Do you know where the Michelin restaurant star rating system came from? I didn’t, until I started researching this trip. Michelin, the tire company that uses the Stay-Puft marshmallow man as a spokesperson, used to put out a guidebook for people on road trips. This was back in the days when the internet wasn’t even a real word yet. In the guidebook, they’d list all of the restaurants that you could stop at along your travels. I remember going on family road trips in the 80’s and using the AAA guidebook in the same way. But apparently the folks at Michelin took it one step further. They started rating restaurants. Any restaurant with at least one Michelin star is worth going to. It’s not like Yelp, where a roach coach can get a star. A one Michelin star restaurant is likely a better restaurant than you’ve been to in the past year, possibly better than you’ve ever been to.
Ravello
Ravello, a tiny little town in the heart of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Nestled among the mountains, this village offers breathtaking views of the coast and the surrounding… never mind. I can’t write like that. It is a great little town, though, with great views. There’s not a whole lot to do here other than eat and drink. Since those are two things that I’m really good at, it’s not a bad place for me to hang out for a few days.
Cooking at Acquolina
Today was a fun day in Venice. More specifically, we were in Lido, a large island just outside of Venice proper. I’m not sure if it’s actually part of Venice, but you can take the vaporetto (the water taxi) there, so I’m guessing that it is. We had a cooking class set up at the Acquolina cooking school, led by Marika. There were a total of 6 students, Cristina and I, 2 other Americans and 2 Canadians. Marika was a very friendly and engaging instructor, walking us through the process of making good pasta dough (and why Italian pasta is better than you find anywhere else), making fettuccini, ravioli and gnocchi from scratch.
The Rialto Market
The Rialto market is one of Venice’s most well-known sites. Go early in the morning (8A-ish) so you get the full experience of fresh fish and seafood, tons of fruits and vegetables and the vendors hawking their wares. We made the mistake of going later in the day when we went the first time, and we were greeted by sad leftover fish parts and plenty of produce that had seen better days.
The Vaporetto
Ah, the vaporetto. It’s like being on a motorboat with a bunch of people who treat it like a local bus. Well, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a bus boat. For all I know, vaporetto translates to “bus boat”. Or possibly to “cattle car on the river.”
Arriving in Venice
Stepping off the plane in Venice was tiring; it had been a long day already and I haven’t even gotten off the jetway. But the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful, and after a few deep breaths of the fresh air, I started to wake up. I had a good feeling about this trip even though I knew it would be different from my others. Normally, I tend to prefer all-inclusive resorts with swim-up bars and a good oceanfront room. This trip would be something different.