Osteria del Proconsolo (Florence, Italy)🇮🇹

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Buongiorno Florence, Italia! Today’s blog is on Osteria del Proconsolo. Osteria del Proconsolo is an Italian restaurant located in Florence, Italy on Via del Proconsolo, 59. In fact, we call it Florence, but locals say Firenze. There are many other restaurants to choose from in the city of Florence, but my favorite restaurant was Osteria del Proconsolo. This restaurant is a great place to stop at for lunch or dinner. We sat in a wonderful open atmosphere next to the large full size window that opened to the street, so you’re sitting inside, while enjoying the activity outside.

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Finally, customers have the option to pick between a variety of delicious desserts. My favorites included the Tiramisu and the Crème Brulee.

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I look forward to visiting Florence again someday! Grazie mille for reading!!

Ciao

© 2018 Sundown Pointe

Miscele e Fuoco (Rome, Italy) ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡¹

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Rome is filled with a variety of restaurants, but my favorite was Miscele e Fuoco. It is located a few blocks from the Colosseum on Via Cavourright down the street from Hotel Romano. Miscele e Fuoco serves everything from breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and cocktails. They have a variety of seating both inside and out. The food that I ordered was very delicious. My favorite dish was the chocolate waffle. It was super moist with tons of whip cream, and cut up strawberries drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was by far the best waffle I’ve ever had!!!! This is a meal I would recommend to anyone who eats at Miscele e Fuoco for breakfast. If you’re looking for something more on the healthier side, I recommend their bowl of fruit. The fruit was amazing and super fresh. It consisted of pineapple as your base with strawberries, oranges, raspberries, blackberries, and honeydew melon inside.

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Customers who sit inside will find the atmosphere very comfortable, and those who sit outside will find it a little busy on the street.The staff is very nice and takes great care of their customers. I definitely look forward to coming back to Miscele e Fuocothe next time I visit Rome.

© 2018 Sundown Pointe

A Day in Venice, Italy ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡¹

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Buongiorno Italia! Today’s blog is on a day in Venice, also known as Venezia, Italy. Venice is an island city that is surrounded by water. The only transportation visitors can take to travel around Venice is by boat or walking through the cobblestone streets. So, be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Venice, is filled with numerous famous attractions and things to do. It also has two small islands across the canal which include, The island of Murano and Burano. My top things to do in Venice included taking a Gondola ride, visiting the Saint Mark’s Basilica, and finally the island of Murano. The Gondola ride was fantastic and the most relaxing activity in Venice. It is a great way to see the city from a different perspective and learn about some of the history.

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The streets and piazzas in Venice were extremely crowded with tourists and the lines were so long that unfortunately, I couldn’t see Saint Mark’s Basilica from the inside.

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It is important to schedule your day to accommodate the local customs because there are very few restaurants that open before 7 pm for dinner. Many of the bars were open, yet only offered light snacks. Next, the island of Burano is filled with colorful houses and many hand crafted lace garments and linens. As a keep sake from the island of Burano, I bought a beautiful pink blouse with pearls sewn onto it.

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Finally, The island of Murano was full of glass artists that display their intricate glass works of art in shops. Some of the glass artists open their factories for glass blowing demonstrations. Their skill and talent for designing and developing their works of art is truly mind blowing.

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Venice, is a wonderful city to experience in Italy. I recommend doing all your exploring during the morning hours due to the busy crowds in the afternoon and evening. I also added a short video of the glass blowing down below for your enjoyment.

Ciao Italia!

© 2018 Sundown Pointe

 

Pizzeria Tortuga (Venice, Italy) ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡¹

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Buongiorno! Venice is an island city in Italy that is surrounded by water. The only transportation visitors can take to get around the city is to travel by boat or walk through the cobblestone streets. Vehicles are not an option. Venice, is filled with a variety of delicious pizzeria and pasta restaurants. However, I recommend visiting the smaller local mom and pop restaurants, to experience the atmosphere with traditional Italian dishes.

My favorite mom and pop restaurant in Venice, is Pizzeria Tortuga, where many of the locals eat. Pizzeria Tortuga is a small Italian restaurant that is located on Salizada dei Spechieri, around the corner from the ferry to Murano Island. They serve a variety of pizza, pasta, and wine. When customers walk in, they will find a variety of seating throughout the dining room, bar, and outside. The food was very delicious from start to finish. A few of my favorites included the Lasagna with Bolognese Sauce, Cannelloni, and Gnocchi with red sauce. 

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Customers will find the food very fresh and reasonably priced, which makes it definitely worth it. Best pasta dishes I’ve had! The owner was very friendly and attentive to our needs. This restaurant was open extended hours between lunch and dinner, when all the other restaurants were closed, . Finally, customers who dine at Pizzeria Tortuga will find the atmosphere very relaxing in both the dining room and the bar, and full of activity outside. I look forward to coming back to this restaurant the next time I visit Venice.

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Ciao!

© 2018 Sundown Pointe

A Day in Verona, Italy ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡¹

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Verona is a city located in northern Italy, which is well known for William Shakespeare’s story, Romeo and Juliet.

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In fact, one of the popular attractions in Verona is Casa di Giulietta, also known as Juliet’s house. It is best to go first thing in the morning before the crowd arrives. People still write notes to Juliet hoping she’ll answer. However, it’s Juliet’s club that respond to the letters. A good example of this is the movie Letter’s to Juliet. The movie, Letter’s to Juliet, is set in Verona, Italy where a girl named Sophie visits the wall where all the people write to Juliet, until she finds a letter in the wall that was written years ago by a girl named Claire. She then takes it upon herself to respond to that letter, until one day Claire’s grandson Charlie stops by the secretary of Juliet’s office asking which one of them wrote the letter to his grandmother. Sophie is surprised Claire received the letter, and in return follows Charlie to where his grandmother is waiting in front of the wall where the letters lay. Sophie then asks Claire if she can help her find her long lost lover Lorenzo. So, they travel all around Italy to find him until they find him on a wine vineyard farm right outside Siena, another beautiful town in Italy.

Today in Verona, people cannot stick the letters up on the wall outside Juliet’s balcony anymore because they have been damaging the structure. In fact, if a letter is found stuck to the wall, people can be fined 500 euros.

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Inside the museum, you will find each room has time period artifacts depicting their way of life as well as photos and writings from William Shakespeare.

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There are many piazzas throughout the city with wonderful restaurants including the historic area of Verona called Centro Storico.

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Piazza delle Erbe and the Torre Dei Lamberti which you can walk or take the elevator to the top to get a beautiful view of the city.

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I suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes on the cobblestone streets and piazzas. Finally, another popular attraction in Verona that gets used for a lot for performances is the Arena di Verona. Arena di Verona in Piazza Bra, is a Roman amphitheater that was built in the first century, and is used for Italian operas. I truly enjoyed my time in Verona, and look forward to visiting again someday.

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© 2018 Sundown Pointe