Portals and KM

The Variety of Espresso in Emilia-Romagna

This concludes my series on Emilia-Romagna. Having a cup of espresso is one of the great pleasures of visiting Italy. Here are some of the many cups available with a tea pot and cookie thrown in at the the end and a cappaccino in the middle. Several of these followed the three lunches that I posed on Dec 18. 

                       

Images from Verona Italy

Here are some late October photographs from Verona Italy taken on a rainy day. 

                                           

 

Farm Houses and Vineyards in Emilia-Romagna Italy

Here are some late October photographs of farm houses in the Emilia-Romagna countryside. Many of the farms are vineyards. 

                                 

Images from the Food Shops of Bologna

Here are some photos of the a few of the many food shops in Bologna, Italy, taken in late October. They were all tempting. It is known as one of the food centers of the country. I ma sure they were really busy leading up to today. 

                                  

 

Three Lunches and a Wonderful Dinner in Emilia-Romagna

Here are three great lunches in Emilia-Romagna. The first is in Bologna at Osteria dell'Orsa. There are several varieties of the local bread which is quite different from the traditional Italian bread we see in the US. Then a selection of pork meats and some gorgonzola gnocchi, and cream based turkey dish.  You can click on a picture to enlarge it. 

               

The next lunch is in Modena. You see carbonara with and without cheese.

   

The third lunch is in Reggio-Emilia and consists of Tortellini Bolognese. You can see the location, the meal and the view. 

       

In Carpi we ate dinner at the excellent Cafe Carducci.  We started two types of pasta: butternut squash filled tortelli and tagiatelli with mushrooms. This was followed by oven roast rabbit, with fried potatoes, and grilled vegetables you selected your self. In m this case eggplant, red peppers, and sun dried tomatoes.  Finally there were three types of chocolate desert. It was the best meal on the trip.

          

 

 

Images from Bologna Italy: Part Two

 Here are more images from Bologna, a wonderful city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.  Next weekend more from the area. 

                          

Images from Bologna Italy: Part One

Here are some photos from Bologna, a wonderful city within Emilia-Romagna, Italy. They were taken in late October. 

                        

Stand by Me Across the Globe Through Music

Here is a music video, Stand by Me, I found through Twitter – thanks @reneclemens. It starts in the Santa Monica, goes through my hometown, New Orleans, and continues around the world to places like Zuni New Mexico, Amsterdam, South Africa, Pisa, Moscow, Caracas, and Barcelona. I have listened to it several times and wanted to share it here. It sponsored by Playing for a Change.

Here is John Lennon’s version of Stand by Me.

Here is the original Ben E. King version.

Here is U2 and Bruce Springsteen doing Stand by Me.

I never get tired of this song. If only I could sing.

The Two Sides of Capri

It is always fun to read about places you have been. The New York Times recently had a travel review of Carpri, one of the places I visited in Italy in June. The article did accurately describe the two extremes of Carpi. On one hand there are the day trippers who tend to come in large groups with a tour leader. They fill the streets and make many of the towns very crowded during the day. Many of the these groups are Chinese. You can always tell them by their umbrellas. There is an increasing number of Chinese tourist in several places in Italy. I learned from a Hungarian friend that the Chinese government designates various places, like Hungary, as officially approved tourist designations. Apparently Italy has also achieved this designation.

They accurately note that the town is much better in the evening after the day trippers are back on their ferries and safely out of sight. They then describe many of the very upscale five stars hotels where the beautiful people stay. The news likes to deal in extremes and there is another middle option. Since I am not in the five start hotel budget class, I was pleased to find a number of great more modestly priced mid-range hotels. We stayed at the Hotel Weber in the Marina Piccola area. This waterfront hotel has many balconies of the rooms looking at the best sea views in Capri. The area is also on the back side of Capri so it does not get the hordes of day trippers. You can walk down to the beach which is a good thing.

Some Good Beach Bars in Sardinia

I recently did a five part series rating the beaches of Italy. Of course, one of the key factors in any such rating system is the presence of a good beach bar. In Italy, this is important for people of all ages as there are few public toilets. Here are a number of Sardinian bars, where many of the best beaches in Italy are found. I remember only few of the actual names but they will be easy to find at their beaches.

Santa Maria Navarrese is located on the east coast near the Gennargentu National Park. There is a Spanish tower from the 11th century commissioned by the daughter of the King of Navarra after she was miraculously saved from a ship wreck. Just down from the tower is the town beach, highly rated in our system. A tree lined stone walk backs the sand. The bar overlooks the beach and walk. It was one of the few bars to get a full 10 in our ratings. Shaded by a large spreading tree, the bar offers a peaceful haven when you had enough beach and sun. Seating is largely outdoors on a stone terrace under the tree. The bar provides a very comfortable feeling as it sits well within the natural surroundings, tucked into a slope with shrubs and more trees. On the day we visited it was populated mostly by German tourists and the menu was in German, as well as Italian.

Oscala is a broad sandy beach about 5 kilometers south of Orosei on Sardinia’s east coast. The beach offers a great view of the coastal hills south of it near Cala Genone. These hills mark the entrance to a string of high cliff backed beaches in the Gulf of Orosei. A small, calm channel separates the beach from a pine groove where the bar is located. A man was wading in the channel collecting shell fish and another was fishing as we left the beach. The bar has a large patio and significant indoor seating. It is distinguished by the ubiquitous presence of Che Guevara in the form of posters, photos, and even tiles on the wall next to the bar. Perhaps they have screenings of Motorcycle Dairies on bad beach days.

Pepi’s Bar is located at the town beach at Orosei on the east coast. The beach is two kilometers from the center of town, linked by both an auto road and paved foot path. The bar has both indoor and outdoor seating with good white wine. You approach it on a wooden broad walk over the sand. The outdoor seating is right on the beach sand and offers great views at sunset. Both Pepi’s and the nearby Che Guevara bar at Oscala seem to be set up for year round use.

Cala Luna is one of the beaches on the Gulf of Orosei than you can only reach by boat. The water is amazingly clear, a poster child for the term, aqua marine. You can see the ripples of sun light reflected on the sandy bottom as you wade off shore. Despite the limited access, it has a regular bar that had to have been built with stuff brought in by boat. The beach, itself, is wonderful with some deep caves and great water. The bar is located a short walk inland so there is no view of the beach but it was a welcome surprise toward the end of a hot day.

Porto Rafael is a well planned resort community on the north coast near Palau. You can see the ferries going back and forth from Palau and the Maddalena Islands. The town is part of the planned community but all is done with great taste. There is a town center with a well stocked salumeria. Stone steps lead down to a small beach front plaza, lined with a few shops and a great bar with indoor and outdoor seating. The bar has live music in the high season in July and August. In keeping with its surrounding, the white wine was one of the more costly pours we encountered but we gave it a high rating anyway for the surroundings. The small town beach in front of it is okay but there is much better one about a half kilometer up the main road which is one of the highest rated beaches we visited. Our friends at Essential Sardinia have some great rentals in Porto Rafael.

The town beach at Cannigone in northern Sardinia has the more British style, Cutter’s Pub. The town is a combination of interesting old fishing village and so-so resort development. If come from the north through the resort it seems unappealing but coming up from the south you get a very different impression, with an older “real” town center. Cutter’s has a great view out to Caprera, one of the Maddalena Islands. While it does not quite match the other bars above, the place is still a good spot for wine or beer on the waterfront.

Porto Rotondo is one of the planned resorts on the Costa Smeralda on the northeast coast. This is not really a beach bar as it’s on the marina but it offered the best white wine we encountered. The bar is well placed at the entrance to the yacht harbor.

Porto Cervo is considered the crown jewel of the Costa Smeralda developed by the Aga Khan. The town features architecture harmonious with the natural surroundings and had the benefit of some of the best architects the Khan could buy. The bar is located on the broad walk, where the beautiful people gather to be seen. The crowds must have been off prepping for the night as it was deserted in late afternoon when we arrived. I found it a bit stuffy and too upscale. I am sure the prices would have topped Porto Rafael but we did not give it a chance.

There is an alternative beach rating system that is being used in the US by Dr. Beach, as John Maloney pointed out, but Dr. Beach is missing a key ingredient, the presence and quality of a beach bar or two.

A Few Good Italian Restaurants

Here are some of the top picks from a month in Italy. Budget constraints and our love of cooking limited the number of places we went but here are some of our favorites. Upscale restaurants in Italy have gotten very expensive and we avoided those. All of the places listed below were under 50 Euros with wine.

Ristorante Galeassi is located in one of the best squares of the Rome, St. Maria in Trastevere. My friend Roberto Cremonini, who once lived in Rome, recommended. Roberto suggested the spaghetti with clam sauce which we had, along with a decent Risoto Pescatora. The place renewed my faith in Roman restaurants after a few disappointments on prior trips. It is located at Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere, 3, tel. (++39) 06 5809898.

Ristorante La Griglia is on the outskirts of Palau in northern Sardinia, about 2 KM along the road to Arzachena. The address is Strada Statale 125, Arzachena – Palau - tel. 0789 7088520. It is in an old farm house and specializes in traditional Sardinian cooking. You can get a multi-course tasting menu of a bunch of good stuff. This includes:

Zuppa Gallurese – consisting of dried durham wheat bread, stock and grated pecorino cheese, baked in the oven. It is even better than it sounds.

Fregula – a small pasta like couscous, served with small clams.

Porceddu – a young sucking pig grilled on a spit

Malloreddus – gnocchi served with fresh tomato sauce and minced sausage

There was also the Carasau bread found everywhere which is like flaky thin pita.

Ristorante Subarchile is located in a pleasant hotel in Orosei, an old town on the east coast of Sardinia. Orosei is one of the places you can obtain a boat to go to the beaches along the Gulf of Orosei, such as Cala Luna, that are only accessible by sea. This place provides upscale Sardinia food by a creative chef. There are over 44 fish dishes and nice pictures on the web site. We stayed at the hotel and ate there one night. We only kept to our under 50 Euro limit here by ordering the 15 Euro tourist menu which still gave us a modest sampling of what they can offer.

Villa Fumosa is also in Orosei, Sardinia, on the road to the town beach, It is a simple trattoria with excellent food and outdoor seating overlooking a lawn. They seem to specialize in very large square pizzas but we had more traditional pasta. It is located on Via del Mare Tel. 0784991044

Rating the Beaches of Italy: Part 5: Summary

It is now the July 4th holiday in the US, a good beach time. Our ratings were geared toward to type of peaceful beach that you relax and have a great picnic on and chill your wine in the water. The same criteria could be used for the type of wild beach with pounding surf, the scores would just have a different orientation. I look forward to applying them to some local New England beaches this summer and further testing the system. Reports will be forthcoming.

In summary, the average scores for each area were as follows:

Southern Italy (6) – 61

Sicily (3) – 50

Eastern Sardinia (9) – 70

Northern Sardinia (13) – 77

Naturally, the small numbers and our selective sampling greatly biases the results. However, these summary numbers do conform to our overall impression. Northern Sardinia does have a collection of some of the best beaches I have seen anywhere in the world but there is much of the world left to see.

Next, I will be turning to beach bars, hill towns, and some comments of places to stay and eat,as well as wine, in the coming weekends. Tomorrow, I will return to the business side of blogs for week day posts.

Rating the Beaches of Italy: Part Four – North Coast of Sardinia

As I mentioned yesterday Sardinia is full of great beaches that rival those anywhere. The north coast is the gem of this abundance. We visited thirteen beaches in this area that we rated and a few others. One of the distinguishing features is the large number smooth rocks and the wild olive trees. The area has been developed greatly in the last thirty years and the new head of the Sardinian government wisely put a moratorium to all new construction within two kilometers of the sea. Most of the new construction is done in a tasteful way with an attempt to use natural materials and colors that blend with the landscape but too much of anything is not good.

The Costa Smeralda area was first developed by the Aga Khan in the 1960s. He invested over a billion dollars in infrastructure and construction. Leading architects were hired to create homes and buildings than blended with the area. This area is now a very up-market “jet set” place, a bit out of my interest and capability. This investment also spurned subsequent development in the surrounding areas on a more modest scale but keeping the principles of preserving a link with the land. I especially liked the Porto Rafael area further north and stayed nearby. The Maddalena Islands are just off shore here and provide a great backdrop to many of the beaches. We also took a car ferry to the islands and visited beaches there.

We stayed in the Capo di Orso area in an apartment we found through Essential Sardinia. It was called Due Mari and had views of the ocean in two directions with a grill on a tile terrace. It was very small and built into the side of the hill. The rocky surface and small rounded door made it look like a hobbit house. We highly recommended Essential Sardinia, a UK based firm with a local presence and a great knowledge of the area based on over twenty years experience. They were extremely helpful in a variety of ways and have many offerings in the area, including Porto Rafael which would be my first choice when I return.

Porto Rafael (north) - 85

I will start with my favorite beach of the trip because of the combination of factors. It is located about a half a kilometer north from the village center. There is no sign, juts a sandy path leading down form the road. There is some parking along the road and about 100 meters further on by some tennis courts. The small beach was never crowded and had interesting rocks on either side. The beach faces the Maddalena Islands and you can watch the ferries going back and forth from Maddalena to Palau, the small port near Porto Rafael on the mainland. This is not a dramatic surfing beach and others got higher ratings on natural beauty and ambience. It is a very restful beach and a place to return to, good for naps, reading, and bringing wine to go with your lunch. The soft waves allowed us to chill the white wine we brought to go with lunch in the sand just into the water’s edge. There are a few rocks close to the shore to swim for. Water – 10, Sand – 9, Shade – 9, Bars – 5, Parking – 8, Crowds – 9, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience - 18

Porto Rafael (village center) – 79

This beach is smaller than its neighbor and is just off a plaza with a nice bar, beautiful flowers, and a few shops. The bar has live music in season. This plaza is not old, but part of the development. Porto Rafael, itself, is not an old town but one that was created in the last thirty years as a vacation spot. However, they did an excellent job in planning the total environment so you do not feel in a resort community. Most of the homes are individual and each is different, but consistent in architecture. The homes climb a hill side facing the Maddalena Islands. Water – 9, Sand – 8, Shade – 6, Bars – 9, Parking – 7, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience - 16

Capo di Orso, Cala Capra – 80

This small beach is near Capo di Orso, with its bear shaped rock. It has a nearby hotel and bar, plenty of shade and the beach has the same restful feel as the Porto Rafael area. There are several developments nearby, which, while nice, do not have quite the charm of Porto Rafael. Water – 9, Sand – 9, Shade – 8, Bars – 6, Parking – 8, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 16

Capo di Orso, Porto Mammau – 73

This beach is connected to Cala Capra and is located within the large resort community of Porto Mammau. It can be crowded just because of the large resort but still is a good beach. Our standards got higher as encountered all the great beaches of the area. There is a bar with music at night but it serves the community and has the large resort community feel. Water – 9, Sand –10, Shade – 6, Bars – 5, Parking – 8, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 14

Cannigione – 73

This is a small fishing village near Arzachena that had a large resort attached to it so you get a very different fell depending on which you way you approach the town. I prefer the southern fishing village approach. The beach has a great view of Caprera, one of the most mountainous of the Maddalena Islands. Water – 9, Sand –9, Shade – 1, Bars – 6, Parking – 7, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 16

Punta Serena – 76

This beach is a little west of Porto Rafael had has a very long stretch of beach. This allows you to get an isolated spot. There is a little creek and sand dunes, along with nice views. Its length and lack of bars (and thus toilets) ensures that it not crowded. Water – 9, Sand –9, Shade – 2, Bars – 1, Parking – 8, Crowds – 9, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 18

Punta Pollo – 77

This beach is a bit further west from Punto Serena on the road to Santa Theresa di Gallura. It is known for its wind surfing and could get crowded as a result. There is a long continuous beach. Water – 9, Sand –9, Shade – 1, Bars – 8, Parking – 9, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 18

Porto Palma, Island of Caprera – 82

Caprera is one of the Maddalena Islands. It is connected by an old narrow bridge to Maddalena, the main island where the ferry comes. There is very little settlement on Caprera with just a Club Med and Garibaldi’s house, now a museum. Garibaldi actually owned the entire island at one point after getting financial help from a British supporter. There are many great beaches on the island. We just happen to pick this one on the south side. It was the most natural beach and its lack of a bar and much shade are probably the only reasons it is not number one. For many people these might be pluses so adjust accordingly. It was one of the few to get 10s in both natural beauty and ambience. Water – 10, Sand –9, Shade – 4, Bars – 1, Parking – 9, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience – 20

Spiagga Monte d’Arena di Maddalena - 77

This beach on the west coast of Maddalena Island had large sand dunes a hill with views. You could see the cliffs of the distant French island of Corsica. Water – 10, Sand –9, Shade – 3, Bars – 5, Parking – 9, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 18

Romazzino, Costa Smeralda – 79

This was one of two beaches we went to on the Costa Smeralda. It is backed by very upscale houses with wonderful gardens, many have their own beaches. There is a long pier and a nearby hotel. It is another with 10s in both natural beauty and ambience. Water – 10, Sand –9, Shade – 3, Bars – 1, Parking – 9, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience – 20

Capriccieli, Costa Smeralda – 84

This one came in second overall but having no real few categories. It was similar to Romazzino except that it had a nice bar on the beach and some natural shade. Paid parking gave it one demerit have all the free parking we obtained elsewhere. Water – 10, Sand –9, Shade – 8, Bars – 8, Parking – 5, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience – 16

Santa Theresa di Gallura, town beach - 61

Santa Theresa di Gallura is an interesting tourist town on the north coast. It has many French tourist as this is where the ferry from Corsica lands. There is an old Spanish fort and an old town with shops, restaurants, and bars. The town beach is wlaking distance to the town so it gets very crowded. Water – 8, Sand –8, Shade – 2, Bars – 7, Parking – 7, Crowds – 3, Natural Beauty – 14, Ambience – 14

Capo Testa, Santa Theresa di Gallura - 76

This beach is a bit west of Santa Teresa di Gallura and is well known for its wind surfing. There is a causeway that divides the beach with one side calmer (for beginners) than the other for wind surfing. It is long continuous beach on both sides. There is also a boat marina. Water – 8, Sand –8, Shade – 9, Bars – 7, Parking – 8, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 14, Ambience – 14

Tomorrow, I will provide a summary of all this stuff.

Rating the Beaches of Italy: Part Three – East Coast of Sardinia

Sardinia is full of great beaches that rival those anywhere. We visited nine beaches on the east coast of Sardinia. One beach on the west coast near Algerho is also covered. The east coast is an area of great natural beauty. There is a long stretch at the Gulf of Orosei with dramatic cliffs overlooking beaches that you can only reach by boat. We took a boat trip one day to see these beaches. Others are accessible by car with good bars and parking.

Spiaggia Osalia - 76

This soft sand beach is about 8 kilometers south of the town of Orosei. It is lined with pine trees and wonderful bar set in the pines with out door tables. The bar was full of Che Guevera posters and photographs, including nice profile embedded in the tile wall. The staff was very friendly. Water – 7, Sand – 8, Shade – 6, Bars – 8, Parking – 9, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 14, Ambience - 16

Marina di Orosei - 69

This is the town beach at Orosei, two kilometers from the town with a paved walkway lining the road to the beach. It has two beach bars. The town marina is about one kilometer south on a sandy road. We had a picnic at sunset one night and watched the sun set from Pepi;s bar on the beach another night. Water – 7, Sand – 8, Shade – 1, Bars – 8, Parking – 9, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 14, Ambience – 14

Santa Maria Navarresse – 80

This was one of the nicest town beaches. It had one of the few beach bars to achieve a rating of ten. The bar is shaded under a large tree with board branches providing a cool place overlooking the very sunny beach. Large cliffs line the coast and there is an old tower form the Spanish days is next to the beach. Water – 8, Sand – 7, Shade – 5, Bars – 10, Parking – 8, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 18

Cala Gonone – 55

This town beach lacked the charm of Santa Maria Navarresse, especially compared to others nearby. You reach the town through along tunnel in the cliffs and then a windy road that descends to the water. It is one of the launching ports for boats visiting the remote beaches on the Gulf of Orosei. Water – 7, Sand – 8, Shade – 1, Bars – 4, Parking – 4, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 10

Caletta di Oscalla – 76

We asked at Cala Gonone for the best beach. Not liking the town one and where directed to this small beach over a narrow road through winding mountain pass and down the other side. It had a nice bar good cliffs on either side. Water – 7, Sand – 8, Shade – 6, Bars – 8, Parking – 9, Crowds – 8, Natural Beauty – 14, Ambience – 16

Cala Luna – 69

This was one of several beaches we visited by boat. It received a 1 for parking as a result which might artificially lower its rating. Just because you can only reach it by boat does not mean it was not crowded as boats bring loads of people from three starting points. However, there is great natural beauty and several large caves connecting to the beach. It even has a bar back a bit form the beach that had to be built with materials hauled in by boat. You can also reach Cala Luna by an arduous three hour hike down through the Gulf of Orosei National Park. Water – 8, Sand – 8, Shade – 5, Bars – 6, Parking – 1, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience – 16

Cala Sisine – 73

This was another of the beaches we visited by boat. Again, it received a 1 for parking as a result which might artificially lower its rating and, like Cala Luna, just because you can only reach it by boat does not mean it was not crowded as boats bring loads of people from three starting points. There is great natural beauty and seemed more remote than the more famous Cala Luna. Water – 8, Sand – 9, Shade – 7, Bars – 5, Parking – 1, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience – 18

Fuile Mare - 80

This beach is a few kilometers north of Orosei and is surrounded by beautiful homes with wonderful gardens. There is a pleasant beach bar nearby. It is one of the more up-market beaches we saw until reaching the north coast and had the best water quality to date. You saw the ripples of the surface reflected on the sandy bottom with perfect water temperature. Water – 10, Sand – 10, Shade – 3, Bars – 9, Parking – 7, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 18

Cala Liberotto – 64

This beach is just a bit north of Fuile Mare but lacks its charm. However, it is still a fine beach with good bars and excellent sand. Water – 8, Sand – 9, Shade – 3, Bars – 8, Parking – 6, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 14

West Coast - Capo Caccio - 80

Capo Caccio is near Algerho, an interesting old walled port city. It is a major tourist area, especially for the UK since it is near the airport with cheap flights on Ryan Air. The walled city retains some fine buildings and many of the street signs are in Catalan from the time of Spanish control. There are bars with music and a jazz festival is scheduled for August. Algerho also has a long strecth of sandy beach on its western side. Capo Caccio, itself, is about 20 kilometers away on the point of a long pennisula with a large rocky head and the Grotto of Neptune. We stopped for lunch at a small beach where you can get a boat to the grotto. It was one of the best beaches we saw but very small so it could get crowded quickly. It was not at the time. Water – 10, Sand – 8, Shade – 2, Bars – 10, Parking – 9, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 10, Ambience – 14

Tomorrow, I will cover the area with the highest concentration of beaches rated over 80, the north coast of Sardinia. This area rivals any in the world for an ambundance of great beaches.

Rating the Beaches of Italy: Part Two – Southern Italy and Sicily

We visited six beaches on the mainland of southern Italy, three in Sicily and then 23 in Sardinia. Here are the six in southern Italy and the three in Sicily. Sardinia requires two postings of its own for the east coast and the north coast. This review does not attempt to be comprehensive. Just the ones we happen to visit in June.

Southern Italy:

Marina Picolla – Island of Capri - 73

Marina Picolla (little port) is on the less developed side of the island away form the main port. It has a few hotels but is mostly covered with private homes with wonderful gardens. There is a small beach at the bottom of the road with a few bars and restaurants. The beach has amazing views with cliffs and large rocks placed off shore. The sun sets over two large rocks that are often seen in post cards of the island. You can rent kayaks, canoes, etc. There is a private and public part of the beach. Water – 8, Sand – 3 (many small pebbles makes walking difficult, especially in the surf), Shade – 4, Bars – 8 (nice one outdoors right at the beach), Parking – 5, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 20, Ambience - 18 (nice homes and bars nearby)

Private Beach La Fenice Bed and Breakfast – Positano, Amalfi Coast - 67

This is the only private beach we rated. It is open to guests of the place we stayed at but was charming and we could not resist. There are many other small beaches like this one so it can be used as a measure of many of them. Water – 8, Sand – 3 (many small pebbles makes walking difficult, especially in the surf), Shade – 4, Bars – 2, Parking – 5, Crowds – 9, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience - 18 (the vacation home of the current Prime Minister of Italy is nearby with its own private beach).

Spiaggia Grande Positano, Amalfi Coast – 74

Spiaggia Grande is Italian for large beach. This beach is where the town meets to sea and is very urban, lined with bars and restaurants. Boats leave the beach for tours and trips to nearby Capri. It is very lively with interesting crowds at all times. They were filming a video of two tango dancers one of the nights we were there and watched over dinner at a restaurant right on the beach. Water – 8, Sand – 5 (more sand than the others), Shade – 4, Bars – 10, Parking – 3, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 18, Ambience – 20.

Minori – Amalfi Coast - 62

This beach is also where the town meets to sea and is very urban, lined with bars and restaurants. Minori is much older and much nicer than nearby Maiori which is mostly new hotels. We had a nice lunch of panini at a beach bar. A wide tree lined boardwalk lines the beach. Water – 6, Sand – 4, Shade – 1, Bars – 8, Parking – 9, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 14.

Bagnara Calabria – 45

This town is in a great setting but is mostly new and uninteresting construction. There is a town beach that runs the length of the town coast. It has a continuous boardwalk and some beach bars. Water – 6, Sand – 5, Shade – 1, Bars – 5, Parking – 7, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 10, Ambience – 6.

Scilla Calabria - 52

Scilla is next to Bagnara and is mentioned in Homer. There is an old fort giving it a bit more ambiance than its neighbor but is otherwise similar. Water – 6, Sand – 5, Shade – 1, Bars – 7, Parking – 8, Crowds – 5, Natural Beauty – 10, Ambience – 10.

Sicily

Fondachello – Sicily – 39

This beach is south of Taormina and is the best beach we saw in this area but that does not say much. Its claim for this distinction is the natural pine forest than is behind it rather than uninteresting new housing. Water – 5, Sand – 6, Shade – 1, Bars – 4, Parking – 8, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 8, Ambience – 2.

Santa Alessio Siculo -Sicily– 34

This beach north of Taormina claims the distinction of being the worst beach we rated. It has bordered by uninteresting modern housing and a continuous boardwalk with construction in progress. Water – 4, Sand – 5, Shade – 1, Bars – 4, Parking – 8, Crowds – 6, Natural Beauty – 4, Ambience – 2.

Eraclea Minoa – Sicily - 78

This beach in a national park near Sciacca on the southern Sicilian coast restored out faith in Italian beaches and was the best beach we saw until arriving in Sardinia. There is a nice beach town and a pine forest with plenty of parking separates the town form the beach. A number of bars are well place. Also, there is smooth soft sand which was a welcome relief form the pebbly beaches we encountered so far. We went there tow days in a row. Water – 7, Sand – 8, Shade – 9, Bars – 6, Parking – 9, Crowds – 7, Natural Beauty – 16, Ambience – 16.

Over the next two days, I will rate beaches on the east and north coasts of Sardinia where many achieved ratings over 80. Once again, I welcome any paying opportunities to apply the scale to locations of your choice.

Rating the Beaches of Italy: Part One- Rating System

Over a glass of cold white wine at a nice beach bar, we decided to develop a rating system to help decide which were our favorite beaches and why. Having developed a few of these rating systems as a social scientist, the project took on a life of its own. We devised an initial system, tested it, and added a few more items. Then we noticed that it still did not truly capture the differences, so we weighted two of the factors to develop a 100 point scale. Here it is. Comments are welcomes.

Over the next three days, I will provide the results. The areas covered include areas south of Rome, Sicily, and Sardinia. Sardinia was the real discovery for me and the highlight of the trip in terms of beaches not also overall.

Rating System (1-10 scale):

1. Quality of water: This refers to clarity, temperature, cleanliness, and color of the water, as well as the level of wave activity. We went for ease of swimming and wading over surfing capacity but this is personal.

2. Quality of sand: How fine is the sand? How easy to walk on it? Does the sand quality extend into the water? In some beaches in southern Italy, the beaches are small pebbles, hard on the feet while in Sardinia most beaches are pervasively fine sand.

3. Availability of natural shade: Most Italian beaches are under a very hot sun, which is a good thing, but relief is needed at times. Most Italians cover this need by brining their own beach umbrellas and many beaches have private beach clubs that charge for chairs and umbrella. This factor relates to natural shade provided by trees, caves, or shrubs.

4. Presence and quality of bars: This is does not over refer to the need to consume alcohol, but cold drinks and food as well. Also, since there are few public toilets at beaches, bars provide another useful function but their toilets appear open to everyone.

5. Parking: It is close and free?

6. Crowds: This is self-explanatory. I like a beach with some people but not too many that everyone cannot find their own space. We did reserve a 10 for a deserted beach but no beach we visited met this criteria.

7. Natural beauty: Are there islands, rocks, cliffs, and other things that provide interest beyond the sand and water?

8. Ambience: this refers to human activity in the area: building, architecture, paths, etc.

We doubled the weight of the last two factors as they seemed to be the big differentiators. This made for a total possible score of 100. Each category received a 1 as a starting point so 10 would be the lowest score. No beach received a 100 or a 10. The scores ranged from 34 to 85. We found that it became easy to quickly rate a beach. However, we had to do it quickly on site as it became hard to accurately remember the details after any time away. Comments on the scale are welcomed. The real test will be inter-rater reliability so this may be the next step for us. We hope to more apply it to some American beaches.

I welcome any paying opportunities to apply the scale to locations of your choice.

Rating the Beaches, Beach Bars, Hill Towns, Restaurants, (and more) of Italy

I am now back from a month in Europe and visiting a few internet cafes. I will resume blogging on a more regular basis. My social science, knowledge management background prompted me to record a number of things including the beaches, beach bars, hill towns, restaurants and other things. Over the next few weeks I will convert the notes to create a personal knowledge management record of the month before my memory fades on the details. Wines will also be included.

The area covered will, of course, be limited, to a few locations, and within these places, a few examples. I will also try to share a bit on hotels and apartment rentals. Hopefully this will be useful to some of you. I look forward to comments. Tomorrow, I begin a four part series on rating the beaches. We developed an eight part rating scale, tested it, and made a few adjustments, applying some weighting factors to capture some differentiations meaningful to us.

The area covered includes areas south of Rome, Sicily, and Sardinia with a small bit on Rome. Sardinia was the real discovery for me and the highlight of the trip. More tomorrow, I am still adjusting to the time difference.

The Best Food In Rome

Since I am going to be in Europe for the month of June, my friend Roberto Cremonini sent me a list of good food places in Rome with links. While I am in Europe my blogging will be less frequent but I will be back at the regular schedule in July. Here is his list. I am going to as many as possible.

Best ice cream: Gelateria Giolitti -- via Uffici del Vicario, 40 (close to the Pantheon) – Rome

Best caffe': Caffe' Sant'Eustachio - P.zza Sant'Eustachio n. 82 (between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon)

Al fresco dining on the square: Ristorante Galeassi – Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. Order the spaghetti with vongole veraci.

Pizza where the Romans have it: Pizzeria Baffetto – Via Del Governo Vecchio 114 (close to Piazza Navona). Beware the crust is very thin - but that is the real Roman pizza.

A typical Trastevere place: Trattoria La Fraschetta (in Trastevere) – Via San Francesco a Ripa 134

Pizza al taglio for lunch by the Colosseum: Forno dei Serpenti good for pizza al taglio (lunch) or breads – (close to the Colosseum) – Via dei serpenti

Famous Tartufo ice cream: Tre Scalini (in Piazza Navona) famous for the tartufo don't eat here see negative website comments, just have the tartufo (ice cream)

Best salumeria (delicatessen) in my old neighborhood: Franchi -- Via Cola di Rienzo 200 (close to the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo). Go buy bread, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and cold cuts. You can also have panini at their restaurant.

Best grocery in my old neighborhood: Castroni - Via Cola di Rienzo 196 (next to Franchi). This is the only place where i could find cranberry juice and cranberries for my thanksgiving dinners in Rome.

Lugano Restaurants: A Local’s Picks

The local’s favorite restaurant series continues with these selections by Peter Gloor, a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Coordination Science at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Prior to this role Peter lead the e-Business practice Europe for Deloitte and before that the Section Leader for Software Engineering at Union Bank of Switzerland, as well as other roles. He grew up in Switzerland and provides his picks for the best places to eat for the Italian speaking part of southern Switzerland, mostly Lugano.

Osteria Gallo D'Oro, Davesco - high quality local food in typical Ticinese surroundings, great outdoor pergola, Peter’s favorite. It is located at Via Cantonale
6964 Davesco-Soragno tel. 091 941 19 43

Osteria Calprino, Lugano Paradiso - very typical, excellent food at modest pricing, impressive local chef, I once was dining there when the Swiss President (Moritz Leuenberger at that time) was eating there, too. It is located at Via Carona 18 - Lugano Paradiso - tel. 091 994 14 80

Restaurante Villa Principe, Leopoldo - very expensive, but excellent food and great ambiance, great view over Lugano and lakes. There is a hotel if you need to stay over after the meal. It is perched atop the "Golden Hill" which dominates the city of Lugano. The villa was built for Prince Leopold von Hohenzollern in 1868. It now has Wi-Fi. South Travels says, “The Restaurant Principe Leopoldo is an elegant venue for Chef de Cuisine Dario Ranza who has created one of the best gastronomic addresses in Switzerland.” It is located at Via Montalbano, 5 CH-6900 Lugano (Tessin) Tel.: : + 41 091 985 88 55

Motto del Gallo, Taverne, - very good local food, not really cheap, but well worth it, nice historic atmosphere. Their site says it is the synonym of charm. “A romantic stainway leads to a group of small 15th century houses, richly furnished with antiques and work of the art. Rustic terrace. Seasonal market produce. Tasty, mediterranean-style coockery.Superb choice of around 500 wines, mainly from selected Ticino vinedressers. Three small very confortable suites.” It is located at Via al Motto / CH-6817 Taverne
T. + 41.091.9452871