Payments due

Upcoming Payments Due

By July 1st the remaining payment for you air is due.  I will need a copy of your passport and if you have frequent flyer account with American Airlines I will need that number so I can get it credited to your account.  The Airline ticket is $775 each.

Transportation has been arranged from the Airport to Radda, From Radda to Sorrento, and From Sorrento to Rome.  The Cost is $185pp, that's at the current rate $ vs euro.  It may go up or down slightly depending on the currency exchange.  I want to make a deposit for this and I'll hold the balance in our "money till".

The only other payment that we will need to make will be a couple of the wine tours and the tour to Florence.  Once I have that in place I will let you know. Payment for the tours will be needed by August.

In October two weeks before we go, we will put together additional money to put in our "money till" to offset against lunch and dinners.  I think it will be easier to have one bill that we pay from and at the end if there is money owed or over we can settle after the trip.  I hope that's agreeable to everyone. I will keep all records together.

Jean and Jim  - $ 1700 paid to date
Pat and Vince- $ 1700 + 1700 = $3400
Maureen and Paul-  $1700 + 1700= $3400
Ron and Rose- $1700 + 1420= $3120 (have passport and AA#)
Ron And Sharlene - $1700

Balance due is $1050( air)  + $370 (transportation) = $1420 each couple


John and Liz  ( I have your passports) $ 2500 + 620= $3120
Darlene and Steve -$2500

Balance due is $ $250 (air) + $370 (transportation ) = $620 each couple


Joyce -$1100
Joan -$1100

Balance due is $ 325 (air) + $185 (transportation) = $ 510 each person

October 2019 Itinerary

Roma to Radda to Sorrento to Roma

October 27, 2019 Returning November 7, 2019

Day One
Arrive at PHL at 3:30PM
Depart on American Airlines Flight 718 6:20PM    

Day Two
Arrive in Fiumicino Airport, Roma Italy 8:05am
Transportation to Radda, Italy in Chianti
Staying at Relais Vignale & Spa ( www.vignale.it)
Stop for lunch in Autostrada            
Early Dinner at the Hotel

Day Three
Wine Tour with DiVine Tours (www.divinetours.com) visit three wineries
Lunch at winery
Dinner in Radda at Giovanino

Day Four
Full day trip to Florence
half day guided tour the rest of the day your on your own

Day Five
Brunello Tour
Pienza, Montecino and Montalpuciano
Dinner outside of Radda

Day Six
Relax in Radda
Options: Bus trip to Sienna, Cooking class at our hotel, walking tour to a winery
Prepare for long trip the next day

Day Seven
Transfer to Sorrento , Italy
Traveling to Parco dei Principi (www.parcodeiprincipi.com)
Stop along the way for lunch
Dinner in Hotel or in the area

Day Eight
Day trip to Amalfi Coast

Day Nine
Pompeii tour- Take train to Pompeii

Day Ten
Relax in the surrounding area

Day Eleven
Transfer to Roma-  Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo (www.bettojahotels.it)
Rome in a day
Recommend bus tour, hop on, hop off various sites.
Meet up at Piazza Navona

    Day Twelve
   Train to airport at 8am
   11:30am flight 719
   Arrive in Philly at 3:30PM

Preparing for lift off to Italy

Two weeks till count down to Tuscany.  The excitement is real and ready. The anxiety prior to traveling is at times overwhelming.  Getting prepared to travel is exciting and at the same time dreadful.  We know why its exciting, no work, new places to visit, no distractions, amazing food and wine, the list goes on and on.  The dreadful part is making sure everything is in order, all the bills are paid, the staff is in place and the reservations are made and the clothes are packed.

We are leaving out of JFK airport so we have a 2.5 hour drive, 2.5 hours prior to takeoff and then our 8 hour and 40 minute flight.  Once we land in Roma, Italy we will rent a car at the airport.  My father will be taking a flight out of  the Philadelphia airport, his flight lands 2 hours after ours, so that gives us time to get the rental car and then we can pick him up when his flight lands.  Then we are off to Pienza Italy, where we will be staying at the Borg Sant'Ambrogio Resort for three nights.  While in Pienza we plan on visiting several wineries in the area.  Stay tuned....

Then were off to Florence to drop off my father for 5 nights.  Joe and I will be heading to Vicchio, Italy where we will be staying for three nights at the Vita Nova Casa Vacanze.  While here we plan on visiting Parma, Modena and Bologna, hoping to be inspired by all the magnificent food in these cities.  For the other 2 nights we will be staying in Montecatini where we had the best gnocchi ever with gorgonzola sauce with walnuts, a dish we have on our menu ever since.  What an amazing dish, what will we discover this time?

The last part of our trip will end in Rome.  Visiting all of our favorite spots again, the TreVi fountain, the Spanish steps, Piazza Novona, where we had our favorite pizza which we offer to those who ask, the Gorgonzola, walnuts and pears.  I must have a thing for Gorgonzola, all my favorites have this one ingredient in it.  Will we discover another favorite?  Keep checking in to see what we discover next.  Look for our postings  in the middle of the September.   Ciao!!

Verona, Italy

On our way to four nights in Verona.  Down and around the mountains through La Spiza to A1, 15 tunnels and 20 mountains later we arrive in Verona, Italy.  Little did we know that the view could get better than Cinque Terre, but was matched by Verona's mountains and beautiful city.   Our B&B, Bacia di Luna ( Kiss the Moon) was meet with a gated entrance and driveway surrounded by mountainous views and a beautiful array of flowers.   The owner, Luzia was there to greet us with a smile upon arrival.  She showed us to our room with wide open windows, a huge  bathroom that was newly done with Jacuzzi.    Luzia's husband was kind enough to drive us into town and give us a quick tour of the area.  We arrived to the city to have lunch and dinner and walk along the streets.   Mixed in with the old was some very high end shops, Versace, Gucci and the such.   The piazza near the arena was filled with restaurants with seating outside.  We visited the location of Romeo and Juliette.  It was a small enclave where people posted love sonnets with the famous balcony and a statue of Juliette.  People gathered to get there picture taken with the statue with your right hand on her breast of Juliette,  its suppose to bring you good luck.   Luzia had mentioned we should try  Risotto with Amarone wine, its a local specialty. Amarone della Valpolicella, usually known as Amarone, is typically  a rich Italian dry red wine made from the partially dried grapes of the Corvina.  (We later go to a local winery and taste it first hand).  So we were on a quest to find a restaurant that is serving this. We found Ristorante Pizzeria Nostro Azzurro, it was magnificent.  Excellent recommendation, Luzia.  One thing I noticed is that risotto when ordered is only for two.  The cost was 25Euros but it was delicious. The only regret was that we didn't have room for pizza.  Every table was ordering pizza and it looked great. 

The next day we had breakfast on the Terrace.  We planned on going on a wine tour today, but when we got there it was closed on Sunday, so we decided to go to San Giorgio.  Unfortunately our GPS took us to another town with the same name.   Twist and turns for an hour took us to a town where bikers and hikers went.  So we decided to make the most of it and have lunch.  Joe had Grilled Polenta with soft cheese and Lardo.  I had gnocchi with brown butter and sage.  What a treat.  After lunch, we decided to go to Lake Garda which was about an hour ride from where we were.  What a great decision.  We arrived in Lizise and before we knew it we were on the lake walking the promenade with shops and restaurants abound.  We stopped for a beer and a spritz.
We took a ferry to the neighboring town Bardolino.  For 6 euros we were able to hop around the different towns along the lake.  The scenery was beautiful.  Bardolino was similar to Lazise with its small shops and restaurants.  The beauty of these small towns is what will bring me back someday. We had dinner back at Lazise with pizza and salad.  Our drive back to Verona was about 45 minutes.  When we got back to Verona we sat up with another couple from Germany and talked about life for at least 2 hours.  The next day they left and we were off to Venice...

Off to Pisa to drop off my father at the spa, Bagni Di Pisa.  We didn't stop to see the Leaning tower of Pisa because we had a long ride to our destination.   For the next two days we our on our way to Cinque Terre.  We drove through La Spiza which is a city on the water similar to home with a port and high rise buildings but our ride has only just begun. 

Our ride up the mountains was close to 200 plus turns, gasp!!  But the scenery was magnificent to see to say the least.  Finally we arrived at Cade Ventu with one more miss turn that only wine and beer could help.  So we thought that Pienza's view was out of a picture well this one topped it.  Our villa sat on top of the mountain overlooking the Cinque Terre ( 5 towns).  We relaxed that night sipping wine and having dinner,  the owner made us dinner, spaghetti with pesto and fried olives.   Basil pesto originated in this area, so it was a must try.  

The next morning we had breakfast on the terrace.   We decided that we would ride the bus down the mountain and experience the hair pin turns and near collisions with on coming traffic on the bus.   Our first stop, Vernazza.  It is a very busy town with a lot of tourists coming off the cruise ships, small shops, cafes and a small port.  It was nice to sit on the edge of the dock and watch the water pound up against the rocks.   We took the train ride to Corniglia which took five minutes.  Then the fun began, with at least 400-500 steps up the mountain.  It was very challenging.   

For lunch we ate in a ristorante along the walkway.  We ordered fresh anchovies with lemon and oil, and a Napoli, which is a classic pizza with anchovies and capers. Anchovies are at there freshest here so it was a must.  Then we took the train to Montorrosa, WOW what a beautiful beach town with shops and cafes right on the beach.  Sorry we didn't bring our bathing suits.  The weather was perfect.  Then we took the train to Riomaggiore which took about fifteen minutes.  By the time we reached there it was time for dinner.  For dinner we stopped at Veciu Muin in Riomaggiore,  we had Seafood Antipasti with white and brown anchovies, again, mussels, two smoked fish served with a shrimp egg pancake.  It was very fresh and delicious.  We heard Led Zepplin music playing in the back ground and walked across the way and stopped in for a few beers to listen to some music.     After this, we went to our villa and brought back with us a focaccia from Montarossa and had it with some Pecorino cheese that we brought with us from Pienza and paired with wine for later that evening, as we watched the sunset and relaxed the rest of the night.  These two days were very challenging but relaxing.

Day two we traveled two hours north to Pienza, Italy in Tuscan region near Montepuciano.  Famous for its red wines and Pecorino cheese.  And as I will soon come to love, I discovered Truffles which is in abundance in the area.  We stayed at the Hotel Relais 11 Chiostro di Pienza.  It was once a convent, so you know it was beautifully kept.  The rate was $85 Euros which was a steal.  When I first walked out to the terrace I thought I walked into a painting, the rolling hills, the picturesque villas scattered at the peak of the mountain with the cypress trees.   This is one view I will always remember.  The town is set up like most of the Italian towns built surrounded by a wall with all little shop keepers from the butcher (Macellaio), the Cheese (Formaggia),  gelatio, News Stand (tabacchi) and trinket shops. 

We came to a court yard that had a restaurant or two each with outdoor seating with large umbrellas and cascading flowers along the balconies with wrought iron verandas and perfectly structured windows. We sat for lunch and ordered the house wine, Sperone Nudo.   Joe had a meat board and I had Panzanella, a beautiful blend of bread, cucumber, red onion, scallions, and olive oil.  I finished lunch with tiramisu cream and caramel, Spectacular.  It was so good we returned for dinner.  This isn't something that I typically do, but the food was so good that I figured the dinner can only be better, and I was correct.  We started with gnocchi with walnuts in a cream sauce, artichoke hearts,  and finished with spaghetti and black truffles. This turned out to be the best meal I have ever eaten.  All simple with a few ingredients to make this a perfect dinner.  This spot,  if in the area again will be a definite return.  I recommend this town, hotel and restaurant, perfecto!!

Day One in Roma, Italy

Our first day was exciting to say the least.  We were delayed for three hours in Philly but were able to squeeze in lunch and dinner and a nap once we arrived in Italy.  I even was able to meet with my nephew who is living here for a few months.  Joe was very thirsty when we landed and throw the waiter a curve with his first drink order, a one liter of Italian beer. 

We had lunch at Cucina Italiana Cotto.  I had salmon thinly sliced with arugula, feta cheese and sliced orange . Very lite and refreshing selection for lunch. 

Joe couldn't resist getting a pizza with salume, very good,  served uncut with a knife and fork.

A stop in Rome can not be complete without a stop at the Trevi Fountain.  With thousands of people from all over the world and from every walk of life gathering together to marvel at one of Italy's and the worlds famous fountain.  I've grown to love it so much that I called our restaurant by its name.

Walking the streets can be very inspiring being in the food business with all the food that is on display.  From the sandwiches, to the pastry shops, everything in abundance and beautifully made.

For dinner we went to my father's favorite restaurant, Macaroni, its located in the Pantheon area.  We started with Proscuitto, Mozzarella and Pecorino, walnuts and honey.  For dinner, I had tornelli carbonara, excellent. 

We finished the night with a night cap with my nephew in Piazza Nuovona.

(Pictures to come, my computer is giving me a hard time with downloading them, I will post some on TreVi's facebook page)