LCI ....where will you be going in Portugal? I will be there in the south where we have a home and if I can be of any help .......

Hi LCI,

This has been a unique & fantastic food tour of Rome! Thanks for sharing all the delicious details here!

I signed up on Shutterfly this fall to make a photo book of our trip to France. The program was easy to navigate and the book turned out well! No longer will I scrapbook with scissors & glue. My last trip album weighed 10 lbs!

lowcountrycarol...

Thank you for offering Portugal help, I may take you up on it, once I start diving into my Portugal planning. Mom and I will be (*gasp*) doing a Rick Steve's tour in Portugal. Starting in Lisbon and ending in Porto, so we are heading north. We will be arriving in Lisbon 3 days before starting the group tour and spending an extra night back in Lisbon after the tour ends before going home, so I'll definitely be looking for restaurant recommendations for there. if you have any, they are greatly welcomed! :-)

2010...

Thanks, glad you liked all the food info! I haven't had a chance to get to the Shutterfly website today, it may be after the Christmas holiday before I can get pictures posted.

Ok, let's see if the link below works. It should take you to a shutterfly slideshow of 125 pictures from this trip, mostly food! :-D

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/p...478&albumPath=

LCI - I just found your report and am loving it! Filing a lot of this away for whenever I get to go back.

One question for you or anyone - is there a site other than eBay that sells the Gabs bags online? (annhig - did you just contact the Firenze store specifically?) I'm in the market for a new bag, and do love the look of them!

hi jent,

these are the people i used to buy the bags online:

http://www.lollishop.it/gabs-world-c...p-online-p1035

they seem to be very reliable. I got an e-mail from them after I put my order in asking for details of my address, [I think I had to check my junk box] then the bags arrived a few days later.

good luck!

Hi jent,

I don't know where you live but if you check 'store locator' on the Gabs Bags website, you might be able to locate retail stores that carry them near you. I was surprised that there are a number of shops locally (in Vancouver, B.C.) that carry this line! I will be making the rounds early in the new year to see the styles available here. I may still wait until I'm in Florence & Rome to actually buy one --- thinking that the selection in Italy may be different!

2010 - I looked at the stores, but sadly none anywhere in driving distance (I'm in Tennessee, and they're just in LA and Naples, Florida). I might call one of them, though, if I decide to splurge!

annhig, thanks for the link! Unfortunately it looks like they only ship within the EU, sadly for me. They do have prices, though, unlike the official site!

LCI, sorry for the threadjack!

Pictures just round out the trip report. Great job! thank you for sharing.

No worries about the threadjack..especially when discussing Gabs Bags! :-)

Thanks so much for the detailed response! Going to check out your pics now.

Caze - my earlier reply should have been that we did the Eating Italy walking tour of your link. Not paying attention and typed Walking instead of Eating.

As we have not been up in Lisbon for a few years ( we land and drive directly south) others will be better able to give you up to date restaurant reports. Do not miss the wonderful custard tarts at Pasteis de Belem. These are to die for. Located near the river and Torre de Belem...google it for the details. Others make them but they do not equal theirs!

Also, try the vino verde which means green wine but not referring to color only the age, which has a crisp fruity taste and a slight bubble.

I think a Rick Steve's tour would be fun and I will enjoy your trip report for sure .....maybe it will inspire us to venture to the north of Portugal again.

LCI,
Your trip report was a great way to enjoy my Saturday morning coffee. I've been thinking of a return trip to Rome, and now I have a restaurant list to follow.

Glad to hear the charming fellows at Trattoria Monti are still serving delicious food--I can never eat there without having that onion flan . . . And I always ask them for the italian menu as well, since I've found some of the English translations cryptic (the one that comes to mind is "skilled brains").

And I always ask them for the italian menu as well, since I've found some of the English translations cryptic (the one that comes to mind is "skilled brains").>>

at a Florence restaurant i ate in last year, the translation of one dish was simply "cut".

it turned out to be a large steak that was sliced before being brought to the table.

Happy Holidays to all. I was away from the computer for a few days (in NYC for the Christmas holiday!) and just now checking back in.

Lowcountrycarol...thanks for the tip on pastry in Lisbon, I do tend to have a sweet tooth, so this info will come in handy! I'm a HUGE fan of vino verde! Now that there is a Trader Joe's up in Mt. Pleasant (only a 2 hour drive from me) I don't have to make the 5 hour trek to Atlanta to get my "stock" of $4.50/bottle vino verde...love it!

ellenem...thanks for joining in and reading...we can't stop thinking about that red onion flan at Trattoria Monti! Yes, sometimes the English translations can be humorous! :-)

Happy New Year and Happy Travels!

LCI, if you are enjoying TJ vino verde you will REALLY enjoy the vv when you are in Portugal as it is a wine that does not travel well so never as good outside the country. When there give these two brands a try...Aveleda and Casal Garcia. Sometimes you can find them in the US but here in the south not easy. We often stock up when visiting near Danbury Conn where there is a liquor store that carries those brands. ( Danbury area has a Portuguese community)

Lowcountrycarol...thanks for the brand names, I will definitely take them with me and try them. I have also been drinking wines from Spain called "albarino", and have come to find out they are made with the same grape as the vino verde, no wonder I like it so much! :-)

And interestingly there is a vinho verde brand, green bottle,called Alvarinho. It maybe very similar to the Spanish wine you like.

lowcountryislander,

I am staying at the Albergo del Senato for a week in February with my teenage daughter. I know from experience that we are often too tired by the time we return to the hotel in the evening to venture out very far for dinner. Do you happen to know if there are any non-touristy places for a casual dinner within walking distance of the hotel? I did write down all of the wonderful restaurants in your posts and I hope to get to at least one or two of them but I know most nights we will probably want to eat nearby.