Category Archives: Italy

Chef Giorgio Locatelli | #TCTalks 63

Episode 63 of tikichris Talks features a phone interview with one of London’s most celebrated Italian chefs, Giorgio Locatelli. During our conversation, Chef Locatelli recounts some of his earliest food memories, such as when his father took him to eat … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Index

Here’s an index to all the posts in Judith Schrut’s Head for the Heel miniseries. Ciao ragazzi! Hope you had fun trippin’ down the heel of Italy’s beauteous boot with me. Here’s a list with links to all the posts … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Antonella’s Pasticciotto Leccese

Hey, it’s a tikichris exclusive! Judith Schrut tips you off on a scrumptious treat, just for our readers. If our Head for the Heel mini-series has whet your appetite for travel, food and drink of southern Italy, you’ll want to … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Andiamo All’Adriatico! (to the Adriatic)

Every great holiday must come to an end, and so too must Judith Schrut’s glorious gambol down the heel of Italy’s boot. We literally jumped with joy (see above) to hear that our last few days in Italy would be … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | A Night in Noci

Judith Schrut enjoys an evening of gastronomic joy with Noci’s legend of the larder, Marino Notarticula. We kept hearing that Noci was yet another historic and hospitable Puglian town renowned for  its gastronomy. But let’s be honest, we were going … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Yours Trulli, Alberobello

  Judith Schrut continues her adventures in southern Italy with a snuggly night in a traditional trullo cottage, a hearty breakfast and a dramatic visit to a cave. The trulli of Alberobello, Puglia: you’ve probably seen them loads of times … Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Cycling the Appian Way

Judith Schrut continues her hiatus in Italy’s heel with an exhilarating cycle ride along ancient Roman roads, bike-friendly railway bridges and villages perched atop rocky ravines. Continue reading

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Head for the Heel | Magical Matera

Expect to hear lots about Matera this year, as it begins a prestigious reign as 2019 European Capital of Culture, the first place in southern Italy given that honour. Continue reading

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Head for the Heel

The heel of Italy’s beauteous boot might be summed up in three words: past, present and Primitivo. Just add pasta, panini and pasticciotto and you’ve pretty much got the main ingredients of this wonderful place. Continue reading

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Best Restaurants of 2018

There’s one list left in my Best of 2018 series, and it’s a doozy: best restaurants of the year! Continue reading

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Best Pizza of 2018

My Best of 2018 series rolls on with my recs on where to eat the tastiest pizzas in London and beyond. Pizzerias in Milan, Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Cleveland made the cut, with the Cleveland pizzerias particularly wowing my palate. Continue reading

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Next Stop? #InLombardia (at King’s Cross)

If you’re going to be around King’s Cross Station this weekend, be on the lookout for the #InLombardia bus and the chance to win a free trip for two to the Lombardy region of northern Italy and all sorts of other prizes Continue reading

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Best Breakfasts and Brunches of 2018

Welcome back to the Best of 2018. Here’s a plateful of hearty recommendations for breaking fast in London and elsewhere, and in this case elsewhere means San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country, Dublin, Edinburgh, Milan and Hiroshima.
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Franciacorta: Italian Sparkling Wines

Franciacorta has been described as the “best wine you’ve never heard of” and I’ll be honest, I had not heard of it until I was invited to taste some at its Annual London Showcase. The event was hosted by the Vice President of Franciacorta, Silvano Brescianini and Franciacorta’s UK Brand Ambassador, Tom Harrow.  Continue reading

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Continental Canine | Italy, Finally!

We arrived in Milano – once again on time – on a warm, still, early August morning. The thin light of dawn was peering through the glass domed roof of Milano Centrale as Amber very happily walked off the Thello and onward, sniffing and wagging. I felt a conscious happiness sweeping through me, because we were finally in Italy and things felt different, familiar and safe in a way I can’t fully explain. Continue reading

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Continental Canine | The UK

Across four countries, and hopping on an off six or seven trains, we reached our destination in one piece and without any issues, which is no mean feat. Continue reading

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Continental Canine | An Introduction

Federica Carr shares highlights and insights of travelling by train from London to Southern Italy with her fluffy four-legged sidekick Amber in a series of Continental Canine posts. Continue reading

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Lake Como Vacation Rental Mistakes Many Travelers Make

If you are looking for hotel stay alternatives in Lake Como, vacation rentals definitely stand out as something to consider. They are constantly gaining popularity but you need to understand that booking the vacation rental is not the same as … Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | Index

Here’s an index for quick reference to all of Judith Schrut’s posts in her Eat Puglia series. Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | Trattoria Terra Madre, Alberobello

Terra Madre (Italian for Mother Earth) is a bio-organic farm-to-fork restaurant, one of a growing number of such eateries taking Italy’s culinary imagination by storm. It’s set in the traditional trulli village of Alberobello, with the restaurant itself made from four beautifully restored trulli cones. Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | Itria Bonta Cheese

In charge at Itria Bontà nowadays is Giorgio Spalluti – aka “Big George”– who makes his cheese entirely by hand, using traditional methods learned from his father and grandfather with milk from the farm’s herd of Freesians. Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | I Pastini Winery

Judith Schrut has a taste of wine at I Pastini Winery on her tour of Puglia. It’s approaching early evening in Puglia’s lush Itrian Valley and time to enjoy that important Italian tradition known as aperitivo–  socialising over drinks and snacks … Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | Pescaria, Polignano a Mare

It so happens that Polignano has many seafood restaurants, and choosing where to dine can be  really difficult. We decided to follow the locals. And they were flocking to Pescaria. Continue reading

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Eat Puglia | Trattoria Il Brigante, Monopoli

It was our first morning in the bright sunshine of Puglia– leaving snowbound Britain a few hours before on a crack-of-dawn budget flight from Stansted– so I was understandably eager to savour and set my teeth into the local cuisine. Continue reading

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Eat Puglia

Certainly, with so much delicious food and drink to match picture postcard scenery and warm hospitality, your days in Puglia are sure to start and end with gorgeous gastronomy. Continue reading

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Pedals in Puglia

The sun is out, the sea deep blue, your sexy (e)bike is beckoning you! Welcome to your first morning on Contrasts of Puglia, Headwater Holidays’ self-guided cycling tour on the heel of Italy’s “boot”. Continue reading

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Six of the Most Romantic Places in Italy (Going Places)

Here are six of the most romantic places in Italy to celebrate love. Continue reading

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How to Spend a Romantic Weekend in Milan (Metro)

Whether you’re jetting down for an inaugural look-see with your newfound fling or embarking upon an umpteenth tour with your better half, Milan makes a magnificent destination for any romantic urban retreat. Continue reading

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Chef Luigi Taglienti of Lume Milano | #TCTalks Episode 10

Ten episodes deep with tikichris Talks and I’m in Milan conducting an interview with Michelin star chef Luigi Taglienti at Lume, the chef’s highly lauded and multi award winning restaurant. The interview follows directly after an opportunity to try a pescatarian version of Taglienti’s eight course tasting menu – which quite possibly was the most elegantly restrained and exquisitely flavourful dining experiences of my life. Continue reading

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Best Beer of 2017

Last but not least, let’s have a beer. I conclude my Best of 2017 lists with a round up of the tastiest and most intriguing beers I got to drink this year. The world may be falling apart at the … Continue reading

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Best Bars of 2017 (Excluding London)

If your preferred mode of travel involves sidling up to a bar, you’re going to love this ‘best of’ list of bars visited during my travels in 2017. Continue reading

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Savour the Flavours of Friuli Venezia Giulia | #FVGFlavour

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the highlights of my time in FVG. I feel extremely fortunate to have seen such a substantial swathe of this beautiful region. But I realise fully that I’ve only just started to scratch the surface. Continue reading

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Trieste: Cafes and Buffets | #FVGFlavour

My Flavours of Friuli Venezia Giulia tour wrapped up in the stunning and dignified little port city of Trieste – where fantastic regional flavours flourish with flair. For a city of only around 200,000 residents, Trieste has an impressive number … Continue reading

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Friuli Veneza Giulia Food and Drink Producers | #FVGFlavour

With its unique mix of cultures, varied topography, rich soil and access to both the fresh water of the Alps and the bounty of the Adriatic Sea, Fruili Venezia Giulia is home to exceptional food and drink. Continue reading

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Trattoria da Ivana & Secondo | #FVGFlavour

One of the more delectable moments of my visit to Friuli Veneza Giulia (not to mention one of the best meals I’ve had this year) was my lunch at Trattoria da Ivana & Secondo. Continue reading

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