Episode 28: La Dolce Vita in Italy

Mary Herendeen:

Great food and wine, spectacular shopping, breathtaking scenery, and of course, romance. Whatever you are into, Italy remains one of Europe's top travel destinations in 2023.

Welcome to Traveling With AAA. I'm your host, Mary Herendeen, and today we are headed there again with Susan Van Allen. Susan Van Allen is the author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, now in its 10^th anniversary edition. Susan has also appeared in her own one-woman show portraying 5 characters in an Italian American family. She was a staff writer for the Emmy award-winning TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond, and we've had her as a guest here before.

Welcome back, Susan. We're so glad to have you again!

Susan Van Allen:

Ciao, Maria! It's so great to be back.

Mary:

It's great to hear it. I know you are often in Italy; countless times since the ‘70s. Is there anything that you've gain gained from your most recent trip that you would share with our listeners? Any new parts of Italy or anything?

Susan:

The last time I was in Italy was in the fall of 2022. There is such excitement about the return to travel, and in Venice—which has a lot of excitement and as we probably heard is over-loved—I found places to escape the crowds that were almost obvious. I'm sure AAA Travel Advisors can tell your travelers about a nighttime tour of San Marco, of the church inside that's glittering with mosaics. You can go in there at 9 o'clock at night when it's totally dark and then they put the lights on, and it is such an amazing, memorable lifetime experience. So, that was one great thing.

Also in Venice, on the St. Piazza, is a clock tower that we all see. You can actually go on the Venice tourism site, or your travel advisor could help you, and you could do a tour and climb up into that clock tower where there are great views, and you learn the whole story of how it was made and kept in the same family until 1998.

Mary:

Wow!

Susan:

Yeah, a family lived there. So that was a really beautiful discovery.

Mary:

Wow, Susan, so in all that time that you've been going, you hadn't done that before? There are still new things to discover?

Susan:

Yes! That's what always amazes me about Italy. It's just such a country that's rich in surprises and every time I go, I'll talk with travel advisors or locals and find something new to discover.

Mary:

Amazing. Any special events or occasions that are coming up in 2023 that our listeners should know about?

Susan:

There are a few. If you're going to be in Rome in September, and there are going to be a lot of golfers there. The Ryder Cup is taking place in Rome this year from September 25 until October 1, and there's a lot of excitement about it. Hotels are getting booked up. Families are accompanying players. So, that's a thing.

The artist, Perugino, who was Raphael’s teacher, is being honored in different places in Umbria. Umbria is a region in central Italy where he was born. If you, for example, go to the city of Perugia, there'll be special exhibits in the museum honoring him. Beautiful artist. You'll see the softness in his portraits of the Madonna that you also recognize in the paintings of Raphael.

And Verona, which is near Venice, has a beautiful old arena where they always have operas and it's going to be the 100th anniversary of their opera festival, which runs from June until September. It's a very, very big venue, so you would be able to get tickets for it. It's really going to be exciting this season.

Mary:

Wow, it sounds exciting. A lot of things for folks to do throughout this year.

Now, on your blog, you have an article about artichokes, and I know spring is the artichoke season. What's so special about eating artichokes in Italy?

Susan:

Well, eating artichokes, especially in Rome where they are harvested in the fields nearby. Of course, all over Italy, the cuisine is seasonal, but there's a lot of excitement about these special artichokes that are prepared either braised, but I love them flattened and fried, which is a special cuisine called cucina ebraico because it was developed in the Jewish ghetto of Rome when it was a closed-off place for many centuries. They did not use butter. They used oil, and the restaurants still honor this tradition. If you're in Rome now, or in the next few weeks, you will enjoy this fabulous celebration. There are towers of artichokes in front of the restaurants and festivals going on, which make it so delicious.

Mary:

That sounds like a lot of fun and delicious. I'd never tried artichokes that way, so I haven't even seen anything like that on a menu.

Susan:

It's really not common here because we don't grow the same kind of artichoke here. And it's specially prepared as it has been for hundreds of years in Rome, and people know that's where you go and that's when you go. If you go in September, sometimes they're importing them now from France or Africa, but it really is a seasonal thing that's totally being celebrated now.

Mary:

I love it. Food is always a reason to celebrate, and celebrations always have food; of course, food is one of the best reasons to visit Italy. Anything new on the food front in Italy? I know you write about the ragu or the bolognese sauce.

Susan:

Oh, yes. Well, that is another great, great tradition in Bologna. As far as anything new, Italy really loves to stay with their traditions, and so if anything, maybe you'll find vineyards being revived with the old plantings or the grandmas coming forth and being honored. More and more, I think that there is such respect for tradition. Like UNESCO has put the pizza makers of Naples on the cultural heritage list. And Italian food—the cuisine in general— is actually a candidate for UNESCO to honor.

The ragu in Bologna is like no other. I wrote about it because I did take a cooking class there, and I always recommend people taking cooking classes to really have immersive experiences in Italy. What I found was there is so little tomato used in genuine ragu. It's almost like the vermouth in a martini. Just a splash, and it's all about the meat that's simmered for hours with carrots, celery, onion, and white wine that's really honored in the traditional ragu. When you have it in bologna, it will be practically brown, and just so rich and so delicious.

Mary:

That sounds so good. I had pasta with a ragu sauce recently, and it was very brown. I could taste a little tomato, more of the wine. So, is it white wine or what's the real secret?

Susan:

Yes, it's white wine. I think the real secret is the slow, slow cooking. The class that I took was 3 hours, and the first thing we did was start the ragu. When we had made the pasta all that, then it was done. I could still remember the aromas that filled the kitchen as we were cooking the other things, and then the way it cooked down so that we had this big meat and a little bit of tomato. Then how amazing it was to see the slow transformation when we took the lid off the pot.

Mary:

It sounds good. Of course, I think about food and this delicious aroma, but Italy also makes me think of romance. What makes Italy so romantic?

Susan:

Well, like we said before, you slow down and you really appreciate details when you're there because life just runs slower there. They have centuries-old tradition of love sonnets written by their great poets like Petrarca, and even Dante. That just lives in their DNA, and they appreciate nature. They take time to sit and admire a sunset over the sea, or over the landscape, or over the cupolas of the city. Artists in Renaissance times really appreciated the female form; the curves and the lusciousness of a feminine body. I think we all just feel that as soon as we land; we feel the power of Venus—goddess of love and beauty—statues of her all over the place.

Mary:

Even as you're describing it, it's taking me away. I almost got lost there for a moment, thinking back to the time that I spent in Italy. Just really beautiful.

In your book, you reveal 100 places every woman should know about and go. What about a few places in Italy every man should know about? Are there a few?

Susan:

Oh, there certainly are. Well, men love my book because they love to go where women are happy. I find when I'm traveling with my husband, what he's especially interested in is the architecture. For example, the architecture of the Colosseum, or the Appian Way, which is outside of Rome where the aqueducts were constructed—an amazing system to bring water into the city. The Italian or Roman engineering is amazing in road-building and aqueduct-building.

There is also the Motor Valley in Emilia-Romagna, where Bologna is. It's thrilling to go to the car factories in Modena where they make Ferrari, Maserati, and you can actually drive them. That is really a thrill for guys.

Thirdly, I would say in Naples, all men like to do what the expression is fare la bella figura or make a good impression. The tailors in Naples are famous, and men could go to a tailor such as Mariano Rubinacci in the fancy section of Naples called Chiaia, and have a suit or a shirt specifically tailored to them. I've talked to men that have done this, and they're like, “My God, all of a sudden it became so comfortable to wear a suit,” because it fit right with their bodies. It was almost like wearing a sweatsuit, it was so comfortable.

Mary:

Oh, really nice. Even as you're talking about these places men should go, I'm excited. Thinking of driving a Ferrari or having that experience sounds really exciting. I have to say I love well-tailored suit.

Susan:

Yes!

Mary:

Yes, it’s very nice.

Mary:

There are experiences and destinations for everyone in Italy. What are some of those popular destinations or experiences that Gen Z or millennial travelers are looking for?

Susan:

Well, there's so much beautiful nature in Italy to explore for those that really want to have active hiking or biking adventures. I really enjoy biking in Puglia because it's Italy's flattest region, and there are a lot of companies that have group trips. You could always have a travel advisor hook you up with some kind of local operation that does the great thing of transporting your luggage from hotel to hotel, which makes the bike experience so great.

Recently, Italy's national parks have started an initiative to connect trails from national park to national park. So, if you're in like the middle of Italy, the mountain rages are incredible with waterfalls and beautiful trails that take you through little historical villages where you can eat very well little country trattorias, and get immersive experiences by meeting small town locals and walking from place to place. I think that's really great.

If they want modern art, Milan has just become more and more beautiful for tourism over the years—more pedestrian-only areas—and I feel like their modern art scene is unparalleled in Italy. So, that's really fun.

Mary:

You're talking about hopping on the bike and riding into some of those small towns and meeting locals. Is that the best way—either walking or the biking—to meet local residents and kind of not feel like a tourist?

Susan:

Yes! We all want to meet Italians! I think Italians are the country's most wonderful natural resource. They are such welcoming people, and everyone that comes back from their travels has stories about how helpful they were, maybe giving directions or advising them on what to order in a restaurant. And I feel like the way to do it—and I always tell travelers this—they usually speak a little bit of English, hand signals work well, and even Google Translate on your phone. They love to communicate, so when you walk into a shop, it's like you're walking into somebody's home, maybe an artisan who is following traditions that have been in their family for generations. You can walk in, ask questions, and it may lead to a conversation about their families or a restaurant nearby that they really like. I feel like the best way is to open yourself up to making conversations with your taxi driver, your waiter, the shopkeeper, even if you go into a store to buy a bus ticket or something. Just talk to people. They really appreciate it, and they really appreciate travelers who are having a good time in their city or village.

Mary:

Yeah, it's almost like a compliment, right?

Susan:

Yes!

Mary:

You're proud of your hometown, your restaurant or store, your shop. And it feels really good to see people enjoying themselves in it.

Susan:

Right, and they love to share it. They're very proud.

Mary:

Anything that we should keep in mind when traveling safely in Italy? Or is Italy pretty safe?

Susan:

Yes. It's like any other big city, especially crowded places in a big city. If you're in New York City, if you're in Los Angeles and at tourist thing, just be aware of your surroundings and your belongings. I wouldn't walk around the Trevi Fountain with your cellphone in your back pocket. Not a good idea!

Mary:

Right.

Susan:

I don't think it's especially different from other places. It's just a matter of knowing where your belongings are. You can always keep your passport in a hotel safe. Be aware of people that stop you and ask for directions that might seem a little strange. They can be experts in pickpocketing, but I've traveled with groups before, and I'm really happy to say when I give them this advice, everyone has been safe.

Mary:

It's great advice, especially in such a beautiful place where you can be easily relaxed. Just be aware.

Susan:

That's it. I think people sometimes get so distracted that they don't realize maybe they're being watched and that's when that something like that could happen.

Mary:

Yeah, it's obviously a beautiful place with lots going on, so it’s easy to be distracted. Finally, Susan, what's the single most important thing for travelers to remember when they're visiting Italy?

Susan:

Slow down. “Piano piano,” as they say. We tend to want to pack a lot of things in and rush around, but the moments that we really remember are those when we stop and taste the Prosecco, watch a sunset, or just sit in a piazza and people watch, hear the church bells, and eat a wonderful cannoli. We tend to over plan, over pack. So, when you're looking at your itinerary, I would just make sure that you leave time for a free day or afternoon to just see what Italy brings you. It will be a wonderful surprise, I'm sure.

Mary:

Susan, thank you so much for that great advice and grazie a mille, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Susan:

Grazie a mille, it's always my pleasure to talk about Italy and to see the beautiful trips that you offer on your websites.

Mary:

Thank you. It’s certainly is my pleasure, and thank you to our listeners for being with us. If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA Travel Advisor, check out AAA.com/travel, or visit your local branch. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe. I'm Mary Herendeen, thank you for traveling with AAA.