Supper At Savini
Savini is one of the most prominent and well-known restaurants in Milan. It is in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and sitting outside the restaurant, as I did, is one of the best places, I’ve ever found to people watch. Or as C used to say, watch the bimboni!
I had a good meal and thoroughly overfilled myself. I would of course, have had a better meal, if I’d had a suitable bimboni with me. But preferably one with intelligence, style and some worldly experience. If a lady can’t remember the 1960s, she’s too young for me!
When C and I met there, I missed a story, that I could have sold to the tabloids. At the time, there was speculation, that a certain England footballer might be pursuing his career in Milan. He’d gone missing, but turned up at the next table, with his very pregnant girlfriend. I do remember though, that he chose and ordered her meal for her. But at least they didn’t do anything that might have besmirched their good name, that of their club or their country. In fact his politeness to his girlfriend was a complete surprise, as on the pitch he generally didn’t behave as well.
I think that a few years later, they are still together, so it looks like the tabloids got his antics and personality wrong.
A Snack, Italian Style
When I arrived in Milan, I was hungry and so I went into a cafe under one of those big plastic covers, you see all over Italy, to see what I can get.
A Snack, Italian Style
The picture doesn’t show the large glass of excellent Pinot Grigio.
Disappointing Turin
One of the purposes of my trip was to visit places in Italy, that I’d never been to with C. Hence my visit to Turin, where I hoped to see some of the places made famous by The Italian Job.
It didn’t help as it was raining, but I was staying in the centre close to the main square and the cathedral.
So I just had a walk around, rode on a few trams and had a rather poor meal.
The latter was probably the most disappointing, as on this trip, I’ve eaten very well. But not in Turin. I had the worst vitello tonnato, I’ve ever had.
Would I Go Back To Genoa?
Genoa was a total surprise and the icing on the cake, was the old city, with its Aladdin’s Cave for coeliacs.
I will definitely go back. It would be a very good starting point for a trip round Italy.
One of the great advantages is the lack of tourists. But sadly, they will discover it!
An Aladdin’s Cave For Coeliacs
I couldn’t believe it, when I saw this shop in the Piazza de Ferrari in Genoa.
Not for Genoa a small Free From section, but a whole shop.
As I’d forgotten my EatNakd biscuits, I stocked up for the journey.
A Big Mistake In Naples
I know Naples well and I like the city a lot, but I still made a big mistake, by not getting a hotel right in the middle and preferably by the station.
I choose to stay at the Holiday Inn and it all went well getting there as the taxi was just ten euros.
I then needed to get back into the city to have something to eat. I wanted to get to Umberto’s restaurant, which is one I’ve used before that is very celiachia-friendly.
I thought there would be a bus, as coming in, I’d noticed the stop on the other side. But the guy at reception said that the only way to get back to the city centre was to take a taxi and he would call one. Like an idiot I believed him.
The taxi driver appeared about twenty minutes later and insisted I wanted to go to Pompeii. I ignored him and felt that perhaps the best thing to do was take an early night. He then called the receptionist and as I was hungry, I negotiated a trip to Umberto. I didn’t get the direct route and it cost me twenty euros to return.
But at least the meal was worth eating, even if I was a bit stressed. I finished the meal off with this ice cream.
Ice Cream at Umberto’s
It tasted as good as it looked. But then I trust Umberto’s, as everything gluten-free is clearly marked GF. And they even do gluten-free pizza!
Coming back, they sorted the taxi for me and I got back to the hotel for fourteen euros. As they said, I should have got a hotel in the centre.
The room in the Holiday Inn was actually quite comfortable and good value.
In the morning though, when asking another receptionist (female) how to get to the city centre, she gave me the timetable of their free shuttle bus. And of course, one would have been convenient to have used in the evening.
I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere near a Holiday Inn again. Especially in Italy!
Do Italians Talk With Their Hands?
I only have a few words of Italian, but at least I can pronounce celiachai, which is Italian for coeliac well enough to get served gluten-free food.
On the other hand, I find Italians easy to understand, as they seem to use their hands more for emplasis, than other nationalities.
I must learn some more Italian!
At least I know most of the words for food, although at lunchtime one day in Carluccio’s I wasn’t sure what rapa was. But then there was a translation.
Supper In Palermo
The hotel recommended a restaurant round the corner called Gagini.
The food, staff and atmosphere were all excellent and of course gluten-free.
The starter was particularly good as it was three types of seafood blended with salt from Trapani on Salina and spices. I’ve actually been to that island in the Aoelian Islands.
Breakfast At Gatwick
It wasn’t that good, as the South Terminal doesn’t have a Jamie’s Italian like the the North one does.
I was in a restaurant, where I had some pretty good scrambled egg, but there were other things on the menu, that I thought, if they had been properly cooked, would be gluten-free.
The restaurant was also serving Aspall’s cyder, which I know is gluten-free, but they didn’t know it was.
Surely, if McDonalds know what contains allergues, it is not beyond the wit of any restaurant to do the same.
So that’s one restaurant, I won’t bother with again.
An Ideal Job For A Coeliac!
Something seems to be stirring at Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery On Upper Street in Islington.
A notice has appeared saying that they are hiring.
An Ideal Job For A Coeliac!
They also gave a web site address, which appears to be as they say still being cooked.
The Anonymous Widower 