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This is the blog of Steve Burkett of Italy, Our Italy

Transforming an Abandoned Watergate

A short transformation today. Very little verbiage.

Today’s transformation subject is what used to be a Venetian watergate. Wategates were explained recently on the article here.

There is something afoot with this watergate, though. It has been partially sealed up with stone to leave just a window. But, that won’t stop me in my efforts to transform it from snapshot to fine-art print.

Here is that initial snapshot.

I’m embarrassed to even share this snapshot with you! It is absolutely horrible…horrible timing in catching the rear end of that gondola…horrible window to the left with women’s fashion…horrible window with signage to the right, though the wording is sort of inspirational and encouraging as I begin to transform the photo. But, that segment of gondola does give me an idea though…more on that later.

About that Moncler signage. I did an internet search, and I find it is a fashion company. And, ohhhh what fashion it is ladies. I mean, who isn’t into puffy winter coats these days? You will probably want to grab one of these whilst they are still available. Click on the thumbnails if you have the stomach for it…

So, my first task is to remove that piece of gondola. And, as I didn’t like that window to the right - even though if was oh, so encouraging — I will make it vanish. Cropping will take care of the shiny window to the left. There is a bit of electrical conduit to remove, too.

Wallah…done. And straightening? Yes, I took care of that, too.

It’s a good bit washed out so I need to add some of that old Venetian patina.

Seeing that passing gondola gives me an idea. I think I’ll put a gondola into the photo, but not the one that was there originally. I’ve got a lot of gondola photos, so I’ll just row one of those into the photo. The prow instead of the rear, I think.

Ouch, the water? There is a bit of a wake from the oar of that original passing gondola. So, I’m going to smooth out that disturbance in this tranquil universe.

That’s it. I’m thinking though that some reflection would make the water a bit more realistic, so I’ve taken care of that, too. And, of course the gondola should have a reflection…and a bit of shadow under it…so there it is!

If there is a lesson to be learned here, and if you are a photographer with digital resources yourself, just shoot away and work on those photos in post. It is often catch-as-catch-can as you are passing by something that you feel might become of interest in the future.

AN OFFER: if you have a photo that you like, except for some distractions that need to be removed, colors adjusted, etc., send one to me in an email and I’ll work on it a bit to see if we can give it more life.

That’s it for today. I’m going to row on off to another canal, as there might be something to catch my eye just around the bend.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Eat Here: Ristorante Verbano

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Ahhh…Lago Maggiore. And, how about sitting on a pleasant veranda enjoying a scrumptious lunch on the Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island). So pleasant. That’s exactly what we experienced on our visit to Stresa on the shore of Lago Maggiore.

In my last article, I shared our experiences in the town of Stresa, which sits on the western shores of Lago Maggiore. Clicking on the map thumbnail to the right will familiarize you with the location of Lago Maggiore in comparison to the other lakes making up the Italian Lake District.

Today, we will relax a bit as we dine at Ristorante Verbano. That’s the restaurant in the photo, below. It is part of the Albergo Vergano. ‘Albergo’ is another way to say ‘hotel’ in Italian.

The dining terrace sits just behind the wall with “Albergo Ristorante” painted on it

We had hoped to stay here at this exquisite hotel on the island, but alas, we waited a bit too long to book a room. See my suggestion at the end of this article for a view of this charming albergo.

Getting There

As Ristorante Verbano sits on an island, we must arrive by boat.

Here comes our ride to Isola dei Pescatori.

This boat dock is situated just in front of our hotel, as explained in last week’s article.

Watch your head Ellen as you descend to the passenger area.

That’s a boat much like ours racing beside us.

See the two white car ferries in the background? We will be riding on one of those in a couple of days as we make our way east through the Lake District to Lago di Garda.

We are getting closer to lunch time as we approach our island dock.

Of course, there is more than just dining on the island.

Eating There

As the menu suggests, we are at Ristorante Verbano, the ‘restaurant on the island’.

But, first things first. It is time for our customary wine toast!

Hmmm…so many choices for just one meal. As we are on an island in a lake, seafood seems appropriate. On the left are the fish dishes, and on the right, the meat dishes. Today’s menu is presented in four languages.

I’ve made my lunch selection. And that is none-other than I, your scribe, enjoying my wine.

As I turn to look at the lake, this is what I see. A beautiful day on a beautiful lake of clear water.

Our food has arrived! And here it is.

Ellen’s selection is whitefish with lemon and capers. The fish is just-caught-that-morning fresh and comes right from the Lago Maggiore.

Notice how the fish has been shaped into a cylinder to form a base for the zucchini…a nice presentation.

Here are our other selections, including risotto and a tasty cheese course.

As we leave Ristorante Verbano, we can see our destination for tomorrow…but that’s another story.

Here are just a few photos from our walk back to our boat that will take us back to Stresa.

Our assurance of a safe boat ride back to Stresa!

A Suggestion for Right Now

I have a suggestion that I think you will appreciate. Take a quick look at the short introductory video on the home page of Albergo Ristorante Verbano’s web site. It presents you with a most pleasant way to start your day…and it will most assuredly give you cause to head to Isola di Pesciatore.

Just click right here and enjoy: Albergo Ristorante Verbano

That was an excellent meal. The location, the nice sunny day, the ambiance, the service, the food, the drink…all worked together to provide us with a memorable experience. An experience that I hope you can enjoy someday for yourself.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Lakeside Stresa

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Today starts a 3-part visit to Lago Maggiore, situated on the Italian and Swiss border. In addition to today’s short visit to the town of Stresa, I will soon cover a fabulous lunch spot on Isola dei Pescatori. And finally, a visit to the villa and gardens of Isola Bella.

Stresa sits on the western shore of Lago Maggiore, which itself sits in both Italy and Switzerland. And within the Italian portion, we find the lake split down the middle by the regions of Piemonte and Lombardy.

The lake is surrounded by mountains and its shore is dotted with small towns and villas.

The map below shows the location of Lago Maggiore, in comparison to the other lakes in what is known as “The Italian Lake District”. I’ve covered Lago di Como in the past, and I’ll cover the other lakes in future articles.

The names of the major lakes are shown below their namesake

Our Lodging

Our hotel sits on the street that runs along the lake shore, and we are conveniently situated directly across from the boat docks. Our hotel is mysteriously called by two names on the signage: the Hotel Speranza au Lac (Hotel Hope at the Lake), and the Hotel Milan au Lac. When I received my room confirmation email, the hotel was shown as Hotel Milan Speranza au Lac. To this day, I’m not sure about the name of the hotel(s). In the photo below, the Speranza is the mustard-color hotel on the left, and the Milan is the rose-color hotel on the right.

There are also a few of the old-world luxury hotels along the shore. Here are three of those: Grand Hotel Regina Palace; Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees; and Grand Hotel Bristol. Each of these hotels has a swimming pool, and if you are staying at the Hotel Milan Speranza au Lac, you are welcome to use the pool of the Regina Palace.

In this photo below, you can see the stairwell.

The good news is that there is an elevator!

The bad news is that we had to schlep our bags up the last flight of stairs to get to our floor.

The other goods news is that this was necessary because we were on the penthouse floor.

There was no more bad news.

And the view of the lake from our room…magnifico.

Our patio was quite large. And, it was a great place to sit and relax with a glass of wine…which we did, by the way.

This 180-view from our patio shows the expansive view.

And, there sits Isola Bella, the subject of a future article.

We enjoyed our room…which was decorated with this exquisite Murano glass chandelier.

Another view across the lake from our hotel. That slash ascending the mountain at the lakeside town of Laveno-Mombello is a cable car…but not one we’ve seen before.

As you can see in this photo, you are basically just standing in a bucket…some open and some closed. Strange.

A Bit of Shopping at Ferri Cristina

We are always pleased to find some special memento of a trip to wherever-we-find-ourselves. Sometimes, we are on a mission for a certain type of item, like a lace tablecloth from Venice. Sometimes, we just stumble upon an item that we didn’t know that we were looking for, and we didn’t know that we were destined to have. At Ferri Cristina, we found a true treasure.

That is Cristina Ferri on the right with her daughter. They are a lovely pair and together with Cristina’s mother, they run their family shop full of beautiful Italian-made items…no foreign rip-offs, here. Be prepared for ceramics, Venetian glass, and jewelry. And, when you enter, be prepared for a warm welcome.

As you shop and have questions, English is no problem for these two. As I wrote in Please, Thank You, and Where’s the Bathroom, there is absolutely no reason to fear a visit to Italy because you do not speak Italian. Many Italians learn English as they are in elementary and middle school. And that is exactly how Cristina learned to speak her beautiful English.

FUN FACT: You may recognize Cristina if you were a fan of the 1982 BBC TV series titled “BBC Italian Buongiorno Italia” (Good Morning Italy). This was a British TV show created to teach one English. I know, it is highly unlikely that you would have ever seen this series, but nevertheless, as shown in this thumbnail image, Cristina was featured as a student studying English in school, where she says that she “loves to study it”. To see a very young Cristina in her interview, click < here > and advance to 14:30 on the timeline.

So, what memento did we find to remind of us our time at Stresa on Lago Maggiore?

Here is our find — a hand painted platter by Carlesso that now adorns our dining-room wall.

Here is Cristina’s daughter Francesca showing us a photo of a much younger self, as she and her mother visited Carlesso’s studio.

Because of our visit to Ferri Cristina, the Johnsons now have a beautiful set of Italian dinnerware. Here is a bowl that is just a part of their large set.

Both our platter and the Johnson’s entire set of dinnerware arrived safely in the U.S., due to Cristina’s expert packing.

A Typical Lunch in Stresa

It’s time for lunch in Stresa. We chose one of the outdoor osteria, this one right next door to Ferri Cristina.

Our choice is called Osteria degli Amici (or Osteria of Friends).

You may have a bit of confusion as to the difference between a ristorante (restaurant), a trattoria, and an osteria. A trattoria is less formal than a ristorante, and an osteria is less formal than a trattoria. Both tend to be unpretentious, and both are known for excellent traditional local food. I’m thinking it is like a restaurant, a cafe, and a pub in the U.S.

Here, we are under the watchful eye of our waiter.

Typical of nearly every restaurant at which we’ve dined in Italy, the food was beautifully presented and tasted as good as it looked…like these ravioli and the insalata caprese.

The insalata caprese, or caprese salad, originated on the Isola di Capri (Isle of Capri - pronounced CAP-ree, not ca-PREE) near Napoli (Naples). It consists of pomodoro (tomato), mozzarella di bufala (mozzarella made with water buffalo milk - the best of the mozzarelle), and basilico (basil)…dribbled with a bit of olio (olive oil). This is a staple of Italy and one should eat it at every occasion!

A Typical Dinner in Stresa

On the day before our visit to Ferri Cristina and Osteria degli Amici, we had a nice, simple dinner on Piazza Cadorna, in the heart of Stresa — just a few blocks from our hotel.

Here we ate at Ristorante Centrale (pronounced chain-TRÄ-lay), advertised as a Pizzeria, but which also had other tasty dishes.

That’s their placemat to the left.

As usual, we started with a toast to Italy and friends.

I have to admit that I was so busy enjoying my food, I didn’t take but this one photo as we ate. Doesn’t that bruschetta look absolutely devine?! And by the way, it is pronounced bruce-KAY-tah, rather than brew-SHET-tah. Just thought you’d want to know.

So, that’s it for your introduction to Stresa on the shore of Lago Maggiore. It is a nice, lakeside town. As it has a population of over 5,000, it doesn’t have the quaint and old-world charm of many small lake-side towns of Italy. But then again, it has a wider array of places to eat and shop. And, all of the Stresiani are very friendly and willing to help you with your stay. If you make your way to Ferri Cristina, we may see you there, as we plan to return next time we find ourselves in Stresa.

Ciao for now,

Steve

An Evening in Barolo

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If you are familiar with Italian wine, you know of Barolo wines (and I’m hoping that you have read my article on Renato Ratti winery here, where I described Barolo wines)…and you may be thinking that I mis-wrote above when I titled this article ‘An Evening IN Barolo’, as if I’m in a glass of Barolo wine. Though not a bad idea itself if one has a very large wine glass, I am referring to the town of Barolo, from which Barolo wines get their name.

The small town of Barolo is in the southern Langhe area, which is the area of the Nebbiolo grape vineyards that form the basis of Barolo wines…as well as Nebbiolo wines. And of course, we are in the Piemonte region of northern Italy.

This is the final article that concerns the Langhe vineyards and wine producing area of Piemonte. The previous articles are as follows:

This article is heavy on photos, and low on verbiage. You will see charming buildings and a nice, simple dinner — so here goes.

And if you are a circus fan, don’t fret, as the Circo Peppino Medini comes to town in September for 10 days. And, as it says, ‘the show is suitable for all ages’.

Only 50 meters to Osteria la Canti Nella

A Bit of Shopping

As Barolo is king here…in the town of Barolo…it is readily available in the wine stores.

Earlier in the day, we had learned to cook Italian in a wonderful cooking class, and tajarin pasta was one of the pasta types that we prepared…found here in a small market.

The local butcher shop, or macelleria, carried many of our favorite meet products.

Dinner Time with the Famiglia Brezza

As the evening approached our dinner time, we decided on the comfortable Brezza family restaurant at the Hotel Barolo. Note that the sign has both Italian and English information, so do not fear travel in Italy because of language issues, as explained in a previous article here.

OK, we are in the town of Barolo, in the heart of the Piemonte wine country, so one should expect to see a lot of wine. But, we didn’t expect to see so many bottles in one place. The ristorante Brezza proudly displays their wine in the midst of the diners who will be enjoying them. Though Craig looks calm in the photo below, he is actually feeling a bit of angst about which wine he will choose during our dinner…so many wines, and so little time!

We chose an Arneis as our starter white wine, and it was as delicious as we had hoped.

How about a 60-year old Barolo?! The bottle below would cost you only $300 here in Italy. Or, if you wish, you can purchase a 90-year old Barolo Riserva from the same vintner for only $500. You will NOT find these prices in the US.

Here are some more prices for the Barolo d’epoca, or vintage Barolo wines, as sold here in Ristorante Brezza. Next time I return to this restaurant, I think I’ll splurge for a wine that was produced in my birth year!

Another meal and another toast as we enjoy a bottle of Barolo.

Just in case you are interested in the price of a meal in a typical small northern-Italian town, here is the menu.

By the way, do you like truffles? This area is famous for its truffles. There are both black truffles and white truffles, so you have a choice. But beware, as the white truffles are much more expensive. Did you notice at the bottom-right of the menu that you can get one shaving of a white truffle for about $31? Ouch!

Below you can see our risotto made with Barolo wine, veal sausages, and wild boar…all delish, of course.

Well, it’s time to head back to our lodgings. And we are well satisfied with our visit to the small town of Barolo, as well as our wonderful meal at Ristorante Brezza. We will find ourselves strolling the night laden streets to linger just a bit longer.

Ristorante Familia Brezza

Thank you for joining us on our stroll through the very quaint, very charming, town of Barolo. And also, we’re glad you joined us for dinner. That last Barolo toast? it was for you!

Ciao for now,

Steve

p.s. Join me next time as we leave the Barolo wine are of the Piemonte for Lake Maggiore.

Eat Here: Ristorante Bovio

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Would you like to dine with a view like this one? Then you need to eat at Ristorante Bovio.

This lovely restaurant is situated on the slope of the hill upon which the Piemonte town of La Mora is situated. Whether you are dining on the terrace for lunch, as we did, or eating in the beautifully appointed dining room in the evening, the view is magnificent.

As seen from the restaurant, that’s the Church of San Sebastiano in La Mora, blessing Ristorante Bovio. And, well blessed it is.

As with virtually every meal we have eaten in Italy, we start with wine…and usually the first bottle is a white wine. Here we are poured our new favorite white northern-Italian wine, Arneis. Note the unique bottle holder at the table in the background…it keeps a white wine at just the perfect temperature. Here you see Craig’s look of anticipation.

With every toast, we celebrate having the great friends with whom we are traveling, sister- and brother-in-law Leslie and Craig Johnson.

The terrace of Bovio is oh, so pleasant. And, it is a gorgeous day in the Langhe area of the Piemonte. Craig, Leslie and wife Ellen await our first course.

“Would care for a scrumptious bread product?”, asks Leslie.

“Yes!”, I say.

Most every Italian restaurant has olive oil available for dipping one’s bread, but here, we also have butter. I’m assuming that there is nothing wrong with putting butter on a grissino. Would you agree?

As an appetizer, we tried the fried zucchini blossoms, which we found delicious.

Also tasty were the mushrooms over creamy pollenta, topped with black truffles.

In the dining room, we found a covered plate of several black truffles, topped with a truffle shaver, ready to do its job.

While we were seated, we saw a local man park his vehicle and unload a box which he took inside the restaurant. I followed him to the kitchen to see what he had for sale and found that he brought these large mushrooms. The chef liked what he saw and the grower left with cash in his pocket.

If we had been at Bovio for dinner, we might have sampled some of their spirits…but as it was lunchtime and we had a special place to be after lunch, we passed.

Lunch has arrived and here it is. A nice Bolognese pasta, mushroom risotto, beautifully-cooked scallops, and a bit of beef with scalloped potatoes were enjoyed as we ate with a view.

And of course, we needed more Arneis.

As is an Italian custom, dessert consisted of cheese. And we had a large selection from which to choose.

We mad a selection of seven cheeses, accompanied with honey and fruit preserves.

The dining room awaits evening diners. And they will also have that nice view during their meal.

Ahhhh, what an outstanding meal. As we leave, we take one last look at the idyllic Langhe countryside, as seen from the terrace of Ristorante Bovio.

BONUS MATERIAL

Above, I mentioned that we had plans for the afternoon. What might those plans be? We have reservations for massages at the Chateaux Castello di Guarene spa in the hilltop town of Guarene.

That’s the castle sitting smack dab in the middle of the areal photo.

According to the Relais Chateaux Castello di Guarene website, the castle was built by Carlo Giacinto Roero di Guarene, who laid the first stone in 1726 on 13 September at 8.30 pm.

The grounds of the castle are well manicured and provide a pleasant place to relax for guests at the hotel.

The spa is actually located in the subterranean depths below these gardens.

To get to the spa, one goes down a couple of flights of stairs into the bowels of the hill. And then a long tunnel through the hill leads you to the spa.

At the end of the tunnel, Craig and Leslie stand on a balcony which juts out from the side of the cliff below the castle grounds. There is a nice view from that balcony.

But the inside of the cavernous interior reveals an ideal spa atmosphere.

Ristorante Bovio

Relais & Chateaux Castello di Guarene

That’s it for lunch at Bovio, and then a relaxing time at the Castle Guarene spa.

I have to admit that such a lovely lunch, followed by a couple of hours of relaxing spa time, is a great way to spend an afternoon in northern Italy…or anywhere else for that matter. If you are able to reproduce this day’s itinerary, you may find me floating in the grotto pool.

Ciao for now,

Steve