La Mia Famiglia Italiana – My Italian Family

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Italy

My first trip to Italy was in 1998, and since then, to the best of my calculations, I have made over 25 separate trips and spent almost two years of my life in what now seems like a second home to me. I love Italy’s dramatic landscapes, its incredible food, its music, and the emphasis on enjoying life to its fullest. But the glue that has bound me to the country for an 18-year-long love affair is undoubtedly the cast of characters that has become such an important part of my life over the years. I will be eternally grateful for these people and the entrée into Italian life that they have given me – one which few tourists get to experience.

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Ciube, Christian and me… New Year’s Eve

Meet the Family… read more!

A Unique and Exquisite Lunch at Le Soufflé – Paris

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in France

I have visited Paris countless times, and it seems that I find a good restaurant that I really like, only to learn it’s closed when I next visit. So today I searched on tripadvisor.com, looking for new ideas of where to dine during my brief stay here, and I stumbled upon reviews for a place called, Le Soufflé. I love soufflés, but they are a rare find and when they are on a menu, they are not always that great. But I had a feeling this place would be different, and I was right.

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My lunch at Le Souffle, Paris

Click here for the full story…

Exploring the Christmas Markets of Europe, December 2016

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Europe
Christmas Market at Vienna’s Castle
A Christmas Market in a beautiful setting

After a whirlwind first leg of my European travels in early November, which took me through Wales, England, Finland and Italy, I raced home to New England to grab some Thanksgiving turkey and a whole lot of birthday cake and spend the week seeing all friends and family, along with practical things like doing laundry and planning for Europe Part II in December.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Let’s go to the Christmas Markets…

Back Home Again in Italy

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Italy

After my brief “flirtation” with Wales and England, followed by my exciting adventures in Finland, I spent the last days of my November European trip in Italy, my casa dolce casa (home sweet home).  I flew from Helsinki to Rome and picked up a rental car and drove into the city in the late afternoon. When I reached my guest house in Rome, I chuckled as I saw an open parking space that was perhaps 10 steps from the door to the building where I’d be staying for the weekend. I sometimes amaze even myself regarding my parking karma.

My rental car and my building in Rome…
Enrico and Daniele

Don’t stop now… keep reading:

Finland: Where are the Huskies When You Really Need Them?

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Finland, Scandinavia
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You’re cute, but where were you when I really needed you?

In my experience, life in general has many funny little ironies, and travel is one area of life where fate loves to have the last laugh. I had just arrived in Helsinki, Finland for a first visit to this Scandinavian capital and then planned to fly 500 miles north to Ivalo in Lapland, a region north of the Arctic Circle that covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. There I would be staying on a Husky Farm… not a refuge for overweight people, but a place where they raise and train huskies for dog-sledding. Visions of being pulled on a sled through forests covered in snow by six loyal pooches danced through my head – until I got the e-mail from the folks at the husky farm. “We have no snow here yet. There will be no opportunity for any dog-sled trips.”

Mush! Read More!

Finland: Helsinki and Lapland

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Finland, Photo Gallery
Arriving in a blizzard… where are my huskiies?
My cozy room at Hotel Klaus K, Helsinki
Walking to dinner with 40 mile per hour gusts of wind…
Respite at Ravintola Kuu: Hot Salmon Soup with Potatoes and Dill
Reindeer Steak… as tender as butter, with mashed sweet potato and mushroom risotto
Finnish cheese with fresh fig jam
Chocolate brownie with sea-buckthorn berry sorbet and assorted garnishes
The chef peeks out through the window from the kitchen, likely due to my loud moans of pleasure
Walking home in the snow
A beautiful night once the winds died down
The Helsinki History Museum Building
And its Tower
and it’s front entrance…
Quick stop-over in Kittilä on the way to Ivalo… the ground crew appears ready for any emergency!
Flying over Lapland
My chariot awaits at the Ivalo Airport
Guesthouse Husky
Husky puppy greeting me
Maya, the pup’s Mom
My room at Guesthouse Husky
Lunch in Ivalo: a reindeer burger with blue cheese sauce
The Aurora makes its first appearance on the northwestern horizon.
Then, the aurora explodes in all its glory. Note: ALL aurora pictures were taken by our tour guide, Mr. Jouni Männistö who runs Ivalo Trek Lapland. My camera could not capture any photos of this. I am so grateful that Jouni took these images of what I saw!
Our little group, posing for Jouni
So beautiful it brought tears to my eyes… which froze instantly!
I will never forget this night!
Like a shimmering rainstorm of light
Jouni captured the night sky above us
Lights over the lake
constantly changing patterns
What a night… I didn’t even care that it was about 1 degree Fahrenheit!
Thank you Jouni! Thank you to the Heavens for providing me with this show I will never foget.
May I have this dance?
In the morning… you can’t be sad when you’re hugging a husky!
Who is visiting me?
Look at those faces!
How cute is this?
Now that is a beautiful animal!
My new friends, Melody and James from Singapore
On the banks of Lake Inari at 1PM
Lake Inari
Frozen Lake
Salmon soup for lunch
Our hostess at the Reindeer Farm near Inari
A snow white reindeer… perfectly campuflaged!
Wow, this guy really loves his lichen!
“This is all that he’s got left for me? A twig?
Eating out of my hand…
James plays a game of tug of war with one of the deer!
“Where were you when I needed you in Helsinki?”
Trying on a pair of handmade reindeer slippers!
Sparkling sunny “morning” at 12 noon…
The road from Ivalo to Saariselka
Nice to see sun, even if it’s only for 3 or 4 hours!
Saariselka
Festive fence in Saariselka
Snow and sky
A grazing deer beside the road
An almost frozen river
Dusk in Lapland… the time: 2:15 PM
Dinner of reindeer, masked potatoes, lingonberries and pickles… delicious!
Negative 17 Celsuius or 1 degree above zero in Farenheit….
Waking up to a foot of new snow on my morning of departure!
My snowed in car, last morning in Lapland
The scenery on the way to the airport.
Goodbye Lapland… for now
The ground crew at bustling Ivalo airport watching us depart

Wales and England, November 2016

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Photo Gallery, Wales and England

 

The beach view from my hotel near Cardigan, Wales
The view from the property
The view from my room at CLlff Hotel
Beautiful, crisp morning
The wee trail to Peltre Ifan
Peltre Ifan, a burial site dating back to 3,500 BC
Peltre Ifan
The coastline of west Wales
A patch of green at the end of the tunnel
What an expression!
Fishguard, Wales
Fish & chips… mushy peas in the little plastic container, of course!
Aberstwyth, Wales
Aberstwyth
Entering Snowdonia National Park, Wales
A tinge of autumn
Serenity
Looking very Celtic…
Snowdonia
Near Beddgelert
Winding roads
Fall Foliage
What a beautiful canopy over this road…
This must be Wales…
Snowdonia countryside
Nearing the sea again
Caernafon, Wales
Every town must have a castle!
Castle Square, Caernafon
Back in the high country of Snowdonia
Chester Cathedral, England
The cathedral from atop the city walls
Chester shopping district
The irony… old guys obviously don’t rule, as the store is out of business and a young guy is using it as a place to text! Sigh.
An atmospheric pub in Chester
Guard tower on the Chester walls
I love cider!
Cute labeling
Steak, Ale & Mushroom pie
Rhubarb Creme Brulee`

The Music of Italy: Matteo’s Recommendations

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Music
Giorgia
Eros Ramazzotti

Before I ever visited Italy, the only Italian music I had really ever heard was by Andrea Bocelli or Pavarotti…or was from a commercial for Barilla pasta! And yes, there was an occasional rendition of Santa Lucia, Volare or O Sole Mio.  But the first time I rented a car and turned on the radio and found the station Radio Italia, a whole new and exciting world opened up to me musically. Read more…

Osteria La Zucca, Venezia

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Travel Recommendations, Venezia

Osteria La Zucca, Venezia

Outside tables at La Zucca

I discovered this charming osteria at least 15 years ago and it has become my “go to place” whenever I’m in Venice. At the time my Italian was non-existent and I remember the owner going through virtually every item on the menu with me to explain the dishes. I was so impressed that he would take the time and have the patience to do that!

Pumpkin-themed decor
The friendly manager of La Zucca
Pumpkin head!
Happiness is an outside lunch at La Zucca

Check out Matteo’s favorite menu selections!

Trattoria Monti, Roma

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Roma, Travel Recommendations

I discovered this small, Roman trattoria, run by the Camerucci family, back in 2002 after reading positive reviews online. The food and the service were equally wonderful, and so on another trip over 6 months later, I returned. To my amazement, Enrico and Daniele, the brothers who serve as hosts and waiters welcomed me warmly and remembered me so clearly that I had to wonder whether they’d had any customers since my last visit! Fourteen years and countless visits later, the boys refer to me as their “red headed fratello” (brother), and the chef, Signora Camerucci leaves her station in the kitchen to greet me enthusiastically.

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Trattoria Monti, Roma
Continue reading “Trattoria Monti, Roma” →