Pesaro - Aperitivo

We really are creatures of habit, as well as our daily pranzo at H2NO we've taken to having our breakfast at El Cid ,a small cafe overlooking Pesaro's famous Sfera Grande* (above)at Piazza della Liberta. Its a pleasant little spot and the service is friendly and its fun watching the world go by: families on their way to the beach, old folks walking their equally elderly dogs, backpackers using it as a resting place or people just sitting listening to the surf.

And we've also made a habit of enjoying our pre-opera aperitivo there before a leisurely stroll into Centro and a performance at lovely old Teatro Rossini. Of course an aperitivo here is not just a drink, its a mini-meal. Though there are lots of things alcoholic available my preference is for Crodino, a non-booze herbal infusion that is refreshing and I might add addictive.

The price of your drink includes a nice selection of snacks - salty mostly... hmmm method to madness - which tides you over very nicely until dinner after the performance.

*Photo of Arnaldo Pomodoro's Sfera Grande by www.fotoeweb.it

15 agosto - Assunzione di Maria

So What's New?

Not much really!

• It's been a sweltering weekend here - sunny and the temperatures hovering around 35.



• Tonight is the big quarter final game between Italy and Spain and its going to be wild around here if Italy wins - what am I saying "if," of course they're going to win!



• Our friend Brigit introduced us to La Baia Sardina, a restaurant just around the corner, last Wednesday. Their shrimp, zucchini and white truffle tagliatelle is heaven and the wild berry pana cotta is pretty fine too!



• Laurent went to a wine tasting in the Pyramide area and, and as well as drinking some intriquing wines and meeting some interesting people, he came home with the URL for Italian Notebook, a fun website with a quirky take on life in Italy. I've added it to my favorites.



• I received a comment the other day from David which then led me to his blog I'll think of something later. It's a witty, knowledgeable and intriguing look at the cultural scene in the U.K. and beyond through the eyes of an insider. And his posting on a recent production of Ralph Vaughn William's Pilgrim's Progress made me envious - oh dear Bunyon wrote about a character called Envy didn't he? And not all that flatteringly.



• I've become addicted to Crodino - one of the many non-alcoholic aperitif drinks found here. According to the label its water, sugar, a herb infusion and a few of those other things with long names that make drinks bubbly and extend shelf-life. A bottle mixed with a splash of tonic and some ice and you've got something that goes down a treat on a hot day. You can also add white wine if you're so inclined - at which point you get a Crodino sprtiz!



• There's a large and very active Seniors' Centre in the park across the street from us. They started their nightly summer tea dances this evening, so we are being serenaded by an accordian group with an Al Martinoesque singer. Its all the old favorites guaranteed to get the more mature crowd up and dancing. And I seem to know most of the tunes - so what does that say about me?

Again I am totally ignorant of the name of this particularly plant but I've found the bud formation fascinating to watch as it begins to bloom. First these small globes that open to send out a faintly phallic looking bloosom which should open - if memory serves - into a trumpet like flower.

Nothing else new that I can think of... oh there is the new look on here. I decided I wanted something to reflect the colours of Roma. The ochres of the buildings and the green of the plant strewn balconies - and besides it was time for a change.

22 giugno - San Paolino di Nola