Venezia, Sept. 28-29

Above: Modern art along the grand canal (part of the Bienniale), and a more classic shot taken from a canal boat

Aaah, Venice. Trappingly touristy, overflowing with art, mazelike, flooding, gorgeously decrepit . . . may you never sink into the waters, which we have been told is your impending fate. We were there for about 24 hours, and it was enough. We ran around like madmen, devouring Titians and Tintorettos until our eyes were blurry, overwhelmed. Not surprisingly, this is what happened last time Simona went to Venice.

Despite our short sojourn, we burned a massive hole in our wallets - this despite the fact that Simona resisted every impulse to buy the thousands of beautiful purses and shoes beckoning her from the store windows.

Our visit coincided with the Bienniale, so we also got to see some good, and some very very bad, modern art. The highlight was a Japanese animated video installation of a pair of hands decorating a dollhouse, set to the ambient beat of thick water drops falling.

Goodbye Italy! We leave you a little fatter and a lot poorer, but a whole lot happier.

Arezzo & Firenze, Sept. 25-28

Above: The cloudy skies over Firenze

We headed up to Arezzo to visit Simona˙s father, Alessandro. Arezzo is a wonderful (if very bourgeois) Tuscan town, filled with artisan shops of every variety. It also appears to sell an inordinate amount of lingerie. Alessandro was a magnificent host, taking us to a wonderful tratoria where I (Eli) had the pleasure of sampling home-made pasta in a wild boar ragu, while hearing Simona˙s uncle Maurizio recount the story of his run-in with a cinghiale. We had two wonderful family meals with Simona˙s aunt Paola and bonded with Simona˙s adorable baby cousin, Niccolo.

And yes, there was more than food in Tuscany, though at times we wondered. We ogled the stunning, and recently restored, Pier della Francesca frescoes in Arezzo˙s church. And we spent a long day in Florence in the pouring rain. Although queuing up is, apparently, de rigeur in the Italian tourist circuit, we drew the line at the Uffizzi, which would have required a four-hour wait in the cold. No thanks. We did see a number of impressive churches in Florence, the highlight of which was San Lorenzo, with its harmonious, peaceful Renaissance architecture.

Roma, September 23-25

Glory be to God and etc. - we decided to visit St. Peter´s Basilica. Apparently, the Catholic Church had and continues to have a tidy sum of money tucked away, and likes to spend it on its home field stadium. I (Eli) have never seen so much marble in one place. Although the artwork, architecture and even the throw-away decorations are impressive, the highlight of the the visit occured when some Russian tourists attempted to cut in front of us in the interminable line. After a British man attempted to thwart their endeavor in English (which they conveniently did not understand), Simona approached them in Italian. Again, "nierozumim." They picked the wrong person to mess with, as Simona proceeded to demand that they get their butts to the back of the line like everyone else, in Russian (or a broken equivalent that was good enough to get them to leave).

We had the pleasure of sharing a fantastic home-cooked meal with Simona˙s cousin, Bianca Maria, and her partner, Maria Rosa (White Mary and Mary Rose - we always liked that). They prepared a Roman feast: pasta with truffle sauce, Roman-style artichokes, delicious meats and cheeses, and the best ice cream in Rome, all washed down with Prosecco and an excellent bottle of Montepulciano. And, we got to whine about politics and were given a resident`s tour of the Jewish ghetto. All in all, it was a fantastic evening.

Pompei, Sept. 23

Above: a victim of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius as he died, probably from suffocation

Pompei is eerie, beautiful, and irritatingly crowded. Apparently, there is no way to avoid the masses of tourists. Although we were the first ones there, we were followed momentarily by at least 15 tour busses. But we're glad we went.

Positano (Amalfi Coast), Sept. 20-22

Arriving in the small village of Positano is a gut-wrenching endeavour. The bus travels along a coastal road, hugging dramatic cliffs that overlook the water. The road has only one lane. The journey becomes difficult when two busses have to pass each other in the midst of bicyclists, fearless motocycle drivers and pissed-off Italians. Hence, the bus smells of a mix of vomit and cheap air freshener. Positano, however, is worth the trip. No one should go to Italy without seeing this part of the country.

Aside from being an idyllic cliffside town covered in beautiful gardens and overlooking a stunning section of the Mediterranean, Positano is famous for one thing: steps. There are many (well over 800 from our room to the Volcanic sand beach below). Thus, our recommendation to visit the place must be tempered by the caveat that this town is not for the weak-kneed. All of the breathtaking views come at a price. However, this did not stop Eli from hunting all over town (and up and down more steps) to find a cart-toting old Italian gentleman, identified by everyone in town as the purveyor of the best granita around.

On our second day here, we went on a day-long hike up into the mountains above Positano and through a couple of small villages. Our legs were exhausted after our drastic introduction to cliffside living. But it was truly spectacular. We met a group of Dutchpersons who were hiking the whole Amalfi coast. They were impressive, but one day was enough for us. After all, we had to get back to sunning, gelatos, fresh pastas, and red wine.

Below: Some of the many, many steps we climbed, and a cactus flower.

Catania, Sicilia, Sept. 17 - 19

Above: The castle at Acicastello and our overnight train car.

We had a characteristically Sicilian moment on the way to dinner with Simona's family on Tuesday night. As we helped Simona's grandmother across the street (her hip was broken during a recent violent mugging, perhaps another Sicilian moment we do not wish on anyone), an approaching vehicle nearly ran us down. The car was running a red light. When we gestured for it to not kill us, the driver responded with a string of Sicilian dialect curses and angry gestures. To which Simona's uncle replied in turn, in preverbal rage.

As must be inferred in the remaining posts from our Italian vacation, the food was outstanding. Simona demands that recognition be afforded to the exquisite sorbet she consumed in the piazza in front of the castle in Aci Castello (pictures to follow, after we figure out the whole "technology" thing). It was berry flavored and made that morning by the bar owner's husband, with only berries, lemon, and sugar, we were assured. We loused about eating other good food (shout out to Simona's grandmother, the talented, but curmudgeony, chef) and swimming in the sea, until we exited just as pleasantly in our own private couchette in the overnight train.

New York City Sept. 12-16

We heart NY. Despite Simona's years of defectation, it still is home. Eli is entrenched in the NYC honeymoon phase (having visited the place with a number of native New Yorkers as his guides, but never having lived here).

We've spent the days seeing as many friends as we can and spending time with Simona's mother Cinzia. We enjoyed a number of great meals - the delicious Mexican at Rosa Mexicana in midtown stands out (Eli is a sucker for bourgeois Mexican food). We also had the pleasure of hosting a co-ed baby shower for our friend Jessie, and of sinking our teeth into Cinzia's incredible eggplant parmigiana. And we got to visit the new bar Pacific Standard in Brooklyn, which Eli's college friends recently opened. Check it out.

Catherine's company, Flavorpill, hosted a DJ party in the planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. Judging from the overwhelming number of hipsters in attendance, we were entertained by some amazing semi-live electronica. The setting was pretty awesome. I would be a great place to throw a wedding.

La Tavola Rasa goes on vacation

For the next two + months, we will be making our way across the globe and eventually back to San Francisco. Stay tuned for travel stories and, of course, food reviews.

g is for ginger

My (Simona's) efforts to make an Indian meal were curtailed by a lack of resources: I left the house with a vague shopping plan, but could not find Indian curry paste or naan in even the bougiest grocery store in town (A.J.'s). The result was a fusion of Indian and Thai flavors. We thought it was excellent and we'd make it again. The spicy chicken skewers with ginger-mint-cilantro sauce were very spicy. Not for the feeble. The ginger cilantro jasmine rice helped to fan the flames in our mouths. I snuck in a pad of butter, but that probably was not necessary.

SPICY SKEWERS WITH CHUTNEY (makes 2 servings):

Chutney Ingredients
1/2 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
3-4 tablespoons (or more) plain yogurt

Chicken ingredients
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons curry paste (we used red and green Thai curries)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes
24 (about) 6-inch bamboo skewers, soaked 30 minutes in water
2 limes, cut into wedges

For chutney:
Blend all ingredients in blender or processor. Blend in more yogurt if necessary to make smooth paste. (Chutney can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For chicken:
Whisk non-chicken ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat broiler. Thread 1 chicken piece on each skewer. Cover exposed part of skewers with foil. Broil chicken until cooked through, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Serve chicken with Cilantro-Mint Chutney and lime wedges.

GINGER JASMINE RICE (makes 8 servings):

ingredients:
3 cups jasmine rice
3 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, 2 inches of bottom stems trimmed and discarded, tops and remaining stems coarsely chopped

preparation
Place rice in large sieve; rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and stir 3 minutes. Stir in broth and salt. Sprinkle cilantro over. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Transfer to bowl and serve.