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No menu, but it's all good at these homestyle restaurants

I don’t need an Italian mother to get home cookin’!

Take Via delle Barozze from Rocca di Papa and peel your eyes for small signs that read “Da Miranda.” This locally-known, non-advertised restaurant is run by an energetic elderly woman (with the help of her grown grandson) and serves a more-than-you-can-eat meal at a bargain price.

Seated at long picnic tables with paper tablecloths, you would be quick to realize that this spot is far from your typical restaurant. For 15 euros a head, customers are stuffed with bread, Italian cut meats, cheese, soup, two types of pasta, an array of grilled meats, dessert and, of course, wine. No choosing from the menu – Miranda decides what you’ll be having (and how much of it – eating less than your share can be insulting and result in confrontation by the cook)!

These types of “homestyle” restaurants can be found throughout Italy – though one needs to go searching for them as they are rarely or poorly marked. Anyone traveling to Italy who finds himself confronted with a seemingly residential kitchen should not apologize for invading property, but take a seat and be prepared to get served.

Posted by Kelsea at 6:12 PM | Comments (0)

Outlet shopping in a pastel fantasyland

In Rome and looking for some bargains on brand-name clothing items? I can help.

I have recently discovered the outlets -- not an uncommon phenomenon in the USA, but my discovery of them a mere half-hour outside the city has definitely made shopping with the euro a little less intimidating.

Directions: From Rome, get on the GRA (the highway that runs the perimeter of the city) and take the exit for Napoli. About 15 minutes later take the exit called Valmontone. Follow the signs for the Fashion District and it will be hard to miss. Bring a few euro for tolls.

What I like most about the outlets is that the shopping area has an almost theme-park color scheme: Bright blues, yellows and pinks were used on the outsides of the buildings. At the entrance, flags fly, enticing customers with the word saldi (sale) to enter the great arches.

The best times to go are January and September, when prices drop as retailers make space for the new season's items.

Posted by Kelsea at 3:27 PM | Comments (1)

Imitation Italian in an American supermarket

Over the holidays my 100-percent-Italian boyfriend came to visit the USA for the first time.

This alone can be pretty overwhelming for someone unaccustomed to Maine's daily snowfall and American coffee, but he found it to be a pleasant experience, overall.

One thing he did find terribly amusing, however, was the use of the "100% Italian" (or its equivalent) label on the supermarket shelves.

As we moseyed down the aisles, we became suddenly aware of the number of pasta sauces, olive oils, spaghetti boxes and sliced meats bearing Italian names. At one point he picked up a jar of Prego tomato sauce and asked me why it was called "you're welcome."

I was relieved when he did finally come across familiar brands. Colavita olive oil, for instance, is the same that sits on his kitchen table. Brands for pasta and pasta sauces that are popular among Italians are Barilla and De Cecco.

I personally found it alarming to compare the ingredients of the real Italian products against those merely bearing the names. Pick up a jar of Barilla tomato sauce and the contents are tomatoes, water, basil, salt, garlic, oregano and olive oil. Pick up a jar of other seemingly Italian sauces and your list may include high fructose corn syrup and more unpronounceable ingredients.

Posted by Kelsea at 2:54 PM | Comments (1)

The smallest theater in the world

Teatro della Concordia in Monte Castello di Vibio, Umbria.

Italy’s region of Umbria is famed for its green rolling hills, unsalted bread and its artistic and architectural treasures. Many tourists head to Perugia for the chocolate festival or to Assisi to visit the monastery of the Catholic Saint Francis. Others may day-trip to the well-established hill town of Todi in the heart of Umbria, but just a 15-minute drive north sits a town that is often overlooked.

Monte Castello di Vibio may seem like a ghost town, but it does have one claim to fame: Il teatro piu’ piccolo del mondo (The smallest theater in the world). Over the weekend I decided to head up there to see just how small was small.

After parking outside the center of town, I spent the first 20 minutes meandering the medieval streets -- not just because I was lost but to enjoy the stone walkways and buildings as well. Stopping in a local coffee shop for directions to the un-signposted theater, I knew I had to be in the right place since the sugar packets sported advertisements for the theater. "Take this street here, then right, then a left," the barista explained, waving her hand in such a way that it contradicted everything she said. I roughly followed the directions, but after a few minutes I was positive that I was lost as there was not a soul in sight.

As I was on the verge of losing hope, an old man rounded the corner and again I asked for directions. He gestured to the building in front of us. "That's the back of it there," he said in thick dialect. I squinted at the boarded-up doors. "Here?" "Yes, yes. That’s the stage door where they used to bring in the horses," he explained, "but that was over a hundred years ago."

Built in 1808, Teatro della Concordia is the smallest classical-style theater in the world. After the French Revolution, the popular mindset was of "concordia tra i popoli (concordance between the populations)," and thus the name of the theater came to be. It was built by the nine major families of the town who wanted a social center. Since the town was (and still is) so small, they saw no need for a big hall, so proceeded to build a small one. The theater has a total of 99 seats -- 37 on the floor and 62 in the two tiers of box seats. The boxes are painted with the names and shields of the families, and the upstairs lobby frescos were painted by the 15-year-old son of the original artist.

In 1951, the theater was closed due to safety regulations. It sat untouched for 30 years, until 1981 when the descendants of the original families left it to the town. The Comunita Economica Europea (CEE), an organization that gives money to restore public property, began fixing it up. In 1993 the theater was reopened and is still in business today.

The Teatro della Concordia had its doors open and offers free tours (in Italian) in the afternoons. Performance schedules and information about their packaged weekends can be seen at www.teatropiccolo.it

Posted by Kelsea at 6:39 PM | Comments (3)

Back in Rome, marveling over American dining

Happy [belated] 2006!!! I just got into Rome and am incredibly jet-lagged. It's a nice feeling to be getting back into the routine, but taking those few weeks in my motherland was definitely needed -- not only to surround myself with the familiar but to refresh my memory of the subtle differences between Italy and the USA.

1. What's with the constant eating and drinking? I was doing some after-Christmas-sale shopping in a mall and was appalled at how many people can clothes shop and eat lunch at the same time. Since Italians have such a appreciation for food, they wouldn't be caught dead eating anywhere but at a table. Also, don't store managers get paranoid about spilling on the merchandise?

2. American restaurant service is excellent. Instead of waving my arms to get my Italian waiter's attention to refill my water, American waiters are constantly asking -- almost begging to know -- if everything is up to par. For anyone who has yet to travel to Italy, this type of service is not common so don't go calling the manager if you're still waiting to order after 20 minutes.

3. Diners. Anyone who still has that 1950s-style diner in town should go get some bacon and eggs. Nowhere in Italy can you find a cheap, hearty breakfast and bottomless cup of joe!

There are tons of other differences, but for now I need to get back onto an Italian sleep schedule...

Posted by Kelsea at 12:05 PM | Comments (4)