Trattoria alla Nuova Speranza, Venice

Advantages: Happy, friendly and very welcoming.
Disadvantages: Food not too hot when arrieved at the table.

...Trattoria alla Nuova Speranza, can be found by walking to the Arsenale area of Venice Island. We had almost give up finding anywhere to eat in the area we had ventured off the main drag, boulevard Garibaldi which was once a canal but has now been covered over to make the widest street on Venice Island. One of my favourite dishes is spaghetti opa, which is plain cooked spaghetti tossed in oil, garlic, chillies and parsley. This dish which I have eaten at a restaurant called Tre Spiedi many times, which I am sad to say has in the last year changed hands. I had yet to find it on another menu, so when we found the Trattoria and it was on the menu I thought great. The trattoria is small and a little dark on the inside, had a warm welcome and a few locals eating or waiting to eat, always a good selling point. The menu was varied but...

bostonianbeer 06.04.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Trattoria alla Nuova Speranza, Venice

Don't ask them to deliver

Advantages: We didn't have to pay for it
Disadvantages: The food was barely edible

...If you like your pizza freezing cold and tasting awful then Luna Nuova is the place for you! To be fair I've never booked directly from the restaurant, at work we use a company called Room Service who take your order and then collect food from one of about thirty restaurants and deliver it to you, charging you £4 for the privelage. I suppose it is unfair to blame Luna Nuova entirely for the fact that the pizza's we ordered were stone cold when we received them, it could have been the fault of the delivery driver. However, the fact that six of us ordered a pizza each and not one of us enjoyed our food even after reheating it says a lot, I believe. The pizza's left an awful lot to be desired, I'm afraid. I'd describe the base as a cross between cardboard and rubber and the pizza sauce left a very odd aftertaste. The toppings were...

mokee 21.09.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Luna Nuova, London

A perfect guesthouse.

Advantages: beautiful house and city.
Disadvantages: none.

...*Guest House* Alex e Angie is a lovely guest house situated in the centre of Bergamo, Italy. A beautiful, small city just half an hour away from Milan nestled below the Alps. The guest house is on the top floor of an apartment block, just a two minute walk away from the city centre and its main square, Porta Nuova. The apartment block is behind very secure gates and even though it is in a city centre it is very quiet and peaceful. The apartment is on the top floor and there is a lift or stair access. The lift is rather small however there are a lot of stairs to climb to get to the top. The apartment is very clean and very is beautifully decorated. There is a large lounge and dining area on the first floor of the apartment with a balcony. There are also 3 guest rooms, 2 bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. There is also...

luceey 15.08.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Alex e Angie, Bergamo

A pure heart is full of goodness: Calon lân

Advantages: Clear, charming and soulful voice
Disadvantages: She is young, talented, pretty and intellegant and I'm jealous

...Chai mai. Katherine?s sings with great clarity and technical excellence. This song is exceptionally beautiful and very moving. The lyrics for ?Vide cor meum? were taken from Dante?s La Vita Nuova. Patrick Cassidy composed the music for the film Hanibal. Salvatore Licitra accompanies Katherine in this amazing duet. ?Hymn to the Fallen? composed by John Williams for the film Saving Private Ryan is given an emotional and soulful delivery by Katherine. Accompanied by a Spanish guitar and orchestra, the vocal arrangement to Joaquin Rodrigo?s En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor is perfect for Katherine?s voice, sentimental and charming. Also charming is the Barcarolle, composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, light and appealing. Sung in Tchaikovsky?s native Russian, Katherine?s enunciation is perfect. The lyrics of the carol ? Oh Holy Night? were...

MAFARRIMOND 17.01.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Second Nature - Katherine Jenkins

No John Williams Here (Thank God)!

Advantages: Viewing of film not required to fall in love with this music.
Disadvantages: "Vide Cor Meum" far too short.

...might have noticed, Vide Cor Meum is strongly reminiscent of the Non Nobis, Domine theme from Kenneth Branagh's Henry V and In Pace from Branagh's Hamlet. Coincidentally, the composers are both named Patrick: Cassidy for Hannibal, and Doyle for Branagh's films. The lyrics to Vide were taken from Dante Alghieri's "La Vita Nuova," which, for the life of me, I cannot transcribe, fatally handicapped as I am by ignorance of both Italian and Dante. My only complaint? I just wish the theme had been developed into a more complete piece. However, I suppose that it suffices as an aria. The singers, Danielle De Niese and Bruno Lazzaretti, do appear in the film as their respective grey-painted, masked and robed characters onstage (this I mention for those weirdly curious [like me] about such trivia). Next, we have a Gustav Mahler (Austrian composer...

zerbine28 21.02.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Hannibal - Soundtrack

Shopping in Rome

Advantages: Godd variety, Excellent leather and fashion goods
Disadvantages: Can be expensive

...tastes. The area beyond the Corso - between Piazza S Lorenzo in Lucina and the Pantheon, Piazza Navona - is still full of little shops which have been in the same family for generations and which keep - up the tradition of high quality in their wares. The area near the Trevi fountain is a good place to find economy-class shoe shops for those put-off by the high prices of the merchandise in the Piazza di Spagna and Veneto shopping areas. For art books, Messaggeri Bocca at Via delle Carroze 50 has an outstanding reputation. Another enclave which should be considered by the serious shooper is the beginning of Via Appia Nuova at Porta San Giovanni where there are several department stores and small shops selling produce at competitive prices. Many offer vendita promozionale ( promotional sales ) where good bargains can be obtained but as...

ashford 07.10.2000 (26.05.2001) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Shopping Centres - General

Crossroads of the Mediterranean

Advantages: Cultural diversity, historical interest, weather, food
Disadvantages: Can be difficult to navigate!

...It has been said that Sicily is Italy in concentrated form but that detracts from the many unique natures of the island which has enough of her own charms to win out over any of her mediterranean competitors. Palermo as the capital of Sicily has come down a peg or two over the course of history, being, at one time the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies before the Bourbons transferred themselves to Naples. But the vestiges of a regal past are very much evident in the old Sicilian capital. The most notable site being the Norman Palace at the gate of the Porta Nuova. It is possible to enter the palace to see the Royal Chapel but the opening hours are a little erratic (especially at the weekend) so it is always best to check when to go in advance. Whilst at Piazza Indipendenza (outside the palace), you should get the bus up...

womble 07.06.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Palermo (Italy)

Venues we know and love!

Advantages: Huge measures!
Disadvantages: Errr......huge measures!

...unfortunately can't remember the name of, due to the fact that when they give you a G&T they hand you a bottle of tonic and a glass of gin so full you can't get the mixer in...I do remember it was very cool and was near a strip joint called Golden Dolls (don't ask!) near Porta Nuova....

InsiderNine 17.10.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Old Fashioned

A decent hotel near Termini

Advantages: Clean, close to transportation
Disadvantages: No breakfast included in our package

...When we decided to go to Rome we looked into booking plane tickets and hotel separately. Eventually, the combination of time constrictions and budget, led to us buying a package deal from Expedia - plane tickets and hotel. We bought a deal that took us from London to Rome flying Alitalia and 5 nights at the Bettoja Hotel Nord Nuova Roma for 720 £ (about 1300$), excluding breakfast. As usual, it was not easy to decide which hotel to choose. We did some homework and most reviews indicated that the Termini area was "highly undersirable". The decision to stay in the area was influenced by price and the fact that there were renowned 4-5 star hotels in the same vicinity - how "undersirable" could the area really be then? On the morning of July 2nd we arrived at the Termini train station using the Leonardo express. The hotel is located in...

gard 28.11.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Bettoja Nord Hotel, Rome

An education

Advantages: Scenery, museums, food, shopping
Disadvantages: English not widely spoken - brush up on the basics before you go

...airport is approx 2 hours. There are options for getting to central Turin :-  Taxi will cost between €25 and €35 although if the traffic is bad, who knows………  Coach departs every 30-45 mins and takes approx 40 mins to do its several stops, terminating at the main Porta Nuova Railway Station where there is a good Tourist Information Office on the main concourse. Cost is €5 one way  Train is rather more exciting! Departures from the airport station (reached by a short walkway from arrivals) are every 30 mins from 6.30 am - 11.30 pm. You must change on to the bus at Dora Station for onward transmision to the Centre. Tickets are valid on both train and bus and cost €3 single. There are many hotels in the city in all price ranges and main chains such as Novotel, Holiday...

BristolBud 24.05.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Turin (Italy)