The Worlds Coolest Restaurant – Harrys Bar – Venice Italy

On January 12, 2024January 12, 2024 By Daniel BellinoIn PositanoLeave a comment

HARRY’S BAR

The World’s Coolest Restaurant? Why, it’s Harry’s Bar,Venice of course. Without a doubt. There is no contest for any to compete. Well many will beg to differ, but I know better, and better than most. No Brag, Just Fact! Let me tell you why.
If you are in any of the Great Renowned Cities of the World, cities such as; New York, Paris, Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, wherever. There will in all these cities be a number of restaurants where the In-Crowd, the Jet-Set, Those in The Know, the Movers-and-Shakers of the World will go to. There are usually at least 6 to 12 restaurants for those in the know to go to. For example, if you are in my City, New York and you are one of these people, “Those In the Know,” you might go to any one of these restaurants. right now in the year 2011 these restaurants would be; Minetta Tavern, Bar Pitti, The Waverly Inn, Pastis, Momofuku Ssam, The Standard Grill, John Dory at The Ace Hotel, and at least 6 others. Same goes for LA, London, Paris, Rome, and so-on.

In Venice there are many restaurants, but really just one more or less that “Everyone Who is Anyone” will go when in town. One, that one is “Harry’s Bar.” No other restaurant in the World quite like it. If you are of the Jet Set, The In Crow, those “In-The-Know,” you’ll know one thing for sure, when you go to Harry’s Bar you will be amongst the all of The “in Crowd” will be there and nowhere else. Well this is a bit of an exaggeration to make a point, but this point is true 85% of the time.

Ernest Hemingway & Friends at Harry’s Bar

VENICE, ITALY

And of the place, Harry’s Bar, Venice. And i keep saying Harry’s bar Venice, for it is thee only one, but there are many others around the World with the same name. There is only one Great “Harry’s Bar” and that is Harry’s Bar, Venice at the Vaporetto stop of San Marco.
Yes, and of Harry’s. The restaurant is Wonderful. It has a beautiful casual elegance in the decor. The place is always filled with the “Beautiful People,” the service is great, and the food Fabulous. Though at a price. Harry’s bar is very expensive. For some this is of no consequence, but if it is expensive for you, it is definitely worth a splurge. The place is awesome.
After-All, they invented the “Bellini” Cocktail here. And
Beef Carpaccio as well.

If you go to harry’s Bar, you will Love it. The place is filled with quite a exciting energy. It’s a experience you’ll always remember. So, do remember, The World’s Coolest restaurant, Harry’s Bar, Venice that is.

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

HARRY’S BAR

The BAR

VENICE

The GRITTI PALACE HOTEL

ERNEST HEMINGWAY’S FAVORITE HOTEL

VENICE

NEED a ROOM at The GRITTI

ANYWHERE in VENICE

And WORLDWIDE

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PRAIANO – The Amalfi Coast Italy

On August 9, 2022 By Daniel BellinoIn AMALFI COAST, Hotels Positano1 Comment

What to Do in Praiano

Hotels

Church of San Genaro

PRAIANO

The Church of St. Gennaro stands grandly as the only building of baroque architecture along the Amalfi Coast. The cathedral has survived several rebuilds and renovations over the centuries. Its splendour is fully revealed inside, with intricate hand-painted majolica tiles covering its dome and terracotta floors.

The piazza next to the 15th-century church hosts several concerts, sports events and festivals throughout the year. It’s an especially awe-inspiring place during the Luminaria di San Domenico festival, which takes place in late July or early August. During this annual event, the piazza’s lit up by thousands of candles in the evenings.

Mairina di Prai Beach

Praiano

Marina di Praia beach might be small, but its setting is very dramatic with steep rocky cliffs hugging its pebbled shore. Enjoy endless sea views while cooling off in the shallow bay or relaxing on a rental sunbed, or escape the heat to enjoy a meal at the beachfront Da Armandino restaurant. It’s open for lunch and dinner.

The beach has been a busy place since medieval times, serving a spot where local fishermen built and repaired their boats. Today, much of the tiny pebbled beach is dotted with colorful boats and fishing nets jostling for space among the sunbathers.

GET a HOTEL in PRAIANO

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ROOMS – INFO & RESERVATIONS

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ROOMS with a VIEW

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HOTEL SMERALDO

PRAIANO

BEST SOUVENERS in PRAIANO

LOCL CERAMICS

Ceramics are among the most popular items to buy in the Praiano area and the Amalfi Coast at large. Around town, you’ll find numerous custom shops where local Praiano residents create ceramics that include intricate designs primarily depicting natural scenery.

There are even certain spots in town where you can go and paint some ceramics yourself if you’re more interested in taking home a customized souvenir. In other locations, you can watch skilled and experienced artists craft ceramic works in person, so you can see how these works of art are made.

LIMONCELLO

If there’s one thing the Amalfi Coast and Praiano is known for, it’s lemons. These citrus fruits are grown throughout the area, bathing the entire town in a refreshing lemon scent. Because of this, you’ll find a wide variety of lemon products available. The most famous, however, is limoncello.

Additionally, you can find lemon granita, lemon treats, and lemon candies at food carts and in stores throughout town. There is even an abundance of lemon-scented candles and lemony influence on local perfumes and artworks that you can take home with you to help you remember your trip.

Other Things to Buy in PRAIANO

1) Locally made Clothing

2) Inlaid Wood Boxes

3) Sea Urchin Crafts

4) Art

5) Handmade Jewelry

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Marina Praia Beach

Praiano

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Pasta with Ragu Genovese Recipe from Le Sirenuse Hotel – Positano Italy

On July 14, 2022July 14, 2022 By Daniel BellinoIn PositanoLeave a comment

Zita with Sugo Genovese

La GENOVESE

Genovese Sauce is a slow-cooked onion and meat sauce associated with Italy’s Campania region, especially Naples — typically served with Paccheri, Rigatoni, Ziti or candele pasta — and sprinkled with grated cheese.

Genovese may be prepared with inexpensive cuts of beef, pork, veal or sausage, but typically share and emphasize slow-cooked onions. A Genovese sauce is always tomato-less.

Recipes may cite the ramata di Montoro, a yellow onion with copper-colored skin.

Likely introduced to Naples from the northern Italian city of Genoa during the Renaissance, Genovese has since become associated with Italy’s South, and especially Campania.

SUGO al GENOVESE Recipe by Chef Gennaro Russo of the World Renowned Le Sirenuse Hotel,

Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast.

Recipe :

2 pound Beef Chuck Shoulder Roast, seasoned with Salt & Black Pepper

4 pounds Spanish Onions, cut in half, then sliced thin

2 Clelery Stalks, washed and diced very fine

2 Carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 cups Chicken or Beef Broth

2 cups Water

Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

1 pound Imported Italian Rigatoni or other shirt maccheroni past

Parmigiana Reggiano, grated

Butter

Coat the bottom of a 6 quart heavy bottomed pot. Turn heat to high. Add the Beef Chuck Roast. Turn heat to high.

Brown all sides of the Beef, turn to get the whole roast nicely browned.

Remove the Beef from pot and set aside.

Add the Carrots, Celery, and Onions to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon each of Salt & Black Pepper. Cook over low heat for 2o minutes. Stir occasionaly with a wooden spoon.

Add the Beef back to the pot with the Broth and Water. Add Bay Leaves. Cook over very low heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionaly with a wooden spoon to keep sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot and to prevent burning. (Note: If your sauce burns, it’s ruined).

Turn heat off, and let the sauce (Sugo) cool. When cool, break up the meat with your hands or wooden spoons.

Taste for seasoning, to see if you need to add a little more Salt & Pepper or not.

Cook the Maccheroni Pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the directions on the package.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain in a colander, reserving some of the pasta cooking water. Add the drain pasta back to the pot it cooked in. Add 2 cups of the Ragu Genovese, a small knob of butter and 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil and mix.

Plate the pasta into pasta bowls or on plates. Top each plate of pasta with a little more sauce on top.

Serve with grated Parmigiana Cheese on the side, and enjoy.

PASTA with RAGU GENOVESE

by Chef Gennaro Russo

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Procida

On June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 By Daniel BellinoIn PositanoLeave a comment

Procida

Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the region of Campania.

If you’re a veteran of the Amalfi Coast and the nearby Islands and you’ve never been to Procida, you just may want to give it a shot someday?

Procida, a tiny spot of land in the Bay of Naples, might be best known as the island between Ischia and Capri. But in late January, it was named Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2022, beating nine other candidates—a mix of cities and small towns—and becoming the first island to ever be granted the title.

Under two square miles in total, the island has mostly flown under the tourist radar (except in July and August, when many Neapolitans come here for their summer vacations), overshadowed by its better-known siblings. This is all despite its big-screen moments—Procida has served as the set of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Il Postino—and the fact that it features the same pastel houses, cafes-lined marinas, and narrow streets as its bigger counterparts, but also historic sites, wild nature, and near-empty beaches.

PROCIDA

The PORT

HOW to GET THERE

Procida lies 14 miles off the coast of Naples. There are daily ferries and hydrofoils leaving from two of the city’s piers, Molo Beverello and Porta di Massa, as well as from Pozzuoli, just north of Naples. Depending on the ride—the faster hydrofoil or the slower ferry—you’ll get to the island in 40 minutes to 1 hour. You can also travel from Ischia—that’s a 15- to 25-minute journey.

WHAT to SEE

Arriving at Marina Grande, Procida’s main tourist port, you’ll see a cluster of traditional houses along the waterfront, each one painted in vivid shades of pink, yellow, orange, red, and blue—traditionally a way for fishermen to identify them from their boats.

Via Roma, Procida’s main street, is right around the corner from the port, and a good spot for lunch—especially at La Medusa, which has been around since 1954. Before you move on, stop for an espresso at Bar Roma and make sure to order lingua di suocera (‘mother-in-law’s tongue’), Procida’s traditional puff pastry filled with lemon custard. Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà, an 18th-century church with an iconic baroque belfry, and the lemon-yellow church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, built in 1679, are also nearby and worth a visit.

From here, it’s a 15-minute walk uphill (then downhill) to Marina Corricella, Procida’s oldest fishing village. Only reachable on foot or by boat, the area is one of the best places to stay for a taste of slow island living, and is full of restaurants—Caracale, La Lampara, Il Pescatore, to name a few—gelato shops like Chiaro di Luna, and bars.

At the opposite end of the island, Marina Chiaiolella is another fishing village with great eateries (try Da Mariano and Lido Vivara), craft boutiques, and old-school bakeries—not to mention access to one of the island’s most popular beaches, spiaggia della Chiaiolella, known for its sunsets.

Terra Murata, the fortified medieval stronghold at the highest and northernmost tip of the island, is another highlight. A tumble of skinny lanes and crumbling houses, this is Procida’s most historical center, home to Abbazia San Michele Arcangelo, which honors Procida’s patron saint, and Palazzo D’Avalos, a 16th-century palace that was the former residence of the island’s governing family. In 1830 the building was converted into a prison that eventually closed in 1988. Two viewpoints here offer the island’s most panoramic vistas: Corricella in all its candy-colored glory to the west; and the Gulf of Naples, with Capri in the distance, to the east.

Village of Corrocella

On the opposite coast from Marina Grande, in the southern part of the island, there here is a place that no guide on “what to see in Procida” will ever forget.

The seaside village of Corricella is simply suggestive and lively at the same time. It is the classic fishermen village animated by bars, restaurants and small craft shops where you can buy the most typical souvenirs, which anyone who comes to Procida cannot avoid to love and photograph.

Here you can stroll among the fishermen’s nets, admiring the very old colourful houses and deeply breathing the sea in the air.

The BEACHES

Among Procida’s most scenic beaches are Pozzo Vecchio, whose black sands were made famous in Il Postino; spiaggia Chiaia, to the east, which overlooks Ischia and features clear, shallow waters and a backdrop of rocky cliffs (plus the excellent seafood restaurant La Conchiglia); and Ciraccio, the longest and most secluded. Further down, the spiaggia della Chiaiolella is another gem, though slightly more frequented, especially in the late afternoon, when its stabilimenti (beach clubs with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas) start rolling out aperitivo.

Chiaiolella Beach

Procida

Procida Lemons

WHAT to EAT

Spaghetti alla Pescatora Povera – Recipe

This “poor” version of seafood spaghetti contains just anchovies, cherry tomatoes, and a dusting of Pecorino Cheese.

Luveri al sale

The waters of Procida abound with Pagello fish, which locals call luvero. The most popular way to cook this sea bream is in a salt crust (al sale) with some herbs.

Coniglio alla Procidana

In addition to the sea, locals have also sourced food from the island’s terroir. Procida, like Ischia, has a signature rabbit dish, usually prepared with cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and white wine.

Calamari Ripieni

Recipes vary, but the Procidani usually slip anchovies into their filling for stuffed squid.

Pizza di Procida

As Procida is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Naples, it should come as no surprise that the island’s pizzaioli emulate the wood-fired style of the world’s pizza capital.

Tortano con i carciofi

Especially popular around Easter, this savory bread is stuffed with artichokes and, at times, sausage.

Spaghetti ai ricci di mare

Creamy and briny, sea urchin has a particular taste, one that fuses nicely with spaghetti when sautéed with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a hint of lemon.

Lingue di Procida

Procida is famous for its lemons, which are larger and sweeter than other varieties. The Procidani prepare them in dozens of sweet and savory recipes, and a signature dolce is the Lingue di Procida, or tongues of Procida, lemon-flavored, cream-filled pastries.

L’insalata di limone

Speaking of lemons, the lemon salad with mint, garlic, crushed red chili pepper, garlic and olive oil makes for an airy, refreshing start to any meal.

A Typical Procida Lunch

Fried Anchovies & a Glass of Local Wine

Recipes

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WHERE to STAY

The San Michele in Corricella, has 12 tastefully decorated rooms done in earthy tones and minimalist design. A similar aesthetic is found in its slightly bigger sister property La Suite, a stylish accommodation near Ciraccio that comes with a pool, a garden, and striking views.

In Chiaiolella, the three-star Hotel Ristorante Crescenzo is a popular choice not just for its simple, brightly colored rooms but its pizzeria, one of the most famous in Procida. La Vigna in a beautifully restored farmstead within a vineyard that overlooks the Bay of Naples, delivers charm and tranquility.

CALACAL

ROOMS & FARM EXPERIENCE

PROCIDA

CALACALA FARM EXPERIENCE

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MOVIES SHOT on PROCIDA

IL POSITANO

Starring : Massimo TRoisi

And Maria Grazia Cucinotto

Shot in the Village of Corocella

On The Isle of Procida

Also

The TALENTED Mr. RIPLEY

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Strarring : Matt Damon

Gwyneth Palthrow & Jude Law

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MOVIES SHOT on PROCIDA

NAPLES & The AMALFI COAST