derBayerische May/June 2022 - 37

R O M A N
Instead, you're given a credit, to be
used at that same pump.
Shopping
We arrived in time to shop at the
Christmas markets in Bolzano and
Milan, but not in Venice. Oddly
enough, Rome had no Christmas
markets. Since most of the featured
goods were made in China (NOW
labeled as " P.R.C. " ), we focused on
the food. It was clear which baked
goods were available only during the
Christmas season. The Panettones
should be filled with fruit; light and
airy while rich and buttery. The
Zelten, exclusive to the Bolzano area,
shows the German influence in
that northern Italian region. Some
versions have more alcohol content
than the traditional English fruitcake.
Eating
It should now be obvious that if a
" secret Olive Garden kitchen " exists
in Italy, it's a secret to all.
Most of America was introduced
to Italian cuisine by Chef BoyAr-Dee
(a real person, by the way
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettore_
Boiardi) and the World War II G.I.s
returning from the European theater
popularized pizza. Hence, that is the
food that most Americans expect to
see when they travel to Italy. And the
" touristy " restaurants in Italy are
happy to cater to those American
tastes.
However, to get the real taste of
Italy, ask where the locals eat.
Suddenly, your taste buds are introduced
to meats, fish, produce, and
wines that are local and exclusive to
each region, with the foods prepared
in a fashion that seem simple, but
tastes sophisticated.
The recommendations from
the locals will surprise.
While driving to Bolzano, we
stopped at the town of Avio. A one
café town, we arrived well past
lunchtime. However, the owners
asked us in and apologized that they
only " had pasta, with either ragu or
fish " . After having that simple dish,
I'll never again eat the " endless
May I June
37
pasta bowl " at Olive Garden!
In Milan, we ate at a wonderful
and very busy pizzeria patronized
almost exclusively by locals. Tasty
and affordable, the wide variety,
consistent quality, and fast service
will ruin whatever love you had for the
American pizza chains and have you
raise an eyebrow at the overly priced
American " foo-foo gourmet " pizzas.
■ The Q2 is about the size of the GLHS.
H O L I D A Y
In Rome, our favorite meal was
at a meat and cheese shop. Locals
would order a meat and cheese tray
that includes fresh baked crusty
bread, paired with one of the variety
of wines sold by the shop. We
INTENTIONALLY are NOT calling this
a charcuterie, in the sense we see in
the U.S. What is served is not art, it's
a meal. You won't leave hungry. And
we make friends with our hotel staff
by giving them the ample leftovers
(with additional bread). By the way,
when one of the hotel staff members
recommended that we eat at the
restaurant that " invented " Fettuccine
Alfredo, we politely declined.
Now, about Italian coffee...
I did not notice from my
previous trip to Italy (four years ago)
■ Seeing the Q2 reminded me of my Shelby GLHS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettore_Boiardi
derBayerische May/June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische May/June 2022
