Eating on our Trip

This week, I've had the privilege of talking about meals with Hotel Diana (Rome), and thought this would be a great time to give you an idea of what to expect for meals on this trip.

N.B.  This is exactly the same as what I've told you in the past, but more specific!

Colazione:  ("faccio colazione" - I'm eating breakfast)  For breakfasts, we'll have buffets at both hotels.  These will consist of the standard breads and spreads, but often also include fruit, sweet breads (coffee cake, etc.), and slices of cheese and meat.  Then, there will be warm (coffee, hot chocolate, warm milk) and cold (water, juices, whole milk) beverages available for your drinking.  Here are the hotels' descriptions of their breakfast spreads:

Hotel Diana's Restaurant - the first picture is part of the breakfast spread!

SanGallo Hotel's Breakfast Buffet

Pranzo:  You'll have time to grab lunch on your own.  In Florence, we'll have a three-course lunch together at a typical eatery (trattoria), and dinner will be on our own that day (or you'll be doing the pizza-making party with me!).  Don't forget:  If you get food at a place where you have the options to grab-and-go or to sit, you could be charged more for sitting!!!  And, when you eat at a sit-down place, expect to have "Service" added to your bill.

Cena:  ("Mangiamo" - let's eat!)  Dinners will be standard three-course dinners.  This includes a primo (usually pasta), a secondo (usually a meat, with a veggie side), and a dolce (dessert).  Sometimes you'll get an antipasto (bruschetta, insalata, or sliced meats/veggies) for your primo.

An example of una cena at Hotel Diana (this may just be our first night's menu):

Primo:  Rigatoni pomodoro e basilico (Tube pasta with a tomato-basil sauce)

Secondo:  Aristi di maiale al forno (Oven roasted pork tenderloin)

                con patate (with potato)

Dolce

per bevere (drinking):  On top of this, there's the topic of drink.  It's normal that drinks "aren't included", which means you need to expect to buy your drink, whatever you have.  It is standard in Italy that people who are out for dinner will split the cost of a large bottle of water to share at the table.  Cokes are SUPER expensive - if you HAVE to have caffeine, why not try a caffe latte after dinner, instead?  And it's not at the dinner table where you should be chugging water.  Plan to carry a water bottle around with you all day, which you can refill, as your source of hydration, and which you can leave in the room when we head to dinner.  

When you completed your applications with SPI, you included information about any special dietary needs.  But don't hesitate to e-mail me personally if you want to share or have concerns about eating on the trip!  We'll accommodate as much as possible!

HUGS,

Laura  :)