Italy

Italy '98

SFO -> EWR

EWR -> MXP

MXP -> VCE

VCE -> Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Hotel Royal

breakfast

stadia

around town

Carnival

Mangia!

Tavernetta

Faloria

Refugio d' Faloria

Freccia Nel Cielo

Lagazuoi

Monte Cristallo

Socrepes

Socrepes skiing

Venezia

The food in Cortina was just amazing. And inexpensive.

The Croda Café was a bar/restaurant/pizzeria in the center of town. We ate here the first night. Pizza is better here, with a lot more choices than we get at home. This was the only place which had a cover charge for the breadsticks and silverware; a few pennies, but still a hoot.

Here's Larry at the Ra Sjua restaurant at the Hotel Regina. We ate like royalty: smoked cured venison with gin; venison shank with bilberry jam and potatoes with cubed, smoked Parma ham; sliced duck breast; amaretto mousse; gelato with hot wild berries.

We frequented the Tavernetta di Cortina d'Ampezzo so often that I gave it a web page of its own, but I'll mention a typical choice of nibbles: ravioli filled with beets in butter and reggiano parmesian; bread dumplings in four flavors (cheese, smoked Parma ham, spinach, etc.); a typical Tyrolian dish with veal, roast pork, and sausage; bittersweet chocolate mousse with frangiole sauce; and nougat parfait.

Ristorante Cordo was another favorite. The polenta e fungi (mushrooms) with truffle oil was just beyond compare (and even description) - simple, light, tasty, filling. And the cappucino was mild and fragrant.

The Hotel Royal Café had the most amazing hot chocolate machine; it swirled chocolate around a clear cylinder for hours on end, making a sweet concoction that had Rose coming back for cup after cup. She wasn't too shy about the "fromage cake", as she calls it. Located in the middle of town, this was a great place to hang while not skiing. The only drawback was the early closing hours, which had us looking around town for an apres ski café.

The caffè Sport, a pasticceria located right around the corner from our hotel, was open much, much later than the hotel café. Several small tables, with excellent chocolatte caldo and a hazelnut and chocolate cookie which had Rose smiling. Drawback: too much smoke. We did have several times when we were the only ones in the café, so smoke wasn't a problem.

Unlike ski resorts in the US, which offer pizza, hamburgers, and fries, the Italian places gourmet restaurants. Linen tablecloths, metal silverware, and glass glasses. At the Refugio de Tofana di Rozes we feasted on gnocci with pesto, tortellini in cream sauce, lasagna di forno, all washed down with San Pelligrino agua minerale frizzante.

The cuisine at the Refugio d' Faloria was more typical of central Italy (for what little I know about Italian food): polenta e fungi, pomodoro (tomatoes) e mozarella, and prosciutto di Parma (cured smoked ham). (The picture at right shows the different honies for sale; I think it was at the refugio cash register.)

We found some of our best food buys at the grocery store right off the main piazza. The Ole Zester had the usual tourist chocolates and drinks, but far better was the fungi in jars and other local delights. Because we can't seem to import anything but the most mainstream Italian mushrooms into the states, the next time we take a trip we'll bring along a duffel bag to carry back hundreds of pounds of the stuff. Mmmmm. We picked up gifts for our family and friends here.