| gonetraveling.com "I am a part of all that I have met. Yet, all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world where margin fades, forever and forever when I move." |
| a gastronomic tour |
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| Hardly anyone would dispute the fact that Italy is an ideal country to visit if two of your hobbies are food and wine. However, we decided to test this theory when our friends Steve and Charmane from San Diego agreed to a nine day “gastronomical tour” of the Italian countryside. To ensure we maximized our gastronomic experience, we mapped a route that would allow us to pass through or stay in cities that serious epicureans dream of. We would start in Milan (the most convenient meeting point), make a quick stop in Cinque Terre to reminisce seaside living and then begin our journey South to Parma for proscuitto and parmesan reggiano, Modena for balsamic vinegar, Bologna for bolognese sauce and tortellini, and then down through the Tuscan countryside for wine. No matter how prepared we were for our adventure, we could never have been ready for what awaited our stomachs. |
| 2002-2003 |
| > cinque terre > via dell'amore > marnello > spilamberto > bologna > lasagna in florence > montalcino > siena > san gimignano |
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| > italy |
| > home |
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| We decided that driving would give us more flexibility than any train or bus, so Steve graciously agreed to rent a car for our trip and serve as full-time driver. Fletch took the position of navigator and Charmane and I willingly hopped in the back seat, happy to be without any responsibilities. |
| Our first incident occurred less than two hours outside of Milan (an unplanned stop in Genoa) and unfortunately it wasn’t for an epicurean discovery. Whether it was Steve pretending to be Ferrari’s F1 driver Michael Schumacher or the effects of Italy’s endless construction, we blew out our rear tire. Thank god for our handyman Fletch who we discovered is skilled with more than a hammer and saw, within twenty minutes, both he and Steve had the spare on and we were on our way. Charmane and I found that we made better supervisors than mechanics. |
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| italy by car |
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