Our Grand Tour Of Italy....

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zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
Hands down, there's nothing Greta and I enjoy more than Italy- the food, the wine, the people...and being able to smoke a pipe almost anywhere you choose. This year, we were back on the Amalfi Coast - starting in Sorrento where we were married 5 years ago. We arrived the day before the annual regatta- one of the boat pictures is the 75 year old Italia- I was able to crew on that boat a few years ago- a lot of history there. We spent 6 days in Sorrento and found it incredibly stressful for the first few days- When we left Sarasota on Thursday, Irma was tracking for the Atlantic coast, by time we landed on Friday, it was heading up the Gulf Coast towards Sarasota...and we had done zero in the way of hurricane prep. The kids were all hunkered down in a house in Tampa and the worse damage we had on our house was two blown out screens on our lanai. We didn't sleep for a couple of nights and were glad when it was over....
Next up was a few days on Capri- a lot of history, amazing views and some of the most incredible boats anchored in the area you could imagine. We always hire a boat with captain fro a tour around the island- most folks have heard of the Blue Grotto, but there are actually 9 or 10 grottos that you can swim through- all kinds of different colors and coral to see. Beaches in this part of the world are rock...and there's nothing like swimming off one of these beaches- you're swimming in a 3' swell in very deep water...and amazing scenery.
It's pretty dismal on pipe shops in this part of Italy- many Tabaccerias, but a limited selection of pipe tobacco and a handful of pipes. The good news is the majority of the restaurants are outdoor patios, and we didn't find any of them where you couldn't smoke a pipe. It may be the dry air and salt air, but a pipe tastes great there compared to the muggy jungle of Florida. My go to tobacco this trip was 3 year old Stonehaven with Escudo as a backup...
Final leg is in Ischia- staying at the Punta Chariot Resort- a pretty amazing place where they make their own wine, cheese, tomatoes, figs, olives, and almost anything else they serve at their restaurant. It's also a volcanic island -earthquake killed a couple of people up in the mountains last month. One of our favorite things is taking 700 steps down to the base of a cliff at the resort where boiling water flows out and meets the see. They actually are boiling potatoes in holes in the rock. To get out far enough in the ocean where you can tolerate the temperature, you have to walk on a 12" board maybe 20' out....not a good idea after a bottle of Prosecco...
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alexnorth

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2015
603
3
Looking good Zack! Italy is great, I've been a couple of times and the food always amazes me! And the people too

 

lohengrin

Lifer
Jun 16, 2015
1,198
2
Great!

Thank you for sharing the pictures of the nice days you spent there with your beautiful wife.
By the way, I don't ask you how many glasses of wine you was able to drink, but how many pipes did you bring in Italy?

 

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
By the way, I don't ask you how many glasses of wine you was able to drink, but how many pipes did you bring in Italy?
It's not a trip to Italy if you don't have a bottle of Prosecco at lunch, a carafe of wine in the afternoon at the beach, and a bottle of wine at night with dinner...along with a few limoncellos to aid the digestion...and you really never feel it....
On pipes, I only brought 2....but I'm a very light smoker- it's usually one bowl a week at home and maybe 1 every other day in Italy....Ending up bringing one of my older billiards and one of my Snapping' Turtle pipes...seemed to be just right...

 

tschiraldi

Lifer
Dec 14, 2015
1,813
3,555
55
Ohio
Ah, you're living the dream,Sir! Good food, great wine, the Italian shoreline, a beautiful lady, and pipe full of wonderful tobacco! Molto buono, Senore!

 

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
Great Pics !!

Between the balls of fresh mozzarella (Burrata?), tomatoes, basil and prosciutto; I'm hungry. :)

 

wyfbane

Lifer
Apr 26, 2013
5,117
3,517
Tennessee
Wonderful pics! I'm glad things settled down, hurricane-wise so you could relax any enjoy your time! I also agree with your philosophy on imbibing. I was in Italy and drank 1-2 litres a day, minimum. Took 4 liters to get me muddled the next morning, but no true hangover.

 

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
What are those big white balls in the centre of a couple of dishes? Too big to be a boiled egg.

There's a really funny reply I could make on this, but as a mod with a distinguished reputation, I will refrain from my baser instincts. The Big white balls in question are bufala mozzarella - a mozzarella made from the milk of Mediterranea Italiana buffalo. They come in the shape of big white balls, small white balls, or white balls twisted in a knot...and are quite delicious...:)

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,067
Carmel Valley, CA
And you can obtain some balls* at your local deli if you're lucky. Cheese won't come from Italian buffalo, tho, prolly 'Merican based. Excellent stuff. Caprese salad. Yum, and I am not much of a salad eater.
Great photo essay, Zack!
* The stuff we get in N. Cal. is labelled "Mozzarella di bufalo" Never seen the twisted balls, though, and not sorry I haven't.

 
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