goosifer

Try some wild boar prosciutto when you are in Florence. We leave Florence tomorrow, and won't be in Rome until two weeks later.

I'm not a golfer. Is this a big deal?

The more the merrier. Food and drink-wise, there is something for everyone in Italy. Just remember to bring some Frank's hot sauce with you.

We should cross paths somewhere. I'll pm you my itinerary. Thanks for thinking of me.

Portofino. @Biz-R-OWorld, I think you'd like this place.

I found some hot sauce in Italy! Not Frank's, but will have to do. Some of the things we've eaten the past week:

Nope. I'm a very boring drunk. I just get sleepy . . . .

From the rooftop bar at the hotel in Rapallo. The best part was the complementary appetizers when you order a drink.

At the train station in Rapallo, noticed a cherry tomato plant growing in between the train tracks. Fertile soil all around, I guess.

Today we visited two wineries and an olive grove in Tuscany. The olive farm had a cool jeep-like vehicle parked there.

Menabrea Bionda, a smooth, goes down easy, lager from northern Italy. Having lunch at Gonzo, a culinary school student run restaurant in Florence. See https://www.menabrea.co.uk/our-beer/ for details.

A Belgian Tripel from an Italian brewery called Fuoco ( I think) and the beer is called Birra dell'Eremo (I think). See https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33614/215406/ for details. We found this inexpensive place called Beer House in the San Croce neighborhood of Florence. Wife refused to try their Buffalo wings, but we will try their birramisu dessert, a beer tiramisu. Will report in what's for dinner thread.

Lupulus Blonde, a Belgian beer. Something different for me. Refreshing drink on a cool evening in Rapallo. https://www.lupulus.be/en/belgian-beers-products-brewery-lupulus/4/lupulus-blonde-triple/

OK, but don't ask where I might need to hide them.

Best food item eaten in Italy thus far, fresh fig and walnut gelato. I could not eat this fast enough, OMG it was good.

Late lunch today in Rapallo, near Portofino and Genoa. I ordered a seafood soup of the house and a grilled seafood platter. When they brought out the soup first, I honestly thought they had brought out the entree first by accident!. Very good, and very fresh. Damned if no hot sauce, though. They have a hot peppers in oil condiment, but it's not the same.

Lunch yesterday was at a restaurant on a hilltop in the center of Barolo, a wine region in NW Italy. Appetizer of some local lunchmeat and fresh figs.

So far, we've done a food tour in Torino (Turin), chocolate tour in Torino, and a wine tour in Barbaresco and Barolo (outside town of Alba) Food tour was cool. The flea market/farmers market/meat market/modern food court is huge and awesome. Giant red peppers for 1 Euro ($1.11) per kilo. Fresh porcini mushrooms. on and on. The food regular people here eat is so fresh. In fact, veal tartar is a favorite dish in Torino. Chocolate tour was very good. There are all these different chocolate shops, some like a restaurant, that feature their own creation. I should have taken better notes but was too busy eating. My wife finally said towards the end "No more chocolate!" Luckily, the last stop was gelato. Wine tour was good. A sommelier/wine tour guide dude drove us around and educated us on the nuances of the local wine. Area was quite scenic, but desolate aside from vineyards.

If anyone is looking for a business venture in Italy, try importing Tabasco sauce or Frank's hot sauce. The concept of hot sauce apparently doesn't exist in northern Italy. In between two food tours. Will report tonight :)

A quick breakfast in Ventimiglia, Italy

My wife and I are on a long trip to Italy. I thought I would share some pics from time to time, if anyone is interested. We flew into Nice, France, and then took a train to visit my aunt and uncle who live an hour away in France. pic from the train window looking at the Mediterranean Place de la Liberte in Toulon. A statue in a plaza that we happen to walk by. We are currently in Torino (Turin), but nothing pic worthy yet.

Happy birthday, Eddie. Enjoy the day!

Happy birthday, Tacks. Stay sharp!

My wife doesn't care for guns or hunting, but she's said many times she'd make an exception for geese. The flying kind, not the hubby kind. Good luck sodfather!

So Chef is one of those "Enjoys long walks in the park" type of guy. Hmmm.