Delicious Italy

Taste the Mediterranean!

Taste the Mediterranean! is a new marketing campaign by Starwood Hotels Italy also including Malta and Croatia.

It refers to a special package with accommodation, dinner or lunch and typical gastronomic food from the region.

The participating hotels are Westin Excelsior & Grand Hotel in FLorence; Le Méridien Gallia, The Westin Palace & Sheraton Diana Majestic in Milan; Le Méridien Rimini; St. Regis Grand Hotel, The Westin Excelsior Rome & Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center in Rome; Le Méridien Lingotto in Turin; Hotel Danieli, The Westin Europa & Regina & Hotel Gritti Palace in Venice; Hotel Villa Cipriani in Asolo; The Westin Dragonara Resort, Le Méridien St. Julians & Le Méridien Phoenicia in Malta and Le Méridien Lav in Split.

The offer is only valid until July 15 for stays between July 15 and December 31.

So click here to find out all details and listen to a classic Mediterranean tune to get you in the mood.

Explore it, Feel it, Live it ...

In a couple of week's time in Guatemala City! the hosts of the Winter Olympic Games in 2014 will be announced.

The front runners are Salzburg in Austria, Pyeong Chang in South Korea and Sochi in Russia.

Turin in Italy, of course, hosted the last winter Olympics which might mean nearby Salzburg is up against it. With the coming Summer Olympics to be held in China, it could just be the turn of Sochi.

And now we are on the theme of slogans and we like that of Sochi: 'Where the Black Sea meets the White Snow'.

Straight to the point. At least you know where you are in comparison to the ubiquitous 'live it! feel it! do it! genre filling the global satellite channels and a hotel room near you at the moment.

http://sochi2014.com/

Nike got their first with their revolutionary 'Just Do it' campaign a long time ago now, so it is with great disbelief that the our very own Italy has proposed just the same in a new country level tourism initiative. 

The luscious ad certainly catches your attention, but just as you are expecting to be sold electricity shares the payoff appears: 'Italy, a land of earth, water and poetry. Explore it, Live it. Feel it, Italia.it'.

We would like your opinion.

Delicious Italy on You Tube

An account on You Tube seems like a good idea. Turning it into a must see video channel is altogether another task, but here goes.

Delicious Italy on You Tube

So far visitors will see that rare animal in the Italian countryside now, a donkey. A short 15 second thing we shot during a visit to Monte Amiata one cold & rainy December day.

By 'shot' we mean 'filmed', nobody was actually hurt in the production process.

We'll keep our camera with us at all times from now on and see what happens.

Expect to see bite sized clips from Florence, Viareggio, Ravenna, Calabria and Bardolino by the middle of August, although we can't promise any more mules.

A little ahead of us in the game is SagreinItalia who are putting together a series of short videos of rustic events around Italy. Take a look here.   

President Bush doesn't visit Trastevere

In the end the President didn't visit Trastevere.

Officially, the security in and around the narrow alleys and  streets was not deemed sufficient.

Unofficially, word got out that the waiting time for a table at the Dar Poeta Pizzeria every Saturday evening was going to be too long and put the visit off schedule.

President Bush visits Trastevere

This Saturday in Rome, President Bush will be making a short walking tour of the Trastevere quarter of the Eternal City.

Unfortunately, he will only have time to meet the humanitarian Association of Sant'Egidio and view the fabulous Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere in the square of the same name, one of Rome's finest piazze.

Which is a shame as Trastevere is one of Rome's most interesting zones and incredibly popular with the American and British comunity living in the city.

The President will be a little early for the July Noantri Festival,  but he might be tempted to make any number of unscheduled detours.

He can't fail to miss the many pizza restaurants in Trastevere, and can always return for the always busy Dar Poeta.

The Gianicolo boasts the best panoramic view of Rome, not necessarily by the Spanish Ambassador's residence (as viewed in the film Roman Holiday) or from the Statue of Garibaldi, but by the Finnish Embassy where the midday gun is fired. 

Viale Trastevere has one of Rome's finest 'gelateria' as well Frantoni, offering full quick lunches.

But he won't be able to see a movie at the once mythical Pasquino Cinema. Its days were numbered when the owners had the bright idea of turning it, in our view, into the world's smallest and most dismal multiplex.

The roof which opened to the stars and the 1930's style ticket entrance disappeared and so did the faithful.

Bike Abruzzo

On Sunday the Abruzzese Danilo Di Luca won his first Giro d'Italia.

It was a great giro, not a classic, but the race restored much of the passion to Italy's cycle fans and long suffering cycle fans in general. We all look ahead.

Next year's route begins in Palermo on the 10 May and seems set to cover most of Sicily. Look out for a local favorite to do extremely well as Sicilian cycling is maturing nicely, much like their wines.

Abruzzo has its fair share of mountains and the only flat bits are along the coast or stretches such as the high plains of Navelli or Avezzano.

Nothing compared to the Monte Zoncolan in the province of Udine and the territory of Carnia, but the Abruzzese are a tough lot.