Best Italian Beaches

It’s been so long! I’m finally back from Barcelona (I’ll have pictures soon) and ready to get back to Italyville:) Hope everyone is having a great summer so far. In the spirit of summer I have decided to rank Italian beaches…. I’m crazy, I know. In my opinion there’s hundreds of beaches that belong on this list but here are 7 great areas to start with. Click on the name of the area to map it.

Italy has approximately 7600 km (4722 miles) of coastline and more than its share of great beaches. I took on the daunting task of trying to rank the top beaches knowing full well that I would get in a whole lot of trouble with a whole lot of people. I decided to go with the top 7 beach areas because top 5 was too hard. It’s just my opinion (the one you think should be on the list actually came in at #8 sorry!) I’ve been to all the beaches on the list… but not ALL the beaches in Italy (that’s a full time job… and not a bad idea) I also tried to mix it up in regards to type of beach. They are all great for various reasons. Place these beaches in any order 1-7 and I would still be ok with it. So here goes…

#7 Forte dei Marmi/Viareggio: This stretch of coast is well known as the summer retreat of Italy’s rich and famous. Located in Tuscany, Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi have long been associated with the luxury Yacht industry. The wide sandy beaches are complemented by great restaurants and beautiful villas. (Flickr photos from left to right: Andrea Marutti, Miquel Ariel Contreras)

Best: Beach to Celebrity Watch

#6 – Sardegna’s West Coast: Sardegna’s Emerald Coast is well known in many parts of the world…. but how about the opposite coast? The beaches along Sardegna’s West Coast are amazing. Stops along the coast will yield secluded beaches, turquoise waters and much more. Pack a lunch, find your own beach and enjoy! (Flickr photos from left to right: jimmyroq, luvi)

Best: Secluded Beaches

#5 The Amalfi Coast: Ahhhhh, la Costa Amalfitana. Enchanting and spectacular…. just don’t fall off the edge. The Amalfi coast is dotted with quaint villages and small beaches that will take your breath away. If you are looking for a wide stretch of sand, the Amalfi Coast is not for you but you’ll find plenty of small beaches surrounded by cliffs and jaw dropping scenery.
(Flickr photos from left to right: fachxx00, designatednaphour)

Best: Coastal Vacation

#4 Tropea/Capo Vaticano: One of the most spectacular beaches on the coast of Calabria The Tropea/Capo Vaticano area has crystal clear turquoise waters and white sand beaches. Still a bit under the radar, Tropea’s historic town center boasts a large piazza with plenty of great restaurants and shops. (Flickr photos from left to right: daxliar, catepol)

Best: Water and Sand

#3 Lido di Ostia: This is Rome’s seaside retreat. The beach clubs (lidos) in Lido di Ostia are top notch and offer something for everyone. Great restaurants, wide sandy beaches, shops, sports and more. The region has also made great strides in improving the water quality over the years. If you want to party on the beach after hours, you can and another bonus is that Lido di Ostia is a short drive to Rome. (Flickr photos from left to right: Livia Patta, geomangia)

Best: Overall Beach Experience

#2 Cinque Terre: It’s not much of a secret anymore but Cinque Terre is one of Italy’s gems. These five towns that hang on or hang off the coast of the Liguria region are mind blowing! Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are connected by hiking trails with some of the most dazzling and breathe taking views. The beaches are small and some are rocky. Book a hotel with your #1 girl/guy and stay a while. (Flickr photos from left to right: oaklandnative, AndreiZ)

Best: Romantic Getaway

#1 Rimini/Riccione: Where do all the young, hip people from Milan and Bologna go when they want to head to the beach? The Rimini/Riccione area of course! Catch some rays or play beach soccer, tennis or volleyball during the day but once 3pm rolls around. It’s a full out beach party! DJs, cocktails and a great looking crowd. The beaches in Rimini and Riccione are wide and sandy although the water is average. (Flickr photo left: AmUnivers, right: Criterium Events)

Best: Beach Party

Back to Barcelona

I’ve been away for too long but there’s a good reason. My new project is taking up a lot of my time these days and I leave Friday…. back to Barcelona. DAMN the Spaniards for winning in penalties yesterday! Aside from the last world cup triumph, I can’t help but get worried when my teams go to penalties. Italy (World Cup 1994, Euros 2008) , Juventus (Champion’s league 2003 vs. AC Milan) and sadly even the Atlantic 10 finals my freshman year at UMass…. all loses. I’ll take the last World Cup win over a European Championship any day though.
So forza ragazzi!! 2010… here we come!

Wish I had more time to blog but I’ll do my best to update while in Spain. To view more on my new project go to http://www.tenbarcelona.com

a presto – Joe

Vespa Special

I took this photo at the Brimfield Antique Fair…. there’s something about a Vespa isn’t there? Vespa is an Italian “Super Brand” I’ll be posting more on Italian brands and Italian branding soon since brand marketing is what I do for a living. This Vespa reminded me of a Luna Pop song “50 Special.” the video is a little corny but there’s no denying that the song is catchy! I included the lyrics as well. Enjoy e buona giornata!

Vespe truccate,
anni ’60,
girano in centro sfiorando i 90,
rosse di fuoco,
comincia la danza,
di frecce con dietro attaccata una targa.
Dammi una Special,
l’estate che avanza,
dammi una Vespa e ti porto in vacanza!
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro con le ali sotto ai
piedi se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi…
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro per i colli bolognesi
se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi…
La scuola non va…
ma ho una Vespa una donna non ho…
ma ho una Vespa
domenica è già…
e una Vespa mi porterà…
fuori città!
…fuori città!
Esco di fretta,
dalla mia stanza,
a marce ingranate dalla prima alla quarta devo fare in fretta,
devo andare a una festa,
fammi fare un giro prima sulla mia Vespa dammi una Special,
l’estate che avanza,
dammi una Vespa e ti porto in vacanza!
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro con le ali sotto ai
piedi se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi…
Ma quanto è bello andare in giro per i colli bolognesi
se hai una Vespa Special che ti toglie i problemi…
La scuola non va…
ma ho una Vespa
una donna non ho…
ma ho una Vespa
domenica è già…
e una Vespa mi porterà…
fuori città!
…fuori citta
– Luna Pop

Roman Holiday – 1976

I’ve been a little obsessed with old photos lately. So when I found these from our first family holiday in the eternal city of Roma…. I had to share.

Kickin it with my mom and big sis at the Trevi Fountain.

Chillin with a gelato in the Colosseum… That’s right, I’m eating gelato in the Colosseum! how many people can say they’ve done that!:)

St. Peter’s Square… my pants seem a little high.

I don’t know where we are here but I had to show you my dad’s jacket…. nice right?!

Leave My Pasta Alone!

I have a confession to make. I can’t eat whole wheat pasta. It’s true! I’m all for eating healthy and not overdoing it, I exercise regularly and I consider myself “relatively fit.” I’m also fairly conscious of what I put into my body. I’ve refused to take prescriptions from my doctor after looking into them, I won’t take pain killers unless the hangover is really bad. So all that being said, I can’t do it….. some people will mix half regular and half whole wheat and claim you can’t taste the difference. What are you n’Americano? of course I can taste the difference! There are just some things that you don’t mess with. So with all the hype of elections this year, I’m starting my own campaign.

LEAVE MY PASTA ALONE!
Pasta Lovers against Whole Wheat Pasta

Feel free to use the above button if you agree. You can also replace Pasta with Macaroni if you want (I’m talking to you Maryann!)

So to kick off the campaign, I decided to make one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s one of those recipes that has it’s spot in the rotation. It’s quick, simple and tasty!

What You’ll need:

• 1/2 an onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic diced
• 1/2 pound of chicken (or pork) diced into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups of tomato sauce
• heavy cream
• 1 pound of your favorite pasta (De Cecco Rigitoni tonight!)
• seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil (from Italy)

Pour some olive oil in a large sauce pan and throw in your garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion on low heat until it starts to brown and get soft, then add in the chicken (or pork) and stir occasionally until almost fully cooked. Now add the tomato sauce…. what kind you say? Well, we jar our own in late summer but use the brand you like best. It’s probably just as good (not really but I’m trying to make you feel better.) You could also use fresh tomatoes. Add your seasoning: We use sea salt, crushed black pepper, basil and a chicken bullion cube (try it!). Simmer for about 15 minutes, then stir in a splash of heavy cream and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. Cook your pasta al dente, drain and add your sauce… WALLAH! We make a full pound so that we have enough for lunch the next day. Buon appetito!

Italian Doors

Robin at My Melange posted on her favorite Italian arches the other day and it made me think of our last trip to Italy. It was E’s first trip and she had a fascination with all the beautiful doors (and there are many.) She took pictures of some of her favorites and had them framed. Here are just a few. The one in the middle is my favorite… it was a mini door in Panzano in Chianti.

The Path We Choose

Several people have asked me what I used to do while I was living and working in Bologna…. so I’ll share a little bit about my adventures. In 1999 (seems like ages ago!) I was recruited by an old friend and x-boss of mine to move to Bologna and manage a few accounts for their marketing agency (Nike Running, Yoga fruit juice and eventually Coca-Cola.) It was an exciting prospect and opportunity… who wouldn’t want to manage projects for an all-star client list like that! I do remember that at the time, my cons list included the new furniture I had just purchased for my apartment in Boston and another opportunity I was considering with a company from Long Island. New furniture? Long Island? Looking back….. it’s crystal clear.

So my time “working” in Italy was spent (among other things) attending every major marathon and other running events throughout Italy for Nike, attending snowboard competitions at Italy’s major ski resorts for Yoga and eventually creating a Coca-Cola project on the Italian beaches that included several hundred lidos on beaches in every region…… did I mention, they also paid me? It was also a lot of hard work but an incredible adventure.

That’s me showing the staff how it’s done… I sold 24 cokes out of that backpack/cooler in 30 minutes!

When I returned to the States in 2002, I started my own agency Criterium Event Marketing with a few of my Italian colleagues and in 2005 we were asked by another agency to help manage the 2006 Olympic Torch Relay for Coca-Cola. We met at CC offices in Milano and at the end of the day I declined because of other obligations with clients here in the US (I can feel you kicking me in the butt) but my colleagues and very close friends took the challenge of mapping out the route, managing the torch bearers, hiring the staff and so on. So as the Olympic Torch makes its way through Europe this weekend, (St. Petersburg April 5, London April 6 and Paris April 7) in route to the Beijing Olympics – you may recall it’s path through Italy in 2006 and if you had the opportunity to see the torch run by and the procession of cars, trucks and people it was partially thanks to my very good friends Nicola, Davide and Cristiana.

Cristiana & Nicola during the Torch Relay

Robert Frost was a wise man…. it really has made all the difference.

Italian Favorites

There’s always talk about what Americans miss most about living abroad. There’s the usual items like peanut butter, diet coke (not coca-cola light), Dr. Pepper (don’t know how anyone can drink that stuff) and other American favorites but how about when you move back to the States and can’t find some of those Italian specialties?? I was thinking about some of those favorites today and came up with a short list beyond the espresso and Italian cuisine.

I miss Brasilena coffee flavored soda – YUM! It’s more of a Calabrian favorite as I have never found it outside of Calabria. If you get a chance…. try it! I have had other coffee flavored soda but none can even come close to Brasilena. I’m sure Michelle at Bleeding Espresso and Cherrye at My Bella Vita know exactly what I’m talking about.

I miss Sanbitter… although my sister carries it at her bakery, so I get to have it occasionally.

I miss Ferrarelle sparkling water. It’s very unique, sort of a “soft sparkling”

I miss a bartender that can make a good “Americano” not the coffee but the cocktail. It’s 1 part Campari, 1 part sweet vermouth with a splash of soda and an orange slice. My favorite! add gin and you get a Negroni.

All drinks? No, no.

I miss mozzarella di bufala, I mean good mozzarella di bufala…. to me, if it’s not mozzarella di bufala…. it’s just not mozzarella. If you’ve never tried it…. run as fast as you can and get some…. seriously, what are you waiting for?

We had 2 Italians in our office when I was working in Bologna: 1 was from Caserta and the other from Battipaglia. These cities are both right outside of Napoli and are famous for their Mozzarella di bufala. They often argued about where the best bufala came from. All I cared about was that they brought it back to Bologna when they went home to visit. We have found some bufala at Costco here in the US. It’s pretty good (not Caserta or Battipaglia good… but pretty good.)

What favorites are you missing from Italy?

PS- If you’re in Italy and live near a US military base: Make friends with someone in the military:) They have full blown American Grocery Stores! Here’s a picture of my friend Anthony in the Grocery store on the Navel base in Napoli. We found lots of favorites including Doritoes, Sam Adams, Diet Coke and canned pumpkin for making pumpkin pie! They also had plenty of your favorite peanut butter brands and Dr. Pepper.

Where did the good espresso go?

If you have ever experienced the “goodness” that is Italian espresso, you know how difficult it is to find outside of Italy. Something weird seems to happen to espresso when you cross Italy’s boarders and enter into another country. One step into France or Switzerland and “POOF” the ability to make a truly good espresso disappears like a newly formed Italian government (sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

I have had numerous discussions about this with my Zio G who makes frequent trips to the US from Calabria and he’s come up with various explanations.

1. “It might be the same brand but the caffe’ is different here.” which might be true but when he’s the one bringing the caffe’ from Calabria the theory sort of dies.
2. “It’s the water.” Logical next step, if it’s not the caffe’ it’s the other ingredient, right? Maybe but I don’t think so. I concede that it may make a slight difference but not enough to change the espresso.
3. “It’s the air.” the air? what do you mean? The air in Italy makes the coffee taste better? Maybe breathing the air enhances the experience but I have a hard time believing that the air can make the espresso taste better. It also doesn’t explain why an espresso tastes different one step across the Italian border…. I’m certain that “Italian air” doesn’t recognize borders.
4. “It’s the barista.” Now this one has some merit. Is there a course that every barista in Italy takes? A secret society of sorts? Maybe there’s a hand-shake and weekly meetings where they wear funny hats and talk about making espresso. Maybe they even vote on new types of caffe’…. macchiato semi-freddo! Cappuccino-Vino! all in favor?

I think the barista is truly a factor, hand-shake or not. My brother-in-law who came to the States when he was 16 from outside of Napoli has a pasticceria/bar here in Massachusetts and he can make a darn good espresso… still not as good as he can make it in Italy, but don’t tell him I said that.

A few helpful hints for American Baristas:

• Please don’t give me 5 espressos in one cup…. I know you want to give me my money’s worth but the more water you filter through that 1 shot of espresso the less it tastes like an espresso. It’s like using 1 tea bag for 5 cups of tea.
• When I ask for a “short” espresso, why can’t the waiter understand me? I even show you with my fingers how much espresso I want in my tazza…. but you still fill it to the top.

Will someone PLEASE bring me a good espresso!

<!–
google_ad_client = “pub-3912385745777407”;
/* 125×125, created 2/1/08 */
google_ad_slot = “4641086321”;
google_ad_width = 125;
google_ad_height = 125;
//–>

<script type=”text/javascript”
src=”http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js”&gt;

Castagne Roasting on an open fire… or oven

I forgot to add one of my favorite things to the list below… actually I probably forgot many but one that I truly love and miss is the smell of roasting castagne (chestnuts) in the winter. The scene of the salesman camped out with his roaster on the corner as people bustled by to finish some last minute Christmas shopping or gather ingredients for dinner would always make me smile. The small paper bags (like the ones used for penny candy) they would put them in were perfect. The robust castagne were always the biggest I had ever seen and they selected them one by one as they counted them out to show they were giving you your money’s worth. I would buy a bag and sit to watch people go by or stroll slowly through the city center bundled in my coat and scarf. Simple and brilliant.

I just had to make some last night thinking about it. They are rather expensive at the grocery store ($5.99/lb) but well worth it. They are simple to make and here’s how:

1- preheat the oven at 350 degrees

2- make a cut into each castagna with a sharp knife. This is important because if you don’t the castagne will explode from the heat. Think of a kernel of corn but much larger and you don’t get popcorn as a result.

3- Place the castagne on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for 1 hour

DONE

I know it’s not as romantic as roasting them on an open fire (even though we did have a fire burning) but they are yummy and make your whole house smell delicious. Enjoy!