We decided to fly out of bologna as we wanted to try authentic tagiatelle alla ragu aka as spaghetti bolognaise. We only spent half a day there as it quite small but worth the visit to have the pasta. The meat sauce is not too tomato-ey, slow cooked with the meat infused with lots of herbs, delicious!
This was my third time there, so I was the navigator. First off was Michaelangelo Piazza to enjoy the view, and we found San Miniato church which I thought the grounds provided better views. Sunset on Santa Croce was very pretty too. Saturday morning, we climbed both the bell tower and the dome of the Duomo. Then a stroll in the markets off San Lorenzo... we read good reviews on a restaurant... and sure enough an hour and a half wait... the food didn't disappoint! It was absolutely delicious.... the best roast veal I've ever tasted. We researched on all best gelato places, and tracked them all down!
Sunday was spent exploring the Uffizi, and our long weekend was over. Great way to spend a weekend with a great friend..
For valentines weekend we visited Porto in Portugal. What a delightful little town, with efficient public transport system, everything you wanted was within walking distance, and home to Port!
First off, we went searching for our favourite little cake, the Portuguese tarts.. they were still warm, with the lightest and crispy & flakey pastry, and the custard was thick and oozing with flavour… we gobbled a few down and went exploring the city. The Duoro river separates the old town from the port cellar door, Old town is nice, hilly, and a tram network that gets you around. It strangely reminded me of San Francisco, even the houses all lined up. The façade of some of the buildings had blue tiles, on it… very distinct and pretty.
We strolled through the old time at a leisurely pace, and visited many churches, and climbed the tallest bell tower to get a bird’s eye view of the city. Lunch was at one of the riverside restaurants where we can view the Dom Luis Bridge. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s designed by Gustave Eiffel, yes the guy that did the Eiffel tower.
The second day was port tasting day. We strolled along the other side of the river to enjoy the numerous port cellars, and went on the Sandeman Port wine tour, where we learnt about the history of port and how it was made. It finished off with port tasting… I must admit, I much prefer dessert wine!
On the cellar side, there were numerous cafes and restaurants which looks back to the old town. It somehow reminded me of the Australia’s café culture at home… must have been the fantastic weather we had as well.
Porto was a fantastic weekend destination… and perfect for the valentines weekend.
