Travel – Page 10

Cinque Terre – Morning Coffee at Ananasso Bar, Checking Out Riomaggiore and Manarola

January 17, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Italy, Travel

**** No food in this one, but if you'd like to see where we visited in Riomaggiore and Manarola read on!

We woke early on our second morning in Vernazza. We walked on over to Piazza Guglielmo Marconi and took a look at the waves breaking. Yes, it was fall and it was pretty rough out there. Right at the end of the piazza and on the harbor is the popular Ananasso Bar, which serves coffee in the mornings and cocktails during the evening.

A nice espresso.

We'd end up stopping by on our next morning as well.

You get a front row seat of the harbour as well!

Ananasso Bar
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 30
Vernazza, Italy

Speaking of a front row seat. During rough seas, the fishermen will bring their boats ashore and while passing among the boats we heard a loud whimper and saw a large Golden Retreiver run to it's owner for comfort. What was the cause for this distress. Well, the source soon walked out from among the boats…..

Like I mentioned in a previous post, these cats have no fear and apparently are not to be trifled with. We saw this feline hiss at a couple who tried to pet it making them back away, it also scared away a fairly large mutt on the next morning. After my previous experience with a "Killer Pussy" on Easter Island, I knew better than to mess with them!

After our coffee we headed on out. We decided on visiting the two southern most villages of the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore and Manarola. We went and purchased the two day train card at the stop in Vernazza. This gave us free access to the La Spezia – Cinque Terre – Levanto railway line, free use of restrooms, etc. It took us just 10 minutes by train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore, the second largest of the five villages. It's an interesting train station, overlooking a ravine. You access the village via a tunnel.

From there we got onto Via Telemaco Signorini and walked on up to the village.

It's a fairly steep hike, but the views are quite fabulous.

We took a turn around the bend and found the stairs (yep more stairs!) up to Castello di Riomaggiore.

The hulking structure, built in the 13th century, has some pretty nice views, though it wasn't open to visitors. There's also an interesting small church the Oratorio di San Rocco which was built to commemorate the end of the plague.

Walking inland along Via Pecunia, you'll get some nice views of the town.

Via Pecunia ends at a piazza where the Church of San Giovanni Battista stands.

The grey stone church stands above the village. While originally constructed in 1340 and dedicated to John the Baptist, the church went thru a huge renovation in 1870.

From here we headed down to the main street of the village; Via Colombo.

At the end of Via Colombo was one of my favorite spots on this trip. As you approach the train tracks, you'll find stairs leading up to a square. This is Piazza Vignaioli and is right above the train tracks.

And also nice views of the lovely pastel colored buildings in the town.

But what really caught our attention were the views of the "harbor"….I'll just use quotes on that. Because of the rather rough weather, the boats had been pulled up onto the square…which really look like the street! It really look like the waves are breaking on the village streets.

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Quite dramatic looking, huh?

On our next stop, we were going from the second largest, to the second smallest village in the Cinque Terre, Manarola with a population of about 350. And in keeping with the number 2, the train ride from Riomaggiore to Manarola takes about 2 minutes! The village is tucked into a ravine and to get to it from the train station means a 200 yard walk thru a tunnel. The tunnel opens right up in the center of town, which was pretty busy on this day.

The view from the harbor was lovely and you can see the trail that we took along the vineyards to the cemetery…with of course, a wonderful view a short time later.

We then headed back up the main street, lined with shops and restaurants, for some reason, this seemed to be the most touristy of the villages.

The higher up into the the village, the less tourists we saw.

As you get to the bend in the road you'll come across a large water wheel.

Manarola is the oldest of villages in the Cinque Terre, supposedly dating back to the 13th century founded by the Romans. The town was built alongside a large creek and according to the story there was a large waterwheel (magna rota in Latin) in the village from which it got it's name .

Things seemed a lot quieter here.

And so it seemed like a nice time for a Limonata break.

Before heading onward.

We finally came upon the trail we were looking for. It was right next to this church.

This is the Church of San Lorenzo which dates back to 1338.

The namesake of the church is Saint Lawrence, who is the patron saint of the Cinque Terre. I found the ceiling fresco to be quite "interesting". It has San Lorenzo holding a grill…..

The grill "gridiron" is the symbol of San Lorenzo as he was roasted alive on it. It is the symbol of his martyrdom!

To quote the Wikipedia page:

After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"

Thus Saint Lawrence is not only the patron saint of Cooks, but also the patron saint of comedians as well!

Turning back down the street, next to a wine bar you'll see the sign for Trail 502C. This trail heads up past lovely vineyards to the cemetery, which of course means that the best views.

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I mentioned that cemeteries were moved out of villages for hygienic purposes and many seemed to have ended up on hills with wonderful views.

From the cemetery, you can take some stairs and end up with amazing views!

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Check out the harbor and breakwater!

We then took Via di Corniglia back to the town and the train station.

Since it was still fairly early, the Missus decided that we should head back to Monterosso before calling it a day!

Cinque Terre – Passo del Termine, Monterosso, Gelateria La Scogliera, and Trattoria Gianni Franzi

January 10, 2025 mmm-yoso Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Desserts, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Seafood, Travel

So, on our first morning, the Missus was rarin' to go. She wanted to do the typical hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. Unfortunately, due to some landslides that oceanside hike was not available. So, instead it was decided to do the Via Passo del Termine route, which is over 4 miles long and considered at challenging route, sigh.

Instead of starting where the Alltrails hike starts, we went up to the beginning of Via Brigate Partigiane, like we did the previous day.

Because frankly, the views are fabulous.

And also because of the lovely, serene cemetery that resides on a hilltop.

Those "residing" here have one of the most beautiful views of the village. You can read more about it in this post by Rick Steves. Cemeteries were located outside of town by law for hygenic reasons in the early 19th century.

And then we were back on the trail again.

Sometimes you'd get a peak at Vernazza below.

And soon we ended up in a clearing and this church.

This is the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio. And right on the other side is a road that leads to Highway 51.

It was fairly easy to find our way as you'll look for the "signs"…..

We started walking among the terraces; grapes were grown along the steep hills. There were often these devices on rails that went up and down the terraces so folks could maintain and harvest the grapes.

From here we walked along the highway, until we saw the signs indicating the way to Monterosso. At that point we got back onto the trail. This would be the last view of Vernazza on the trail.

And of course, what goes up, must come down.

And soon enough we could see Monterosso in the distance.

And then it was really "downhill all the way". Alltrails says the elevation gain is 1,771 feet and my knees could feel every foot as we descended. Said joints didn't recover until we were in Paris later on during the trip.

Somehow, we ended up in Centro Storico, the Old Town of Monterosso. Monterosso al Mare is made up of two distinct "towns" which are separated by a pedestrian tunnel. One of the first buildings we saw was the Oratorio di Santa Croce o dei Bianchi.

In need of a break, we decided to take a look inside.

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The Oratory was built in the 15th century as is named for the brotherhood, who ran the hospital and dressed in white (Bianchi) robes.

From here we headed toward the shore on the main street in the Old Town, Via Roma.

Taking time to stop at a few more churches; the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista….

And the Oratorio Mortis et Orationis – Confraternita dei Neri.

Basically, the Oratory of the Dead.

So, we'd seen the "White Brotherhood"; this was the home of the "Black Brotherhood" who took care of burials for those who could not afford it. The interior is adorned with skeletons and skulls.

Eventually, you get to the railroad tracks….the actual station is in the New Town and right past the tracks is the beach.

Monterosso is the "resort" town of the Cinque Terre with hotels and beaches.

We took the pedestrian tunnel over to the New Town. And took a stroll along the Fegina, the waterfront of the New Town. This being winter, things were quite peaceful and relaxed. That's the distinctive "Eden Rock" in the photo below.

At about this time, I wanted a break. It was indeed winter, but I thought some gelato would be nice. And this shop is right along Via Fegina.

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And the tables with a view of the beach across from the shop were unoccupied. It was a nice and refreshing stop.

And the view was wonderful as well.

Gelateria La Scogliera
Via Fegina 20
Monterosso al Mare, Italy

After a nice break, we strolled, or in my case "lurched" our way to the Monterosso Train Station…. I'm kinda glad the Blue Trail back to Vernazza was closed due to blockage because there ain't no way I'd make it back.

Needless to say, it was nice to be able to rest my aching knees back at the apartment. When dinner time came around we picked a spot that had been recommended to us; Trattoria Gianni Franzi, which was located right on Piazza Guglielmo Marconi.

The waves were riding high on this day and it had started drizzling so there would be no al fresco dining on this winter evening. The warm and cozy interior of the restaurant was quite busy on this evening, yet we were able to get a table.

The menu is quite large and there was a section of "typico" dishes, which is where we made our selections. The prices were 4-5 Euros more per dish than on the previous evening. The service was a bit rushed, but professional.

We ordered two Antipasti and two Primi. First up was the Pulpo con Patate, yes octopus and potatoes.

Sometimes simple is best, like in this case, the pulpo was just the perfect texture, firm, but not chewy, with a mild "oceany" flavor highlighted by the olive oil. The potatoes brought a bit of starchiness to the dish.

Now, if you wanted an umami boost, well, the Accinghe Salate, salted anchovies had that in spades.

The textures of the anchovies were almost buttery, the flavor was very salty-briny and umami….while I wouldn't call it fishy at all. Just a plain umami bomb.

Of course I got the Trofie al Pesto.

I didn't enjoy this as much as what I'd had the previous evening. The flavors seemed watered down. And indeed, there was a pool of thin liquid at the bottom of the bowl as if the pasta had not been drained properly. I would have also enjoyed a bit more pesto on this as well.

The Mussels in the Spaghetti ai Muscoli might have been the highlight of the meal.

I enjoy my pasta to be nicely coated, not overly drowned in sauce like many places do in the states, so this version perfectly al dente, coated in peppery-fruity olive oil, with a hint of garlic and hidden red peppers did fine. Those mussels were very good, sweet, tender, and without any grit. This got us ordering mussels when we'd see it on the menu from this point forward. And though we'd have even better mussels a day later, this paved the way for our future ordering.

Even though we were eating in touristy type restaurants; we were enjoying our meals

Trattoria Gianni Franzi
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 1
Vernazza, Italy

When we got back to the apartment, I took a quick look at my walking distance for the day.

Whoa….164 floors! No wonder my knees were screaming for mercy!

Vernazza – Exploring the Town and Dinner at 5 Terre Bistrot

January 3, 2025 mmm-yoso Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Seafood, Travel

We had really enjoyed exploring Milan, but it was time for us to head to our next stop. The Cinque Terre, five towns that hug the Ligurian coast had been on the Missus's "list" for years. In doing a bit research, I found that trains from Milan took only three hours to get to Monterosso, the largest and northernmost village. From there the local train service runs every 15-20 minutes or so to each village. The Cinque Terre is a very popular tourist destination, so I thought visiting during the early winter….after all, if we wanted beaches and such, we'd just head "home", right? I figured…quite correctly that the villages wouldn't be swamped.

Our train left Milano Centrale right on time at noon and we got into Monterosso a bit after three. From there, we found the local train which took 4 minutes to get to Vernazza, where we were staying. I decided on Vernazza after looking at all the wonderful photos, it just seemed like the right place. There basically one main street, Via Roma which heads downhill from the train stop.

As you can see, it was pretty quiet when we arrived. Our AirBnb was wonderful, the kitchen, the awesome bedroom, the views. But first, you needed to climb up a good amount of winding stairs…huff…huff…

And the flat was actually two floors with a kitchen on the bottom and the bedroom, bathroom, and a sitting room above.

All the stairs were worth it….just for the views.

You see the couple in the photo below? Well, they were from Australia. We'd end up seeing them almost 5-6 times during our stay. They were so nice and inspired us to travel "down under".

Later during our stay there would be a rather stormy evening and the waves would actually crash against our window.

Of course once settled, the Missus wanted to head on out. So now, it was back down those stairs. It seemed much busier as we headed to the main piazza and the harbor.

Vernazza is known for having the only natural harbor of the 5 villages, there's a breakwater and the waves were indeed breaking!

We would actually see waves breaking on the piazza later on! Folks sitting having drinks got soaked!

The pastel toned buildings, the green mountains….which house vineyards, make for a lovely backdrop.

Right past the waterfront buildings on the Piazza is the Church of St. Margaret.

Which was built in 1318! We took a quick look inside. Saint Margaret is the Patron Saint of Vernazza. And for an even more interesting story, check out this page.

The Missus really wanted to see a bit more of the town, so we, you got it, took more stairs from behind the church.

Where the views start getting really nice.

Then more stairs….

And somehow ended up at the beginning of Via Brigate Partigiane, where the walk begins to the cemetery, which we'd see the next day.

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We decided on taking a walk part of the way up anyway.

Where we could see the vineyards on terraces along the hillside. And get a good view of Doria Castle, which used to protect the village from pirates.

Another place we'd visit a bit later on during our stay.

It was so lovely. There were simple things, like this parked scooter that just seemed to be posed for a photograph…..like a two wheeled, Instagram ready, Vernazza "influencer".

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And the cats, which seemed totally unafraid of anything.

We'd see one scaring the crap out of a huge mutt in the Piazza the next evening! I guess you don't fool around with the felines here!

Of course all good things must come to an end….so it was back down all those steps. My poor knees!

We headed back to the flat and took a nice rest.

When dinner time came along, instead of heading down to the harbor and piazza, we decided on a place on Via Roma named 5 Terre Bistrot. While the street seemed fairly sedate.

The al fresco tables of the restaurant, which overlooked the pedestrian street were busy.

The menu is small, with a total of maybe 12 items, but I still needed a Negroni to help me make a decision. Plus, we hadn't done Aperitivo time on this day! Yikes, a mortal sin!

In end we had one antipasti, one primi, and one secondi.

We started with the Pulpo e Patate con Bottarga. I'd read that the combination of octopus and potatoes is a Ligurian specialty, so I thought we'd try it here. This version also featured cured mullet roe.

This version is in the form of a Tortino e Patate, a potato based pie. The pulpo was so tender, the potatoes nice and starchy, the cured mullet roe was very savory….an umami blast.

Of course this is Liguria, so I had to have the Trofie al Pesto.

My goodness, what's up with Ligurian Basil?!? This was bright and peppery, nice garlic, the pasta a bit over cooked, but still that pesto. I enjoyed the pesto so much, we had it I think the first 5 straight days in Liguria?

The secondi was Calamari. This version came with a Garbanzo cream, nice and nutty, dots of nice sour lemon jelly, and sweet and sour pickled onions.

The calamari was surprisingly tender, the breading added a nice textural contrast.

This was a nice meal to start our stay in Vernazza. From this point on, we'd be having seafood and pesto all the time! The service was friendly and relaxed; perhaps too much so. But we really enjoyed our meal.

5 Terre Bistrot
Via Roma 44
Vernazza, Italy

After dinner we took a stroll down to the busy, but not crowded harbor.

It was so relaxed….well compared to Milan where we'd been the night before, that it felt like we were on a different planet.

I was looking forward to a nice restful night. Especially since the Missus had a hike in mind for the next day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Milan – Osteria Da Fortunata and a Stroll Around All Those Familiar Places

December 29, 2024 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Milan, Travel

After our lovely Aperotivo, we walked around the corner to a place we'd passed on every evening. There was always a line. In the morning, when I would take a walk, I'd see the hard working Sfoglina making pasta by hand.

So, this is where we decided to have dinner. We went a bit early and there was still a short line but we got in after a ten minute wait.

Now, when I had done a bit of research, I found that Osteria Da Fortunata is based in Rome. So, I went with one of my favorite pastas; Strozzapreti, in a typical Roman style, that would Carbonara. The Missus ordered the Tagliolini Pomodoro Fresco.

The service was very friendly and warm; totally NOT like Rome at all.
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The pasta was a bit more doughy than I prefer; though the strozzapreti did a wonderful job of "holding on to" all the creamy-cheesy-savory sauce. I was surprised at the amount of pepper on this, but it really heightened the dish.

The texture of the Tagliolini all 'Ouvo (egg noodles) was just perfect. While a bit rustic looking, it had a wonderful stretch.

The sauce had a nice fruity-acidity.

While not a fancy meal, this was a nice, fairly inexpensive dinner, right in the heart of Brera, which the Missus enjoyed so much that She had me cancel reservations we had at Ratana on this evening. And like I said, we really liked the service.

Osteria Da Fortunata – Brera
Via Fiori Chiari 13
Milan, Italy

After dinner, we headed on out for a stroll, it was drizzling, but we enjoyed seeing all those now familiar places.

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The Duomo sure is lovely at night!

And the Missus enjoyed the lively, but not crazy streets of Brera.

It was interesting to walk those same streets in the morning. Such a contrast.

It was so peaceful and mellow…..

We had a light breakfast, then caught the metro to the huge Milano Centrale Train Station.

Next stop? Liguria…..

Milan – The Last Supper, Museo Pietà Rondanini, and Aperitivo at Cinq

December 28, 2024 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Italy, Milan, Travel

**** No food in this one; just a Masterpiece by Leonardo, an unfinished work by Michelangelo….oh, and a nice aperitivo….

We'd had a pretty busy morning exploring the Duomo di Milano. But, our afternoon was going to be pretty amazing as well. After having a nice self catering lunch at our apartment in Brera, we headed on out. Our next stop was about a 20 minute walk away.

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We arrived at Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie about 45 minutes before our assigned time and I went into the ticket office to exchange my voucher. There were actually folks trying to get tickets but they were told that everything is sold out for the three months and that it was better to buy it online!

So, what was so in demand as to be sold out for months? Well, it's to be found in what used to be the dining hall of this church.

To minimize exposure to humidity only 30 visitors are allowed in at a time for exactly 15 minutes.

Yes, it's the The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

The renowned work which depicts the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles, at the moment when Jesus said “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

You can see the shock, the confusion, the disbelief on the faces of the Apostles.

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Leonardo has Philip asking Jesus, “Lord, is it I?”

And then there is Judas, thirty pieces of silver in hand…..

The composition, the expression, the detail….the story being told in front of us.

It was just amazing to see this in person!

Not to be outdone, on the opposite wall is the Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano.

Pretty dramatic in it's own right. While the Last Supper took three years, this took three months.

On an interesting note, there are two images at the sides of the fresco that Leonardo added.

Our fifteen minutes was up in the blink of an eye.

We did take some time to check out the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Which was built in the 15th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight.

It is said that Donato Bramante designed the dome of the Church – Convent.

An interesting side note about the church. It is said that Milan was the most bombed city in Italy during World War II. On August 15, 1943 a bomb hit the church. To quote Monuments Man Deane Keller, "Leonardo's Last Supper may be in ruins." But the Last Supper would not be destroyed this way as a few months later the iconic masterpiece was found intact!

Once done, we headed back in the direction of our apartment, past busy Cardona Station.

As we passed the distinctive Sforza Castle.

Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, built this castle in the 15th on the ruins of a fortress that dates back to the 14th century.

The distinctive tower was reconstructed in 1905. There was one museum I wanted to check out; the Museo Pietà Rondanini. In this relatively quiet space that dates back to the 16th century resides Michelangelo's last work. An unfinished "Pietà", the Rondanini Pietà, which Michelangelo was working on at the time of his death.

It's quite interesting to see as it provides an example of how Michelangelo created his sculptures.

Also on display is one of two busts of Michelangelo, based on his death commissioned by his nephew from Daniele da Volterra.

And also the funerary altar upon which the Pietà was placed until 2015.

Quite an interesting place to visit.

We then headed back to the apartment and took a break.

After our first evening in Brera, the Missus had me cancel the dinner reservations I had made for our last evening before heading to Liguria. She really enjoyed the area and just wanted to enjoy the neighborhood. We'd be passing thru Milan on our way back, but were staying only a single night in a total different area.

Another things we had taken to was Aperotivo time. So, before having dinner, we decided to do what so many Milanese do…it was time for an Aperotivo. During our dinner and Aperotivo the following evening at Rosso Brera, we had notice a steady flow of folks at the place next door named Cinc. So, we decided to try the place out.

We really enjoyed the folks here; they were quite friendly. My Negroni was very good, fairly stiff, great herbal-fruitiness.

A nice prep for our dinner!

Cinc
Via Marco Formentini 5
Milan, Italy

Of course, the question remained, where were we headed for dinner?

Stay tuned!

Milan – Duomo di Milano Rooftop, Lunch from Rossi & Grassi Srl, and Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milano

December 14, 2024 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Italy, Markets & Grocers, Milan, Travel

The day before we headed to Liguria was going to be our busiest in Milan. We had activities scheduled for both the morning and afternoon. Like basically two of the major sites.

We headed out to the first. I had gotten Fast Track Tickets for the Duomo di Milano, which included access to the Terrace, i.e. the rooftop of the Cathedral. I really wanted to check that out after seeing it on an episode Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy where he visits Lombardy (I hope his new upcoming shows do well). I thought both the architecture and the view was fantastic.

Our assigned time was 10am, so we headed out a bit early. We were way ahead of schedule when we reached bustling Piazza Cordusio. Among all the financial businesses and high end shops we noticed a location of Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Though we're not big fans of Starbucks, we had been to Seattle location of the Reserve Roastery, so we were interested in taking a look.

As one would assume for Milan….this location was pretty fancy.

The line for coffee was crazy; so the Missus got some tea which She rather enjoyed and I had some sparkling water.

It was an interesting place to visit. There are currently six Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world. If you'd like to see what the Tokyo location looks like, you can check out Kat's post here.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery
Piazza Cordusio 3
20123 Milan, Italy

It had started drizzling and things seemed a bit "wet" when we got to Piazza del Duomo.

But heck, we weren't going to let a little drizzle stop us. We were zipped up by the elevators to the "terraces". To a world of spires, statues, and gargoyles.

We were told that many of the statues were carved as a gift to God and were only seen by the workers who climbed the stairs for hundreds of years. Now an elevator can whisk you up in minutes.

It's as if you've entered another world. The amount of work is stunning. No wonder it took almost six centuries to complete.

The view, even on a drizzly day was wonderful as well.

If you ever have the chance to visit the Duomo, we highly recommend doing the rooftop!

Once back down on earth, we entered the cathedral. There's so much to see….I'm just going to post on a couple of tihngs that really caught our attention.

The nave of the Cathedral is impressive, at a height of over 200 feet and stretching over 500 feet long!

There was an "interesting" statue of Saint Bartolomeo, one of the 12 apostles. Check it out.

Bartholomew was famously martyred; skinned alive and beheaded by the Romans.

We also went to the basement of the Duomo, which was quite interesting. The highlight were the ruins of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti.

The Baptistry was constructed in 378 AD and is where Saint Ambrose (who became the Bishop at the Duomo) was baptized.

There are different foundations of churches that stood here before the Duomo. Many artifacts, even some tombs.

Yes, there's much to see here. Especially if you go from "top to bottom".

I had thought 2 to 2 1/2 hours would be enough, but it wasn't. We needed to get some lunch and a take a break before heading to our afternoon "appointment". So, we took our leave. We'll be sure to return someday.

As for lunch. Well, we headed back to the apartment. Because we had a nice sized kitchen we were using it for breakfasts and such. We passed this shop on Via Ponte Vetero and walked on in.

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The place had a good selection of prepared foods, salumi, and stuff. Though it was kind of pricy. Still, I couldn't resist the Porcini mushrooms, which heated up well!

Earthy, nutty, slightly sweet, in need of salt, but there was some in the cabinet.

I also wanted to try the Cima alla Genovese; which had everything from offal to boiled eggs to pistachios in it.

It's basically stuffed veal belly. Boy, this was potent! But quite filling!

Luckily we had some bread leftover from breakfast.

Yes, this place was quite expensive for a deli; in fact, this cost more than the dinner we had in a restaurant on this day! Still, it was great to be able to try this!

Rossi & Grassi Srl
Via Ponte Vetero 4
Milan, Italy

It was time for a nap; then we needed to head on out to our next "tour"!

Stay tuned!

Milan – Dinner at Hekfan

December 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Italy, Milan, Travel

After our nice Aperitvo, we walked basically 50 meters to our dinner destination. Another recommendation from "FOY" Candice. A Hong Kong style restaurant named Hekfan, which also served Dim Sum for dinner.

It was a tiny, cute little restaurant.

But the menu belied the rather quaint surroundings, with items like Foie Gras Siu Mai and Crystal Dumplings of Mushroom and Truffle! The Missus also appreciated the tea selection as well. Ordering was a breeze and the folks actually spoke Mandarin and English as well!

We placed our order, not a huge amount of food; but some pretty rich stuff.

First to arrive were the Crystal Dumpling, basically Har Gow with a trio of mushroom and truffle.

We really didn't care for the har gow wrappers which were very glutinous; but the earthy-savory-sweet mushroom and the very fragrant truffle was very good. The addition of a tobiko garnish gave the dumpling a nice salty-briney touch.

A trio of Dim Sum followed.

IMG_2399a The weakest item were the Xiao Long Bao. The wrapper was decent if a bit too doughy; but there was barely any "soup" in the dumpling which was quite bland.

While we were still not big fans of the Har Gow wrapper; the Roasted Duck Har Gow was quite good. Great flavors, not overly sweet.

Mild anise-sweetness-savory tones. I had reservations about the skin being included but it actually added a nice texture.

In what seemed to be a recurring theme; the wrapper of the siu mai wasn't very good, kind of mushy; but man, the flavors of the Foie Gras, Shrimp, and Mushroom Siu Mai were really good.

Never thought the earthy flavor of foie gras would work here; but it added a nice earthy-creamy touch to the very sweet-oceany shrimp. The filling was so tender and moist, yet it held firm.

The Missus really loved the smokey-savoriness of the Pork on Smoked Boiled Eggs.

This arrived on a wooden plate covered by glass fed by one of those smoker-infuser guns. I might have to get one of those. The pork added porcine flavors and the five-spice based seasoning really made the dish.

Soon enough, the final item we ordered appeared. Arriving on a covered plate, which was soon set ablaze.

Quite a show for the Dong Po Rou.

Which was super rich and fatty, decently sweet, good sweet-soy flavors. Quite fragrant, served in tandem with some fancy "buns".

All in all, an enjoyable meal. While the wrappers weren't the best; I'm thinking that sourcing the right ingredients might be a challenge, the flavors were quite good.

Who knew; decent Hong Kong style Chinese in Brera…Milan!

Hekfan
Via Marco Formentini 2
20121 Milan, Italy

Please note that my sources have informed me that Hekfan is moving to a larger space.

And guess what? We'd have even better Dim Sum in Milan later on the trip.

Thanks as always for the recommendations Candice!

Milan – L.O.V.E., Panetteria Mercato, Santa Maria del Carmine Church, Aperitivo Time at Rosso Brera, and More Exploring

December 7, 2024 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Milan, Travel

I got up rather early on our first morning in Milan. We had done a bit of shopping before heading to dinner the night before, so we had breakfast and lunch covered. After a light breakfast, I was ready to head on out. The Missus just wanted to relax, so I went in search of something I'd read about before our trip. This walk had me going down Via Mercato, which we'd walk pass several times a day during our stay; with bakeries and such, it was a fun street to shop and eat. The street eventually turned into Via Broletto and there's a lot to see here as well. Like the Neoclassical designed Church of San Tomaso in Terramara.

Via Broletto ends at the very busy and picturesque Piazza Cordusio.

From here, there was an interesting public art piece I was looking for. A bit further west lies Piazza Affari where the Milan Stock Exchange is located. It is quite busy.

As for me, I was more interested in the sculpture right across the way; which seems to send a message to the bankers and financiers of Milan, considered to be the "economic" capital of Italy.

Yep, for real. You gotta love it! The name of this sculpture is L.O.V.E, which stands for Liberta, Odio, Vendetta, Eternita (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity).

Could you imagine something like this standing outside the stock exchange in the states?

From here I took a now familiar route back to the apartment. I noticed that the Instagrammers were out in full force in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

On the way back, I stopped at this bakery.

And got the Missus some cannoli to have with lunch.

She especially enjoyed the pistachio version; saying that it was not overly sweet.

Panetteria Mercato
Via Mercato 24
20121 Milan, Italy

After lunch we headed on out. To do a some exploring and shopping. As we passed this church for the fourth time, seeing that it was open, we decided to check it out.

This is the Chiesa del Carmine (Santa Maria del Carmine Church).

The church dates back to 15th century. And the chapel, which dates back to the Baroque period is considered a masterpiece.

And if to really display the contrasts between the ancient and modern; right in front of the church is this sculpture.

Named the "Great Toscano" by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj.

As we strolled down Via Broletto, the Missus stopped at this sneaker/shoe shop. The brand was Golden Goose?

Looking at the prices, I jokingly told the Missus that She was limited to one pair. Her response; "no, I already have the one's I want at home." !!!!!!

We enjoyed wandering the streets of Milan.

Walking thru places that now seemed quite familiar to us.

As we headed a bit further afield and headed past the Duomo.

That's the Chiesa di Santa Maria presso San Satiro, a church that dates back to the 15th century!

That's San Giovanni in Conca above. The remnants of a church which dates back to the 4th century. What remains of the church is the crypt! I've always thought of Milan as being so modern, so hip, but what I saw really gave me a better appreciation of the city!

And yet, there were places we walked past that just brought on a smile….

Heading back to the apartment, we strolled thru Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II once again.

No matter how many times we walked thru the shopping center; there always seemed to be something we'd notice that we hadn't paid attention to before.

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at this shop.

Where the Missus found a small purse She loved. Heck, this was Milan, you want a purse….well go for it, right?

We got back to apartment and took a break. I had dinner reservations nearby. But first, we decided to do the Milanese thing…. Yes, it was Aperitivo time! There was a Chinese restaurant that was recommended to us that we decided to try. It was located close by; in fact less than a block from where we'd had dinner the night before. So, we decided what the heck and went to Rosso Brera for Aperitivo. It was really funny; the same young man who waited on us the night before came on out. He smiled and I told him we were here for Aperitvo. He cracked up and we were served with a smile! So yes, a Negroni for me; Prosecco for the Missus, and some typical snacks.

Before heading off to dinner.

Rosso Brera
Via Marco Formentini 7
20121 Milan, Italy

We were really enjoying the Milanese lifestyle. You could say that we were falling in L.O.V.E. with Milan!

Milan – Our Arrival and Dinner at Rosso Brera

December 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Milan, Travel

After London, our next stop was Milan, where we'd be spending three nights before heading to the Cinque Terre, which is was one of those "bucket list" places for the Missus. Now, I had mainly wanted to visit Milan for one reason. But we'd end up really enjoying the city. We loved the walks, the Missus enjoyed the shopping…heck, Milan is considered the fashion capital of Italy! We both took to Aperitivo Culture. And we especially enjoyed where we stayed. Our good friend Candice recommended staying in the Brera District. The lovely cobblestone streets, artsy-bohemian-hipster vibe, and location, still within walking distance of the main sites really won us over.

And we loved our AirBnB which was located right off the fun and bustling Via Fiori Chiari, yet with a small courtyard the place was quiet and comfortable. It made me feel like we were staying right off Rue Montorgueil in Paris.

Of course we had to go wandering around immediately!

We headed down Via Brera and took a short stop at the Pinacoteca di Brera, a well known art gallery.

There's an interesting statue in the courtyard.

It's a statue of Napoleon, nothing overly strange about that, right? Well, in this statue, Napoleon is cast as Mars the Peacemaker.

Other than some of the basic sights, I really hadn't done much research, so coming across various statues and such was fun. Like this statue of Francesco Hayez, the Italian painter.

Soon enough, the streets started getting much busier.

And then we came upon this iconic entrance.

Yes, it's the oldest and probably the most well known (and expensive) shopping center in Italy, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. We'd be returning to these places, so I'll go into more detail later. For now, I thought I'd just post some photos.

And right across the way is the Duomo, Milan Cathedral.

Busy, huh? Did you know that Milan Cathedral is the largest church in all of Italy? It's even larger than Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican!

We veered off and walked into Piazza Mercanti. Compared to the surroundings it was quite sedate and peaceful. Hard to believe it was once the ruling center of the city.

The piazza is also home to an interesting acoustic phenomenon. We tried it out and it actually works!

We headed back taking different streets.

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And ended at Castello Sforzesco.

Like I said, we'd be visiting these places later on during our stay.

We strolled a few blocks east and voila, we were back at the apartment. We had a nice break and then decided to head on out for dinner. I hadn't made any dinner reservations for our first night. I thought that with all the dining options in the area, we'd easily find a place. And, right across Fiori Chiari, in one of the courtyards, we came across a restaurant named Rosso Brera, which had outdoor seating.

The menu looked interesting, it had some dishes I was interested in. The service was initially very perfunctory, but hey, it wasn't even close to being like Rome! Of course, I got things off on the right foot by ordering an Aperol.

And once I placed my order, our Server warmed up to us. There seemed to be quite a few locals; perhaps he had us pegged as obnoxious tourists?

Anyway, first up was the Crostone Toscano; which featured raw Tuscan Pork Sausage.

Nice seasonings, quite refreshing, excellent salt, there seemed to be a hint of anise flavor. Nice with my Aperol Spritz.

Of course I had to get the Tartare di Manzo; beef tartare.

A bit too mushy for my taste. There was a tinge of metallic going on as well. The raw pork sausage was much better.

The Missus wanted a simple pasta; so I ordered the Garganelli.

Perfectly cooked house made pasta. The ribs in the pasta did a great job of "picking up" the simple tomato sauce, light basil tones, milky cheese. Sometimes, simple is best.

One of the dishes I really wanted to try in Milan was the Risotto a la Milanese. And since it was on the menu…..

The arborio rice was perfectly cooked, great texture. The earthy tones of saffron came thru quite strongly perhaps edging on almost bitter. The Missus, who is not a fan of saffron tried a taste and was done. I was glad to have finally tried this.

Service ended up being quite friendly and warm after an interesting start and we'd end up returning for Aperotivo time the following night.. It was a nice way to start our stay in Milan.

Rosso Brera
Via Marco Formentini 7
20121 Milan, Italy

We went and took a nice walk after dinner.

Under the central dome of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II you'll find four mosaics which depict the coat of arms for Rome, Florence, Milan, and Turin. Turin (Torino) is represented by the bull. Looking at the mosaic you'll quickly notice a dip right where the bull's…well, private parts are. Well, supposedly, placing your heel right on the family jewels of the bull, then spinning clockwise three times will bring you good luck. Folks were lining up to do this when we visited later on.

We were really enjoying Milan! And that's no bull!

Oahu – Revisiting The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl Five Years Later

November 30, 2024 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Hawaiian Food, Oahu, Travel

After spending a nice couple of nights in town, we were back in Ewa Beach. The Missus wanted to do Her morning swim, so we decided to head on out to Ko Olina. We hadn't been in years. It was a Sunday morning so we went pretty early. We easily found parking near Lagoon 4. The Missus did Her swim while I went and strolled the four lagoons.

You know, I don't think I've been here since the Aulani opened? Geez, all the huge resorts.

For some reason, I got major Mission Bay vibes Kohola Lagoon, except the water looked beautiful and didn't smell like kukae!

Heading back to the car we noticed that the parking lot had filled up! Good things we got here early!

After freshening up back in Ewa, the Missus was craving some Oxtail Soup. The Alley, in Aiea Bowl opens at 10 on weekends and the Missus really enjoy our last visit there back in 2019. So we headed on over.

Man, the place sure has expanded the eating area since we last visited. And now, get so many signs and instructions…..

The young folks working were so nice and friendly. And we were seated behind the lanes.

We ordered our "usual" here, the Oxtail Soup (of course) and the Tasty Chicken.

The Tasty Chicken arrived quite quickly.

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We really like the way they do brown rice here; nice texture, nutty flavor. As for the chicken, well, it was different from what we'd had here on previous visits. The batter was hard and crunchy, not light and crisp like we'd had before. The glaze was much sweeter; much like the overly sweet K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken), which I can get anywhere in San Diego. While not bad, it was not what we'd enjoyed before.

We were happy to see the "tower" arrive soon after.

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As we deconstructed the "tower" we knew something was amiss as the usual beefy-anise fragrance was missing. In fact, looking at the broth, we noticed that it looked quite "thin".

My goodness, this was pretty bad; the soup lacked richness, it tasted like salty "shoyu-water". The thin broth was terrible.

The Oxtail had a nice texture, very tender, but it also seemed to have all the flavor cooked out of it, like it had been boiled in water for ages. This was so bland! What the heck is going on here?

This was quite a disappointing meal, which was too bad. After all, this had been our favorite Oxtail Soup spot on Oahu. It was sad, since we'd had decent grindz at old favorites like 8 Fat Fat 8 and Kim Chee II during this trip.

The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl
99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Ste 310
Aiea, HI 96701

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What a bummer…..