Aquileia and Grado
Once again, in my efforts to see as much as possible in two weeks, my plan was to visit two cities in one day. I left my hotel in Udine…
Gemona del Friuli and Venzone
The next day, I took another early train from Udine to Gemona del Friuli. After passing endless, barren fields in varying shades of brown, we reached the Alto Friuli—the gateway…
Tarvisio: Monte Santo di Lussari
Early one winter morning, I took the train from Udine to the town of Tarvisio in the mountains of northern Friuli. The sky was clear, and for most of the…
Udine: Hostaria Alla Tavernetta
On Valentine's Day, I bid farewell to Trieste and took the train to Udine, where I discovered that the sottopassaggio (underground walkway) held a passage leading from the train platforms…
Muggia: Lilibontempo (Trattoria “Ex-Hitler”)
On my last day in Trieste, I took bus #20 from the train station and, after a half hour of winding through the city’s southern suburbs, arrived in the town…
Flavors of Friuli: ForeWord Review’s Book of the Year Awards
Flavors of Friuli: A Culinary Journey through Northeastern Italy has just been awarded a bronze medal in the "Cooking" category of ForeWord Review's 2010 Book of the Year Awards. Other…
Pasticceria Penso: Torta Sacher
It was a blustery February morning, and I had returned to Pasticceria Penso, one of Trieste’s oldest bakeries, to inquire about some local dessert recipes. Several days prior, I had…
Trieste’s Aquarium and Pasticceria Bomboniera
I had arrived in Trieste to begin the research for my book Flavors of Friuli. Being particularly interested in the city’s local foods, I set out first thing in the…
Dream of Italy: May 2011 issue
This month I have two articles featured in the Dream of Italy newsletter: "Rediscovering Paradise in Castiglioncello" and "10 Great Things to Do on the Island of Elba." I first…
Trieste: Buffet Da Pepi
Armed with a mission to discover everything there is to know about Friulian cuisine, I arrived in Milano on a cold February evening to find myself without a hotel reservation.…