italy

CONTEMPORARY ART AND SCENIC VIEWS: Visiting the Venice Art Biennale

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After four years, we went back to Venice for the art Biennale. As always, there was plenty to see. We booked guided tours for both venues which was really helpful in putting the different exhibits in context. 

There were also plenty of collateral events happening all over the city.

We visited the European Cultural Centre which had a large collection of various artists, an exhibition by Korean artist Kwang Young Chun, and one by Ai Weiwei at San Giorgio Island that included the largest Murano glass sculpture ever made.

Just by walking around, you stumble upon plenty of exhibitions, many of them worth visiting.

See and do:

We know Venice well, so we usually choose to stay close to the Biennale venues. Giuseppe Garibaldi is the main street in the area, where you can find plenty of restaurants and bars. In the mornings, locals stop at the floating vegetable market in the canal.

We also visited Libreria Acqua Alta for the first time, an unusual bookshop where you can spot a cat drinking water in a gondola full of books.

Food:

As always, we spent a good amount of time finding good places to eat. These were our favourites:

  • Frary’s: a Middle Eastern restaurant serving plenty of vegan and veggie options, all delicious. 
  • La Tecia Vegana: a vegan restaurant with a delicious selection including many Italian dishes. The orange cheesecake was amazing. You need to call them to book in advance. 
  • Nevodi: a modern Italian restaurant with few but delicious veggie and vegan options. Reservations required. They also have a popular pizza takeaway across the road which is highly recommended. 
  • Caffè La Serra: a beautiful cafe in a green setting, good for relaxing with a cappuccino after a day of exploring. 
  • Panificio Spanio: a local bakery in Giardino with a great selection. You can smell the bread before you spot it, and it’s a great place to get a glimpse of local life in the morning.
  • Gelato di Natura: grab a delicious ice cream and have it at Campo San Giacomo, a beautiful local square to have a break and people-watch.

Where to stay:

We try to avoid the tourist crowds by staying close to the biennale venues. This time we were very close to Giardini, a nice local area with easy access to other parts of Venice.

SUNNY DAYS AND DELICIOUS FOOD: Spring in Rome

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This was my first European break since the start of the pandemic! As I do when I’m in Rome, I spent a lot of time trying new food and visiting some old favourites.

Garbatella, Ostiense and Testaccio

My favourite area of Rome is around Testaccio and Ostiense. This time I also spent some time exploring Garbatella, another local neighbourhood. There you will find the Mercatino Usato, a second-hand shop where you can spend hours among all sorts of antiques.

I visited some of my favourite places in the area: Andreotti for coffee and pastries, Mercato Testaccio for the amazing pizza of Casa Manco, and Fraschetta di Mastro Giorgio for a delicious dinner.

And I added a couple of new places to my list of favourites:

  • Marigold is the best place for an upscale brunch, with countless options of delicious treats (the tebirke is highly recommended)
  • Pizzeria Ostiense not only serves amazing pizza (and the best potato croquette), but it’s also an ideal place for people-watching.

Not far from Testaccio is the beautiful Giardino degli Aranci, a garden with amazing views over the city. It is next to the Buco di Roma, where you get an impressive view of St Peter’s Basilica through a keyhole.

Trastevere

Trastevere is a popular area for dining, and although I try to stay away from the places with the long queues of tourists, there are many good stops around.

  • Seu Pizza Illuminati is one of my favourites, with a long menu of unusual and consistently delicious flavours. You will need to book in advance.
  • Ivo a Trastevere was a lucky find, perfect for a break after a long walk.
  • Otaleg is a small and popular gelato shop that has a great selection of ice cream flavours.

On Sundays, the Porta Portese market takes over the streets, with countless stalls selling all sorts of mostly Chinese goods. It’s worth a visit, but you might not want to stay very long.

I also spend a lot of time walking around new and old places, as Rome is a great city to explore on foot. Around Campo di Fiori we had gelato at Marave, which has a great selection of flavours, including a signature one which is worth trying.

Terrazza des Etoiles is a hotel bar and restaurant that is also open to the public. Grab a drink with an amazing view over St Peter’s basilica, and enjoy a moment of calm away from the crowds.

SUNNY DAYS AND OLD FAVOURITES: Christmas in Rome

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This was my second Christmas in Rome. It’s a good place to visit this time of the year as there is plenty to do (including on Christmas Day itself) and the weather is very mild.

The main attractions are closed on Christmas day, but in the city centre there is plenty to do. It was a sunny day so we went for a picnic at Villa Borghese where plenty of families and tourists were enjoying a nice day out.

Attractions off the beaten track:

I know Rome well, so I prefer to avoid the crowds and check out some new sights.

  • Galleria Sciarra: a beautifully decorated building that not many tourists know about. A nice place to escape the crowds in central Rome.
  • Centrale Montemartini: This museum in an old powerhouse has an impressive collection of sculptures in a modern space. Tickets for €11.
  • I visited Palazzo Quirinale, which was hosting an exhibition about the volcanic eruptions of Pompeii and Santorini. It is a beautiful space and a nice place to check out for something different. Tickets €15 (or €8 at lunchtime during the week).

Food:

I always have a long list of food places to visit when I’m in Rome.

  • I went to explore some of my favourite places in Testaccio and Ostiense. We went to Pasticceria Andreotti for coffee, stopped for pizza at Casa Manco in Testaccio Market and finished with desert at Pasticceria Barberini.
  • Seu Pizza Illuminati: this place has been on my list for a couple of years, but it was definitely worth the wait. They serve a mix of traditional and unusual pizzas, as well as a good selection of starters and deserts. Highly recommended. Dinner for two including drinks, dessert and tip for €50. Booking essential.
  • Necci: Pigneto is an up-and-coming neighbourhood, famous for its cool cafés and shops. When we visited most things were closed for the holidays, but the popular Necci was open, so we stopped there for coffee. Two coffees and a cake for €8.80.
  • La Forchetta: a local restaurant in Prati serving a good selection of traditional Italian food. Dinner for two including drinks, dessert and tip for €52.
  • Guttilla: a gelato place serving a delicious selection of flavours (a cup for €2.20).
  • Cresci: a nice local bar with a good selection of tapas and plenty of other options. Dinner for two including drinks and tip for €30.

PIZZA AND PASTA IN ROME: Eating around Testaccio, Ostiense and more

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I went to Rome for work, but had plenty of time to eat all the best food!

Testaccio and Ostiense:

Testaccio is my favourite neighbourhood in Rome, so I spent a good amount of time eating locally:

  • Casa Manco: A popular pizza stall in Testaccio Market, serving delicious and unusual combinations of pizza by the slice. Three generous portions for 10€.
  • La Fraschetta di Mastro Giorgio: A beautiful local restaurant in Testaccio serving a great selection of cheeses and delicious pasta dishes. Dinner for two including drinks and tip for 45€.
  • Pasticceria Andreotti: A local cafe and bakery in Ostiense serving an immense variety of pastries – I had the sfogliatella which was perfect. Coffee and pastry for 2€.
  • Da Remo: a lively local pizzeria in Testaccio, great for people-watching. The pizza dough is perfect. Dinner for two including drinks and tip for 26€.
  • Gelateria la Romana: we joined the large queue of this gelato place in Ostiense and were not disappointed! Great gelato and a good variety of flavours. A medium cup for 3.50€.

Around central Rome:

We also spend a good amount of time exploring other areas. Here’s where we ate:

  • Machiavelli Club: This hidden gem was a lucky find and a highlight of the trip. The seasonal menu includes plenty of veggie options, and the food was amazing. Dinner for two including drinks, desert and tip for 55€.
  • Osteria dei Cappellari: A Roman restaurant that was just the escape from the rain that we needed. The cacio e pepe was delicious, and the pistachio semifreddo was even better. Dinner for two including drinks and tip for 50€.
  • Luciano: a modern Italian restaurant without many tourists. The menu is short but the food is delicious. A light dinner for two for 40€ including drinks and tip.
  • Il Focolare: a local restaurant in a quiet area of Trastevere where local families enjoy the weekend lunch. Lunch for two including a great pinsa (a type of Roman pizza) for 28€ including drinks and tip.

Villa Doria Pamphili:

To enjoy the sunny day, we visited this huge park with a beautiful villa and plenty of greenery. A good option to enjoy a sunny day off the beaten track!

A BEAUTIFUL RIVIERA AND MISTY DAYS: A chilly break in Rimini and San Marino

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RIMINI

We were going to visit San Marino, so we decided to spend a couple of days in nearby Rimini.

Rimini is a riviera with sandy beaches overlooked by cool modernist hotels.

The Old Town is beautiful and includes a good collection of Roman and Medieval landmarks. It is also the birthplace of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.

For lunch we visited Bar Lento, a cool cafe serving delicious vegan snacks and drinks (lunch for two including tip for 18.50€).

Rimini is definitely a good place to visit and relax for a couple of days!

SAN MARINO

San Marino was one of the few European countries we hadn’t visited yet, so we decided to check in out in January.

It is located high up in the mountains, giving it amazing views over the region. Unfortunately when we visited the place was right in the middle of the clouds, and we couldn’t even see further than a few metres ahead.

We spent a few hours exploring the narrow roads and visiting the main towers, even without being able to see much.

For lunch, we stopped at Laminona, which serves piadinas and offered a few vegan options.

San Marino is picturesque and I’m sure we would have enjoyed it more on a sunny day!

  • Go: We flew to Bologna, where you can get semi-frequent buses from the airport to Rimini. You can reach San Marino from Rimini taking a regular bus which departs just outside the train station (return for 10€ per person). The trip takes 50 minutes each way.

GREAT FOOD AND BEAUTIFUL SITES: Christmas in Rome

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I decided to go to Rome for Christmas to eat yummy food and enjoy some of the sites. Rome is an easy place to visit, as you can pretty much just walk anywhere and stumble upon ancient Roman monuments and great gelato spots.

  • Trevi Fountain: I wanted to visit the Trevi Fountain which recently reopened after a huge restoration. I knew it was going to be busy, so I arrived early and beat the selfie crowds – definitely worth it.
  • Colosseum: I’d been to the Colosseum before, but not for many years, so decided to visit again. As expected the place gets packed, so the best option is to buy tickets at the nearby Roman forum and arrive early (tickets for €12). The place is huge and impressive as you’d expect.
  • Maxxi: this modern art museum is a great place to spend a few hours, as it’s full of interesting displays. It is a bit far from the city centre (but only a few stops on the tram) which means that not many tourists are around (tickets for €12).
  • Testaccio: I heard about this neighbourhood in this Instagram account. It’s away from the centre, so you can join the locals at the pretty piazza Testaccio to enjoy the winter sun, where kids in scooters play around. There is also a cool local market. Stop for potato pizza at Forno Assoluto (a generous slice for €3.65) and try the yummy desserts at Pasticceria Barberini (two small desserts and a cappuccino for €3.60). It’s a great area to get a few for local Rome.
  • Christmas Day: when I was deciding where to go for my Christmas trip, I did plenty of research and was reassured that in Rome most places are only shut on Christmas day itself. In fact, in the most popular areas there are plenty of restaurants and shops open, as there are always plenty of tourists around. A good plan is to stick to the beaten path.
  • Stay: I stayed at Exe in Monti. The area is super convenient, located within walking distance of most sites. Monti itself is a nice area, with plenty of nice restaurants and cafes in each of the little backstreets.

AMAZING FOOD AND BEAUTIFUL DAYS: A week driving around Sicily

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PALERMO

Palermo’s centre is easy to navigate on foot and on a sunny day you can cover many of the main sights on Via Roma and Vittorio Emanuele. Stop by Teatro Massimo to reenact the famous last scene from Godfather 3, or wander around the park by the Norman Palace.

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Palatina Chapel: This famous chapel located by the Norman Palace is full of intricate details and beautiful mosaics. Tickets for 10€.

Pizza Frida: I was looking for recommendations of good pizza places in Palermo (of course there are plenty) when I came across Pizza Frida. This place is popular so it’s best to book in advance. They have lots of different options and they’re all AMAZING. Dinner for four including drinks and tip for 90€. Highly recommended.

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Villa San Giovanni Degli Eremiti: a great local restaurant where large families taste the local fare. Meal with drink and tip for 15€ per person.

L’Antica Focacceria San Francesco: This popular place serves yummy street food, like arancini and aubergine caponata. Portions are huge. Dinner with drinks and tip for 15€ per person.

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Haiku: The only vegan place in Palermo is located in a nice area to the north of the city centre. The menu is varied and includes a mix of Italian and international dishes. The gnocchi had the best tomato sauce, and their famous pistachio tiramisu was definitely worth trying. Lunch for two including drinks, dessert and tip for 55€.

Stay: This Airbnb is great for a family trip. Each of the four rooms has its own bathroom and Giovanni, the host, is super helpful.

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ERICE

This little medieval town over the hills is a great place for a day trip. You can spend a couple of hours exploring the little alleys and stop around for lunch at one of the many restaurants.

Follow that with a stop for dessert at Pasticceria Maria Grammatico, which serves yummy boozy pastries.

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CATANIA

From Palermo to Catania by car it takes about three hours through the countryside. You get amazing views of Mount Etna with its snowed peak along the way.

Catania’s centre is a combination of mismatched grandiose buildings and areas that have seen better days. You can spend a couple of hours exploring the fancy Corso Italia with lots of high end shops, or explore the Old Town, with its busy street markets and lively piazzas.

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Savia: This is a great stop for lunch. They are famous for serving the best arancini, for just 2.50€. Portions are huge and everything is delicious.

Nievski: This cool bar and restaurant with a revolution theme is a good place for a relaxed meal in an area where there are lots of nice restaurants. Dinner for four including drinks and tip for 88€.

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MOUNT ETNA

About one hour off Catania, Mount Etna provides the impressive backdrop for the city. You can take a cable car up the mountain, then get on a 4X4 bus and finally walk around a couple of the highest craters.

The trip costs 64€ per person and can be booked directly at the cable car entrance. Go early before it gets busy.

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TAORMINA:

A good stop after visiting Mount Etna, Taormina is rightly regarded as one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily. The small centre provides scenic views over the sea and there are lots of cute restaurants around serving delicious pizza and Aperol.

The main local attraction is the Ancient Theatre (tickets for 10€) with beautiful ruins and panoramic views of the sea and mountains.

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AGRIGENTO:

Located on the south of Sicily, Agrigento is home to the Valley of the Temples, an impressive collection of ancient temples and ruins overlooking the Sicilian countryside and the Mediterranean sea.

You can spend a couple of hours exploring the site before driving on to Catania or Palermo. Tickets for 10€.

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ITINERARY PLANNING:

There’s plenty to do in Sicily, and you can spend lots of time exploring the coast, the countryside and historical sites.

The best way to travel around is to rent a car. Navigating is relatively easy with Google Maps but traffic can be a bit crazy, especially around big cities.

We spent seven days in Sicily, staying in Palermo and Catania and exploring from there.

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ART IS NOT AN END BUT A BEGINNING: The Venice Biennale in pictures

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This was our third time at the arts Biennale in Venice (we went in 2013 and 2015 as well).

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As ever, there was absolutely loads to see.

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And the two days we had to explore just flew by.

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Long days of art-spotting…

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…followed by nights of sipping Aperol spritz by the canals.

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I could do this for a living!

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But as I can’t, at least I know I can come back for more in two years.

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As Ai Weiwei, said…

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“Art is not an end but a beginning”.

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DELICIOUS PASTA AND MARBLE STEPS: A lazy weekend in Pisa

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This year we hadn’t had as many holidays as we usually do, so I was looking forward to a nice little weekend away in Italy.

We arrived early afternoon, and headed straight to our flat where our host welcomed us with a delicious bottle of local wine. After stocking up at the supermarket (and buying way too much pasta to bring back home), we went out for a walk around the leaning tower. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the light was amazing!

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We had dinner at Da Antonio, a restaurant which is among the touristy area close to the tower. Despite the location and the fact that staff was not at all Italian, the food was great. Dinner for two including drinks and tip for 40€. We went for a nightcap at Mani’Omio, a cocktail bar which served aperitivi for 6€.

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The next morning we had tickets to visit the leaning tower. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the site wasn’t particularly busy, which was really good. We visited the Cathedral and then started climbing the tower, which is a strange experience as the building pushes you around as you climb the steps.

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The view from the top was beautiful, with a nice contrast between the red roofs and green mountains – the kind of thing you can take for granted in Tuscany. We took some silly photos and headed for our next stop: delicious ice cream at La Bottega del Gelato, which had the best fiordilatte gelato I’ve had in a long time (two scoops for 2€).

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In the afternoon we took the train to nearby Lucca, a walled city which is really cute. We had lunch at Nanda’s, a vegan place that served yummy (if a bit cold) food (lunch for two including a drink for 20€). We stopped at the local cathedral (tickets for 3€) which has impressive artworks, including a large panel by Tintoretto.

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We spent a couple of hours exploring the narrow roads, and finished our visit by climbing another tower, Giunigi, which is unique because it has trees planted at the top (tickets for 4€ per person). Again the views from the top were really amazing.

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We headed back to Pisa where we had a dinner reservation at Vegusto, an amazing vegan place that had a gnocchi with lemon and ginger that was just the best (dinner for two including drinks and tip for 50€).

The next morning it was time to leave – this was a nice and chilled little trip, the perfect little break from my usual routine!

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HOW TO DO IT:

  • Go: There are direct flights from Gatwick with BA, and they take about 2h. The airport is really close to the city centre, only 10 minutes by bus (a single ticket costs 1.30€).
  • Get around: Pisa is a nice base to explore Tuscany. Lucca is a 30 minute train ride away (tickets for 3.50€ each way), but there are many other nice places around: Cinque Terre is 1h30 away, and Florence 1h – all reached easily by train.
  • Stay: We stayed in this cute Airbnb which was just what we needed – well located but with a local feel, and there were tons of tips by previous guests and our host.
  • The Leaning Tower: Tickets can be booked online up to 20 days before your visit, and cost from 16€ (depending on what is included). You need to leave your bag in a cloakroom before you go up, so make sure to leave plenty of time as lines can be long.

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SIPPING APEROL SPRITZ IN THE SUN: A chilled weekend in Milan

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In my first time in Milan it rained the whole time, so it was great to be back when the weather was nice.

As I expect everyone does, our first stop was the Duomo and surrounding areas. The Duomo is very impressive, and on a sunny day it made for great photos. There are many options for tickets, but we chose the one which only gave access to the cathedral itself as it only cost 2€.

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We then visited the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, reaching the Teatro alla Scala right behind it. We had a quick gelato stop at Cioccolati Italiani, where service was confusing but the gelato was delicious.

Our next stop was the unique Sforzesco Castle and the beautiful Sempione Park behind it, where we sat in the sun watching buskers entertain the crowd.

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We got on the metro to Navigli (Porta Genova metro stop), a nice area absolutely packed with cool bars and restaurants. All the bars offered aperitivi, a great deal in which you buy a drink (about 10€) a get lots of nibbles alongside it. We had Aperol Spritz (my favourite!) and many other delicious cocktails, then headed back to the hotel at midnight, when the area was still buzzing.

In the morning we headed to Brera, a bohemian neighbourhood not far from the city centre. Brera Palace hosts the famous Pinacoteca and it’s also a great place for a drink in the sun at one of the many cute cafes in the area. We had an Aperol Spritz or two before heading back to the airport.

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HOW TO DO IT:

  • Go: Flights from London take about 2h, so you can easily go after work on a Friday.
  • Stay: We Stayed at Zambala, a place with serviced apartments which was a good option. We paid 158€ for two people for two nights.
  • Transportation: Milan has a good network of metro and trams. You can buy a 48h travelcard for 8.25€. Taxis from the airport are expensive, but frequent buses to and from the Central station cost only 8€.
  • Do: Leonardo’s Last Supper is a big draw, so it’s imperative to book in advance as tickets sell out weeks before your visit.

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