Parma - a city of culture and great food

Advantages: History, Culture & Cuisine
Disadvantages: None

...If you want a long weekend full of culture and great food - Parma could be just what you're looking for and it doesn't have to cost a fortune! Take the audio-walk that starts at the IAT office (Tourist Information) - where you will get a portable CD player and headphones. This will direct you around the city, taking in different buildings and monuments - all the time listening to a soundtrack. At the end of the walk you will end up back where you started from and all you do is return the CD player and headphones. All at no cost to you - other than about 50 minutes of your time. You can also buy a "Museum & Monuments Pass" as a cheaper option to see the city. There are three options that offer different themes: Music (EU5) , Imagination & Culture (EU5) and Music & Art (EU8). We went for the Imagination & Culture pass - which allowed...

booeze123 15.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Parma (Italy)

A Day In Capri Italy

Advantages: Lots to see and do
Disadvantages: not enough time

...paying Ciao pronounced Chow Hello Arriverderci Aree'veh'dair'chee Goodbye This got a laugh and two very large glasses of chilled white wine (dry and refreshing). The waiter also brought a large bowl of black olives, a bowl of green olives and a bowl of small salted biscuit's (a bit like pretzels) . This cost about £12.00 and even though its pricey it was worth it. We sat for half an hour and relaxed. Capri's little Piazzetta is one of the best known squares in Italy and is a great place to sit and relax and do a bit of people watching. ~ Parco Augosto-The Gardens Of the Emperor Augustus ~ The garden's of the Emperor...

debmercury 18.03.2008 (14.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Capri (Italy)

Chicken and Parma ham parcels

Advantages: Very tasty, great for romantic dinner with candles
Disadvantages: You would want it more and more

...This Chicken wrapped in Parma ham is absolutely delicious and i can guarantee that you wouldn't leave single crumb on your plate. Kittchen tools required: A)One metal,ceramic or oven proof glass dish B)One ceramic deep oven dish (normaly used for pie's or smaller size lasagne) C)Food procesor or blender Ingredience: ' Olive Oil 2 Chicken breasts 4 slices of parma ham 1 handfull of washed spinach leaves 50g chorizo sausage 4 teaspoons of finely grated parmesan 4 pieces of sun dried tomatos 2 gloves garlic salt, peper potatoes for two people Double cream 1 egg 100g grated cheese Preparation: ' PREHEAT OVEN TO 200 - 220*C POTATOES: """"""""""""""""" 1.Boil potatoes...

Kacenka 06.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Kat's Chicken Wrapped in Parma Ham

Little Italy, Big Disappointment

Advantages: Dancing is fun
Disadvantages: Dinner overpriced and bland, expensive

...I went to Little Italy a few months ago with my girlfriend and have mixed feelings about the place. Situated on Soho's Frith Street it is the heart of a really buzzy and lively area of London. An area in which you are spoilt for choice for dining, especially with Italian restaurants, you have to be doing something right to survive. Little Italy is a restaurant, bar and club. In the latter two it succeeds, in the former, not so. As a restaurant, the first thing you'll notice is the abundance of staff waiting to wait on you but somehow unwilling to do so or be helpful. Then there is the food itself, which is grotesquely overpriced at about £30 per head excluding drinks. The bruchetta was like oiled cardboard and our main meat dish favouring better but still fairly bland. So much so I can't even remember what meat it was, probably beef...

Nixu1980 19.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Little Italy, London

  Italy For Beginners

Advantages: it´s nice
Disadvantages: none

...So you´re thinking of travelling to Italy and getting to know the country? If you like shock treatment, fly straight to the South, to Naples or Palermo, and throw yourself into the street life there, if you prefer things to move more slowly, though, it may be a good idea to start exploring the country from the town of Trento, 140 km south of the Austrian/Italian border. It is the first ´real´ Italian town, the area north of it, South Tyrol, is more Austrian due to its history, it only became part of Italy after WW 1. Many people there are bilingual, if they want to become civil servants, they must know Italian and German. The valley of the river Adige on whose banks Trento is situated has been inhabited since prehistoric times it having been one of the main branches of the amber route. The Romans built streets there (The Romans...

MALU 04.03.2005 (30.09.2005) · Read review
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Review of Trento (Italy)

The Gate to Italy

Advantages: nice scenery & architecture, fine cuisine, great shops, very relaxing place
Disadvantages: nothing REALLY spectacular in a country full of attractions

...Just a few miles south of the Swiss border, Como is the first town in Italy. Very different in style and culture to Italy's thriving cities, Mediterranean holiday resorts and antique sights, Como exudes the mild charm of Lombardy region. I was a bit surprised myself when I realised that I hadn't written anything yet on Ciao about one of my favourite countries, Italy. So when famous Ciaoer ConnaisseurHaggler said she was going to nearby Milano two weeks ago, I decided it was time I introduced the northern Italian region of Lombardy, and its pearl, Como. Como is two things in one - the city of Como, and the Lago di Como (lake). It is not really a holiday destination for itself, but a place which you shouldn't miss when you are nearby. 1) Como is ideal for a day trip or weekend getaway from Milan, if you want to escape hectic...

From_The_Continent 22.03.2001 (24.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Como (Italy)

A little bit of Spain in Italy!

Advantages: Busy town in Northern sardinia, good base
Disadvantages: Small airport

...Alghero known in Latin as Algarium, is on the West coast of Sardinia, in the province of Sassari. The name is derived from something, which might be off-putting, as it means "the place of algae"! However, I thought it was a lovely little town and enjoyed my brief stay there. Alghero, the tourism capital of northern Sardinia, is a fascinating town of immense historical interest, which also has excellent beaches. It can be lively, vibrant and cosmopolitan in the holiday season when there are open markets, bars and restaurants, which cater for most tastes. There are quality hotels and apartments, which complement the traditional tourist amenities, which are transforming Alghero into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. Founded on a peninsula facing the Bay of Alghero early in the 12th Century, it was taken from...

jo145 03.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Alghero, Sardinia (Italy)

The Truth about Italy

Advantages: Tells you about the REAL Italy
Disadvantages: Some chapters can be heavy going

...While television and the internet may have developed the phenomenon yet further, the idea of the armchair tourist is not that new. In the nineteenth century well-to-do young men set off on the "Grand Tour" to see Europe and bring back souvenirs from, in particular, Greece and Italy. It was at this time that many British people found out, through the drawings and paintings executed by these young men, in essence the forerunners of the Inter-railing gap-year student, what ancient monuments and ancient remains really looked like. It became very popular to own picture books full of depictions of famous historical sights around Europe. Those who did not want to travel or could not afford to, could see, albeit in pictorial form, what the pyramids or the Colisseum looked like. Thanks to technology we have live news reports beamed to our...

fizzytom 08.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of The Dark Heart of Italy - Tobias Jones

My favourite corner of Italy!

Advantages: Very friendly and great food!
Disadvantages: I don't go often enough!

...the surrounding hills. Towards the end of August is also worth avoiding as thats when most of Italy shuts down for the summer holidays and it gets very busy. In may and September, the weather has usually been fine. Sunny enough to catch a good tan, but not so hot that you cant get around without feeling very uncomfortable. THE FOOD Good found is to be found all over Italy and Sorrento is no exception. The local cuisine is to die for with plenty of choice of venues to suit all budgets. Italy has a reputaion of being expensive, probably a reputaion which has clung to it since people began straying from the Costa's in numbers. Nowadays, Italy is no more expensive than like for like in the UK. As you would expect, pizzas are fabulous - thin crispy bases cooked in most places in real wood burning pizza ovens on stone slabs. Most things you would...

klofron 22.05.2007 (19.05.2007) · Read review
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Review of Sorrento (Italy)

This is Italy!

Advantages: sunshine, small, feels like Italy
Disadvantages: lots of tourists (but nothing like Rome or Venice)

...I spent 2 gorgeous days in the Cinque Terre, in April 2004, at the end of about 2 weeks travelling through various parts of Italy and I have to say this was the highlight of the trip. Cinque Terre means "5 towns" and that's exactly what it is. Five gorgeous little villages joined by an excellent walking track. We arrived late in the afternoon, at the nearest train station, after a bit of a journey to get there (there were a number of changes along the way, and due to one train running late, we narrowly missed our connection, forcing us to spend two hours in one of the less interesting parts of Italy while we waited for the next one but hey, isn't that part of the fun of travelling?) from Florence. The first surprise was to be greeted by a woman at the train station offerring us a room in her house to stay, not something I had...

Popalee 02.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Cinque Terre (Italy)