9 City Break Ideas: Eat, Drink, Do

October 18, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Since starting to contribute some of my travel articles to the GPSmyCity app a couple of years ago, I’ve been a bit more organised about how I write up city breaks. It’s been a really positive step in helping me develop my writing and also great to know that some of it is published and […]

Chestnut Trofie with Pancetta, Mushrooms & Radicchio

July 2, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

It may seem a strange and rather wintry dish for a day when the temperature has soared into the late 20s and everyone is seeking shade and a place to cool down. On the face of it chestnuts conjure up thoughts of Christmas and burning log fires. But to a certain extent, everyday suppers tend […]

Genoa 2018: Ligurian Food & Where to Eat

May 9, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

When in a new city you haven’t been to before, the most obvious place to get a feel for the cuisine is to go to the local market. Genoa has a truly fabulous covered market, Mercato Orientale, just off via XX Settembre. It has the most wonderful produce; everything looked perfect and of the highest […]

Genoa 2018: Cafes & Gelato

May 9, 2018.Reading time 16 minutes.

I love spending time in cafes – from morning coffee to maybe a snack lunch, and then when in Italy to enjoy an aperitivo early evening. The name cafe is pretty interchangeable with bar and most will sell you coffee or alcohol at any time. I especially like the wonderful historic cafes you find in […]

Genoa 2018: Dinner at Osteria il Cadraio

May 7, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’d been trying to get into this little osteria just round the corner from my hotel for a couple of days. The people leading my Hotel Alphabet course pointed it out as a good place for local food and so I tried to book, but never seemed to find a time to pop in when they […]

Genoa 2018: A Trip to Portofino & Aperitivo

May 5, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

It was the second day of my 3-day tour of Genoa and its art with Hotel Alphabet. While a visit to the Cinque Terre and Portofino didn’t strictly fit into the ‘art history’ theme, it was nevertheless a great thing to do. And happily, despite an unpromising weather forecast over the last few days, we […]

Genoa 2018: Dinner at Osteria di Vico Palla

May 4, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

Home to Christopher Columbus, the port city of Genoa, the 6th largest city in Italy, has a long and impressive maritime history. And down in the old port – Porto Antico – you will find many restaurants serving up traditional Ligurian food. When I booked the trip and saw my hotel was close to Porto […]