Ultimate Map of Venice

Calli, Campielli e Canali is generally agreed to be the ultimate map of Venice. With this book in hand, you will be able to find even the most out-of-the-way places in Venice.

However, it is distinctly more difficult to carry than the average map, because it is in fact a true book of 226 pages (22 x 23 centimeters). In addition to being a explicitly detailed street guide, it also contains descriptions (in English) of all significant private and public buildings, dates of construction, family, and architectural style.

For the average traveller, this book is probably overkill (Calli, Campielli e Canali is as labyrinthine as the city itself). But for anyone planning a long stay or who wants to travel “more deeply” into Venice, Calli, Campielli e Canali is the map book to get.

Latte di Luna restaurant in Pienza, Italy

Looking for restaurant recommendations for the hilltowns of Tuscany? I’ve gleaned some insider tips from Ferenc Mate’s delightful memoir A Vineyard in Tuscany.

Mate loves food and wine with a passion. While renovating his dream house in Tuscany and starting his own small winery, Mate enjoyed meals at these favorite restaurants:

Trattoria Latte di Luna in Pienza

Most of the reviews I’ve read stress that Latte di Luna serves simple, home cooked meals.  You won’t find anything fancy, but you will find tasty local specialties at  reasonable prices.  Very popular so make reservations. See photo at right and read  slowtravel.com reviews.

Trattoria La Torre in Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Although Mate recommends this restaurant, I found mixed reviews online. On the positive side, travellers Jane and Ken say “If you visit the abbey (which you should), then plan on having a very nice lunch in the ristorante. We so enjoyed it there.”

But TuscanHouse warns “Ristorante La Torre at the Abbey is a big operation to accommodate the frequent busloads of tour groups and sometimes fails to give good food or good service”.

Closed on Tuesdays
53020 MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE
Tel. +39 577 – 707022

Trattoria da Mario in Buonconvento

Buonconvento is a lovely small town and not very touristy. Mate mentions eating at Trattoria da Mario in Buonconvento, and apparently he is not alone in his enjoyment of this restaurant. A report on slowtravel.com has this to say about the eatery:

We came back and had dinner at Da Mario in Buonconvento. I will say no more than Da Mario is a gem of a local ristorante with great ambiance (mangiare a fuori) and dynamite food and is considered a secret find by the local inhabitants of this working village.

Via soccini, 60
53022 – Buonconvento
Tel. 0577.806157

Trattoria La Tagliola in Arcidosso

Trattoria La Tagliola in Arcidosso

On TripAdvisor.com the one review for this restaurant proclaims “Migliore ristorante ad Arcidosso”. I don’t speak Italian but it’s safe to assume  this means something along the lines of “best restaurant in Arcidossa”. The reviewer gave it the highest rating – 5 stars.

On Trattoria La Tagliola’s website you can see more photos of the restaurant interior, along with a sample menu.

Bagnoli, Arcidosso
Tel. +39 0564 967351

Trattoria Sciame in Montalcino

Located just a block from the fortress, Trattoria Sciame in Montalcino is a small restaurant with a big reputation. Many independent travellers recommend Trattoria Sciame, as do the big guide books.  Frommer’s writes:

You’ll be lucky to wrest one of the seven tables (crammed into Sciame’s small, modern dining room) away from the devoted locals who fill it with clamorous chatter almost every night. The food here is firmly cucina casalinga. You needn’t decide on an appetizer because everything is gathered together in the antipastone misto. Top honors go to both the pinci al cinghiale (fat spaghetti in a sauce of tomatoes and wild boar) and the zuppa di fagioli (a bean-and-cabbage soup poured over bread, with a red onion slice over it). Afterward try a pollo arrosto (roast chicken or guinea hen) or the scaloppina agli asparagi (veal scallop with wild asparagus). For dessert, order the cantucci e ossi di morti con moscadello (almond cookies and brittle, hollow “bones of the dead” cookies with sweet white dessert wine).

Prices are reasonable – about $7 – $14 for each course.  Closed Tuesdays, the last week of July and the month of February. Reservations strongly recommended.

Via Ricasoli 9
53024 Montalcino
0577 848-017

My friend Diane suggested that I go to Rick Steves’ site and download some free Italy audio tours of the major sights in Venice, Florence and Rome. These are recorded versions of the highlights from his guide books. They are designed to give you a private walking tour, and are so descriptive that it pays to listen in advance. As with his TV programs, Rick provides a nice blend of history, architecture and regular life.

I took Diane’s advice and was glad that I did. However, due to my personal preference of just walking around looking at things without necessarily “learning” as I go, I didn’t actually use the audio tours in the way they are intended. Instead of listening to the tours as I walked through neighbourhoods in Venice, Florence and Rome,  I listened to them before and after my actual wanderings.

I find that I can’t fully immerse myself in the experience if I’m trying to take in all the information while walking. So what I do is listen to the tour the night before in my hotel room, and then if I have time, listen to it again after the day’s outing. Hearing a review of what I’ve just seen helped me to understand and assimiliate the information.

So what’s included in these audio tours? Currently there are three major cities in Italy that Rick has recorded tours for: Venice, Florence and Rome.

Rick’s Venice Audio Tours  feature the Grand Canal Cruise, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, and Frari Church.

The Florence Audio Tours take you on a tour of the Renaissance Walk, Accademia and Michelangelo’s David, and Uffizi Gallery.

The Rome Audio Tours include the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Trastevere Walk, Jewish Ghetto Walk, Ostia Antica, and Pompeii. I found the audio tour of the Sistine Chapel particularly valuable, as it explained how to get the most out of viewing Michelangelo’s famous ceiling.

Like so many things these days, there are myriad ways to access these audio tours. I downloaded them onto my iPod Touch directly from the RickSteves website. You can also get the Rick Steves Audio Europe app, or download them to any mp3 player.  The app is perhaps the easiest and best experience if you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Android.

One thing I should mention: there are two disadvantages to listening to the audio tours on your mp3 player as opposed to a device like an iPhone. First, you won’t see the pictures. But frankly, you won’t be missing much because the audio tours actually don’t include many pictures; they just have the occasional still photo to illustrate the audio.

The second disadvantage is that the chapter breaks and subheadings may not show up. But that’s not a big deal; basically it will work just fine. After all, you’re going to be looking at the real thing as you walk around, so why would you want to have your head down looking at pictures on an electronic device?

Get the Rick Steves Italy audio tours here