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!
Posted by: admin in Tuscany, Culture on
Sep 29, 2006
On my last trip to Italy, I was hoping to attend an Italian NFL football game. Actually, it was the 'Silverbowl'. Unfortunately, Paola wasn't feeling well, so we ended up skipping it. Still, while browing one of the sites, I followed a few links. One of them brought me to the Italian Baseball League. I discovered that there was a game on July 1st ina town not too far from where I am (Actually, it ended up being about 80 miles away). So I figured, what the hell! It is important to note that the Italians have 3 major sports: Soccer, Soccer and Soccer. Well, to be perfectly fair, they also follow Soccer. So, the fact that I discovered a baseball league was something I couldn't pass up. So I made the trek to Grosseto, home of the 'Grosseto Prink Orioles', the team that just won the European World Cup of Baseball, as well as the Italian Championships last year. They are in the italian version of the majors (Series A1). What I discovered when I arrived at the ballpark was awesome!! The 'stadium' was much larger than I had anticipated. I would say that it could stand against many minor league fields in the US. More impressive was the crowd... THEY HAD ONE! Remember, if you ask 1,000 Italians, maybe ONE can tell you the difference between a strike and a ball. OK, so there is probably curiosity factor. Still, it is a crowd.
The game is about to start, and Mickey Mouse (really) throws the first pitch. The game starts, and I very quickly realize that these fans (around 1500 - 2000 of them) are real fans. They know the game, and are there for their team. No curiosity factor here.
The game moves on scoreless... inning after inning. The players were pretty good. I wouldn't say any were good enough for U.S. Minors, but pretty close.
All the while, I am there with a local friend of mine, to whom I am teaching the ins and outs of baseball. As the top of the 7th is about to end, I tell him about a tradition we call the 7th inning stretch. While I am still explaining it, the batter strikes out and all of the sudden they start playing 'Take me out to the ball game' over the loudspeakers as the announcer announces the 7th inning stretch. Too cool!
After the song, the announcer mentions the presence of some Americans from Boston at the game. Apparently that was somewhat akin to mentioning the presense of a few rock stars :-)
I ended up meeting the americans, as well as the announcer (Ciao Guido), and he ends up announcing yet another American from Los Angeles... Wow! I'm famous now!
In any case, we get to the bottom of the 9th, still scoreless and go into extra innings. The game finally ends at around midnigght at the bottom of the 12th, the home team victorious.
Believe it or not, it was more fun than any Dodgers game I have ever been to!
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