One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. — Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

They call it a soft opening. I call it the inside track. At least that’s what I’ve got until you read this. Then you’re going to want in on it, too.

It’s the Belmont Food Shop, Carytown’s new-ish establishment dedicated to the art and joy of good eating. They call it a “back to basics approach to food.” And the results are pretty spectacular, even while they’re on their shake-down cruise.

”They” are Steve Ruscitti and Mike Yavorsky, two CIA graduates (that’s Culinary Institute of America, not that scary place in McLean) who have partnered up to co-found a most welcoming little place that speaks to what can happen when people love food, have big hearts and exude creativity.

The daily menu board

Located at 25 N. Belmont Avenue, the Belmont Food Shop — once an A&P Grocery Store —  shouts local color. It has a storefront presence, with good windows and a spectacular wood and marble bar that’s been lovingly moved and reassembled from Steve’s native Chicago. Art on the walls sets the artistic bent to almost everything you see — chalkboard, apple press, decanters — and extends right into the kitchen. Peek inside the kitchen door and you’ll see the original walk-in refrigerator, an ancient but workable Viking oven, a sink and various makeshift surfaces and cubbies that serve as prep and storage space. And what do they make in this quaint space?

Well, ask anybody who’s been there and the first thing they’ll probably say is “truffles.” Walk by the shop and, if it’s open, you just might get a sample of what is simply the richest, most wonderful melt-in-your-mouth chocolate concoction ever.

French toast to die for!

The other thing the Belmont Food Store is known for around town is lunch. Now, you can get a sandwich most any place.  And a soda. And a side dish. And you might pay less than the $12 (tax included) that these guys charge. But I guarantee you it won’t be half as good. Check out the sandwich menu:

• Roast beef, caramelized onions, focaccia
• Minced pork, mustard vinaigrette, potato bread
• Baked turkey, provolone, pickled red onion, arugula, herbed roll
• Crabcake, sally lunn roll
• Smoked mozarella, roasted vegetable terrine, arugula, black pepper potato bread

Check out the side dishes:

• Potato salad (excellent!)
• Deviled eggs (the best ever!)
• Green salad (they make it interesting!)
• Fresh fruit (ditto!)

Sodas? A variety of Route 66 healthy drinks or — if you’re very lucky — some of their home-made ginger beer, which is so crisp and refreshing it will become your staple all summer long.

They also do catering. I asked for a catering menu and Steve said, “Tell us what you want.”

Things are happening in the back yard. . .

Here’s their catering philosophy. (I love that about Steve and Mike — they actually have a philosophy . . . of sourcing, of eating, of cooking, of serving, of creating an environment.)

• We bring our experience, hospitality, and flexibility to your events
• From elegant dinners (in our space or yours) to corporate gatherings or intimate backyard parties, we work with you to create an unforgettable event of any size or theme
• Our catering menus are designed personally with you and we thoughtfully consider every detail of the dining experience
• Drawing from more than 20 years of professional culinary experience, we will work to execute your vision and showcase flavorful foods and beverages
• Belmont Food Shop can be transformed for most occasions, from cocktail receptions to sit-down dinners served with buttoned-up formality or laid-back family style. Art launches or business meetings will feel right at home.

Don’t you love it already? And just wait until September. They’re working with the city to prepare for the opening of their full-service restaurant that, if lunch is any indication, is sure to be spectacular.

High stylin' in the kitchen!

Tim and I brought a gaggle of friends over for a pre-theatre brunch a few Sundays ago. We asked if they could whip something up so we could show our friends the shop and give them a taste of what’s to come. We put a mighty tight budgetary restriction on it and told them we’d have to be in an out in about 90 minutes. When we arrived, even we were gobsmacked by what they had done. Tables had been set up in front of the bar. No fewer than 5 main courses were being put out, family style, and the ubiquitous truffles were already on the table for a sweet finish. A huge bottle of home-made ginger beer was being poured. Coffee was available. People got to the front door and stopped in their tracks. They never expected anything like this, not in their wildest dreams, and certainly not for the money. Just one more little Richmond surprise.

Sinful Apple Pecan Torte...yum!

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Belmont Food Shop — and Steve and Mike — are going to be an important part of the community centered lifestyle in this historic Richmond neighborhood. They make their breads daily and hand cut their roasted meats, much of which they get from Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley. They use local food purveyors whenever possible, like Manakintowne Specialty Growers, Buffalo Creek Beef and Black Hand Coffee Company. And they feed their friends. Well. Try it out. You won’t be disappointed.

Buon viaggio!

Dream of Italy’s Umbria Harvest Week is a wonderful introduction to the food, the wine and the craft of Umbrian living. I could have used another week because I wanted to keep going. Grazie a Kathy e tutti! — Linda Dini Jenkins

The gorgeous olives

Yep. That’s what I said about it on the evaluation form. And she’s doing it again. Kathy McCabe, that is, Editor and Publisher of the wonderfully informative Dream of Italy newsletter. (If you’re an Italophile, you really should subscribe.)

I went on her 2010 Umbria Harvest Week: Food, Wine and Ceramics. She calls it a gourmet Umbria tour, and that it is. And since my spring trip to Verona fell through this year — and if you really wanted to get to bella Italia this year — consider going on this adventure with Kathy in the fall (November 5 – 11). She’ll show you Umbria like a native, and you’ll eat very, very well. Food is what Umbria, the green heart of Italy, is all about.

Start by staying at La Fattoria del Gelso, a 17^th century farmhouse villa

After the harvest

near  Assisi. You’ll be part of a small, well-cared-for group that shares many adventures. You’ll visit Deruta, Italy’s ceramics capital. Then you’ll eat. You’ll tour wineries and an olive oil mill. You’ll eat. You’ll get a 1/2 day cooking class that will put you in a food stupor, but in a good way. You’ll go to the dogs . . . to hunt for truffles. And then you’ll eat. You’ll get guided tours of St. Francis’s beloved Assisi and the historic Umbrian capital of Perugia. And did I mention you’ll eat?

There’s more — and it’s all included in the price. Room. Board. Food. Wine. Guides. Van. And more. Only airfare and transportation to the villa are extra, and Kathy can help you with that. Check out the 2011 itinerary here.

At the Winery

So think about it. If you wanted a trip to Italy this year and you missed out on Verona — which we’ll offer again next year, so keep the spring open — this is the trip to go on. Tell Kathy I sent you.

Buon viaggio!

I’m going to show you the real New York — witty, smart, and international — like any metropolis. Tell me this: where in Europe can you find old Hungary, old Russia, old France, old Italy? In Europe you’re trying to copy America, you’re almost American. But here you’ll find Europeans who immigrated a hundred years ago — and we haven’t spoiled them. Oh, Gio! You must see why I love New York. Because the whole world’s in New York! — Oriana Fallaci

I was in New York City last weekend. A native New Yorker, I need to go a few times a year, and I am reminded of another quote each time I go. This one is from the writer Sherwood Anderson, who said:  “I think you know that when an American stays away from New York too long something happens to him. Perhaps he becomes a little provincial, a little dead and afraid.” Maybe so; I don’t want to find out.

Anyway, my friend Sharon and I flew up last Friday night for a girl’s weekend. We had tickets to a play at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. (That’s not true, really — we had tickets to see Alan Rickman. He could have stood there and said nothing for two hours and we would have been happy). And I had a mission. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about a certain little Italian comestibles shop called Eataly.

Hotel Mela: Trendy Lobby Area

We checked into the Hotel Mela (which means “apple” in Italian; I loved that) on West 44^th Street. A super friendly boutique hotel that opened in 2007 right in the heart of Times Square, Hotel Mela is comfortable, features amazing staff, offers free Wi-Fi, has beautiful Egyptian cotton sheets and is remarkably well-priced for a hotel this cool. Best of all, it sits directly across from one of my all-time favorite hangouts, Café Un Deux Trois, which I discovered when I worked a few blocks north in the 1970s. A pleasant surprise was that the Café is now open for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, and it was oh-so-continental to start the day with a steaming cup of caffe au lait under the chandeliers.

And let’s face it . . . I came to eat. So Sunday morning we set off to be at Eataly when it opened at 10:00. The fact that I could even think about eating again after the fabulous dinner we ate with friends Barbara and Geoff on Saturday night in the tiny and tres chic Aurora (Soho) was another thing. It takes practice and, I’ll admit it, I’m well practiced at over-eating good food. Not to mention good wine.

But back to Eataly. Twenty-third Street and Fifth  Avenue (right where, as I once said in a poem, “Fifth  and Broadway do-si-do . . .”) will never, ever be the  same. This was not even a neighborhood when I  lived in New York (and I lived just 4 blocks away!).  The only reason you’d go over to this corner was to  catch a cross-town bus. Especially on a Sunday  morning. My, how things have changed!

Getting there early was a good idea. The entrance  that we chose opened into a little Italian café . . .  authentic coffee concoctions (made from Torino-based Lavazza, of course) were paired with yummy pastries, and couples and families were coming in slowly and filling up the seats. It was friendly and bright and relaxing and we were off to a good start. As the morning went on, the crowds grew more intense and, while I’m not big on crowds, there was something enjoyable about this. Maybe because we were all here to have the same experience. Maybe because there were so many different languages being spoken (including a whole lot of Italian) and it was transporting. Maybe because the places is just so smartly designed and the products are so irresistible that you didn’t care. We stayed for nearly five hours.

Eataly was created in 2007 in Torino (Turin), Italy, the brainchild of Oscar Farinetti, an appliance/food store impresario who had a dream to create an experience that combined the elements of a lively Italian marketplace with a resource where customers could eat, shop and learn. His first 30,000 square foot enterprise began the journey to make high-quality Italian foods available to everyone. Today there are Eatalys throughout Italy (Torino, Bologna, Milano, Asti and Pinerolo) and Japan (Daikanyama, Mitsukoshi and Gransta); the New York City location, which opened in 2010, is the latest venture.

Joined by business partners Mario Batali, Lidia and Joe Bastianich and the Slow Food Movement, Farinetti’s Eataly NYC is a singular experience, sometimes overwhelming but always amazing. The store’s 10-point Manifesto begins with the statement, “We’re in love with food” and sets the tone for the tour. These people are passionate about food and passionate about sharing it with the public. They believe in selling quality products (which means they don’t always come cheap) and offering quality service. I wasn’t disappointed.

Delizioso!

Where to start? What’s your pleasure? Fish? Buy it for later and enjoy the raw bar while they wrap up your gorgeous selection. Vegetables? There’s a produce market like none you’ve ever seen and you can be seated to enjoy fresh-made soups, bruschettas and more. Pizza and pasta? Of course. A little wine and cheese? Go straight to La Piazza for your tastings. Looking for some bread or sweets to take home? There are almost too many to deal with. There’s a selection of house wares in the back, including the always amusing Michael Graves-for-Alessi selections. Restrooms? Of course. And, as the sign says, they’re in the back by the beer . . .

Bello carciofo!

While all the individual tasting areas were more than tempting, Sharon and I opted to have the full Eataly experience and put our names in for a 12:15 seating at Manzo, the formal dining room. I’m happy to report that this meat-centric restaurant has something for everybody, even mostly-meat-avoiders like me. The service was impeccable and the food was to die for. We each started with an appetizer — a roasted beet salad with hazelnuts, poppy seeds and smoked ricotta for one, and then crispy baby artichokes with oven-dried tomatoes on a bed of arugula with a dressing of whole mustard and olive oil. We could have stopped there. But of course, we didn’t.

Ham and Cheese!!

Sharon had the Girasoli di Mortadella with Pistachios and Scallions. There’s nothing quite like a stuffed pasta in the shape of a sunflower to make you smile! And I opted for the Angolotti del Plin with Brown Butter and Parmigiano. These closed-up little guys were stuffed with a combination of chicken and mortadella and the shaved cheese on top was so sweet it almost made me cry. Stop there? Not on your life! Bring on the Torrone Semifreddo and café! Sure, it would have been cheaper if we’d just gone over and ordered a slice . . . but really, who knows when I’ll get back here? I have no regrets, just another pound or two to work off before the next Weight Watchers weigh-in. I only wish I could have stayed for one of the Lidia Bastianich-inspired cooking classes. Next time . . .

And with that, we went back to the hotel to wait for our car to the airport, armed with a few gift selections and good memories of the theatre, the restaurants, the hustle and bustle of it all and Eataly. You should go. Sign up for the mailing list and take a cooking class. Travel to Italy without the passport. Mangia bene!

Buon viaggio!

Travel the Write Way Presents

Word/Play Week

May 23 – 30, 2011

(The writing workshop week that’s not just for writers!)

Hosted by Linda & Tim Jenkins

Word One

Have you ever written in a real palazzo? Or eaten in a restaurant that still features recipes from the Middle Ages? Or marvelled at buildings with Palladian windows — that were actually used by Andrea Palladio? We’ll do this and much more on our Word/Play Week in May.

Join us for six nights in Verona, Italy for an unforgettable experience. Our small group (no more than 15 people) will stay in a boutique hotel right near Piazza Bra, one of Verona’s most vibrant and historic neighborhoods. And we’ll be just a five-minute walk from the spectacular Palazzo Castellani, where we will let our creative juices flow in three morning writing workshops and enjoy a grand farewell dinner. But I’m getting ahead of myself . . .

During the week, we’ll have some amazing adventures, including trips to Padova (Padua) and Vicenza. This is the Italy that most Americans don’t get to see. And we’ll see it in comfort, together, with our writers’ eyes and a passion for fine food and unique exploration.

Highlights of the week

• Daily writing prompts and three morning-long workshops with guided exercises and sharing
• All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners (with wine) included
• One day devoted entirely to local food & wines, including a cooking class
• A visit to two wineries
• Guided tour of Verona, including Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe, the Arena and more
• Guided tour of Vicenza, including Palladio’s Rotunda and Valmarana
• Guided tour of Padova, including the world-famous Scrovegni Chapel
• A visit to the storybook village of Valeggio sul Mincio
• Guided tours with local English-speaking guides
• Van transportation to all sites
• Six nights in a comfortable, well-situated hotel with private baths and Wi-Fi
• Welcome dinner and farewell dinner
• Time to explore Verona on your own and enjoy a few meals of your own choosing

This one-of-a-kind week costs only $1,950 per person, based on double occupancy in a double room with private bath. (Airfare not included.) Single supplement is $300, bringing the total to $2,250 for a single.

Proposed Itinerary

(subject to change, based on openings, schedules, etc.)

Monday, May 23

• Arrive at your home away from home — Hotel Torcolo — in the afternoon
• Take some time to explore your environs or rest up after your flight
• Join us for a festive welcome dinner with wine at a nearby restaurant. Meet your fellow travelers and get a preview of what’s in store for the week.

Tuesday, May 24

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Our first writing workshop at Palazzo Castellani
• Lunch at a local restaurant with our guide
• Guided walking tour of Verona
• Free time in Verona before dinner
• Dinner on your own — or a surprise!

Wednesday, May 25

• Breakfast at the hotel
• A day devoted to local food and wines: we’ll leave around 9:00 and head for the Valpolicella hills
• At the historic Trattoria Dalla Rosa Alda, Signora Alda will open her kitchen to us and lead a lively and informative cooking lesson
• We’ll have lunch together, eating the traditional dishes that we prepare
• In the afternoon we’ll visit two wineries
• Back to the hotel — if we feel like dinner, we’ll find something on our own

Thursday, May 26

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Our second writing workshop
• Around noon, we’ll leave for Borghetto Valeggio sul Mincio, a truly charming and historic village along the Mincio River
• We’ll have lunch (weather permitting) outside, along the river at the fabulous Antica Locanda Mincio (the setting, rain or shine, is to die for)
• After lunch, we’ll tour the Parco Giardino Sigurtà, just a stone’s throw from Lake Garda
• We’ll return to the hotel and either have dinner on our own — or a surprise!

Friday, May 27

• Breakfast at the hotel
• A day devoted to two great cities of the north: Vicenza and Padova
• We will first go to Vicenza to meet our guide and tour Palladio’s masterpieces, La Rotunda and Valmarana, as well as other notable sites
• We will have lunch on our own in Vicenza
• Then we will visit the university town of Padova, have a guided tour and see Giotto’s incredible frescoes in Cappelle degli Scrovegni and the Basilicia del Santo
• Back to the hotel and then to a Veronese  resturant for dinner

Saturday, May 28

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Our final writing workshop
• Lunch together at a nearby restaurant
• Free time in Verona, pack for tomorrow’s departure
• Gala farewell dinner at Palazzo Castellani & sharing of our writing work

Sunday, May 29

• Depending on your departure times, breakfast at the hotel
• Check out time 10:00 a.m.

Additional Information

Transportation

Airfare is not included in the price of $1,950 ($2,250 for single) and, since you will be coming from various parts of the world, you will have to find your way to either Milan’s Malpensa airport and take a train to Verona’s Porta Nuova station or fly directly into Verona from a European city and take a taxi to the hotel. Additional transportation information will be provided when your down payment is received. It is strongly advised that you purchase travel insurance, and your travel agent can recommend some reputable companies.

Payment

To reserve space on Travel the Write Way’s Word/Play adventure, a non-refundable deposit of $750 is due by March 15, 2011. Checks or money orders are accepted, payable to Travel the Write Way, LLC. Completed registration forms will be required along with your deposit. The balance of the cost will be required no later than May 1, 2011.

For more information, or to book your space on this unique Italian journey, please complete the contact form or e-mail Linda at linda@travelthewriteway.com.

About Linda Dini Jenkins

Linda is a freelance business writer, author and writing workshop facilitator. Travel is her passion, so writing stories about her travels just comes naturally. She loves to bring old friends and new friends to Italy and show them the unexplored and unusual and she writes an almost-weekly blog about travel and writing, www.travelthewriteway.com.

She is the author of Up at the Villa: Travels with my Husband (that would be Tim) and  Journey of a Returning Christian: Writing Into God and has been published in a variety of books, newspapers and literary magazines. She is also the author of the one-act play, “Things I Never Told My Mother” and is co-author, with Barbara Worton, of the highly acclaimed play, “If I’m Talking, Why Aren’t You Listening?”

Linda travels around a lot but currently lives in Midlothian, Virginia with her husband, Timothy and Maxine, the Wonder Dog.

Hope you can join us for this Word/Play adventure!

Buon viaggio!

Kathy McCabe, Editor and Publisher of the informative — and beautiful — travel newsletter, Dream of Italy, is my guest this week.  Over the last eight years she has published nearly 80 issues, each one chock-a-block full of stories about Italian culture and essential “insider” travel tips for the Italophile and first-time traveler alike.

She’s an experienced travel planner and I recently had the pleasure of accompanying her on her first Umbrian harvest adventure. Read what Kathy has to say about travel, leaving France for Italy and fox terriers!

Did your parents take you traveling as a child? Are they responsible for your getting bitten by the travel bug?

Yes, they did and they deserve much of the credit for putting me on this path. I think it is such a gift to give children exposure to other cultures and places, especially during their most formative years. When I was 10 years old, my parents took advantage of the “new” budget airline People Express (anyone remember them?) and took me to London. I fell madly in love with Europe, history, travel and everything that goes along with it.

When did you first go to Italy and was it love at first sight?

Technically, I first stepped on Italian soil during a short trip around France when I was in college. I was traveling with a friend and we decided to take the train from Nice to Santa Margherita Ligure over the border in Italy. We spent the day and evening exploring Santa Margherita and Portofino and I was completely and totally smitten.

You must understand, I was quite the Francophile at this point, studying international relations with an emphasis on France. Poor France never had a chance after that one day and night in Italy. I remember how we ate gelato in a little piazza as the townspeople took their evening passeggiata. It was the first time I had the feeling I was in an old-time Italian movie. I’ve definitely had the feeling more than a few times since then.

The next summer, I convinced my mom to come back with me to Italy right after my college graduation. We did Venice, Florence, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. I haven’t missed a year since and now visit two or three times a year.

What is your favorite region of Italy and why?

This is a dangerous question. It is kind of like asking about favorite children! That said, I will say that my favorite city is Rome, followed in a close second by Torino. I think Turin and the region of Piedmont are still so “under the radar” and well worth visiting. Some of the best food and wine I have had in all of Italy — and I have been to just about every region — has been in Turin and Piedmont.

I’m fairly partial to southern Italy and often say if I had the money I would buy a house near the water (three-quarters of the region is surrounded by ocean) in Puglia – another of my favorite regions. There are farms with vineyards, olive trees and vegetables, separated by neatly constructed stone walls. The giant olive trees, several feet in diameter, twisted and towering, are startling. Puglia is famous for its trulli, small conical buildings made from limestone, first built in the 13th century and are  unique to this region.

As a long-time subscriber to your newsletter, I am always amazed by the depth and breadth of information that comes packed into each issue. How do you get your story ideas?

I’d say the majority of my story ideas come from my own travels to Italy, but I also have been lucky to have some great writers (including Matt Tyrnauer  from Vanity Fair) pitch me with ideas from their own travels. I strive to provide information that can’t be found elsewhere or that is presented in a new way. More than 40% of Dream of Italy’s subscribers have been to Italy six or more times. They are always looking for something new – new restaurants, hotels, exhibits, stores, cooking classes, etc. And I’m always looking to bring my readers educational and authentic experiences that they can take part in or recreate.  They want to experience the “real” Italy and interact with everyday Italians.

I had the pleasure of taking part in your recent small group Umbria Harvest Tour and it was wonderful. Most Americans tend to go to Rome or somewhere in Tuscany — why did you choose Umbria? (I’m glad you did!)

Kathy, tasting fresh Umbrian olive oil

I had been to Umbria several times when, several years ago, my friends the Menards invited me to their newly purchased villa – Fattoria del Gelso. It was harvest time – late October/early November and this is one of my favorite times to visit Italy (what is considered the “off-season”). We had such an amazing week eating, drinking, eating more, drinking more – no really, wine tasting at vineyards, truffle hunting, visiting an olive mill.  I don’t remember running into any other Americans while we took our day trips. This is the real Italy and really jives with Dream of Italy’s mission.

For years, subscribers have been asking for me to personally run some small organized tours and Dream of Italy’s Umbria Harvest Week was my first tour.  I think, as you know, it was an incredible success! Our guests were shedding tears on the last night because they had such a phenomenal time and totally bonded with fellow members of the group.

Will you be doing this trip (or others) again?

Dream of Italy’s Umbria Harvest Week will be held again in November 2011. There’s a possibility I may offer another small group tour in 2011, as well.

I know you love Fox Terriers and that you recently lost your very special doggie, Cooper. Will you be getting another one and can we see a picture?

Thanks for asking about the incredible Cooper Leonardo McCabe. Who would have guessed 10 years ago that this little guy from the New York Avenue shelter in Washington, DC would have such a great impact on my life?  He was so incredible and had a voracious appetite for life and food – he was surely Italian in a former life.

Finney, the happy dog, with his new owner

When Cooper passed away in August, I worked with American Fox Terrier Rescue to establish The Cooper Fund to help homeless and abused fox terriers.  In conjunction with Dream of Italy, we held a very effective fundraiser in the early fall and have something even bigger in the works (and related to Italy) this winter.

Recently, one of the tireless American Fox Terrier Rescue board members – Debi Drake – knew she had the right little guy for me. His name is Phineas, or Finney for short. He’s two years old and is so sweet and playful.

How can people get in touch with you to (a) subscribe to Dream of Italy or (b) to learn more about upcoming small group trips?

A subscription to Dream of Italy comes with a number of benefits, including Italy travel discounts, and you can find out all about them on our subscription page. The Umbria Harvest Week details will be posted in January. Folks can always follow me on Twitter or Facebook for all kinds of Italy travel advice, giveaways, deals, etc.

Thanks, Kathy!

Buon viaggio!

Where the heck is Bevagna? — Tim Jenkins, responding to my text that we had arrived

Millstone in the light, Bevagna

Four of us were being driven from Rome’s Fiumico airport towards what would be our home away from home for a week in Cannara, just outside of Assisi, in Umbria. We were tired, and it was only 9:30 in the morning, and we were trying to be civil to each other, despite the long flight over and the fact that none of us had gotten very much sleep. Our sweet driver, Aldo, had piled our luggage into the back of his SUV-taxi and was carefully negotiating us around all the twists and turns required to get us out of the airport and onto the highway.

After a while, I smiled when I saw the sign on the A1 for Abruzzo. It made me realize that I would be coming back again in a scant six months, taking that very turn off the road to head to yet another adventure. Never had I had back-to-back trips to Italy like this. Life was good.

But we passed it by in favor of the signs to Assisi. It would be a two-hour drive to the agriturismo, La Fattoria del Gelso, so we settled in to admire the scenery and get to know each other a little. Two of the gals were friends, having met on a prior trip. One flew in from southern California and the other, from Memphis. The third lived in New York City, and then there was me, a native New Yorker now living in Virginia. We were all about the same age (anything over 50 strikes me as being in the same demographic group these days) and seemed very compatible. The week would bear that out; we became fast friends.

Aldo pulled off the secondary road we’d been driving on for a while and made the turn towards Cannara. Winding around what had recently been fields of sunflowers, the famous Cannara onions and other agricultural products, we saw one of those amazing Italian sites: a cemetery, protected by poplar trees and fronted by a huge stone structure with a formidable gate. We would go later in the week, and be awe-struck by the elaborate crypts and mausoleums and the loving care shown by the survivors of these tight-knit families.

Aldo made a quick left turn just past the cemetery and drove us down a stand of cypress trees for about 1/4 mile to our villa. It was beautiful. A stone farmhouse originally built in the 1700s and recently refurbished to be an 8-bedroom, 8-bath sight for sore, tired eyes. The owners, Bill and Suzy Menard — Americans from Maryland (more on them in a later post) — were mighty lucky to have found this place, with its good farmland, welcome swimming pool and close proximity to the best Umbria has to offer. The problem was, it was too early to get into our rooms.

We were about to head off to the village of Cannara on foot, when Marco, a prince of a guy who helps run the place when Bill and Suzy aren’t there, suggested instead that Aldo take us into the nearby town of Bevagna. He said that Cannara would be pretty much closed down at this time of day and that it didn’t offer too many options for lunch — which we were in desperate need of. So we piled our suitcases in the living room and climbed back into the taxi for our adventure in Bevagna.

A very, very old fountain

The historic little town of Bevagna sits in the province of Perugia in the central part of Umbria. Both it and Cannara are on the flood plain of the Topino River (remember Topo Gigio, kids? Topino means little mouse). Bevagna, population approximately 3,000, was originally an Etruscan settlement and then a Roman outpost called Mevania, and the Roman walls and mosaics were evident all around town. We entered through the Porto Foligno, the town’s main entrance, which leads to the central square, Piazza Silvestri. There are three churches in Bevagna, including the 13^th century church of San Francesco (he’s pretty big around here) which includes a stone (on the wall, protected by a grate) that is said to be the one St. Francis stood upon when he preached to the birds.

Bevagna, it turns out, is in the middle of white truffle territory and is also an enthusiastic purveyor of the region’s tasty Montefalco Rosso wines. As it was getting on towards lunch time, we walked around town to find a suitable spot. We found one, not yet open, that looked incredible and, as we later learned, is one of the premier foodie destinations in the region. Redibis (which means “I shall return” in Latin) is part of the boutique hotel L’Orto Degli Angeli and many of the dishes offered at Redibis are taken from the 100-year-old recipes of the current owner’s great grandmother, Caterina. How often do you get to enjoy fine dining in a building that is 20 centuries old? How often do you get to experience classical Umbrian recipes interpreted by a young, hip, accomplished chef? How many times do you get to stay in an historic hotel in an historic town — and even attend cooking classes? Stop thinking and, if you’re anywhere near Bevagna on your next trip to Umbria, go. I know I will.

Me and Simone

With Redibis closed, we went off to find Aldo’s suggestion — La Delizie del Borgo, a small, friendly looking place right on Piazza Garibaldi. We arrived around 11:45 and were told we were “un troppo presto” – a little too early — but were advised to make a reservation and to come back in 45 minutes, which we did. We took time to walk around the town, going into churches and climbing up and down the very up-and-down streets, taking pictures. When we returned at 12:30, they were ready for us. The owner, Simone, escorted us to a table and before long, he learned that we were staying at Bill and Suzy’s place, which made all the difference. Suddenly we were no longer a bunch of silly americani who ate way too early — we were friends. He told us that he’d be coming to both New York and Washington, D.C. in a few weeks for some cooking adventures with the Menards; we exchanged cards and told him to give us a call when he arrived.

Turns out we ordered Simone’s favorite red wine, a Montefalco Rosso 2007, and he offered to bring out some of

Le Delizie del Borgo

the local specialties for us rather than have us order from the menu. We soon learned that Umbria is not only the “green heart” of Italy, but it is also Italy’s breadbasket. We ate the local Torta di Testa and all kinds of other white and whole grain breads slathered with chicken liver pate, olive tapenades, olive oil and garlic. There were plates of cheese and salami and even shaved white truffles. At one point, Simone brought to our table a small baking dish covered with a damp white napkin. When he pulled back the napkin, he revealed a bounty of fresh white truffles, worth I can’t imagine how much. He made us smell the cloth and the truffles, each one of us, because they are as precious as gold. Never has mustiness smelled so rich! For dessert, he offered us cantucci (mini biscotti cookies), which we dipped into small glasses of the local Sagrantino Passito di Montefalco, a sweet wine rather like Vin Santo. And before we left, Simone gave us a bag of rich nut and fruit cookies that we shared with the rest of the group on our last night.

It was quite a first day. What began as a jet-lagged slog to an unknown village ended, like so many Italian adventures do, with new friends, a new outlook and a full tummy. By now we were all excited to meet the rest of the group, so when Aldo returned promptly when he said he would, we climbed back into the van and drove back to Cannara, already armed with a fresh new story to tell.

Buon viaggio!

Salem, Massachusetts: Tough on crime for 300 years. — Our friend, Rev. Steve Silver

Ellen's handiwork

It happens early every October in Salem. First, Ellen Talkowsky and her able crew tie dozens of dried corn stalks to all the light posts downtown. Orange ribbons, of course. Then the banners go up along Essex Street and the pedestrian mall. Then there’s a certain anticipation in the air, both good and bad. Here they come . . . the haunted houses that stay up for a month, the fried dough and sausage stands, the tarot readers and other assorted psychics, and the tourists. Tens of thousands of them every weekend, culminating in 100,000+ on Halloween night itself. Salem is still trying to get used to this.

Salem’s Haunted Happenings began as the brainchild of one Bob Cahill, a Salem resident and state representative in the mid-1970s. He (with the help of a few neighborhood kids) started by scaring the bejeesus out of people at a new attraction in town, the Witch Dungeon Museum. Around 1982, Cahill finally got to meet with the Salem Chamber of Commerce and “Haunted Happenings” was institutionalized. It has grown every year and is now one of the most important “events” in town.

As a ten-year resident of Salem, I can tell you that this success is met with mixed

Beautiful Bott's Court

emotions by the locals. Yes, it’s great for revenues and for showing off the city to tourists. But it also impacts the downtown neighborhoods negatively in terms of parking, noise and garbage. More importantly, the “witch” business has tended to overshadow the “real” history of this special community — the maritime history, the importance of Salem as a trader in luxury goods, the literary history of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the intellectual and artistic history of the Essex Institute and the Peabody Museum, the critical contributions of Nathaniel Bowditch, whose navigational books are still on every naval ship in the world, and the incredible housing stock that survives in countless neighborhoods around town. And did you know that Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call here? Or that the Lyceum Restaurant (where the call was made) was the site of an original lyceum, attracting many of the world’s most well-known speakers? Well, the list goes on, right up to modern times — Salem is also the home town of one Jack Welch, former chairman/CEO of General Electric. Not bad.

Along Essex Street

So when the residents here are confronted with nothing but tourists dressed up in witch and ghoul costumes for the better part of a month, they have to grin and bear it. After all, if you dig deep enough into the Salem Witch Trials, you will see that they had very little to do with actual witchcraft. And that nobody was burned. Probably hundreds of books and videos are for sale around Salem dealing with the subject — Bob Cahill has written several of them. Try to find a reliable account — from the Peabody Essex Museum, for example— if you want to read about it.

The Great Kearney Pumpkin

This year, the Haunted Happenings Parade launched the season on October 7 and there’s no stopping it. Every day there’s something to do — witch history, pirate history, haunted houses, theatrical events, psychic fairs, and so on. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Salem Witch House — home of Judge Jonathan Corwin of the Witch Trials
• Salem Witch Museum — Salem’s most visited museum
• Peabody Essex Museum — with roots back to 1799
• Phillips House — the only house open to the public on historic Chestnut Street
• Witch Trials Memorial — in a very moving park setting
• The Witch Trial Trail — by Jim McAllister, Salem’s official historian
• The House of the Seven Gables — Hawthorne’s inspiration
• Salem Maritime National Historic Site — go on board the Friendship & the Fame
• Salem Ferry — Ride from Boston to Salem in style

Dolci at Adriatic Restaurant

There’s still time to go. Get a taste of New England fall and the madness that is Salem in October. It’s wonderful, really. And the restaurants and shops that have sprung up since we left five years ago are astonishing. It’s a special place year-round that goes a little crazy for a few weeks every year. It’s allowed. It’s lived through more than most places and has forgotten more history than most cities ever knew. There. I’ve said it. I love Salem. Go see it!

Buon viaggo!

If you have the choice of going to Alaska or reading about Alaska, read about it. — Annie Dillard

No offense to Alaska, but that was the reminder we got at last week’s James River Writers Writing Show event on research. All of which is to say that whether we’re writing about travel or reading about travel, we’ve got to do the homework. And that sometimes the reading is better than the travel itself. And now, thanks to America’s über-librarian, Nancy Pearl, we have the resources to read right at our fingertips.

You probably recognize Ms. Pearl’s name from NPR’s Morning Edition program, in which she recommends books and talks about the adventure of reading. She was the person responsible for the internationally-acclaimed program, If All of Seattle Read the Same Book. She’s written several helpful and well-researched books: Book Lust and More Book Lust, two volumes of thematic book lists to help answer the question, “What to read next?” There’s also Book Crush, which does the same thing for young adult readers and has a companion journal volume so that kids and teens can write about their favorite books and stay connected with the stories and characters long after the last page has been turned. All good stuff.

Until now, we travel writers and armchair travelers had to search to  find stories for our background research or escape reading vis-à-vis  the places we wanted to go. But no more. Sasquatch Books has just  published Ms. Pearl’s extremely useful and broadly scoped Book Lust  To Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and  Dreamers.  In it, she provides titles and authors of what she considers  to be the best of both fiction and non-fiction literature concerning  place and the idea vs. the reality of travel. Specific countries (Holland,  Nigeria, Turkey), cities (Boston, Hong Kong, Leningrad) or types of  travel challenges (train travel, crossing oceans in tiny unmotorized  boats, walking in unpredictable places) are all covered in this 300-  page treasure trove. I believe it’s a must-have for anybody who’s  curious about travel or the art of travel writing.

Of course, I picked it up to see what she recommended for the Italian  traveler/travel writer, and I wasn’t disappointed. Moreover, I was  delighted to see that I had read many of the volumes she recommends and am also delighted to learn that I have many more to read. Some of my favorites of Ms. Pearl’s recommendations for La Bella Italia are:

Parma:            Playing with Pizza (John Grisham) & The Charterhouse of Parma (Stendhal)

Rome:              The Seasons of Rome: A Journal (Paul Hoffman)

Sicily:              The Leopard (Giuseppe di Lampedusa) & Sicilian Odyssey (Francine Prose)

Venice:            Venice Observed (Mary McCarthy)

Verona:            Anything by Tim Parks!

But Ms. Pearl takes us farther afield, as well, recommending books about Wales, Finland, Zambia, the Galapagos, Guernsey, Afghanistan and Wyoming, among other locations. She also touches on travel to imaginary places and traveler’s tales in verse. And in the section on Vietnam, I was gratified to see one of my favorite authors, Tim O’Brien, included with three of his titles, most especially The Things They Carried.

Pick up Book Lust To Go and do some armchair traveling yourself. Even better, use it to do some deep reading in advance of your next trip!

Buon viaggio!

The ultimate [travel destination] for me would be one perfect day in San Francisco. There’s no city like it anywhere. — Larry King

Coit Tower

It’s official. I read it in Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel. According to the magazine’s October 2010 Reader’s Choice poll, the most beautiful city in the world is . . . wait for it . . . San Francisco. Yep — the City by the Bay beat out Paris, Vancouver, Venice and Charleston for the top spot. Even the editors were surprised.

But they shouldn’t be. San Francisco also ranked #2 as the “Best Food City in America” and  #4 as the “Most Fun Place to Get Away With the Girls/Guys.” As Tim and I learned this past June, it’s a fabulous place. And the diversity is what really impressed us. Not just the diversity of the people and their neighborhoods — Japantown, Chinatown, Koreatown, Italian North Beach, the gay Castro, the yuppified Marina — but the diversity of the place itself. And the city’s gift for reinventing itself after disasters like earthquakes and fires.

At Mission Dolores

One of our favorite spots in the city was Golden Gate Park. Talk about diversity! In one space, three miles long and half a mile wide, there are 27 miles of walking trails; its 1,000+ acres make it the largest cultivated urban park in the country. Want a carousel? The Herschel-Spillman Carousel, built in 1912, is here — in the first children’s playground in the US. How about a Japanese Tea Garden? Check. A Shakespeare Garden? Yep. An art museum? How about the deYoung? A lake? Stow Lake and Strawberry Hill island fit the bill. A place for music? That would be the Music Concourse, which has been the home to wonderful outdoor events since 1894. There’s also a Dutch windmill and tulip garden, a Victorian flower conservatory, a Giant Tree Fern Grove and, on the grounds, the California Academy of Sciences holds court with its swamps, reefs, rainforests, planetarium and penguins.

Tree trunk at GG Park

Tim and I spent our time one day slowly taking in the beauty of the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Home to more than 7,000 plant species that live in climates similar to that of San Francisco, the “environments” created include a Biblical Garden, a Redwood Trail and a Primitive Plant Garden, among others.

Here is a sampling of the pictures we took that day. I wish I knew what some of these beauties are; I just aimed and shot at whatever took my fancy. Hope you enjoy them — mostly, I hope you get a chance to go out and see this for yourself. There are a whole lot of reasons to see San Francisco. These are just a few.

Remember what Bilbo used to say: It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. — J.R.R. Tolkein

Once we went out the door and ended up on the Piazza delle Erbe in Mantova (Mantua). It was raining and I had on

Ristoranti in Piazza delle Erbe

crop pants and rubber sandals and I was fighting the hydroplaning with every step and we had parked clear across the city from where we wanted to be, but never mind. Mantova is still a special place. The Gonzagas thought so in the 14th century, and made it one of Italy’s true artistic hubs. Reubens, Donatello and Pisanello owe much of their success to this shrewd family. The Roman poet Virgil supposedly hails from Mantova. And, also before the Gonzagas, the struggles between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines happened on Mantovan soil. I’m not much of a history buff, so you’ll have to look that one up. I only know that these names are very present in modern day Mantova, in museums and street signs and such.

Shakespeare was here, too, in his plays, at least. Remember that Romeo is exiled to Mantova after killing Tybalt in Romeo and Juilet? And the schoolmaster from The Taming of the Shrew is from Mantova. Finally, Verdi’s masterpiece, Rigoletto, is set in this city.

Mantova is in the region of Lombardy, in the north, and is surrounded by three man-made lakes (boringly named Superiore, di Mezzo and Inferiore) that receive their waters from the beautiful Mincio.  The mists from these lakes can create quite an atmosphere — romantic or melancholy, depending on your disposition — and there is much to see within the compact centro storico of the city.

Palazzo Ducale in the rain

On that fateful, rainy day when we parked on the wrong side of the city, we headed immediately for the Palazzo Ducale, the massive building that houses the entire history of the Gonzagas, Mantova’s ruling family from the 14^th to the 18^th centuries. Their military skills and habit of marrying into other wealthy and important families brought them fame, power and the respect of the finest artists of the day. The Palazzo, actually comprising a number of different buildings, is not beautiful in the ordinary sense, but its 30,000+ square feet of artifacts, frescoes, tapestries, staircases and unusual rooms make it worth seeing. Don’t miss the Galleria degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors) and Appartamento dei Nani (Apartment of the Dwarves), not to be confused with the Sala dei Gigante (Room of the Giants) over at the Gonzaga’s Palazzo Te, which also houses the city’s Museo Civico with its coins and medallions and other artifacts of the family’s wealth and power.

Of course, there’s a church to see: the Sant’Andrea Basilica, the polar opposite of the usual big-city Italian cathedral. In this case, a Renaissance façade fronts a very simple 15^th-century church, the results of which are startling to the eye. The crypt has a reliquary (of course) that allegedly contains the blood of Christ, brought to Mantova by Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced Christ’s side on the cross. If you happen to be in town on the feast day (March 18, for San’Anselmo) you can see it paraded through town. And you’ll be charmed by the Rotunda di San Lorenzo, a small church in the round that dates from the 11^th century. (And we think Jamestown is old . . .)

Rotunda di San Lorenzo

There’s a lot going on in Mantova. Since 1997, Mantova has hosted five days of readings, meetings with writers, shows and concerts during its September Festivaletteratura, the most important literary event in Europe. Writers from around the world are invited to come and speak and read and partake in the festivities. The third weekend of July features a jazz festival. And the Piazza delle Erbe is the scene of a major food market, Mondays through Saturdays from 8 am to 1 p.m. On Thursday mornings, you’ll find an expanded market that includes clothing, housewares and even more kinds of food and goodies.

Nifty restaurant walls

As an Italian movie buff, I have always wanted the opportunity to say to some young, handsome signore, “Ciao, Marcello.” So very Sofia Loren, eh? And I got my chance in Mantova. After the Palazzo Ducale (and after drying out a bit in the lavatory) we decided that it was time for lunch. So we headed back to the Piazza delle Erbe (square of the herbs) to find a suitable place. We found it. Ristorante Pizzera Osteria delle Erbe was a find. A small, narrow restaurant on the square, under the porticos, with an outside caffe (not in use on this particular day) and a welcome inside. There was a huge window that opened up to the outside, but we chose a table in the back among the artily stuccoed brick walls and copper cooking artifacts. The wines warmed us up right away and attitudes adjusted for the better. The food was perfect: inexpensive, fresh and local. Homemade papardelle with sage and butter sauce, tortellini stuffed with pumpkin, local fish, and risotto. This area has been famous for its risotto since the 1500s. The truffle risotto and funghi risotto are my absolute favorites.

Ciao, Marcello!

And Marcello? He was our waiter. A handsome, delightful young man who spoke very good English (although he said he was embarrassed by it, he shouldn’t be) and who seemed to be enjoying us as much as we were enjoying him. Throughout most of Europe, being a waiter is an honorable profession, unlike in the U.S,, where it is often a holding place for something “better.” But here, service is a time-honored profession and often results in ownership of the establishment if you stick with it long enough. Marcello, however, had a bigger dream. He wanted to be a waiter, but in America. San Francisco, to be exact. Oh, how we tried to talk him out of it! Now, San Francisco is a great city, but the whole waiter thing would have been a massive disappointment to him. Several months later, we learned that he had changed his mind and was going to stay in his native Italy. Disaster averted!

Anyway, we lingered for a long time at the restaurant, enjoying caffe and dolci, taking pictures, drying out, but then it was time to go. Marcello walked us out and I finally got to say my line. Too softly, at first, and then I blurted it out in my best carefree Italian heroine voice, Ciao, Marcello! And ciao, Mantova. A presto!

Buon viaggio!