Posted by: admin in Personal on
Oct 26, 2006
This is my last day in Soriano for this trip. Things didn’t happen as quickly as I had hoped, so I extended my stay 3 days. In about an hour I will close up the house one more time and say goodbye until my next trip (which is looking like Christmas).
In these two weeks, much has been accomplished, however. The homes are fully outfitted, with the exception of a few small things that can be done while I am away. The satellite service is up and running, but the dishes won’t be installed until next week. The DSL is ‘on the way’, and at least one of the computers is installed (the other blew up, so I need to send a replacement).
I’ve hung pictures, bought knick knacks, installed air conditioning, bought new furniture, coffee machines, dishes, silverware, etc. etc. etc. I have to say that the places look awesome!
Posted by: admin in Travel Tips, Personal, Lazio, Culture on
Oct 20, 2006
I’ve been here for 5 days now and have had no time to write as I have been so busy working on our apartments. However, yesterday I took my cousin to see Rome. After all, she has never been to Italy and it is less than an hour away from our house. It’s late october… we are pressing hard on low season here, but Rome was flooded with tourists. As we walked down the streets, all we heard was English and German. Every time we got near an ‘attraction', it felt like we were at Disneyland on a Saturday in June. The line to get into St. Peter's Basilica at the vatican consisted of tens of thousands of people. Everywhere we went was crowded beyond belief. You just couldn't enjoy a thing, and this is LATE OCTOBER! Ugh!
Posted by: admin in Untagged on
Oct 09, 2006
Wow, it has been a whopping 2 1/2 months since I have been to Italy. And here I am going again this week for a quick 9 days. This will mark my 4th trip there in 2006. Gotta love those frequent flyer miles 
The main purpose of the trip this time is to set up all of the technology in our rentals. The two apartments we bought this summer for DiscoverSoriano rentals are finally ready, minus all of the tech stuff. I will be installing a brand new computer in each apartment, with DSL, Wireless Internet, etc. I’ll also be setting up the televisions, the satellite tv service, and DVD/DiVX. Finally, we will be getting the new air conditioners installed.
On the non-tech list, I am bringing a suitcase full of books in english that we will leave in the apartments for guests to read, plus new comforters, linens, new furniture and more. I’ll be buying the espresso machines, American coffee makers, and getting the kitchens fully setup as well.
Posted by: admin in Untagged on
Oct 05, 2006
As you travel the world, you continuously run across things you never thought you might. Some are big, some are minor.
All Uncle Ben is good for in the states is rice, but it seems he has been secretly spending some time south of the border. If you want mexican food products in Italy, Uncle Ben’s runs the market. In fact, his little monopoloy is such that tortillas (not very good ones) cost $0.50 each
Posted by: admin in Humor, Culture on
Oct 03, 2006
Grilled Flesh... YUM!
When I lived here in Soriano, I was, quite simply, 'The American". In fact, the immigrant population of the area consisted of me, two Brits and a Brazilian. Outside of that, nobody spoke a word of English. My, how things can change over the course of 20+ years.
A few years ago a company bought a beautiful palace in the town and converted it into a hotel, which is marketed toward Brits and Americans. One night I was eating in one of the local cafes, and every table surrounding mine was occupied by Brits and Americans. It just felt wrong. 20 years ago, I used to eat at this place regularly. It was a little place for the locals. Now they even have an english menu.
So what of this 'ENGLIGH MENU'?
This is not the only place to have one. Every restaurant and cafe in town has a translated menu. The problem is that the rush of english-speaking tourists is new to them, and they haven't quite gotten their act together yet. Every menu in town is poorly translated. For example, one place (this one beats all in the bad translation contest) offers 'Bisteca alla griglia'. The correct translation is 'Grilled Steak'. Unfortunately, whoever it was that looked up the word 'Bisteca' made a critical error, as they translated it to 'FLESH'. So, while in Soriano Nel Cimino, you can order Grilled Flesh at a local cafe. Tasty! Other menu items to be found include 'Pizza's Pocket' (for Calzone), 'Tomato's Cherry' for 'Cherry Tomatoes', etc. It goes on and on.
I think whoever is doing the translations is having a blast with Babelfish. The problem is that this covers official translations as well. You will find placards next to historical monuments that have unintelligible descriptions. For example, the town tourist board's home page offers this delightful description of Soriano nel Cimino:
"The lucky hilly position, the mild climate, the wood's healthy air, together with its history, arts and tradition, make Soriano nel Cimino the ideal place where to spend a serene and pleasant stay or a vacation in every season"
Posted by: admin in Untagged on
Oct 03, 2006
Some people travel to Italy, see the sights, eat the food, and go home thinking they experienced Italian culture. In reality, the vast majority of these people only experienced a tiny fraction of the amazing culture that Italy offers. You cannot experience the true Italy from a bus, or by visiting the standard tourist destinations like Rome, Tuscany, Venice, etc. To really experience Italian culture and beauty, you have to get off the beaten path, away from all of the tourist traps.
The problem for most people is that they either don’t know how or where to go, or that the adventure of getting in a car and just driving is just too overwhelming. DiscoverSoriano.com provides the adventure , while helping remove all of the unknown for you.
Soriano nel Cimino is a stunning small medieval Italian village of roughly 8,000 people that is largely undiscovered, while being strategically located within a short drive to the best Italy has t offer. In ancient times, its castle was the summer Vatican.
Posted by: admin in Untagged on
Oct 02, 2006
When you are traveling, sometimes you can just feel it. You go to pay for something, and you just know that if you were a local, you would have paid a much lower price. You are an ‘unsuspecting tourist’, and they will take you for what you’ve got. Here is a link to a New York Times article on this subject so that you really get the point.
So how can you avoid this? Here are some steps you can take:
It generally only happens in the tourist traps
It is really interesting to see the difference between a place that is full of tourists, and one that has limited tourism. Where you find streets full of tourists, the locals tend to bite the hand that feeds them. In places where tourism hasn’t quite caught on yet, the locals welcome the tourists as guests. I’ve seen tourists in Rome or Tuscany get ’special’ menus with inflated prices, and I have seen tourists in Soriano nel Cimino get special menus with lower prices than the locals get!
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