Dolce far niente

Why I love Italy

Posted on June 5, 2017 by georgefebish

This is a different VLOG for me. In this one I talk about the reasons I love Italy and give tips to both first time travelers to Italy well as experienced Italian travelers.

The video covers several sections:

  • Why I love Italy
  • Top Reasons I love Italy
  • Museums
  • What to do in Italy
  • Finding Places to Eat
  • The Metro (Subway)
  • Time to go
  • Hotels
  • Currency (Euros)
  • Airfares
  • Hopper App
  • Driving in Italy
  • Put Italy on your Bucket List

If Italy is not on your bucket list, it should be. Watch the video below and see why so many people love and go to Italy.

– George

Categories: Air Fares, Autostrada, Beach Resorts, Beaches, BLOG, Church, Cooking, Dolce, Dolce far niente, Driving in Italy, Duomo, Eating, Eating Italian, Espresso, Europe, Exchange Rates, Ferries, Flights, Food, Gelato, General Travel, Italian Facts, Italian language, Italy, Italy BLOGs, Metro Travel, Money, Museums, Parking Garage, Parking Meters, Passegiata, Pasta, Pastry, Pizza, Planning a vacation, Romance, Shopping, Small Towns, Towns, Trains, Travel Guides, Traveling without a tour, VLOG, Walking, Weather in Europe, Wine, YouTube | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Locorotondo, Italy

Posted on February 6, 2017 by georgefebish

Locorotondo is a wonderful white city in Puglia, Italy. It is located down near the heel of the boot on the Adriatic Sea. In this entire area you can see Trulli homes (dome-shaped homes). Most people think of Alberobello for Trulli homes but they are located all over this area of Puglia. Other great cities in this area are Cisternino, Ostuni and Polignano a Mare (home of the Cave restaurant).

These cities are mostly white walls with beautiful flowers to add colors. They are unique places to visit. Each town is small and can be seen in a half to full day. Stop in bars and restaurants and enjoy the local flavors.

Come walk with us around Locorotondo in the video below. This is Dolce far niente!

 


– George

Categories: Adriatic Sea, Alberobello, Bars, Cave, Cave Restaurant, Cisternino, Dolce far niente, Eating Italian, Europe, Food, General Travel, Grotta Palazzese, Italy, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Polignano a Mare, Puglia, Romance, sea, Small Towns, Southern Italy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Italy Loves Wine

Posted on June 6, 2016 by georgefebish

One of my favorite things about Italy is their love of wine. Everyone drinks it. Even the children have a little. The entire country has an appreciation for good wine but you seldom see drunks. If you do see them, they are usually tourists. Red wine is their preferred drink but good whites show up as well. Places like Orvieto produce great white wines.

orvieto

Orvieto, Italy

Most countries serve wine by the bottle in restaurants. In Italy and Spain you can also get it by the liter or half liter in a glass or ceramic pitcher. These restaurants by local wine in bulk and can sell it to you cheaply because there is no bottle, cork, label or cap. The wine is excellent and can be dry, sweet, red or white.

We found a place in our town that sells wine in bulk. There are several huge wooden casks full of various kinds of wine. You can taste them and then choose. They will fill your vessel of choice such as an empty water bottle, a pitcher, a jar, etc. They charge by the liter and wine is about 2 euros per liter or about $2.20 for a bottle and a third of good wine.

R4 - IMG_4593 IMG_2107

Wine Served in a Picture at a Local Restaurant

IMG_2102

We serve it at our home in Italy in a pitcher

The other way to taste different wines in Italy is to visit a local Enoteca. These are stores that sell wine and allow you to taste them as well. They exist all over Italy. Some serve small plates of food as well. Italians don’t like to drink without having water and food available. An Enoteca is a great way to taste the local wines around you. You can then decide what you like and buy some. The wines here are usually sold in bottles.

Bar in Italy IMG_1755

Enoteca

However you drink wine in Italy, enjoy it! Sit outside at a bar or a trattoria and sip it slowly, Taste the complex flavors of Italy. Observe the people around you and enjoy it. This is experiencing Italy. You do not do it fast, you do not eat fast food, you do not rush from city to city or museum to museum, and you do not have an unchangeable schedule. In Italy you make time to slow down and enjoy your life. Dolce Far Niente! (The sweetness of do nothing). When you finally understand this simple phrase, you understand Italy and can enjoy it. Buon Viaggio.

George

 

Categories: Bars, Ceramics, Dolce far niente, Eating Italian, Europe, Fast Food, Food, General Travel, Italian, Italian Facts, Italy, Museums, Orvieto, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Fish in Southern Italy

Posted on March 18, 2016 by georgefebish

Southern Italy is known for its fish. Where we are in Campania there is always great fish. Off the coast and to the south is a major swordfish area. The fish is always fresh. You can get many kinds of fish plus shellfish. Shrimp, calamari and octopus is great. We eat fresh fish in the local restaurants or buy it in a fish market to prepare at home. As we shop for fish, we often see a local fisherman with his catch in the store.

IMG_2822 IMG_3122 IMG_2985 IMG_2822

Fresh Fish

IMG_3093

Local Fisherman with his catch

It is so different eating fish caught that day for dinner. The taste is fresh and delicious. Italians don’t even have a word for fishy. Often the fish is over pasta but you can also have it on a plate as a steak.

One difference is the fish all have heads on when served. The Italians look at the eyes to determine freshness of the fish. They are experts at cleaning the fish with a fork and knife. The clams are tiny and so tasty. If you don’t like clams because they are chewy, you will like these because they taste so good. Fish is never over cooked. It is never covered in sauces. It is served with a little salt and you taste the freshness of the fish.

When in southern Italy, try the local fish. Enjoy fish at its very best. Life here is rally Dolce far ninete!

George

 

Categories: Campania, Dolce far niente, Eating Italian, Europe, Fish, Food, General Travel, Italy, Pasta, Southern Italy, Traveling without a tour | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Some of Our Best Memories

Posted on December 2, 2015 by georgefebish

We have assembled pictures of some of our best memories in Italy. Italy is always romantic and it is always memorable. There are so many special little moments. The architecture, the sites, the history, the people, the food, the wine, … and so much more.

Enjoy your trip to see relatives, sites, museums or to just be Italian for a short while.

Dolce far niente!

George & Jo

Categories: Amalfi Coast, Assisi, Beaches, Blue Flag Beaches, Casal Velino Marina, Cilento, Coliseum, cornetto, Dolce, Dolce far niente, Duomo, Eating Italian, Europe, Florence, Food, Gelato, General Travel, Greek Ruins, Italy, Marina Casal Velino, Montepulciano, Mountain Towns, Museums, Naples, Owning a home in Italy, Paestum, Panini, Pantheon, Pastry, Pizza, Planning a vacation, Positano, Ravello, Ristorante, Romance, Rome, Siena, Small Towns, Sorrento, Southern Italy, Spanish Steps, Stairs, Traveling without a tour, Trevi Fountain, Trottoria, Tuscany, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Two Related BLOGs

Posted on November 30, 2015 by georgefebish

As most of you know Jo Anne has been working on a much need BLOG about Southern Italy and in particular southern Campania called Mezzogiorno Living. My BLOG, Travel in Italy BLOG, is still about traveling in Europe and in particular Italy. These both BLOGs together will give you a high level view, in my BLOG, and a drilled down detail view of southern Italy, in Jo’s BLOG.

I will be discussing all the places in Europe we travel with emphasis on Italy. Italy is special to both of us. Jo will be discussing what to do in southern Italy. Her BLOG is both a website and a BLOG. Her home page is a regular BLOG with her last BLOG on the top. The sidebar on the right side has a SEARCH box to find anything you are looking for. It searches all BLOGs as well as all her menu pages.

Her menus look at stores, restaurants, beaches, towns etc in Southern Italy. On a smart phone the menu is gotten to by clicking the bars in the upper left hand corner. Each menu may have sub-menus that will take you to pages of information. You will find addresses, phone numbers, links to websites and Trip Advisor links.

When we bought in this area, we had a hard time find local restaurants, supermarkets, stores and interesting towns to visit. I wish we had this site when we were first visiting this area. I hope both sites help you with information and travel in Europe and in Italy. Buon Viaggio!

George

 

Categories: Campania, Customs, Dolce far niente, Europe, Ferries, Festivals, Food, General Travel, Italian Facts, Italy, Italy BLOGs, Mezzogiorno, Mountain Towns, Owning a home in Italy, Planning a vacation, Regions of Italy, Renting a place in Europe, Romance, Small Towns, Smart Phones, Southern Italy, Supermercato, Traveling without a tour, Xpats | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dolce Far Niente

Posted on September 23, 2015 by georgefebish

Remember that famous line, “Dolce Far Niente”, from Eat, Pray Love? It means the sweetness of doing nothing. Italians love to live life. They have a great culture, better and healthier food than we do and great wine. They know how to relax and enjoy family, friends and life. Most of their cities have little crime (pick pockets). A BLOG, “The sweetness of Doing Nothing” explains what this is from the BLOGgers point of view.


If we Americans want to truly understand this, we have to live it! When you go to Italy, don’t look to be waited on. Be a tourist but be a local as well. When having a glass of wine or something to eat, sit back and observe Italian life all around you. Do not be afraid to partake in it. Stop locals and try to talk with them. This will change your vacation in a very positive way.

Once you transition from a visitor observing life in Italy to a local participating in life, your experience will become memorable. You will never stop talking about it. It will be in the front of your mind until your next trip. Enjoy Italian life as you:

  1. Have breakfast in a bar. Enjoy a cornetto and cafè
  2. Have lunch at a bar or pizzeria. Enjoy a panini or a small pizza for lunch.
  3. Enjoy dinner in a trattoria with the locals.
  4. Stop during the day or for Happy Hour at a bar. Have your favorite beverage and some snacks.
  5. Stop for gelato often. Be a kid again.

We wish all of our readers Dolce far niente!

George & Jo Anne

Related articles
Categories: Bars, Dolce, Dolce far niente, Europe, Gelato, General Travel, Italian Facts, Italy, Panini, Pastry, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: