mmm-yoso!!!

Montpellier - Cuisine S, Cathedral Saint-Pierre, and Famiglia (In Les Halles Castellane)

Night drew its shades quite quickly in Montpellier. One moment I was staring out from the balcony, albeit with a sweater on, then "bam" darkness had descended. And along with that came a drizzle, not heavy mind you, just enough to be irritating. 

And then the cold arrived.

We'd had decent luck with non-French cuisine thus far and thought some soup would be great. I did some searching for ramen, but those places didn't look to promising. I did better with pho and one of those shops was fairly close to where we were staying, Cuisine S. Getting there was a bit interesting and round about as the place was fairly close to the train station. We walked past several Thai Restaurants and countless Indian places, all of them sparsely occupied. The street seemed dark and quite empty, the Missus was getting a bit nervous. It was a pretty dramatic change when we arrived at our destination.

All those folks waiting outside are food delivery couriers waiting for their orders! The restaurant itself was three-quarters full and we easily got a table. But there was one table where no one sat and the packages of takeout a delivery items were placed there. There was a constant stream of food packages being placed on the table and folks picking stuff up!

The woman working was very nice and we were quickly given menus. We opened it up and started cracking up.

They sure were playing up Obama's Bun Cha experience with Anthony Bourdain! The Missus ended up ordering the Bun Cha avec 2 Nems.

I, on the other hand, got the Pho Dac Biet, which seemed quite pricy at 15 Euroes, but heck, this is France and perhaps the ingredients are difficult to find?

Anyway, soon enough my pho came out.

 There were no herbs and veggies on a plate; what little there was had already been dumped in the soup; which had a weird tinge that was almost grey. The broth tasted like salt water with some beef bouillon dumped in it. The slices of beef were tough and tasteless. The banh pho were of the thicker variety and were just a tad overcooked. Man, this was even worse than the stuff we had in Paris a few years back.

The Missus fared slightly better.

 The best item were the "nems", which we call Cha Gio, it was light and crisp and the filling while on the chewier side had a nice porky flavor. The bun was overcooked. The bun cha dry, tough, and bland. The nuoc mam cham suffered a from a serious shortage of fish sauce. I'm just going to stop here.....

And still, those takeout and delivery orders kept piling up......

Again, the woman working here was so very nice and sweet. She spoke English, so I asked her about all the delivery orders and she told me: "every day is like this"! Go figure!

In the end, perhaps I pushed for a "bridge too far" this time.

Cuisine S
20 Rue Aristide Ollivier
34000 Montpellier, France

We slunk back to the apartment.....

When we awoke the next morning, I could tell the Missus was getting a bit restless and was ready to move on. So, I quickly tried to figure out what to do on this day. I did some quick checks and found that the Cathedral, which we saw the previous day was open from 1030 - 1145. Luckily, the apartment was fully stocked with coffee pods and I ran downstairs....it was very convenient to have a Carrefour City right on the ground floor along with a large Monoprix in the Shopping Center. I grabbed a yogurt for breakfast. We made a plan for the day, I did a post, and then we headed out at around 945am.

By now I could tell that this part of Montpellier was getting a bit too small for the Missus.

We actually did a loop and followed the tram tracks, passing the old Ursuline Convent.

Which was built in 1641 and became a women's prison during the French Revolution and is now called the Agora, which houses the National Choreographic Center.

Then down the winding streets of the old town; up stairs, down stairs.......

Until we turned the corner and the massive Cathedral Saint-Pierre stood in front of us.

The Cathedral was open for visitors so we stepped in.

The structure was commissioned by Pope Urban V in 1364 and became a cathedral in 1536.

 The church is dedicated to Saint Peter. We spent about a half hour exploring a bit. It does really look like a fortress, especially form the exterior with the two huge pillars in the front. Indeed, it is often called "Fort Saint Peter".

After our visit, we felt a bit hungry; it was still fairly early for lunch in France, so we decided to head on over to Les Halles Castellanes and perhaps get something to eat back at the apartment.

After doing a couple of "laps" around the the market, we decided to get some pasta from a stand named Familglia.

All the pastas were made in the stand and they had some really good looking stuff. 

In the end we got the Ravioli de Truffe with Pesto and the Gnocchi with Truffe and Champignon (of course). The service was very friendly and nice.

We got back to the apartment and I reheated the pastas.

The Truffle Ravioli was a perfect al dente.

The filling was a mild cheese with a wonderful amount of truffle flavor! The pesto was very weak though. It really didn't have any pine nut flavor, so I'm thinking it was made with walnuts or something similar.

The Gnocchi was surprisingly good.

The texture was smooth and fairly light. The sauce was mushroom and truffle forward, just what we wanted. Decent amount of salt as well.

A pretty good meal from a random stand in the market.

Famiglia (In Les Halles Castellane)
8 Place Castellane
34000 Montpellier, France

Lunch was a success, but my next mission? Find something to do after lunch!

Roadtrip (2022) - A Walk Around Downtown and Dinner at Nocciola (Ojai)

We took a short nap after our busy morning. It was quite warm when we woke. The Missus was fully engrossed in the book She purchased from Bart's Books the previous day. So, while She relaxed in the air conditioned comfort of our room; I decided to head on out for another walk.

This time, I walked on over to the Arcade and walked thru the the middle portion.

It was quite charming with art work and friendly folks.

There is a distinctive vibe to the town. It's laid back, and drivers actually stop to let pedestrians cross the street. Folks were telling me hello as I walked past them.

I wish I took photos of all the pooches we met. There was one little fellow being transported in a "stroller"; he looked so cool with his shades and his hat on. On the previous evening we were walking back to the hotel and a woman and her pooch we had seen earlier were walking toward us. She put the leash down and went to adjust her jacket. And then totally forgot to pick up the leash and started crossing the street without her dog! The dog sat on the corner with a puzzled look. Such a good boy!

You could just see the thoughts racing thru the little fellows head:

"Huh? Am I an orphan now?"

"Why is my mommy walking away without me?"

"I'm being a good boy; is my mommy going to come back for me?"

As the woman walked toward us, I pointed to the pooch on the corner and told her:

"You forgot something...."

She turned around, cracked up, and jogged back to get her little one.....

I walked around the front of the Arcade and crossed to street to check out Libbey Park.

It was a nice albeit pretty warm day. I also noticed that there were many more cars around, nice cars, like Porsches, 'Vettes, and such.

The next day was going to be the 4th of July and Ojai has a bunch of events the most popular is the parade which goes down the main street. People claim "their spot" by setting up chairs on the sidewalk.

There were chairs set-up from when we arrived!

Spending more then one day in a town like Ojai means you start seeing interesting touches around the town.

I headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit then we headed out to dinner. Our dinner destination was about a mile and a quarter from where we were staying, which was a nice walk. We reached Nocciola a bit early so we took a look at the park across the street. Cluff Vista Park was once the site of a gas station, but had been converted into a nice little park.

Our dinner reservation was for Nocciola, a Italian influenced restaurant located in a Victorian House. We had reservations for patio dining; the tables were perfectly spaced, the service was very professional, and we enjoyed our meal.

For our meal we ordered one Insalate, two Antipasti, and one Secondi. We mentioned that we'd be dining "family style" and things started off nicely as the kitchen automatically split the Crescione ($19), the Watercress salad without us even having to ask.

Loved the pleasant bitterness of the watercress, the salty-milky Parmesan crisp, the hearts of palm, and were pleasantly surprised that avocado tastes quite nice with a bit of balsamic on it.

   The Olive Oil served with the breads was wonderful; peppery and grassy, just like how we like it.

The Missus also had Her favorite glass of wine on this trip; a Alisl Vineyard Grenache. In fact, we went looking for this bottle on the walk back to our room, stopping at several places, but to no avail.

I was really looking forward to our next dish; the Lamb Carpaccio ($21). Sadly, it was the weakest dish of the evening. It really needed more salt, was lacking in the "flavor of the pasture" which makes lamb so distinctive. It was just strangely bland in flavor so that the julienned celery just overpowered the dish.

The Quaglia ($26), roasted quail set things back on track.

The quail was tender, moist, and full of flavor. The porcini mushroom so wonderfully earthy and delish. The polenta had a wonderful texture, somewhat firm, but creamy. The Marsala sauce completed all the players and didn't over power the dish. Very good.

The Anatra ($42) was also delicious.

That confit duck leg was excellent, the skin crisp, the simple flavor of the duck shining thru.....the Missus gave it Her seal of approval by saying "this is a good as yours"! I thought the roasted breast was a bit over done, but it was still moist and tender, with a meaty-gaminess. The truffle honey glaze was nicely balanced, not overly sweet, with nice nutty-earthy-savory tones.

We really enjoyed this meal. Like I mentioned earlier, the service was efficient and processional. Our settings were changed between every course, the table scraped down between courses.

Nocciola
314 El Paseo Rd.
Ojai, CA 93023

It seems like our meals got steadily better each night we were here!

We enjoyed our stroll back to the room as we made several stops to do some wine shopping along the way.

The next day we packed up, while we liked the fact that Ojai had a great Fourth of July Parade and festivities, we weren't comfortable with the crowds. We got our caffeine fix at a familiar stop and headed on home. It had been a nice road trip and I'm sure we'll return to Ojai one day. 

Lido's Italian Food (Lemon Grove)

Well, here you are, looking at mmm-yoso!!! again.  Today, Cathy is posting about a restaurant which has been in Lemon Grove since 1955, for good reasons.  Kirk and His Missus are still enjoying themselves in another part of the world.

You may have passed without noticing.  Lido's has been there all along. The architecture on the exterior has remained the same.  As has the interior.

  Notice there are Monday-Friday Lunch Specials.

Specials have a choice of soup or salad.  Of course, only minestrone soup is offered, because it is perfect and there is no need to make any other soup; just like at home.  The salad dressing (again, only one type) is a unique version of Italian.  It is available for purchase.  Lunch also arrives with toasted garlic parmesan bread. Of course, you can order a slice of cheese bread ($2.95) (or a half loaf for $6.95 or a full loaf for $9.95).  A very nice, cheesy 'appetizer'.

 This is a 'full' order of jumbo cheese ravioli ($10.45).  A delightful, fluffy ricotta-herb filling sandwiched between thin pasta and covered in the house marinara.  It's a great meal to share (and have some leftovers).
  The eggplant parmesan lunch ($9.25) here is excellent, though it isn't photogenic.  Thin sliced (but not mushy) eggplant slices, plenty of cheese, and, because it is baked, the marinara has a more concentrated flavor.
  One of our favorite meals when dating was to share an antipasto salad (for two, $10.35) ($8.35 for one).  The triangle slices of mortadella and cotto salami sandwiching mozzarella are found around the bottom of the plate.  Pickled carrot, celery, red pepper and cauliflower complete the lettuce/tomato/olive/pepperocini covered plate. A large sausage and mushroom pizza ($19.25)would pretty much always be our order back then and still is today.  Thin sliced fresh mushrooms, a light dollop of the tomato based sauce, plenty of mozzarella and sausage (!)- mild Italian with the flavors of garlic and fennel seeds.
 The large pizza is thin.  The small is a bit thicker.  For the extra $2, there are more toppings and flavor.  We reheat the leftovers in a fry pan.  

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Ok, so it's an older Italian restaurant.  What makes Lido's unique?

This.  With every eat-in pizza (or for $4.95) you get this.  "Hors d' ouevres"
 The plate arrives looking mildly unusual with hidden joy underneath all of those Cheez-Its: thin slices of American cheese and cotto salami.   It's what makes Lido's, Lido's.

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Local, long time, friendly, fresh, consistent.

Lido's Italian Foods 7252 Broadway Lemon Grove CA 91945  (619) 469-9901 Open seven days 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Website


 The hors d' oeuvres plate also reminds us of this surprising dish, which I posted about in November of 2006.

 

Patio Dining at Tribute Pizza

You might recall in one of our posts from back in June, that the Missus was missing Her visits to Tribute Pizza. As we passed by back in June, the nice fellow told us that if things worked out right they'd be reopening for dining in July. And it did take a while, but Tribute did reopen....but then the Delta variant attacked and we put things on hold. As our latest road trip approached, we understood that we'd be eating in various restaurants along the way and Tribute had started taking dining reservations for both dine in and patio seating. So, we decided to go ahead and make some reservations for the patio......on a Wednesday, which would be slower than, say....the weekend, at 4pm, the earliest time. 

 We arrived right at the appointed time and were seated on the patio. The woman who was our Server was fantastic and we saw really good processes in place; almost everyone, except the bartenders were masked....there were three parties after us all of whom were dining in; they were all seated at different ends of the restaurant. 

The Missus went straight for one of Her favorites here; the meatballs made from grass fed-finished beef and pork. 

This was a bit different than what we'd had before; the meatballs are still very tender and a bit lighter than what we'd had before. The sauce had a mild tanginess; though we really couldn't make out the roasted peppers and onions this time around.....we missed the sweet-vegetal-pungency. The Parmigiano Reggiano added the requisite milky-saltiness to the dish....which went nicely since the meatballs aren't overly salty. Funny, everytime I get a sniff of Parmigiano Reggiano, it takes me back to Emilia-Romagna and one wonderful day where I learned so much. The texture of the bread was wonderful....they do bread pretty well here. The only downfall was the olive oil used for the bread, which seemed to be rather low quality to us.

Speaking of bread, you know I had to get my favorite here; the Sea Salt Foccacia with the Sea Salt Foccacia with 'Nduja.

As my good friend "Alle" who is Italian-Venezuelan says; "this isn't foccacia....but who cares what it's called, when it's this good." Wonderful texture, love the mildly spicy, slightly funky 'nduja, though over the years it's become thicker....it still reminds me of a good pork spread with Harissa.

As mentioned a bit earlier; there's something different with the olive oil these days........still, that didn't detract from how nice the foccacia was.

And of course, we needed to get a pizza and so stuck with the Biancoverde with Prosciutto.

For some reason, this seemed much larger than what we recalled. The crust, well was ice and yeasty, light, though perhaps I'll request it a bit more charred next time. Love the combination of flavors; the bitter-peppery arugula, savory-almost cheesy prosciutto......nice textures; though after the meatballs and "foccacia" there wasn't much room left.

We enjoyed the service, which was warm, friendly, as it always is at Tribute. And while we're still picking our spots; heck the only other place where both the Missus and I "ate in" at in San Diego was Prime Grill back in June when things were looking good here in San Diego. I'm hoping we can stay the course, we do miss eating out.....

Tribute Pizza
3077 North Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours
Wed - Thurs 4pm - last seating 8p
Fri - Sat 4pm - last seating 9p
Sunday 4pm - last seating 8p
Closed Monday - Tuesday
Patio seating available by reservation

Red Devil; I know you've been waiting to visit; have you made it back to Tribute yet?

Funny thing, you can tell we're missing travel so much......for some reason, my love of culatello came up......oh man, it was just love at first bite, I just couldn't get enough of the stuff when we were in Emilia-Romagna. Of course, the funniest thing was when I mentioned this to Massimo Bottura during our dinner at Osteria Francescana and to our immense surprise he called out to the kitchen and personally brought us a plate of his own 46 month aged culatello which he makes for his staff and himself. I love to watch the Missus roll Her eyes when I do the old man thing and say; "did I tell you about the time Massimo Bottura served me culatello"? Sigh.......we're looking forward to the day we feel comfortable travelling internationally again. 

Hope everyone is safe and in good health!

Hungry Lu's- Italian Deli & Goodies (Ocean Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a few days off.

Hungry Lu's is located in the midst of homes and a few businesses on Voltaire Street, three blocks East of the Pacific Ocean.  The Ocean Beach community has been able to enjoy this Bakery and Deli since 1973. Walk in, order and pay.  There are some tables out front and your order is brought out to you.  
 Of course, you can just order some meats, cheeses and (wonderful fresh baked) rolls to make your own sandwiches at home.

 We were here in early January and Christmas Cookies were still being baked; a nice way to continue the holiday treats a bit longer (and to ignore a silly resolution)
 There is a menu on the front window as well as on the wall and taped to the counter inside.  It's simple and has just enough choices, especially if you are walking to or from the beach. The "personal size" pizza is quite large, cut into six slices and has a wonderful crust!  All pizzas are priced the same, $6.49.  This, the 'Meat Lovers', includes pepperoni, sausage, salami and mozzarella.  The sauce is a good tomato flavored unadorned deliciousness. 
The Baked eggplant sandwich, listed under 'Favorite Subs' ($8.99) is simple with eggplant baked in olive oil, mozzarella and the simple yet flavorful tomato marinara.  The sandwich/bread baked here is quite large and half of a sandwich (on the wonderfully tasty toasted bread) is filling. There appeared to be some ricotta on the sandwich also...which made it even better.   
 There is one item not even listed on the menu, but everyone orders it.  The cannoli shells ( a delicious fried pasty) are near where you place your order at the counter and are filled when you order. The filling is a smooth ricotta with citrus (lemon) and the ends are topped with tiny chocolate chips (optional; as if I'd say no).  The cost was around $3.  

A nice, long time, local sandwich place.

Hungry Lu's 4920 Voltaire Street, San Diego, 92016 (619)223-4722 Open Mon-Fri 10:30-4:30, Sat 10:30-5:30 Closed Sunday.

Pappalecco

Welcome back to the food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and His Missus are somewhere in Europe, dealing with some transportation issues. Cathy does eat and takes photos, so enjoy her post today. 

13 years ago, the first location of Pappalecco opened in the Little Italy area of town, eventually expanding to three other locations and then one location closed, so at present, there are three locations total.  Each of the Tuscan influenced restaurant locations offer coffees, panini, croissant, salads, pizza, baked desserts and gelato-as well as breakfast on weekends.   We were on Adams Avenue at 42nd and decided to drop into this neighborhood location.  

 Walk in, order and pay.  There is a menu above the cash register as well as some printed menus. Your food will be brought to you. There are quite a few tables and seating areas, inside and out front.  
 We decided to try a Margherita pizza ($10.75).  The wood fired oven bakes an excellent (thin!) crust with a good chew.  The (imported) San Marzano tomatoes are unadorned and have a perfect, fresh picked tomato flavor.  The Fior Di Latte Mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh basil and olive oil make all the flavors of each ingredient stand out.  Really a perfect pie. 
We added a side salad (for one) ($5.99).  Mixed perfectly, each item (mixed greens, onion and cherry tomatoes), coated lightly with a garlic-y Caesar dressing, making each bite of the (quite large/easily shared) salad uniform and not in need of any condiments. (Lime Vinaigrette and Olive Oil & Balsamic are also choices).
 When you walk in, just to the right is the gelato display.  We had  to try 'something'.  
 So, we ended up with three flavors ($5.75).  On the bottom in the center, you can slightly see the Strawberry Balsamic-such a delightful flavor blend.  The scoop on the left is a wonderful, nutty pistachio.  The serving on the right in the above photo is "Thanksgiving" and has pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and glazed pecans...what a perfect bit of every Thanksgiving dessert available!

We will be back to try more of the menu.

Pappalecco 4202 Adams Ave. San Diego 92116 (619)255-4770 Open Mon-Thurs 7-9, Fri 7-9:30, Sat 7:30-9:30, Sun 7:30-9 Website

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Our Last Night in Bologna

I figure I better get these posts done. Our trip to Florence and Emilia-Romana finished up in April of last year.

We had really enjoyed our time in Emilia-Romagna; from the Culatello to the Tortellini en Brodo, to aged Parmesano Reggiano...well, that was me. The Missus loved the castles, the Devil's Bridge, and we both loved the warm and friendly people...and of course the amazing Italian Days Food Tour.

For our last dinner in Bologna, I selected a modern, yet very popular restaurant named Oltre. I'd heard it was a bit difficult to find, so while the Missus was taking a nap I headed out to find the sticker covered door of the restaurant.

So, for dinner, I basically retraced our steps. The restaurant was dimly lit and the wine and bread were quite good.

The food however, was disappointing; from the bland broth and the strange and almost rancid tasting pasta in the Tortellini en Brodo (we mentioned this to the Server who looked at us and said; "this is the way it's supposed to taste").

To the tough meat in the Sformantino en Ragu....

The Guancia di manzo (beef cheeks) were very tender, but the thick sauce was bitter and overwhelmed the equally delicious black cabbage.

We just decided to call it quits before dessert.

Oh well, sometimes it just doesn't work out, right?

Oltre
Via Augusto Majani 1
40122 Bologna, Italy

We took our time heading back to the apartment. Stopping to take in Piazza Maggiore.

And yet another amazing street performer.

Here's a little snippet of the performance.

Awesome, yeah?

As is my little tradition; I picked up a beer on the way back to the apartment.

And the next day we headed home. The Business Class Lounge in Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is kinda cramped and the offerings nothing worth mentioning.

What is worth mentioning is the excellent fast-track security exit at the rear of the lounge.

And because "DerekR" seems to like my airline food photos...….this is for you!

The Chicken Terrine was the best item.

So that's it.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Italy Bar & Grill (Scripps Ranch)

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk had been on vacation for two weeks, got home, posted a few things and the time zone change hit.  Cathy is writing today's post. 

The Mister and I were driving around, aimlessly, looking for someplace 'new' to us, as we tend to do.  This storefront, in a strip mall next to the Vons in Scripps Ranch, had been a French Restaurant, open only in evenings.  In 2016, it became an Italian Restaurant- open for breakfast on weekends as well as lunch and dinner daily. We decided to stop.    We were asked if we wanted the Breakfast or the Lunch menu- and took one of each.  (Thumbnails at bottom of the post).  
 There are various tables and seating areas, including an outdoor patio.
 The signage out front indicated "All Starters 1/2 off Sat-Sun open-5".  The Burrata starter (regular $15.95, so $7.97) was ordered.  Wow.  What a quality cheese, creamy and so very fresh.  Topped with some crushed black pepper, it was served on top of sliced Roma tomato, a good slice of prosciutto de parma and large pieces of basil.  Olive oil and balsamic decorated the side of the plate.  If I were alone, I'd order this (and at 1/2 price, two) as my meal.  
We decided to share one entree and had a choice of soup or salad.  The soup of the day wasn't one we liked, so we asked for the side salad (dressing already mixed in; house Italian was what we chose), a refreshing choice.
 Chicken Parmesan ($14.95) was ordered (lunch menu) and, as with proper Italian entrees, the plate came with sides of steamed vegetables and pasta topped with the house made marinara.  Fresh, flavorful sides.  The chicken, pounded thin, breaded and (properly) fried was moist and juicy, crispy and light, parmesan flavors and topped with more fresh marinara and Mozzarella.  Great.
 At the top of the Lunch menu is a "Bambino" (10 inch) pizza with one item ($10.95).  We thought we should try it, choosing artichoke.    Not too thin of a crust, wood fired and lightly charred.  A light amount of marinara, plenty of cheese as well as artichoke.  We took home leftovers and had a light dinner.

Another quality neighborhood restaurant.  A great find.  

Little Italy Bar & Grill 10006 Scripps Ranch Blvd (between Red Rock Drive and Aviary Drive) San Diego 92131 (858) 368-4688 Open Mon-Wed 11-9, Th-Fri-11-10, Sat 9-10. Sun 9-9 Website

Ravenna - More Mosiacs, Wonders (the Flooded Crypt of San Francesco), and Dinner at Ristrorante La Gardela

**** Note - this is a long post. If you want to come back on another for something shorter, or when you have more time to read, I wouldn't blame you. Otherwise, read on......

After the beautiful mosiacs at the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia you'd think we'd seen a lot. But even after checking out Dante's Tomb, there was still much to see. Our next stop was a few blocks away, the Neonian Baptistery (Battistero Neoniano). Again, this looked like a rather simple octagonal structure.

It is one of the oldest monuments in the city; believed to be built as a bath house at the beginning of the 5th century. During the end of the 5th century it was renovated and turned into a baptistery; supposedly by Bishop Neon. Hence the name.

The interior is stunning.

The mosaic in the center of the dome represents the baptism of Christ.

This and the Museo Arcivescovile (Archiepiscopal Museum), and the two sites in my previous post on Ravenna were all covered by the combined ticket we purchased earlier in the day.

The museum is located on the first two floors of Archiepiscopal Palace and contains many precious works of Christian churches and the ancient Basilica, many of which; like the Basilica have been demolished. Like the Cappella di Sant'Andrea (Chapel of Saint Andrew), which was once the private chapel of the Bishop.

One of the other items of interest is the Ivory Throne of Maximian. This finely carved ivory masterpiece was once the throne of Archbishop Maximian and completed in the 6th century. Each of the four panels was carved by a different ivory masters. It is something to see.

Also of interest was the Easter (Paschal) Calendar, a set of rules - after the vernal equinox, the revolution of the moon around the Earth, taking into consideration the seven day week...the whole cycle revolves around Easter (Paschal). Confusing? Try and read about Computus….yikes!

We took a short break after this....grabbing some much needed caffeine.

Then it was a longer walk, in the direction of the train station to this wall.....

And this octagonal structure, which has now sunk over two meters into the ground.

King Theoderic was a Goth and when he took power the Arian (Goth) Christianity became the official religion. He did let Orthodox Christians and Arian Christians live together though. This structure was the first that Theoderic had built once he took the throne.

The main feature of this structure is the mosaic roof which depicts the 12 Apostles and the Baptism of Christ.

Our next stop we had passed on our way into town the previous day. Close to the train station is the The Church of San Giovanni Evangelista .

We had noticed it the day before because of the 14th Century Gothic Portal made of marble.

Originally constructed in the 5th Century, it had sustained major damage during the Second World War and almost all of the church has been rebuilt or restored.

A few streets over is the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo which was constructed by King Theoderic.

The interior is beautiful as mosaic friezes line each wall down to the apse.

On one side 22 virgin martyrs are led by the three Maggi to the Virgin and Christ. On the other are 26 male martyrs walking toward Christ sitting on a throne.

There's also something interesting that you might miss if you don't know about it.

If you look closely at some of the mosaics you'll see disembodied hands. So what do these mean?

Well, it means that somebody else was in power. In 561 the church was deconsecrated as a Orthodox Christian Church. This end of the mosaic featured Theoderic and his court looking grand and powerful....well, that was just not going to do with Justinian in power would it? So Bishop Agnellus had him basically "blacked out" (Some things never change, do they?)...….but I guess working over those hands was going to be too much work?

You think perhaps we were "churched out"? For some reason we weren't, but it was getting later in the day. There was just one more place I wanted to see. Remember I mentioned visiting the Basilica di San Francesco in my earlier post? Well, that was our last stop for the day. Yes, this is where Dante's funeral was held and where his remains were kept and hidden. But there was one other reason I wanted to visit.

Well, the crypt of this church is flooded (and somewhere in this pool is supposedly the remains of Bishop Neon). For .50 Euros; you get the lights turned on. The water is amazingly clean and clear.

And yes, there are goldfish swimming around.

You can read more about it on Atlas Obscura.

Whew, it was now time to head back to Casa Masoli and take a break. And soon enough, it was time to head off to dinner. Our hosts at Casa Masoli had booked us a table at a place named Ristorante La Gardela. The place was quite charming, the service very friendly. The restaurant was empty when we arrived....obviously early by Italian standards, but filled up quickly....lots of families out to have a good time.

It was amazing to watch these folks go thru the antipasti, then the primi, then the secondi, with some cortoni (side dishes - usually veggies and salads, but also fries and other stuff), and even formaggi (cheese), before finishing with a dessert from the case! All in the time it took us to finish our rather limited meal! We loved this place.

Of course I started with the Pro​sciut​to ​Cru​do No​stra​no - crudo means "never cooked" i.e. cured, and nostrano I believe means local or even home made.

This was good; though perhaps lacking in the complexity of other versions I'd had.

I also just had to have the Lar​do ​di ​Pa​ta​ne​gra ​su ​Bru​schet​ta ​Cal​da​. Aged lard from the legs of "Black" (Iberian) Pigs...melted beautifully on bruschetta.

Oh, baby...….what can I say. And there was even a nice salad underneath....the radicchio here is ridiculously good.....both bitter, vegetal, with sweet tones.

The Missus also ordered the Contorno Misto di Verdure Grigliate - mixed grilled vegetable. First off, let me say the tomatoes here taste like the sweetest, tangiest, sunshine!

And the endive was delish as well.

The Missus ordered what might have been one of Her favorite pasta dishes (along with the Strigoli con Funghi from Il Fantino), the Ta​glio​li​ni​ al​ Ra​dic​chio​ Ap​pas​si​to​ al​ San​gio​ve​se.

Remember how I mentioned how good the radicchio was? Well here it was balanced out with a perfect acidity and light sweetness of the sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly. And take a look at it...….it was dressed for success....not floating around in a ton of "gravy".

My Cap​pel​let​ti​ al​ Ra​gù Ti​pi​co​ was sauced nicely, the pasta cooked perfectly.

The meat wasn't too rich and was fairly tender. But compared to what the Missus had.....well, the name said it all "tipico". It was a nice dish.

And of course "I Dolce" for the Missus.

The prices were quite reasonable as well. The antipasti and primi were priced at 7 Euros, the veggies, 4....we even had a bottle of wine.

Ristorante La Gardela
Via Ponte Marino 3
48121, Ravenna, Italy

I think Ravenna is truly worthy of an overnight stay. Heck, it's even on our "return to" list!

If you've managed to read thru these 1300+ words, I thank you so much for sharing this with us!

Ravenna - The Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Lunch at Al Cairoli, and Dante's Tomb

We'd had such a great time in Emiligia-Romagna, from the Castles, to the "Devil's Bridge", to our amazing food tour, there were so many memorable experiences. And even though we had but two more nights left in the region, I had one more ace up my sleeve. Our Airbnb was very inexpensive, so I decided to book an overnight stay in Ravenna, a short hour train ride from Bologna. I'd read a bit about the city, which was once the capital of Western Roman Empire. When Theodosius I died; he split the Roman Empire into to halves, one of his sons, Honorius and he moved the Imperial Court and Administrative offices there in 401 because it was easily defended.

Well, enough of the history lesson, no?

The train station in Ravenna is but a short walk into the heart of the city. The vibe is relaxed and friendly; the city is pedestrian friendly and there's obviously a lot going as we passed this while walking past one of the many piazzas on the way to our hotel.

Our hotel; the Casa Masoli was close to everything we wanted to see; the woman running the place was warm and friendly and even made dinner reservations for us at a place she highly recommended. The prices were quite affordable; we got the Teodora e Giustiniano Suite for like a hundred Euros. The building has long history and our suite was amazing! And quite unique; it's like we entered a time machine and travelled into the past. From the Venetian four post beds and antiques lining the room....

To the huge bathroom with a marble bath tub!

To the rather dramatic sitting area.

The woman pointed to a part of the high ceiling and told us...."this is where a bomb landed during World War I"!

We had also arrived early and expected to drop off our bags; but our room was ready!

And so were we. The first order of business was head on out to the bookstore located at Via Giuliano Argentario 22 and purchase a combined ticket for five of the sites. And, it right down the street from our first site; the Basilica of San Vitale.

Commissioned by Bishop Ecclesius in 527; the church was still unfinished when Ravenna fell to Justinian I in 1540. It was then that the mosaics were done and the church completed in 1547. From the exterior, the building really looks rather staid and simple, but the octagonal plan and the use of terra-cotta bricks was revolutionary in those times.

It's upon entering the interior where you really understand the importance of this structure......

The amazing Byzantine Mosiacs are second to none and just amazing to see. It is rumored that San Vitale was used as the model for the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. And even though we've been to the Hagia Sofia, twice this really made an impression on us.

It is undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.

I'm wondering what the dome would have been like had the intended mosaic design been carried out. The painting on the dome is from the 18th century.

I mean, the mosaic on the ceiling of the presbytery is dramatic enough.

There's actually a tape that goes "ssshhhssshhh" when folks start talking too loud in the place. We actually loved it!

For a wonderful article on the history and mosaics, check out this site.

Across the courtyard is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, named after the daughter of Theodosius I. There are three sarcophagi in the structure; it is said that these are of Galla Placidia, who is said to have been placed in sitting position, Galla's son, Valentinian III is to her right, and to her left is that of Emporer Constantius III, her husband. Though because of study and dating, it is no longer thought to be so.

Some say the mosaics here outshine those in the Basilica and I can see why.

It was an amazing visit; something I wish everyone could see.

From here we headed to the next thing I wanted to see. While on one of the many wonderful pedestrian side streets, we decided to stop for lunch here.

It was a quaint shop; the upstairs was a dining area and the bottom floor like a very comfortable café.

the main reason we stopped is because the place served a small menu for lunch that featured Piadine. We'd been wanting to try an Italian version since having on Malta and I knew that this flatbread is traditionally from this region.

The Missus thoroughly enjoyed her Verdure Gratinate Squacquerone (a nice lightly acidic fresh cheese) - basically roasted vegetables in a nice, warm flatbread.

I had the Prosciutto (of course) Arugula Squacquerone version. Which was just enough for a light lunch.

This, along with two espressos was perfect since we still had a bunch of places to visit and didn't want to get filled up. It was also a nice change from all of the rather hearty food we'd been having over the last couple of days.

Nicely priced as well.

Al Cairoli
Via Benedetto Cairoli 16
48121, Ravenna, Italy

We headed straight down the street. Past all of the locals chatting, having espresso, eating lunch......

Via Benedetto Cairoli had become Via Corrado Ricci and we had arrived at this piazza. This is the Piazza San Francesco.

We'd gone a street too far. We would return here to visit the Basilica di San Francesco later on....there's something really cool in the church. But for now, I was focused on this place right around the corner in an area called "Zona del Silenzio" (Area of Silence).  Remember when we visited the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence? I noted that Dante's tomb "monument" was located in the church, but he wasn't interred there? Well, here he is.

On January 27th 1302, Dante was exiled from his home in Florence. He ended up in Ravenna in 1318 and wrote Paradiso, the third and last part of his Divine Comedy. When Dante died in 1321, he was entombed and hidden in what is now named the Basilica di San Francesco not to be found until 1865. Thus began what some say is a 700 year "battle" over the remains of Dante, which is quite a story in itself.

So many stories...….

And it was barely past noon!

Yes, there's more to come.

Thanks for stopping by!