Japanese Food in Maranello

Knowing that I was tired of eating pasta, Chuck suggested eating at the new Japanese restaurant in Maranello, Izakaya:  Ristorante Giapponese.  It is less than a five minute walk from our apartment and across the street from the Ferrari museum.  Though the Japanese restaurants that I've been to here and in Rome does not have the variety of seafood as in Seattle, it was a nice change from pasta. 

We started with a miso soup (zuppa di miso) for Chuck.  I was waiting for udon soup with vegetable tempura which is what I thought I ordered.   Though it wasn't a soup, but a stir-fry with udon noodles (udon con tempura).  I guess when reading the menu, I should of looked for zuppa di udon con tempura verdure.  We also ordered edamame and for sushi; we tried salmon (salmone), tuna (tonno), and sweet shrimp (gamberi dolci) nigiri and futomaki rolls.  The salmon and tuna were pretty fresh and tasted good.  But I wasn't so keen on the shrimp nigiri as it was raw and tasted fishy.  

We also had three bottles of hot sake and so Chuck was acting a bit silly!!  Overall, the food was good and would dine there again; it's a nice break from eating Italian.

Izakaya:  Restorante Giapponese

Via D.  Ferrari 32/34

Maranello (MO), Italia

Tele.  0536 946480

Sunbathing and Sailing Weekend

Chuck's co-worker, Christian, recently took up sailing and invited us to go sailing at Comacchio, in the province of Ferrara and region of Emilia Romanga.  There are seven lidos, or beach resorts, in Comacchio and we stayed at Lido degli Estensi's marina where we rented a sailboat.  Not only were we sailing around on this boat, but were going to sleep in it as well.  Luckily two boats were available that evening and we got our own boat for the night or else it would of been very cramped sleeping quarters!   

We left early Saturday morning to beat the weekend traffic.  Even at 7:30 a.m. there was congestion on the roadways.  We arrived at the marina at 10 a.m. and after our morning cafe and pastry, we were out on the boat.  Earlier in the morning, there were strong winds and the marina wasn't allowing any sailboats out on the water.  Before we headed out on the boat, Christian with staff members went out on an inflatable boat to check out the weather condition.  Though a mild wind was a-blowing, it wasn't nearly as gusty, so we hopped on the boat and went out on the waters.  The wind and the seas didn't help ease the blazing sun's hotness.  Coupled with the choppy waters and a slight headache, I wasn't feeling too good and the only solution was being horizontal!  But I caught a few snoozes and made for a relaxing day.  

After a day's worth of sailing, we cleaned up and went to dinner.  Christian took us to this very popular and delicious seafood restaurant.  For an appetizer, we each had a big bowl of mini-clams with a lemon-garlic sauce.  Yummy!  Fresh fresh seafood as we're right by the sea.  For dinner, I ordered a seafood (shrimp, mini-clams, and pasta filled with sea bass) pasta with a garlic cream sauce and zucchini.  And for dessert, I had homemade mascarpone with strawberries.  I slept good that night!

Chuck's and Christian's fellow co-worker, Pinot, joined us on Sunday for another day of sailing.  The waters were calmer, but the weather was still hot hot hot!  I felt better today and was not feeling seasick as yesterday.  We spent a total of nine hours lounging on the sailboat and took a brake from the blazing sun rays by swimming.  Oh and it felt so good!  I'm not a very good swimmer or wader, so I held onto the boat.    By the day's end, I'd had enough sailing to last me at least through the new year!  Though it was fun, I'm still more of a mountain girl or a shore girl where I can see the water's floor and have feet planted on the ground.  Not to say that I wouldn't do it again because I probably will!

Roma

Chuck's computer was fixed and ready for pick-up so we had to go to Rome.  Instead of making it a day trip (making it for a very long day of traveling), we decided to stay overnight.  Though a weekend is not nearly enough time to see a lot of Rome, it made for a more relaxing trip than our previous trip.  It's very difficult to find a hotel near the city center for less than two hundred dollars and if there are any, it's probably really small, poor quality, or booked way in advance.....or I didn't spend enough time researching for decent hotels at a decent price. 

On Saturday, we arrived in Rome around noon and went to pick up Chuck's computer.  It was definitely much easier to find our way to the Apple store since we knew how to get there and we even took the bus and tram instead of taking a taxi.  It took us longer than anticipated as we missed our bus stop at the shopping center and rode the train to its last stop until it turned back around.  Oh well, I guess we got to see the outskirts of Rome.  So, Chuck finally had his computer and we headed back to the city center.

We checked into our hotel room, deposited our bags and decided to take a walk down to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum before dinner.  Unfortunately, both were closing down for the day and weren't able to go inside.  But it's an amazing view from the exterior. 

The weather was really nice.  For the entire weekend, it was really warm and sunny.  

In front of the Arch of Constantine.

One of the many historic buildings and fountains in Rome.  We are on our way to eat dinner at Kossi, a Japanese restaurant.  We were craving non-Italian food and needed our sushi fix.  

Chuck and I had miso soup, vegetable tempura, and an assortment of nigri sushi and rolls.  The fish was fresh, but they didn't have the assortment of seafood as in Seattle.  No yellowtail, tuna, mackerel, crab, nor scallops.  But we did have eel, salmon, sea bass, and shrimp.  It was a nice change from pizza and pasta.

After dinner, we went to  Trimani Wine Bar which is a very popular place to enjoy a glass of wine and choose from their very extensive selection.  After a glass of wine, we walked down to Flann O'Brien Irish Pub (pictured above) for a pint of Harp Strong beer.  It's a great place to people watch.

  

On Sunday, we woke up a little later than expected and had breakfast before heading out to St. Peter's Basilica.  Unfortunately, the Vatican Museum (thus, the Sistine Chapel) is closed on Sundays (except for the last Sunday of the month where it's free and very crowded), but we were able to see the most impressive church ever.  We took the subway to St. Peter's  and it was packed.  We didn't realize that the Pope gives a blessing at noon on Sundays and we were joining the masses to be blessed by him.

 

The Pope from his apartment on St. Peter's Square.

  

We waited in a very long line to enter St. Peter's Basilica as well as through metal detectors and getting our bags screened.  The church also strictly enforces its dress code:  no shorts, mini-skirts, nor bare shoulders or they won't let you in.  We saw a few people turned away.  In the picture above, we spotted the Pontifical Swiss Guard in their traditional uniform (very colorful and medieval-like).  

 

The atrium.  It's larger than most churches.

Looking up at the dome.

On our way up to the cupola, we stop at a balcony at the base of the dome and look down into the church interior.

Climbing inside the dome to the cupola.  

There is an elevator (seven euros) that leads to the rooftop of the nave.  Or you can take the stairs (more ramp-like) for five euros.  We opted for the exercise (plus, they couldn't break a fifty bill and we only had ten euros) and took the stairs all the way up.  Regardless of taking the elevator or not,  you still have to climb 323 steps to the cupola.  As you can see from the picture, you can't have claustrophobia!

 

The view from the top.  Rome has no modern skyline.  No building is allowed to exceed the height of St. Peter's.  

Heading back down, cautiously.

Michelangelo's Pieta, a sculpture of Mary with the dead body of Jesus.  

The Holy Door.  It was bricked  shut at the end of the Jubilee Year 2000 and won't be opened until 2025.  Every twenty-five years, the Church celebrates an especially festive year derived from the Old Testament of the Jubilee Year, which encourages new beginnings and the forgiveness of sins and debts.

This won't be the last visit to Rome as we still have so many sights to visit and explore.  But I'm glad that we started our sightseeing here with the Vatican City as I got to visit the most impressive church ever as well as caught a sighting of the Pope!

Firenze

Last weekend, Chuck and I went to Firenze (Florence) which is a three hour train ride from Modena.  Finally, we figured out our way to Modena by the bus in Maranello!  As I said in my previous post, it's easy to ride the bus without paying since the bus driver doesn't check your ticket as you enter nor do you pay as you enter/leave.  It's pretty much based on the honor system.  You have to find a ticket machine at the bus station, newspaper stand, or tobacconist shop to purchase a bus ticket before boarding.  Chuck was contemplating not using bus tickets like we did in Rome since no one usually checks them, definitely not the bus driver.  We had bus tickets from a previous travel that we didn't use (they were still good since we didn't have it stamped with the date and time yet) and I insisted that we use them as I just feel too guilty.  Chuck agreed and good thing he did because before we got to the bus stop these inspectors just came on board to check if everyone had a valid ticket!!  Unfortunate for one man who rode the bus without paying and was escorted to the police station which happened to be next to the main bus terminus.  

We arrived in Firenze during lunch time and we were starving.  We found a really cute restaurant with sidewalk seating and since it was a really nice day out (warm and sunny), we ate outside.  I love eating in Italy, especially the dessert!  We shared a bottle of red wine Lamole di Lamole Chianti Classico 2004 and my current favorite appetizer Insalata Caprese (fresh sliced buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and capers seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, and basil).  I ate spaghetti with pesto and tomatoes and Chuck ate gnocchi with a pesto sauce.  Both were very delicious.  We ended the yummy meal by sharing dessert, a very delicious tiramisu.  

After lunch, we walked around taking in the beauty of this city.  There is so much to see in Firenze and we only saw a very small snippet of the city.  We'll definitely make another longer trip here to get a better sense of Firenze.

This is the Duomo, a 19th century cathedral, at the Piazza del Duomo.  It's exterior is very impressive with its polychrome marble-green from Prato, white from Carrara, and red from the Maremma.  We didn't get the chance to go inside because there was a massive line of people and we were leery of waiting in such a long line.  So, we simply enjoyed its flamboyant exterior from a sidewalk bar, drinking a beer.  

You can climb the 414 steps of the bell tower.  

Chuck poses in front of the Battistero (baptistery), an octagonal-shaped building west of the cathedral.  It dates back to the sixth century.  

F1 Race

Yesterday I watched my first F1 race. I thought we were going to attend a race, not necessarily a F1 one, but actually see one in person. But, Chuck and I went to watch the F1 race (Air Gulf Grand Prix) in Bahrain at the Enzo Ferrari Auditorium. They were televising the race on the big screen at the movie theater in town. First, we satiated our appetite at the pizzeria Carisma. The pizza is definitely unlike that of the states...similar to Tutta Bella in Seattle, but much much better. You order your own pizza which comes in a plate (and you also cut it yourself). I’m not able yet to finish my own plate, yet yesterday I ate 2/3 of it. Their pizza list is extensive with more than fifty different types of pizza. I chose to try a pizza with spinach, prosciutto, and slices of hard parmesan. Afterwards, we had mascarpone for dessert, a triple-cream cheese made from creme fraiche. With full bellies, we made our way to the theater and with the avid Ferrari fans, we watched the race. After completing 57 laps around the track, Ferrari took first and second place, Massa and Raikonnen, respectively. I have to admit it was amazing to see the cars go so fast around the tracks, but I wouldn’t say I’m now an avid and die hard F1 follower. But since Chuck works for Ferrari and specifically on the race cars and we live in Maranello where Ferrari is its livelihood, I guess I’ll start watching a little bit more F1 racing and root for the team. Though nothing is really open on Sundays except for the bars (coffee shops that also sell liqueur), there are a lot of people roaming about the town. We saw a lot of people walking, a few sitting and socializing on benches, and a lot of people in their cars or motorcycles heading somewhere. After the race, Chuck and I stop by Maranello Cafe for a beer (Chuck) and a sambuca (me). A sambuca, I learned, is an Italian aniseed-flavored liqueur. Not really my cup of tea as it tends to taste to sweet for my palate. Overall, it was a nice Sunday afternoon.