Quaintrelle Weekender – Italian Edition
Three ways to a better (travel) weekend
Welcome to Quaintrelle Weekender.
This is a short list of things I am currently loving to make eating, drinking, and hosting easier and a lot more interesting.
Greetings from the Marche countryside!
Today’s tips are reflections of nearly three weeks of road tripping through Italy. For daily updates feel free to follow along on Instagram.
To Eat:
The Michelin Guide App
Before you scroll past this tip, know that this app includes restaurants of all levels, not just the hoity-toity ones. Brilliantly, the app also lists places that don’t have stars, but are not to be missed. We found a few gems in off-track locations that we would have easily missed if not for the Guide. Neighbourhood places known by locals with food so good it elicited silence at the table as we greedily slurped and gobbled our way through dinner.
Easy and Stylish Travel:
As you may have seen on my Instagram, my three-week getaway is with carry on only. After 16 days, and another four to go, I can honestly say with carefully curated packing, I’m loving the convenience and ease. I would never go back to checked luggage again.
The inspiration for compact travel for this trip was not just the horror stories of lost luggage – which seems more likely than not these days – but the reality of Italy. Cars and trunk space are far more economical than our hulking SUV’s in Canada, not to mention train compartments, and closet space… well… what closet? Hotel rooms are postage-stamp size, and rented homes, while a marvel of organizational space-saving, are very small, as well. It’s not uncommon for a family of four to be living in 800 square feet, so huge suitcases are a bit of a hindrance to elegant European travel. And let’s not even discuss dragging your trunk down narrow, cobble stone-streets.
This is the maiden voyage for my Canadian-made suitcase. I also bought the companion backpack which slides over the handles and, of course, can be used during day trips. Monos is expensive, but their pieces are light and well-designed to maximize travel. And they have regular sales, which is what I took advantage of for my pieces.
Get the Lay of the Land:
Food tours
I love taking a food tour when I’m in a new city. It takes the guesswork out of future restaurants, gives me insight to shops and places I might want to check out, and helps me figure out my way around, which, naturally, is always confidence-boosting when visiting a place.
Of course, you could also opt for historical, art, or walking tours, but my guess is if you’re reading this, food tours are your jam, as well.
In Rome consider Katie Parla’s tours – her website and Instagram are also very handy for insider tips. Elizabeth Minchilli offers multi-day excursions in various parts of Italy, so not quite a city tour, but her website is a fabulous resource for things to do and places to eat. And of course, in Umbria we stayed at Il Ghiottone cooking school where our program also included visits to neighbouring farms and wineries.
But others I have loved in other parts of the world: Devour Madrid, Taste Porto, and Paris Muse.
PS–
If you have any travel tips, please share them! I’m sure we’d all benefit from new ideas to travel more comfortably.