Residents-Only Service on the Grand Canal in Venice

by Catherine Bodry on

Venice has just 60,000 residents, but hosts 20 million visitors in a year. That’s a lot of tourists for a small population, and the city is beginning to feel a little crowded for its citizens. Vaporettos (water taxis) on Venice’s Grand Canal are just getting too cramped for the city’s residents, and an abundance of private boats are creating waves that weaken building foundations. So Venetians, those same locals who fine tourists who don’t follow the rules and who jack up prices for rude tourists, have solved the crowding problem by starting a locals-only service.

The water taxi, Line 3, will run from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco on the palace-lined waterway. The cost for residents is 1 euro (or $1.42), compared to the 6 euros tourists pay for their water taxi — even polite tourists.

[via Reuters]

Photo of the Day (10/17/07)

by Neil Woodburn on

What is not marvelous about this shot? The yummy yellows of Udine Castle in Udine, Italy are a perfect backdrop for this moment of kissing–or perhaps, a longer moment of kissing. The framing of this couple by the arches and the shapes of the shadows, the red bench and the whatever it is that is that bright yellow object–a sweater?–make me want to write a William Carlos Williams style poem, or something. So much depends on a red bench . . .

Thanks to pirano for passing along such a lovely image of sweet romance. If you have your own romantic, or totally non-romantic shots, post them at the Gadlng Pool to be considered for Photo of the Day.

The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Must-Eat Restaurants at Concierge.com: A Running Tally

by Jamie Rhein on

I haven’t eaten at any of the picks on Concierge.com’s growing list of must-eat restaurants and I’m feeling hungry. The list starts out with Concierge’s recommendations and is continuing to grow as readers add their own options. Next to each entry are up and down arrow icons where readers can vote on each suggestion. At first, I thought the must-eats would solidly fall in the expensive and fancy. On the contrary. From what I can tell, must-eats come in a variety of packages. The Concierge list includes:

French Laundry in Yountville, California. This one has been named the best Restaurant in the World. To eat at the best is a two month wait. Once you are dining, give yourself three hours to savor the experience. If you can’t wait that long, the restaurant’s Web site offers three recipes you can try at home. I looked over the first one and I know one friend and three of my aunts who could make Parmigiano Reggiano Crisps with Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Mousse to perfection.

Also in California, The Chez Panisse in Berkeley has a menu that changes nightly. Since there is only one option per course per night, I suppose you check ahead to make sure what is being served is something you want. Here’s what is being served this week. The names of dishes are like lines from poetry–each sounding fantastically special. If you don’t want the full course meal, you can go to the café upstairs. Here you can either choose the fixed menu or order dishes separately.

Sienna, Italy is the place to head to try the gastronomic wonders of Osteria le Logge. Concierge likes this one because of its blend of fusion dishes and Tuscany favorites. The decor interested me. There is a blend of artwork and literary influences.

Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine sounds like my kind of place. This is lobster at its best at what looks like a roadside stand. Here’s where you can interact with other people waiting in line since that’s what you do before you order. Dining is outside on picnic tables. This is a seasonal restaurant so don’t head there until the middle of April. It closes in October.

Porcão in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is another restaurant that I seems like a lot of fun besides serving yummy fare. One word Concierge uses to describe it is raucous. Plus the food is wheeled out and served at your table.

Milan’s Canals Rival Venice’s Famous Waterways

by Catherine Bodry on

My experience in Milan was speedy and dirty; I had a several-hour layover in the city that I spent wandering around outside the train station. I literally had pesto between my toes, a pigeon that ate some bad Chinese pooped all over me, I witnessed one of the drunk men lounging on the overgrown grass outside the station break a bottle over another drunk guy’s head, and I paid 3 Euro ($6) for a can of juice. Needless to say, I felt I had little incentive to return, when there are so many other wonderful places in Italy, until I read this article about Milan’s magnificent canals.

I might have extended my layover if I’d known that Milan has a series of canals that stretches three times longer than Venice’s famous waterways. Emanuele Errico, chairman of Lombardy canals, maintains that “this density of canals joining a great city to the surrounding countryside is an example that is almost unique in the world.”

Regional leaders are hoping to refurbish the centuries-old system that made landlocked Milan a top Mediterranean port. Around 70 percent of the canals, which were once overseen by Leonardo Da Vinci, need to be rebuilt. Whether or not they are, I’ve now got a reason to visit Milan.

Thanks to Astilly on Flickr for the photo of a canal in Milan’s Navigli District.

Convicts and the Culinary Arts: Italy’s Jailhouse Restaurant

by Neil Woodburn on

Prison food, from what I’ve been told, is never very good–unless, of course, you happen to be dining at Fortezza Medicea in Volterra, Italy.

Fortezza Medicea is a real life prison where convicts operate a fully functioning restaurant that serves meals to those civilians brave enough to venture into the prison for a surreal evening of dining.

Oh man! Leave it to the Italians to replace the traditional license-plate making industry normally found in prison with a restaurant!

According to Budget Travel, the program was created to provide training that would help convicts land jobs in the food industry once they leave prison. Plan well in advance, however, if you are planning to visit: prospective diners must pass a two-month background check before reservations are accepted.