Wines of Cinque Terre

VERY important information...

These are the wines we will most often find in CT (the cheap, local table wines), with the first two the most common.

CINQUE TERRE
Color: Pale straw yellow with pale green reflections.
Bouquet: Subtle, delicate and persistent, with good finesse and elegance with clean scents of field grasses and cedar.
Taste: Dry, clear freshness, light and continuous.


SCIACCETRA  -- sweet (I think that none of us like sweet wine.)


COSTA DE CAMPU WINE OF MANAROLA
Color: Pale yellow with slight green hues, brilliant.
Bouquet: Broad, intense and finely persistent, with hints of lemongrass, Russet apple and resins.
Taste: Dry, but quite soft, fruity and good persistence.


COSTA DE SERA WINE OF RIOMAGGIORE
Color: straw with delicate golden hues, brilliant.
Bouquet: Intense and persistent, very fine, with hints of flowers and pleasant background of acacia honey.
Taste: Dry, good flavor, very persistent, harmonious and comprehensive structure with a pleasant and typical bitter aftertaste.


COSTA DA POSA WINE OF MANAROLA
Color: Straw yellow with golden hues, bright and good smoothness.
Bouquet: Of good intensity and gently persistent, with hints of cut hay, musk and flint.
Taste: Dry, balanced soft, at the same time nervous and of good continuity.

Wine Tours

Hey, all. Just wanted to update ya'll that I am on the wine tour from Cinque Terre search. It hasn't been as smooth as I thought it would be-- I think we'll have to get a little more creative... like, go to La Spezia first or something like that. I have a lot more to check out-- will let you know.

FYI.

Ciao ciao.
-cr.

Rick Steves on 9/11

This is interesting-- Rick (yes, we are on a first name basis, Rick and I) was in Cinque Terre on 9/11: http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/1109/hi.htm#continue

Random items.

A few things:

Interesting slideshow listing what you can and cannot bring home, customs wise.

AOL Travel's best 11 travel apps for smartphones/iPads

Ann -- I know you've been all over apps and such. If you find awesome things you think we should all have, will you post here, please?

The Uffizi gallery (Florence) site has downloadable stuff and also has a link to reserving tickets, but from what I can see there is a pretty big charge for the online service, which shouldn't be needed-- you can reserve tickets (recommended to avoid long lines) at the Uffizi office in advance for just a small charge. So, for those of us who want to hit the Uffizi for sure, we can reserve tickets when we get there, a day in advance. Plus, it sounds like you can reserve tickets for the Accademia (where Michaelangelo's David lives) at that same office.

Also, I'm checking into Chianti region tours; there are a lot of options. I'll update you after I narrow it down. I'm looking for Sunday, half day.

Grazie!
-cr.

p.s., please be sure to reply with ideas, thoughts, things to share. I think it's easy to do once you set up an account the first time. Or you can do anonymous, just be sure to say who you are. Thanks.

Rome Lodging, F yeah!

Ciao!

I've finally secured what I think is a totally kick ass place for Rome. This place looks great, check it out: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p831025

Not a lot of reviews on Trip Advisor (it's new on the scene), but they are good ones

The location is really killer; just off of Piazza Navona, close to the Pantheon, near the river on a quiet street. It looks spacious and light and newly remodeled, which is a real score in Rome. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths + sofa bed in living room. Right on the hop-on-hop-off bus route.

 

And it's a great price:

1150 USD total for 3 nights + a $425 deposit on arrival, fully refundable. So, 1150 / 3 = 383/ night / 4 couples = about $100 per night, per couple.

I know. Awesome.

I have it reserved with lovely Filippo, but I do need to send one night's rent for a deposit right away, so I'm hoping to maybe get some money from each couple -?? I'd like to talk money for the other apartments in general-- will be calling a meeting asap. FYI.

YEAH.

Ciao.
-cr.

These look pretty cool for packing needs...

Especially for cords, which always kind of flummox me when packing.

 

> http://www.cocooninnovations.com/grid.php 

Insider Tips: In Case of a Lost Passport

How to deal: Passports can often be issued at a U.S. embassy on the same day if you can prove your identity (the U.S. Department of State has a full list of embassies and consulate offices around the world). Of course, it's hard to prove your identity when your wallet—and everything in it—is MIA. The best first step in this situation is to go to a police station to get a statement declaring your situation. Take this statement to the embassy, and they should be able to retrieve your information in their system. You won't be charged any fees for a limited validity passport (the kind you get in an emergency), but you will need to pay the normal fee (around $110) to replace your full validity passport when you get back home.


Insider tip: Before you depart, sign up for the U.S. Department of State's free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Store your passport number and other details in its online database, making it easy for you to receive emergency assistance from a U.S. embassy or consulate during an emergency.