Coffee, Caffe, Java, Joe... whatever you call it, just give me some!

I have the coolest mom. Today in the mail came a package with a little memento from Sanibel Bean, my favorite coffee shop on the island. I won't make it down there this year so mom sent me a virtual cup "to warm the cockles of my heart". How sweet is that?! My love affair with coffee is intense and well documented. It started 22 years ago in the basement of a pensione in Rome where the Signora made a caffe latte to die for. It still remains the best I have ever had. It was so good that even on the weekends my roommate Mimi and I would set our alarms to make sure we didn't miss breakfast hour, trundle down for coffee and biscotti and then go back to bed.

If you haven't had coffee in Italy, you haven't lived. Espresso even converted my husband who didn't touch the stuff for the first 44 years of his life. Then on a trip to Northern Italy he gave it a try and now his morning drink of choice is a doppio espresso . Still makes me laugh when I think of this six foot guy sipping espresso from a tiny cup in a vineyard tasting room.

It's not just the flavor of the coffee but it's the whole experience. The pulse of a cafe in Italy is great - neighbors and friends gather for morning espresso and gossip. In the more elegant bars your coffee will come with little cookies or a chocolate. And the maestro behind the bar will put any Starbucks barista to shame. Usually dressed in a blazer or a vest, he manages the flurry of orders shouted at him with ease and expertise. There is no writing the details on a paper cup - this is a true professional.

Obviously I can't always get to Italy for my morning caffeine kick. So while I am stateside I will comfort myself with the fabulous coffee at places like Sanibel Bean and Ashlawn Coffee. And I will count the days until I get to Rome in March!

The end of an era...

Last week I came across this article about Rome’s plan to pave over some of the cobblestone streets to make the pedestrian areas more accessible to women in heels.

Rome to Repave Cobblestones

Nowhere else in the world would urban planning be dictated by the latest fashion (or in the case of Italian women, the timeless tradition of wearing fabulous albeit unsensible footwear!) I can’t say that I am in favor of this change. The cobblestones – known as sanpietrini, or little St. Peters – are an integral part of the fabric of the Roman cityscape and add incredible charm to the urban setting. However, I do understand the reason for the decision. In fact, I have first hand knowledge and experience. My memory of a particular evening at the Spanish Steps will remain in my memory as one of the greatest nights I spent with my husband (then boyfriend).We spent our final night of a 10-day trip wandering the streets of Rome, taking in the sights and enjoying the warm summer evening.Most of that night I spent barefoot, stopping only to put my shoes back on when we went into a restaurant for dinner. I had abandoned my shoes after a harrowing descent of the Spanish Steps in which I quite possibly dislocated Doug’s shoulder as I clung to him for dear life.

Here are the offending (though stylish) mules.

While they are of amateur status by any Italian woman’s standards, they were the demise of my promenade around the Eternal City and I opted for dirty street urchin feet once I could not take another step. Pave the streets if you must Mayor Alemanno. And to the uber stylish women of Rome, I salute you and your refusal to submit to function over fashion.

The Return of Live It's blog

I'm back! After a long absence from blogging, what is the one thing that would inspire me to start writing again? Food, of course! Enjoy - I will see you soon (I promise!)

Grazie mille Mario Batali & Co. I travel quite a bit to Italy but my home is here in the States. It may seem odd to you that I would travel to NYC for the sole purpose of going to a food emporium but this isn’t just any food emporium, this is the mother ship: Eataly. At a time when I was craving the fresh seasonal offerings that you can only get in Italy, Doug and I boarded the train and headed to 23^rd and Broadway for a hedonistic day of gastronomic delights. Kid in the candy store doesn’t begin to describe how I felt. My pulse quickened as I entered - that was before the espresso. I knew I had to control myself - how many calories could one truly enjoy in a few hours? (don’t answer that!) With 11 eateries and a whole market of take home goodies imported directly from Italy, not to mention a wine shop dedicated exclusively to Italian labels, I was in a serious quandary. Where to start? I need a plan, I thought. And there I saw it, highlighted on a blackboard as one of the specials at the Verdure (vegetable) restaurant: Fried Artichokes. I dragged my carnivore of a husband to the counter, plopped myself down and nibbled on Roman style bread while I waited for the artichokes to arrive, hoping they would be even remotely like the ones I so relished in Rome. I wasn't disappointed. As I savored this dish that was simple and yet incredibly flavorful, I felt transported if only for a little while to the Eternal City. So, all my dear Italophiles, if you can’t get to Italy I encourage you to make a pilgrimage to the mecca that is Eataly and experience it yourself. Because I haven’t even mentioned the salame and cheese panino that I sampled after the artichokes... to be continued. Buon Appetito!

Traveling with kids

As I zipped up my suitcase and pulled it off the bed I thought to myself, “What was I thinking??” In November when we were contemplating this, it seemed like a great idea. My stepdaughter Caitlin has been bugging me to tag along on one of my trips to Italy for several years now and we finally decided that it was time. What I forgot was that I am a solitary traveler, especially when it comes to international trips. I am accustomed to traveling to Italy - I go about 4 times a year - and I have a routine down when I go. I spend a lot of quality time with my IPod and I am asleep before the plane even leaves the ground.

We travel often with our children (ages 13, 13 and 6). Granted, these trips have been limited in scope to the East Coast - Florida, Cape Cod, Pittsburgh, upstate NY, Maryland - but they have all been stellar travelers so in a moment of weakness I agreed to this idea. We mulled over all of the possibilities - should we take the whole family? Should we take the twins and leave the little one behind? Should my husband and I take Caitlin alone? None of the combinations seemed right in one way or another until we decided that I would share this place that was so important to me and so interesting to Caitlin with her alone.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of a trip abroad with children :

Go somewhere that you know or at least that you have visited before - this is not the time to be doing the whole “wing and a prayer” style of travel. I love doing that when I am alone or with my husband but when children are involved I think it is important to have a familiarity with the place. That is not to say that things will always go perfectly smoothly but you are definitely minimizing the possibility of complete disasters.

Relax - you don’t have to go to the Louvre when you are in Paris. Remember that this experience is for the kids and think about it from their perspective. I had made reservations for the Borghese Gallery but we passed it up so that Caitlin could go shopping for a orange scarf. This may seem materialistic and shallow to some but for me it was confirmation that Caitlin was “getting it”. She had been observing the Italian people, noticed that everyone wears scarves and decided that this was something that she wanted to bring back as a memento of her trip. We still smile when she pulls it out of the closet.

Let the kids make some decisions. Have an idea of an itinerary but be flexible enough that you can change the itinerary if something particularly intrigues your kids. I had planned all these great restaurants for us to eat in but on the first day in Rome Caitlin fell in love with the pizza at the bakery across the street from the hotel. By the end of each day, she was so exhausted that the idea of waiting until 8:00 for dinner was inconceivable so we would grab a piece of pizza al taglio, a couple of biscotti and a drink, curl up in bed and watch a movie on her DVD player. Being the foodie that I am, this of course bothered me until I just let go and realized that this was not going to be like the trips I usually take to Italy. And that is just fine.

Don’t criticize their observations. When we were in Rome there were things Caitlin did not like - she was bored at many of the churches that I dragged her into. I began to lose my patience and then I thought back to my husband’s first trip to Italy He was bored at many of the churches too. Medieval history is not for everyone, you know.

Don’t insist on seeing everything. If Doug and I have learned one thing in traveling with the kids, it is that less is more. I think this is even more the case when it comes to international travel. You are laying the groundwork for a lifetime of adventures for your children so don’t treat it as a once in a lifetime and try to pack it all in. Caitlin and I had a ball sitting on a wall overlooking the Umbrian countryside in Orvieto, drinking cappuccino at a cafe in Piazza Navona.

Above all, have fun and try to remember every precious moment!

After all my trepidation, I knew I had made the right decision when we pulled away from the hotel and headed to the airport. Caitlin looked out the window, waved goodbye to Rome and said “I think I’d like to go to Paris and London next”.

The Company You Keep

Travel is about people. Not only the people you meet but the people with whom you are traveling. The company that surrounds you can vastly change the experience you have while traveling. That is not to say that you have to always travel with the same people. I certainly know that is not true as in my job I have the distinct pleasure of traveling with a vast array of different people from all walks of life. Each time I run a trip, the experience is unique and interesting in its own way. I have been to the Spanish Steps in Rome more times than I can count but each time that experience is determined by my traveling companions. I recall my stepdaughter’s observations about the Italian people and her decision to buy a scarf just like was the fashion at that time. I remember clinging to my husband (then my boyfriend) for dear life as we made our way down the steps on the way to dinner. I had decided to get really dressed up for our last dinner in Rome, complete with stiletto heels. I quickly regretted this decision as we looked down from the top of the Spanish Steps. For clients who are interested in literature I point out the Keats/Shelley house, for those who seem less interested in anything cultural I point out the first McDonalds in Italy that is found right near the Spanish Steps. Every reaction and interaction that I have with my clients brings new perspective to my impressions of Italy and I appreciate that there is never only one way to see things. I relish the experiences I have while traveling in Italy because it is through that personal exchange that the true essence is reached. Next time you travel make sure that you not only take time to see the things you went to see but also to listen to those who are traveling with you and hear about the experience from their perspective. You won’t be disappointed.

L'Insalatone (The Big Salad)

I try not to make all of my entries about food and wine while I am traveling through Italy (though it would be easy to do so) but today I had to write about my lunch. For a long time I thought the American restaurant scene finally had something over the Italians: the salad. I don’t mean a little salad that you order with your meal, I mean the BIG SALAD (cue the Seinfeld music). Italian salad always lacked something. Yes, the lettuce was good, the carrots had more flavor than any I had ever tasted in the US and the tomatoes never tasted like cardboard. But in the past Italians would never accept a salad as an entrée and therefore the possibility to have just that rather than a pasta course, a meat course and THEN salad was inconceivable. And certainly, after all the food preceding it, one was never hoping for a big salad. But Italians have finally jumped on the big salad bandwagon and I must say, nobody does it better. Yesterday I had a divine salad with grilled chicken, parmesan shavings, cherry tomatoes and olives. There was no inquiry about whether or not I wanted creamy garlic salsa ranch peppercorn dressing. The dark green local olive oil bottle was plopped on my table along with a bottle of balsamic vinegar and salt. No pepper, that is by special request only. A glass of prosecco, my big salad and a hunk of fresh bread – che buono! Life is good!

The Seasoned Traveler....well, maybe not.

There are times when I feel like a real pro when I travel. This three week trip had me especially proud because I really limited my clothing choices, accepting the fact that yes, I can wear the same shirt a few times in the arc of three weeks and admitting that yes, there are laundry services here in Italy. I even limited my shoes to four pairs (five if you include my running shoes but those will be used only when I go for a run. I lived in Rome for long enough to know that my New Balance sneaks are definitely a fashion "don't").

My flight was easy and all connections were on time. I slept for five hours on the plane and when I got to Milan, my bag was there as well. So you can imagine that I was feeling sure of myself at the very least, dare I say a little cocky. And that is when the travel gods decided to teach me a lesson. I was halfway to Lake Garda when I realized that I had left my travel wallet with passport and all my travel documents in the bathroom at the Malpensa airport. My fabulous and adorable driver Stefano worked his magic - he made calls to the main switchboard at the airport,to the police and the Lost & Found until he finally tracked down the wallet. Then he arranged for a colleague to pick the wallet up for me and he will bring it to me tomorrow when he picks up my clients at the airport and brings them to the hotel.

Travel (especially international) isn't always easy. But we should do it anyway. It usually works out just fine - I know it did for me! Buona notte!