Featured Finds Thread

I ALWAYS choose Venice - but I have family/friends there so....................I personally don't care for Rome, but I have gone a number of times because there is much to see and absorb.................if I were "touristing" it would be Rome...........

 

I've never been to either. I'd go to Rome, and find some cooks/bakers willing to teach a poor deprived American how it's done.

That WWII pot however is definitely a WWII-era American helmet. They were still using the same style during the Korean conflict too and for some time afterward, so there's no way to be sure when it was used.

 

Thank you all ..looks like Rome is winning................unless Mansons family likes company

 

They live in an historic palazzo - which would be totally lovely if the first two floors weren't under water...........they just keep moving up a flight every decade...but the whole place feels damp and the frescoes are molding and peeling right off the walls..........the kitchen is currently located in the bedroom I used to use when visiting................

trust me, you're better off in Rome...............

 

YIPES!

 

My exclamation is usually slightly more earthy than Yipes, but they still rent out rooms to unwary Americans.................the "lady of the house" was American by birth, married into what they politely term a "noble family" living in "genteel poverty".

 

Meaning they had money about 200 years ago, but they've run through all of it and then some? How is the house still standing?

 

I've never been to either. I'd go to Rome, and find some cooks/bakers willing to teach a poor deprived American how it's done.

I married into an Italian family. Both of my DH's maternal grandparents emigrated to the US as children. His grandmother was about 6 & came with her family. His grandfather came over on the boat alone at 15 with approximately $50 in his pocket.

I learned how to make lasagna when I helped Grandma Perfilli make 10+ pans of it for our wedding reception. After we were married I spent a Saturday afternoon with her learning how to make raviolis from scratch. I still have the recipe from that day & the first ingredient is 5 lb. of flour.

She would dump this bag of flour on her counter & then make a little well in the center in which she would drop in the eggs. She would then mix it by hand & never lose a drop. The one & only time I tried it myself there was eggs & flour all over the cupboards & floor.

Her kitchen was done in Knotty Pine paneling & when you walked in the back door you never knew if she was cooking or not. The wood was so saturated with the smell of garlic & tomatoes that it smelled like her from scratch sauce all the time. Someday we will talk about her homemade bread, but right now I have to get a roll of paper towels for my chin & my keyboard.

I don't make them as much as I used to but this little Irish/German kid can still make some excellent Gnochis, Lasagna, Cheese Stuffed Shells & Raviloi.

evelyb30 - Thanks for helping me remember some very pleasant memories!!!!

Peggy

 

Wow..didn't realize it was to this extent...and I think we have problems with snow removal!!

 

Its not - its floating...............

 

They should put some sails on that sucker and move it to higher ground!

 

Hmmmm...... I visited Rome, Florence, and Venice. Rome is a bustling, fun city. You see a lot of history. You will see the Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and don't miss The Vatican, especially the Sistine Chapel. Rome is a city of large and small fountains. Florence was my favorite city.... quieter, foot traffic only within the city, the Uffizi Museum, the statue of David, saw Botticelli's Birth of Venus, my favorite painting. We were pickpocketed leaving Florence to visit Venice, so our time in Venice was short. I thought Venice was a little creepy, the smell of decay in the canals.... I would have preferred to visit the Murano glass factories there, but we only had a day there. If I had to choose out of all three, though, for a visit I would tell you to see Rome. I want to go back and visit the cameo factories. If you see something there you like, BUY it. My biggest jewelry regret in my whole life was not buying a stunning cameo of Botticelli's Birth of Venus set in 14k gold in Florence.... it was $400 at the time in 1996, and I didn't want to use a credit card.... regretting it still. Be very aware of the pickpocketing, guard your plane tickets, passport, and money.... use a money belt.

 

And the Colusseum in Rome is something else, especially being inside of it.

And now for just a few pair of earrings..... I love iris/rainbow glass in jewelry and buy it whenever I find it



West Germany plastics made to look like carnival glass.... will match a couple of necklaces I have

 

Yes, as I have said, a feeling of decay.... I don't know how they stand the rotting and molding.....they were dredging a canal when I was there, OMG, the stench.

 

Rome.... don't miss the gelato, and don't miss the little patisseries.... do get up early because they close down by about 3-4 p.m. and open back up later after naps. Be prepared for smoking everywhere you go..... especially any restaurant. And NEVER drink the tap water, always buy bottled water. The pollution over there is bad, as is the littering.

 

Funny you should mention Florence.................I always think of Florence (and Siena) as "vacation" spots. Museums, shops, relaxing, etc. Not that the other cities in Italy lack those, but I find more/better social connections in Venice and Rome. And we only went to Milan when my wife was in the mood to spend money......................though I have to admit that I could spend a fortune on leather goods, silver and linens in Florence.................

 

The water in Italy is absolutely fine and smoking is now widely banned, especially in restaurants.

 

1896 trade catalogue I bought last month.

Here is a sample page

 

I like it!

 

Here is my latest find. I don't have it in my grubby hands yet (It is coming from Austria) I grabbed the photos from the Ebay auction.

Kralik Scent Bottle in a "Abstract Flower" decor. 4 1/3" High