Category Archives: Veneto

Cruises, History, Landscape, Travel - Italy, UNESCO, Veneto, Venice

Murano, Burano & Torcello – The Keys To Unlocking Venice

April 4, 2014 Greg

If you read about our recent trip to Venice (HERE), then you’ll know that we finally unlocked the key to really enjoying Venice. In a nutshell, it involves beating the other tourists to the finish line. If the “finish line” is a guided tour in Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), then be the first person in line in the morning. If the finish line is grabbing a moment of solace in an empty Piazza San Marco, then you’d better be there as the sun rises (conversely, you can arrive well after the sun has set and listen to the beautiful music of the dueling bands). Or, more simply, you can do what we did; visit this magical city in the off-season and get to know the city of Venezia (Venice) without having to put up a fight.

San Marco Campanile and Doge's Palace seen from the water — San Marco Campanile and Doge’s Palace seen from the water

If you’re blessed with a couple of days in Venice, I would suggest that you go a bit deeper than the surface level attractions. Skip the gondola ride (it’s overpriced anyhow) and instead tour the neighboring islands. With 117 to chose from, you’ll have your pick. You can visit the Jewish Ghetto on the island of Cannaregio. Many of the beautiful parks and gardens on the island of Lido are free of charge to you botany lovers. Or, for the real adventurers, you could opt to wade into the marshes and cast nets with local fishermen near the island of Chioggia.

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore Church on the island that shares the same name

We knew that we wanted to visit the island Murano and watch how the world-famous Venetian glass was blown. This would require a little preparation and so I enlisted the assistance of a guided tour. I discovered a wonderful website that offers local tours at very reasonable prices – Viator. Travel bugs, take note of that website! It is a great resource for sight-seeing tours in cities all over the world. We will definitely use them again; my only regret was not discovering the website sooner. When searching for a tour of Murano, we found a better option – a tour that also included the islands of Burano and Torcello. You can find the link to our specific tour HERE. I bought my tickets ($28 pp) and had the confirmation sent to my smart phone. I showed up at the designated area, presented the pass on my phone and received our tickets to the boat. Easy, breezy, lemon-squeezy.

The workers were out in the early morning — Venetian workers were out in the early morning

Working on the water here is no different than working on a truck in another city

Before our tour departed the main island, we had enough time in the early morning to drop by Venice’s famous fish market. The Mercato di Rialto (Rialto Fish Market) is in the area affectionately known as Cuore della Città (heart of the city) behind the Rialto bridge. This area by the famous bridge was settled in the 9th century and becoming a booming marketplace by 1097. Today, the fish market still stands as a wonderful place to visit and buy fresh seafood.

We enter the market - the Winged Lion of San Marco warns not to touch — We enter the market – the Winged Lion of San Marco warns not to touch

I wouldn't want to get bit by this guy — I wouldn’t want to get bit by this guy

There was also wonderful looking produce - these are delicious peperoncini — There was also wonderful looking produce – these are delicious peperoncini

A butcher - this one specializes in horse meat, not uncommon to find in Italy — A butcher – this one specializes in horse meat, common to find in Italy

After viewing the market, we wound our way to the tour meeting-point next to San Marco Square. Our four-hour tour included a professional guide, a glass-blowing demonstration in Murano, a hand-crafted lace demonstration in Burano and round-trip transportation to all three islands via boat. I thought the price was very reasonable for all that was included, but truth be told – the price paid for little more than transportation. The guide was impossible to understand over the boat’s roaring engine. All in all, I’m still happy with the deal and it forced us to be back on our cruise ship in time for departure. Nothing like being stranded on a remote Venetian island and watching your cruise ship sail past to ruin your vacation!

Venetian glass, which is more commonly referred to as Murano glass today, is widely recognized as one of the most specialized and beautiful hand-crafted items the world over. Venice emerged as a prominent glass manufacturing center as early as the 8th century. The origins of glass making going back to the Roman Empire when molded glass was used to assist in the illumination of bathhouses. The island gained it’s notoriety when the Venetian glass blowers were all ordered to move their foundries to the island of Murano in 1291, for fear of fire on the main island. By the fourteenth century, the glassblowers were considered among the most elite of Venetian citizens. The closely guarded secrets developed on the island laid the foundation for a glassmaker monopoly on high quality glass that lasted for centuries. Our tour guide explained that even to this day the artisans of Murano are highly trained in this unique skill that is closely monitored by the Glassmakers Guild. Among other things, a Murano glassmaker must be the son of a tenured glassmaker and apprentice for twenty years before being allowed to make his own glass. A “young” glassmaker on the island would be someone who is in his mid forties.

Here he shapes (marver) the glass by rolling it — Here he shapes or “marvers” the glass by rolling it

Next, he “cuts in” to score the piece’s neck

This is where he is “trimming the lip” with shears

Another example of design, he quickly molded a horse

He demonstrated the heat of the piece by simply laying a piece of paper on her neck, which immediately burst into flames

Next, we set sail for Burano, which is known mainly for its painted houses and the church of San Martino’s leaning campanile (bell tower). They also have an established reputation for their creations of lace.

As we sailed toward Burano, we could clearly see the leaning bell tower (in the background)

A better shot of the bellower - it is leaning quite a bit — A better shot of the bellower – it is leaning quite a bit

The painted houses were something to behold

There were canals just like on the main island

The vibrant colors were really something else!

We loved strolling around and taking in all the beauty of the island

Lastly, we finished on the island of Torcello. We were surprised to learn that this was actually the first island to be settled by Venetians, and once held the largest population of the Republic of Venice. Today, you can hardly see evidence of this; the island is so sparsely inhabited that only a few structures remain and the inhabitants number fewer than a couple dozen. The main attraction nowadays is the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta) founded in 639 AD.

Torcello was very different from the other islands of Venice proving that each island offers it's own unique beauty — Torcello was very different from the other islands of Venice proving that each island offers it’s own unique beauty

Julia and I walk along the ancient canal in Torcello

Since it was cold, we warmed up with a little vin brulé

Julia and I take a stroll over this bridge

Santa Maria Assunta (left) and Santa Fosca (right)

The historic Santa Fosca church - you can distinguish the Byzantine influence — The historic Santa Fosca church – you can distinguish the Byzantine influence

If you are planning a trip to Venice anytime soon, I would definitely recommend a tour of the peripheral islands. If you discover any other fun places to visit, please drop me a line and let me know!

Beaches, Castles, Como, Food and Drink, Friends, History, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Italy, Veneto

Two Greeks in Italy

October 18, 2013 Greg

I don’t know anyone in their thirties that really goes around saying, “I’m Greek” because he or she was in a fraternity or sorority – but it was certainly fun to be a part of Greek Life during college. Jennifer and I were both “Greeks” while we attended Virginia Tech together and we each established lifelong friendships that have opened world’s of opportunities.

Lauren and Jen in front of Lake Garda

One of Jen’s sorority sisters, Lauren recently came to visit – and they instantly fell into their old college routine. We welcomed Lauren at the train station; she was arriving from Switzerland having visited another friend living abroad. We went to downtown Como and had a nice dinner, before enjoying a few drinks in the piazza while a live band entertained us.

We took an opportunity to visit, Lake Garda, the largest lake in all of Italy. There is an amazing town on Lake Garda called, Sirmione. What will strike you most about the town; apart from it’s beautiful castle, hip “beach vibe” and amazing architecture – is that the water shimmers a pure aqua-marine blue, as if you’re been transported to Caribbean waters in the middle of Italy. The lake was formed by glaciers at the end of the last ice age, perhaps contributing to the unique color of the water.

The shores of Sirmione on Lake Garda

Family photo

Sirmione is certainly a wonderful place to own a boat

The history of Sirmione is quite rich – traces of civilization date all the way back to the 5th century BC. As early as the 1st century AD, the town became a favorite resort place for families from Verona (the closest major city). I would imagine a vacation home back then would be a place you’d spend an entire summer (or longer) since I would assume it would take quite some time to reach the lake from Verona (horses can only go so fast). I suppose nothing much has changed over the last 2,000 years – the rich and fabulous still snatch up the choicest water-front property for their personal playgrounds.

The medieval village stretches across a long peninsula

Sirmione has a stunning roofline

The village’s beauty is framed behind the natural beauty of trees, mountains and the lake

We loved this home inside the town

Lauren poses with me and Julia

We had an incredible lunch lake-side and then drove into the ancient Roman city. One of the main sites and a most impressive examples of fortification, is the Scaliger Castle. We spent hours walking around, stopping only for pictures and the required coffee and gelato pitstops.

The front of our restaurant

And out back, Julia takes a stroll

Julia took this picture of Lauren at lunch – apart from the partial finger over the lens, it’s pretty good!

Scaliger Castle sits as an imposing fortification in front of the ancient city

Restaurants and shops line the castles moat

A good place for a “selfie”

The castle as well as the only entry-way into the ancient city

“Cheese”

The drawbridge had been lowered

I would love to know the story behind this

The castle has it’s own marina protected by a large, fortified wall

Lauren walks along the castle’s walls

Julia tries to climb the drawbridge

Jen and Lauren stop for a picture

Another day, we visited Lecco a major lake town along our Lake Como. If you can picture the lake as a pair of legs, Como is the left “foot” while Lecco is the right “foot”. In fact, people in the town of Lecco often refer to the lake as, Lake Lecco. Of course, we all know that’s not the case – but it’s a beautiful town nonetheless.

The mountains in Lecco are quite striking

Sailboats back from a beautiful day on the water

Lauren and I take our picture in front of the lake

We loved having Lauren visit and enjoyed seeing a new part of Italy ourselves.

Food and Drink, Humor, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Italy, UNESCO, Veneto, Venice

Someone Turn The Hose Off… These Streets Are Flooded!

June 8, 2013 Greg

One of the true gems of the world…. Venezia (Venice). The name alone evokes powerful feelings for many people. Romantic gondola rides, historical architectural treasures, beautiful creations blown from Murano glass, unique hand-crafted masks and always… always a city constructed with streets of water. Amazingly, the entire city is listed as a World Heritage Site in order to preserve it’s unique beauty. According to my Wiki research, Luigi Barzini described it in the New York Times as “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”. I’d have to agree with Luigi!

Panoramic view from the roof of our hotel

Venice from the water

The Grand Canal

More of the Grand Canal

Happy to be here

Our good friends Nathan and Danielle joined us recently for a whirlwind visit filled with food, wine and lots of fun (read about it HERE). We punctuated their trip with a stopover in this romantic city. I was intrigued by the history of such a unique place and just did a little research. Venice consists of 117 islands, formed by 177 canals and connected by 409 bridges. I kept waiting for that “ah-ha” moment when I discovered the name of the genius city planner that decided to create a magical city on the water. But unlike Bugsy Siegel’s Las Vegas or Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid’s reinvention of Dubai – there was no one person that can be credited with the conceptualization of Venice. The truth is that refugees fleeing from invasion of the Lombards sought shelter in the marshland that is now Venice. And how do any cities really get built? A collection of people working together to establish trade and industry, creating habitation and then services to support the population. And so the city grew around the marsh and homes and churches and municipal buildings were constructed. This begs another question. How can you build a city on water?

The city built on water

Piers and bridges everywhere

Loved this view

There is a tree that grows in Slovenia and Croatia called an alder tree that is noted for it’s water resistance. Thousands of these trees were imported (and subsequently credited as a contributing factor for the barren land of the Kras region). The tree trunks were fashioned into piles that were submerged in the water, penetrating the sand and mud until settling in the much denser layer of compressed clay. Foundations were laid on the piles and buildings of stone and brick were constructed on these footers.

Peekaboo!

Cheese!

So now that you know the history, you can join us on our journey. We arrived early in the day via train (the easiest way into the city) and checked into our hotel. Our hotel, Molino Stucky is on the island of Giudecca, set in a beautifully renovated flower mill. After a quick lunch on the roof, we hoped on our hotel’s private ferry to the main island. We toured through the streets and canals, passed over bridges and stopped in shops. The girls bought scarves, glass and other souvenirs while Nathan and I took in all the scenery. We visited the infamous Piazza San Marco and fought for space among the crowds of tourists. We stopped for an afternoon cocktail on the water and eventually made our way back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Our hotel from the water

Hotel from the opposite side

Nathan and Danielle on one the pedestrian bridges

Looking good

Having fun touring

Piazza San Marco

The lion is symbolic of the Veneto region

Incredible architecture – the Libreria (library)

The Campanile – Bell Tower

My three favorite people in the crowd

Procuratie Nuove built by Vincenzo Scamozzi c.1580

Those aren’t aprons – we just lifted our clothes

The girls enjoying their prosecco

Looks like a romantic moment – really it’s just Nathan and I clinking our beers

After freshening up, we met in the lobby and discovered that we were in for a real treat. Nathan and Danielle had reserved a private boat to tour us through Venice – a wonderful journey elevated by the setting sun . We stopped for some wine and cheese and sat back to enjoy the ride.

Now look a this couple!

Some similar boats to the one we had

Traveling in style

View of Piazza San Marco from the boat

Along the tour

Stopping for a photo on the boat

Nate and D

Magical at night

The gondoliers were still out as the sun was setting

Danielle on the water

From the rear of the boat

All of us on board

Similar to our boat

Eventually our driver dropped us at one of his local favorites for seafood. We settled into a table directly on the canal and enjoyed ordering a variety of food to taste and share. At one point, I felt something wet kissing my feet and realized the water in the grand canal had risen high enough to splash the patrons (me) sitting on the edge.

Our restaurant

What a wonderful setting

Starter – mixed seafood

Mussels and clams

Nathan and I shared grigliata mista di pesce (mixed grilled seafood)

Jen got pasta with a variety of seafood

Pasta Aglio e Olio

The water started rising above the pier

Our grappa and limoncello after dinner

When dinner was over, we wound our way through the city at night to discover an entirely different Venice than the one we had seen all day. Long after the sun sets, the landscape of the city changes significantly. Without droves of tourists jockeying for the position to snap a photo (myself included) you are able to re-discover an entirely new place. Piazza San Marco becomes a magical amphitheater where dueling bands play wonderful music and the crowd shifts back and forth to capture the best view possible. We outsmarted the crowd and took up seats directly in front after ordering a nightcap. It was a great way to end the day before hopping on a boat back to our hotel.

In front of the Basilica

One of the “dueling bands”

Our trip to Venice had come to an end as had Nathan and Danielle’s visit with us. We spent one final day with them in Milano (Milan) and bid them buon viaggio (a good trip) back home. We were so thankful we got to do so many wonderful things with friends so special to us. After dropping them off, we rushed home and immediately started prepping for my sister’s visit… she would be arrived just a couple days later. Stay tuned for upcoming posts about their visit – more action packed fun.

Dolomites, Holidays, Landscape, Photography, Travel - Italy, UNESCO, Veneto

Dolomiti e Una Macchina Fotografica

April 15, 2013 Greg

“The Dolomites and a Camera”

You may have recently read HERE about our trip to the Dolomiti (Dolomite Mountains) to visit Franco and Claudia over Easter weekend. What I wasn’t able to fit into that post, was all the imagery we captured of the most spectacular mountain range we have ever seen.

Hilltop view – I had to trespass to get this shot

Mountain view from “Claudia’s” bridge in Canale D’ Agordo

We extended our trip in Canale D’ Agordo (Claudia’s hometown) by a day, because the three days we planned was barely enough to just scratch the surface in this region of Italy. Claudia wanted to show us not only her town of Canale D’ Agordo, but also the surrounding towns. We would like to now share them with you.

The day after Easter, we went to neighboring Gares, Claudia’s actual hometown. While she was born in Canale D’ Agordo, she grew up in Gares – a small town with barely a couple hundred residents. The only doctor in the region was in Canale and so she was delivered there, in her mother’s home. The very next day, her mother bundled her up tight and walked the some 10k back to Gares through a snowstorm to bring her home.

Sheer mountain range in Gares

Claudia’s cousin’s restaurant sits at the bottom of the valley

Today, her cousin owns a wonderful restaurant, at the foothills of a large mountain range. Not only was it a treat to eat some of the regional cuisine, it was wonderful to spend time with her family and see this incredible valley.

An incredibly charming restaurant

Special VIP reservations

Franco demonstrating the high-tech weight, functioning as a door lock

When you live in the mountains, this is your futbol field

The “field” at the base of the mountain

After lunch we walked all through Gares, a voyage that only took a couple minutes by foot.

Julia sporting a fun hat for the mountains

The main street bend in Gares

Part of the house next to Claudia’s original home

I crack up when I see these little guys driving around

Poles mark the roads atop all the snow

Since we had extended our trip by a day, the next day we went with Franco and Claudia to see some of the other nearby towns. First, we went to Agordo – also in the same Province of Belluno. This town; at a lower elevation, displayed a striking contrast to the previous towns, which were still covered in snow. Green grass had already flourished in the center of town, showcasing a completely different juxtaposition with the mountainous backdrop than the previous towns, still primarily all white.

View from the center of Agordo

Main church

Franco and Claudia walk with Julia

Julia can’t get enough of the fountains

The chiesa (church) in Agordo is of significant importance to the region – and proudly displays it’s high stature by featuring two bell towers (as opposed to the standard one).

Two bell towers

A prominent family of Agordo, Familia di Grotta (the Grotta family) owned a large villa in the center of town. They adorned the outside wall of the villa with the Mutt di Grotta (the Mutes of Grotta) – different “mute” stone statues that represented various traits (poetry, agriculture, astronomy, etc.).

Mutt di Grotta

Perhaps this guy represented philosphy?

We took a quick detour to visit one of the Luxottica factories, just outside of town. Haven’t heard of Luxottica? Well, have you ever walked into a LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut or Pearle Vision? No? OK – perhaps you’ve put on a pair of Oakley, Ray-Ban or Revo sunglasses? These are all brands owned by the company. And even if you haven’t worn one of their brands, you’re sure to have worn a pair of glasses by Coach, Chanel, D&G, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany or Versace (to name a few). They don’t own these brands, but they do make their glasses with exclusive licensing agreements. The company moved it’s headquarters to Milano, but their factories all still remain in the Belluno region and is the main employer in the area.

The Luxottica factory

I’d fight hard for a corner office to get this view

Amazing how the landscape changes in the various towns

After touring Agordo we drove to Alleghe, a beautiful lake town with a very unique history. The town of Alleghe, which surrounds the lake and runs all the way to the foothills of the mountains is actually much younger than many of the nearby towns. The town was re-built “brand new” in 1771 (young by most measures here) after a severe landslide buried the original town under today’s vast lake. The original town remains buried forever under water. When the lake’s water level falls low enough – you can see the original church’s steeple peeking from atop the waterline.

We love seeing the Italian flag – reminds us we’re really here

View right from the lake

Jen and Julia soaking up the scenery

We were glad that we stayed the extra day to enjoy all the additional sights – we hope you did too.

Dolomites, Family Stories, Holidays, Photography, Travel - Italy, UNESCO, Veneto

Easter in the Pope’s Church

April 10, 2013 Greg

This year we took full advantage of living in Italy and went to the Pope’s Church for Easter! Only, it wasn’t in Vatican City and it wasn’t the current Pope. But it was still his church! If I may explain…

Jen and Julia in front of the church in Canale D’ Agordo

If you’ve read a few posts (or know us), you’ll know that we’ve been fortunate enough to live in Jen’s parent’s condo while in Italy. Even more fortunate is that Jen’s Zio (Uncle) Franco and Zia (Aunt) Claudia live above us. This means we’re eaten countless meals upstairs (she’s a wonderful cook), have built in baby sitters, tour guides and translators… basically we have a third set of parents and new besties.

Franco and Claudia both have interesting life stories. We’ll save his for another post.

Claudia was born and raised in Canale D’ Agordo – a town in the Dolomite Mountains, one of the most spectacular places on earth. The Dolomites are a large mountain range in northeast Italy. In 2009 the Dolomiti were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means that the mountains are a site with significant importance (and beauty) and are therefore, protected. Interestingly enough, I have just now learned that Italy is home to more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any country in the world. After living here a short time, I cannot say that I am surprised.

Canale is in a valley surrounded by two mountains

Beautiful scenery at every turn

A statue stands near the center of town

The pedestrian bridge leading into town

We’ve been coming to Italy for many years with Jen’s family and I have always wanted to see the Dolomites. I have a strong love for the mountains, most likely due to my love of skiing. I have always been excited to see the Dolomites because they were bound to be at least a little more special than Sugarloaf or Wisp Mountains. They did not disappoint!

Canali D’ Agordo in the foreground of the Dolomiti mountains

Each year, Franco and Claudia spend several weeks together in each of their respective hometowns. Luckily for us – she invited us to join them for part of their trip, over the Easter weekend. This was great because we had no idea what we were going to do for Easter. We were also excited because her town, Canale D’ Agordo was the home to Pope Giovanni Paolo I (Pope John Paul I). Let that sink in for a moment… her small town of roughly 1,000 people was the hometown of the Pope. That’s like saying, “yeah… the President used to live right next to me… here’s his house” Only, he’s not just the leader of a single nation, but rather the spiritual leader of the world.

Pope Giovanni Paolo I – a hometown hero

Pope Giovanni Paolo I has an interesting history. He has the unusual honor of being the shortest reining Pope in history – just 33 days as Sovereign of Vatican City. He is also the most recent Italian-born Pope. It is widely whispered, even today – that his death was not due to natural causes (if you’re a fan of conspiracy theories, you can click HERE to read a few). This cloud of mystery and short reign does nothing to dispel the love and connection that people of Canale and Italy feel for Giovanni Paolo I, The Smiling Pope. In fact, the very next Pope adopted the name of Giovanni Paolo II, to honor and respect his predecessor.

Albino Luciano (as was his given name) was ordained a priest in 1935 and served for a time as the parish priest for the town church (also, one of the main churches in the region), Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo, the church you see pictured below.

Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo – a 550+ year old church

Jen and Julia in front by the town fountain

We arrived in Canale on Saturday – just in time for a wonderful lunch at Claudia’s home (the home where she was raised). Then she left us to walk around town as she went to help clean the church for Easter’s big service. We walked around the wonderful town, and bumped into about 30 of her cousins along the way.

Julia ridin in style with one of Claudia’s cousins

Julia strikes a pose

On Easter Sunday, we attended a wonderful service (where we understood everything that was said in Italian) in the Pope’s Church, Parracchia di Canale. We walked the short 200 yards back to our beautiful hotel, where the Easter Bunny had left Julia a surprise.

Our hotel on the right

We had her Easter basket ready for her

“What’s that up there?! Is that for ME?!”

“A soccer ball?! Well, I’ll just take this.”

“Don’t worry, I got THIS pops”

“I told you I got this!”

She loved her soccer ball, until she saw her chocolate chick

Which she loved so much, it’s head fell off!

“Here, Nonno Franco – take a bite. Please, it’s my pleasure”

Afterward we went to the town square, where they had set up an outdoor festival. We danced, we ate and we drank.

The festival in the main piazza (town square)

Coin tossing competition – you try to toss your coin into an egg

The winner is the person that sticks the most coins in the eggs

Julia “chill-axing” at the festival

Later in the day, we went to one of Claudia’s cousin’s (another cousin) restaurants and enjoyed some more delicious food.

We started with some antipasti

We each ended with a wonderful dessert

Even Julia got dessert out of a cup featuring her new favorite cartoon (Barbarapappa)

It was a wonderful Easter with great family!

Family Stories, Food, Humor, Restaurants, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Italy, Veneto, Verona

Eating Brains Will Not Make You Smarter!

March 13, 2013 Greg

Jen picked a wonderful restaurant in the heart of Verona, romantically hidden from site, lending the feeling of authenticity (as opposed to “touristy”). We were visiting the amazing city for the day (read all about our visit HERE) and had pre-selected, Ristorante Greppia as our place for pranzo (lunch).

The small street leading to Ristorante Greppia

We were instantly taken in by the charm and warmth of the restaurant. The wait staff elevated our excitement for the meal to come by extending great courteousness and hospitality (indulging me as I took photos with this blog in mind).

Jen and Julia out front

Dining al fresco

We eagerly reviewed the menu and decisions came easily for the women (pasta for both). I had a bit of a harder time deciding between the Ossobucco di Vitella con Polenta (braised veil shanks with polenta), Fegato di Vitella con Polenta (veil liver with polenta) or Cervello Dorate di Vitello (“golden” veil brain). I’m not afraid to gamble and I’m certainly adventurous with my food – so I left the meal to chance and asked the server for his recomendation of the three (rather hoping he’d land on the liver or brain). Of course he chose the brain (why oh why couldn’t he have just suggested the rather normal and delicious ossobucco?!) and so I willingly obliged.

Some of Ristorante Greppia’s Wine Selection

Jen and her mother Diane started with an Insalata Caprese (tomato and mozzarella salad) and I added a side of Patate al Forno (roasted potatoes) with my brains. “Yes, I’d like a side of potatoes with my brains please”… I didn’t quite realize how silly this all sounds until just now as I was typing!

The salads were brought out after we’d had a nice chance to enjoy some wine.

Insalata Caprese

Jen’s mom, Diane chose a delicious Rigatoni al Ragu (a rigatoni noodle in a meat sauce), while Jen chose the Tris della Casa (three of the house) pastas which included a gnocchi, a spaghetti and a pappardelle.

Rigatoni al Ragu

Tris della Casa

When my cervello (brains) were served, they looked perfectly breaded (just ever-so lightly) and wonderfully pan fried. I took my first bite and… the consistency was a bit – well, perhaps brainy?! I took a second bite. I think I’ll go with… “rich”. I took another and another. My descriptors to the ladies moved from “good” to “unique” to “interesting” to “a one time experience” to “I’m done” rather quickly!

Five LARGE sections of the cervello (brain)

Potate al Forno (roasted potatoes) on the side

Had there been one section for me to nibble on as just an appetizer, I likely would have left feeling elated I was brave enough to eat brain and content with my meal. But since there were five little buggers staring me in the face and it was my entree, I was filled with dread after my second section. I decided two and a half sections (out of five) was enough. This was the first time since I’ve lived in Italy that I can remember leaving a meal hungry!

It may look like fried mozzarella – I assure you, it’s not!

The girls thoroughly enjoyed their pasta and Diane (who is very consistent with her ordering) joked with me after the meal; “you guys (myself, Jen and her husband Dominic) love to order these strange things – but you never know if you’re going to like your meal. I can always tell you that I’m going to love mine!” And she’s absolutely right – but I’ll continue to double down when possible and try the unusual menu items – because those have often been the best meals I’ve ever had. This experience will not rate in that category, but it will certainly land in the more memorable section!