list of what restaurants, bars, gelaterias, markets and accommodations are open or when they expect to open. You’ll see a good choice of local style rooms and restaurants opening in Vernazza this spring, so if you enjoy local B&Bs, please stay and eat in Vernazza. 

Their “thank you” list inspired me too, showing artists who are donating some of their painting or photograph proceeds, bloggers who’ve kept spreading the word, projects people far away have organized to donate to savevernazza.com. 

At rebuildmonterosso.com in their February 5 blog, I was heartened to see lots of photographs of business owners in their newly re-opened shops, bars, restaurants. This site will soon publish a list of what businesses are open or when they expect to open. 

Other blogs I follow on the rebuilding progress and simply life in the Cinque Terre as they get back on their feet and enjoy the unusual snow are: 

Lifeinliguria.blogspot.com with Christine in Monterosso

Littleparadiso.com with Kate who lives very near Monterosso

Culturalcomments.com with Nicole in Vernazza 

colours at Monterosso’s beach

They feel like friends are writing to me, sending me their photos of their towns season by season. Snow rarely falls there, so it’s fun to see the beaches and towns’ landmarks I know covered in white blankets.

I was reflecting on the strong connection I feel to these two towns. Why? I’ve been going there since 1979, every year usually alone, sometimes with our fun loving tour groups. I love the colours, natural beauty, peaceful hiking trails and sea. But I’ve never fallen in love there, like in Florence. So far, I don’t have Italian friends there, like in Rome. 

I just feel a big heart connection, that’s all. 

If you’re going to Italy this year, please include Cinque Terre in your trip. My old friends, Vernazza and Monterosso really need your business.

Businesses Re-opening in Vernazza and Monterosso, Cinque Terre

Bologna’s lovely, lively Piazza Maggiore in the historic centre

On Skype I talked with our long time Bologna cooking tour colleagues, who’ve lived in Bologna for 40 years and grew up nearby. How to find good places to eat in Bologna where locals go? 

The question was more complicated than that in Bologna, they said. Better to ask, “How to find good places to eat top quality, real Bologna style food where locals go in Bologna?” 

Our Bologna cooking school tour colleagues have four criteria for a great restaurant: top quality food, a warm welcome, very clean and good value for the money. 

Bologna is famous for its university so many places provide cheap, but poor quality food for students. Avoid restaurants filled with students in the city centre and cheap restaurants in general where the broth may taste like dirty dish water (to local palates). 

Business people flock to Bologna, especially for the many conventions held there. Many restaurants cater to the business crowd coming from elsewhere in Italy so the food tends to be expensive and not the top quality local residents expect for those prices. Many traditional style restaurants have lost their high quality but visitors don’t know the difference and feel happy with the food. 

Look at who’s in the restaurant. If most diners look like well off business people or tourists, choose another restaurant where you get more for 15 Euros ($20 Cdn/US) than four tortellini on a plate. 

So what’s a food lover in search of high quality local cuisine to do in Bologna? 

The best eateries are outside the city centre and in nearby towns. (one reason our Emilia-Romagna tours focus on towns outside Bologna) In Bologna the only place our tour colleagues eat at regularly is a down home style pizzeria/restaurant, Da Ciro on a side street in the historic centre at Via de Gessi 5/C. Phone 051-226-917. 

Outside the centre can mean only a ten minute walk from the main train station over a bridge to a residential neighbourhood, in the opposite direction from the historic centre. Our colleagues like Nonna Aurora, a rustic restaurant with good, genuine Bolognese, home style cooking at Via Aristotile Fioraventi 45/b. Phone: 051-357-919. 

On the south east edge of Bologna, they like Acqua Pazza, well known for its fine fish and seafood at Via Augusto Murri 168. Phone: 051-443-422. 

If you’d like a more elegant, high end experience in the city centre, they like Da Cesari, near Piazza Maggiore in the historic centre at Via de Carbonesi 8. A multi-course dinner with wine comes to about 70 Euros ($95 Cdn/US)/ person.  Phone: 051-237-710 or web site at da-cesari.it

How To Eat Real Bologna Food With Locals In Bologna

women goofing around at the villa hotel cooking school above Sorrento

I think it’s so important to celebrate and mark big milestones in life, especially with people you care about. Special times to congratulate ourselves and look back on what we’ve enjoyed and accomplished so far. Two years ago I celebrated my big 6-0 with two sets of friends, in May in Vancouver and in June in Italy—a big deal for me that gave me some lovely memories. 

Last year I went to Italy in hot, hot July, when I don’t usually go, because a friend in Rome was having a big party to celebrate both her 60^th birthday and retiring from school teaching. A friend in Piedmont was celebrating his retirement from teaching school by taking his friends on a four day hike through the mountains to the sea. I wanted to be there for both of them. 

That’s why I was so glad to notice that this year so far, we’ve helped three women in three separate parties of people, to go on cooking school tours with us to celebrate their 65^th birthdays in Italy. All have chosen cooking schools in Sorrento on the Bay of Naples and near the magnificent Amalfi Coast! What better way and place to celebrate!

One woman, who turns 65 in April, will enjoy cooking at a lovely villa hotel above Sorrento and experiencing the sweet life in March with a good woman friend. 

boutique villa hotel above Sorrento, a beautiful spot to get pampered

Another woman, whose big 65^th happens in July, is sharing her cooking and culture tour at a family-run B&B and cooking school in Sorrento with her son in May. 

A third woman, who turned 65 in January, will also enjoy cooking and getting pampered at the villa boutique hotel above Sorrento in April on a special cooking week for women only. Lots of fun loving company there so as a solo traveler, she’ll have a fabulous time!

These women make me remember to celebrate big milestones not only on the day or month of the big anniversary, milestone birthday, retirement or child’s graduation but all that year—before and after your big day!

Three 65th Birthday Celebrations on the Amalfi Coast: Three Women Celebrate All Year Long

My Top Four Romantic Experiences In Italy 

Florence 

We’d stroll along the Arno at night, the river reflecting the street lights and illuminated buildings, up to Piazzale Michelangelo. There we’d admire the view of the city all lit up below us as we hugged. 

Stromboli, an Aeolian Island off the northeast coast of Sicily 

We’d hike up and down and along the quiet mountainside path in the late afternoon, gazing far out to sea and over the white town, and walk down to a restaurant perched on a cliff above the sea. On the outdoor patio, we’d drink a cool glass of wine as the sun set in orange and pink over the sea below. As the sky darkened, we’d look up at the volcano and watch it hurl its fireworks into the air every 15 minutes, reminding us of our passion for each other. 

Monterosso in the Cinque Terre 

We’d stay at pink Villa Steno with its garden of lemon trees in the old town in a room with a balcony and view of the old town and the sea. In the evening, we’d walk along the seafront promenade from the old town, around the harbour and along the seafront in the new town. Beautiful views of the Cinque Terre coast! We’d wander down to the beach, take off our shoes and wade hand in hand in the warm sea as we meandered along the beach and paused every now and then for a kiss. 

view of Positano from Hotel Tramonto D’Oro in Praiano

Hotel Tramonto D’Oro in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast 

One warm June evening at sunset, I was sitting all alone on my balcony of my room at this lovely four star hotel in Praiano, sipping prosecco from my frigo bar, awestruck at my view over homes with gardens and along the coast to Positano and beyond. I thought, “So romantic! Who would I like to share this with?”  

Kathy, the blogger at Food Lovers’ Odyssey at foodloversodyssey.typepad.com, listed her top 10 places to kiss in Italy in a January 2011 article. She’s attracted to places with water views like:

• In Rome at Castel Sant’Angelo on its Terrace of the Angels with a lovely night view of the Tiber River and city lights.
• The Belvedere view point in Sorrento
• Any bridge, canal or street in Venice
• Camogli’s beach at dusk (very pretty town one hour north of Cinque Terre)
• Lago Maggiore in the terraced gardens of Isola Bella
• In Naples Via Partenope, a seaside promenade with views of a castle and Vesuvius. 

Martha Bakerjian, the Italy travel blogger at goitaly.about.com lists

• Venice
• Amalfi Coast
• Capri
• Lake Como
• Portofino
• Verona
• Taormina
• Gulf of Poets nearLa Spezia
• Perugia with its Baci (kisses) chocolates 

Where are your top places and experiences for romance in Italy?

Top 23 Romantic Experiences in Italy

Detail of Rome’s Piazza Navona

Katie Parla’s new Rome For Foodies app, gives you all kinds of delicious details on 135 places in Rome that Katie has carefully selected by eating or drinking in them. Do much do you envy her for this research project? 

Katie is a long time Rome resident, food journalist for the New York Times and others, a culinary historian with a Master’s degree in Italian Gastronomic Culture from the Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”, and a sommelier with a certificate from the Federazione Italiana Sommelier Albergatori Ristoratori, so you can rely on the quality of the foodie experiences in Rome in her app.

Her 135 choices include restaurants, pizzerias, wine bars, craft beer pubs, gelaterias, bakeries, food shops and food classes and tours. If you’re in a Rome neighbourhood and want to see where Katie suggests you go, use your app’s offline map to see where the places are and its GPS to help you get there. If you want to know how to plan your Tuesday or Saturday for foodie visits, the app gives you itinerary suggestions for weekdays and holidays. You can also search by price range throughout Rome. 

Once you find a place that interests you, the app tells you the venue’s details like atmosphere, menu, prices and contact info. From the app’s venue screen, you can connect directly with the venue’s web site or call them. 

In the app’s “Top Picks” section, you can browse by style, price or location and also view Katie’s favourite places. 

Another bonus—download your app once and after that, it all works offline, so no expensive roaming charges in Rome. 

Rome For Foodies works on iPhones, iPads and Android devices.  For more information, visit romeforfoodies.com and click on the Android or iTunes boxes to buy it. 

Available on itunes Apple store and Android Market site for only $2.99. Well worth it!

Katie Parla’s New Rome For Foodies App Now Available

Florence’s Ponte Vecchio by night. Lots of people out walking!

Whether you’re in Rome or Naples, orVancouver, New York, Sydney, London or Hong Kong, it pays to plan to travel safely.  

My seven top tips as a woman who often travels alone: 

1. Wear a money belt. Since my backpacking days in Italy 40 years ago, I’ve always worn a money belt under my jeans or skirt. When I go to Italian bank machines to withdraw cash, I make sure that I can easily put the new bills into my money belt. As I step up to the ATM, I loosen my T shirt around my waist so I can reach down and stuff the bills quickly into my money belt. I put more money than I need into the money belt since most banks charge by transaction not by the amount of the transaction. The money I need for the day goes into my wallet.
2. If I don’t know a street well and it’s empty of people, I avoid it, no matter what time of day or night. I feel I’m leaving myself open for unpleasant situations and nobody would be around to help me.
3. I keep my passport in the hotel’s safe or in my money belt, when it isn’t at the hotel reception desk. I carry a photocopy of the passport main page separately.
4. If I’m at the beach alone, I often rent a suncot and umbrella at a commercially run, private beach since their staff monitors who comes and goes. If I’m on a public beach with no facilities, I ask nearby reliable looking people to keep an eye on my stuff while I go swimming.
5. I dress very simply so people think I have nothing to take.
6. If a street in a tourist area is really crowded like Florence’s San Lorenzo market can be at times, I put my handbag into my daypack and wear it on the front of me.
7. I’m always aware of who’s around me and pay attention to any intuitive bad vibes.

Jessica on italylogue.com has been running some excellent articles on ways to travel more safely in Italy. Her numerous, practical tips fall into these main categories:

• travel insurance
• money safety
• passport safety
• tourist scams
• safety travel gear 

Some excellent tips! The scam on people giving you the old 500 lire coins for change instead of  the new two Euro coin is ingenious and new to me! Jessica’s photos show how much they look alike! 

Enjoy a smooth and happy trip toItaly!

How To Travel More Safely In Italy

Now, thanks to Sara Rosso of msadventuresinitaly.com and Michelle Fabio of bleedingespresso.com, you can join thousands of Nutella lovers or addicts around the world to celebrate the 5^th annual World Nutella Day on February 5.

New to Nutella? Here’s a brief history. In Alba in Piedmont in northwest Italy, in the 1940s they had very little chocolate because of rationing in World War II. A local pastry maker and founder of the now famous Ferrero company, Pietro Ferrero, invented Nutella to help. Around Alba hazelnut trees grow in abundance, so he used hazelnuts to extend the chocolate. His recipe eventually became the hazelnut chocolate paste sold in a jar, Nutella.

Some days in Alba’s centre, when the Ferrero factory is full swing, a perfume of chocolate wafts through the air. Ahh!

Even if you’re not new to Nutella, at worldnutelladay.com, click on “New To Nutella” and check out their fun articles like, “Top 10 Signs You’re Addicted To Nutella” or “10 Top Reasons Nutella Is Better Than A Boyfriend”.

You can also participate on Facebook, Twitter and contribute recipes.

At worldnutelladay/nutella-recipes, your sweet tooth will go wild over their list of easily 1000 recipes! Here are the recipe categories…enjoy!

• Breakfast recipes like Orange Scented French Toast with Nutella
• Brownie recipes like Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies
• Candy, chocolates, truffles, fudge recipes like Nutella and Dark Chocolate truffles
• Cheesecake recipes like Nutella Raspberry Cheesecake
• Cookies, biscotti, bars, macaroon recipes like Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies and World Peace Cookies with Nutella
• Cupcakes, cakes, muffin and frosting recipes like Coconut Muffins with Nutella Soft Heart
• Hot chocolate, cocktails, drinks, coffee recipes like Nutella Super Smoothie
• Ice Cream and Gelato like recipes like The World’s Easiest Nutella Ice Cream
• Mousse, pudding, semifreddo, pannacotta tiramisu recipes like Nutella & Fresh Ginger Mousse
• Pastry, tart, pie, crostate, doughnut recipes like Nutella Strawberry Puff Pastry Hearts
• Savoury dish, pizza recipes like Butternut Squash Ravioli with Nutella Sauce
• Sweet breads, crepe, bread recipes like Bruschette with Ricotta, Nutella and Orange Zest

 Have fun on World Nutella Day! Cook, eat Nutella or trade Nutella stories and recipes online!

Celebrate World Nutella Day on February 5 With Nutella Lovers Everywhere!

detail of superior double room. Courtesy of Hotel Milano Scala web site photo gallery

Going to Milan to enjoy opera at La Scala? Do you prefer to stay in environmentally friendly hotels? Milan’s opera themed, zero emission Hotel Milano Scala is the perfect choice! 

Do you love Aida or La Boheme? At the four star superior Hotel Milano Scala, relax in your junior Aida suite in February or March before you walk five minutes to the La Scala theatre to see Aida. In September La Boheme starts at La Scala so book the hotel’s La Boheme junior suite for a unique, full La Boheme experience. What fun! 

Located in Milan’s art and culture neighbourhood, the modern, beautifully designed Hotel Milano La Scala immerses you in the world of opera. In this well renovated 19^th century mansion, each of its 62 rooms or suites features different décor and layout. Choose from two types of opera themed suites, superior doubles with wide bathrooms and whirlpools, executive doubles specially equipped for a private office, classic doubles and singles.

In the lobby lounge, formerly the mansion’s courtyard, the hotel encourages you to mingle with other opera loving guests. 

Enjoy a drink in the Prima Donna bar or on the outdoor terrace with wide panoramas of the city. Savour gourmet treats in the La Traviata restaurant. 

Milan’s Duomo is a 10 minute walk and the designer shops on Via Montenapoleone await you just five minutes on foot. 

Do you seek out hotels that protect the environment? The Hotel Milano Scala is the first in Milan and one of the few in Italy to have a zero-emissions! They use a heat exchanger system and use providers of energy from clean and renewable resources. Lots of interesting details on their web site at hotelmilanoscalo.it/en 

To book opera tickets at nearby La Scala, see teatrodellascala.org 

I thank Martha Bakerjian of goitaly.about.com for bringing this hotel to my attention in her excellent Italy travel guide blog that mentioned it.

Lovely Milan Hotel Perfect For Opera Lovers