The Alps Covers a Vast Area

The French Alps are dramatic soaring alpine mountains, deep twisting river valleys and lakes, the personification of outstanding mountain scenery.

The Alps covers a vast area from Annecy in the west to the Swiss and Italian borders in the east and from Geneva in the north whilst reaching almost to the Mediterranean in the south.

The alpine heights are magnificent and include Mont Blanc, Europes highest mountain, reaching as far as 4810m at its summit. Whilst Mont Blanc is inhospitable without specialist equipment even in the peak summer months, there are many other heights and valley passes that are delightful walking country in the summer and the playground of skiing enthusiasts in the winter.

The deep alpine valleys offer great water based sports and enchanting villages.

As you might imagine, winters can be severe in the Alps, especially in the mountains. It is surprising how much the temperature changes as you climb. In winter time it can be pouring with rain in the valleys and as you drive towards the mountains the rain turns to a driving blizzard. So go prepared.
On the other hand, the summers are temperate although with more rainfall than in other areas of France.

There are many other types of active entertainment in the Alps including Via Ferratas, summer and winter skiing and Activity Centres.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this is the domain of experts, however whilst there is some serious stuff in the Alps, there is also plenty of more level stuff, easily within the scope of younger families.

Only to be undertaken with expert supervision, white water rafting can provide great fun for older children and parents alike.

The cuisine is typically strong flavoured and intense, complimenting the local lifestyle. Recipes adapt to ingredients that are immediately available; mostly dairy products, eggs, meats, fish and fresh produce.

The cultivation of cheese is virtually an art form that reached its pinnacle in the Savoy region which benefits from the Alpine meadows where cows and goats can thrive.

Local wines are also well known, although they have yet to rival the best vintages of Bordeaux and Burgundy . Montmelian is a popular red wine similar to Beaujolais . Also famous is Seyssel, a sparkling white wine with fine vintages that are comparable to champagne.

Dinners are usually finished with a glass or two of beaux de vie, strong liquor that goes well with the mountain climate. The best known varieties are Gentian and Chartreuse. Marc de Savoie is another unique drink, taken from the residue of distilled brandy, a fiery liquid that still swims in your head the morning after.

Whistler, A Resort For All Seasons

Whistler is a year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is site of the alpine, nordic, and sliding events for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Whistler has a range of accommodation totaling 3,200 hotel rooms, and more than 5,000 other tourist accommodation units including condos, B&Bs and chalets. Also popular are luxury chalets which accommodate entire families represent excellent value for money.

Whistler offers a wide selection of restaurants, bars, spas, boutiques, and activities from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains feature 3,036 hectares (8,171 acres) of terrain and receive an average of 1005 centimeters (33 feet) of snow annually. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

The secret of Whistler’s success is a combination of weather, geography and human ingenuity. Whistler is only 50 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, and therefore there is a lot of. Thanks to the towering peaks of the Coast Mountain range that means lots of snow in the winter. And thanks to engineering and technology, if there isn’t enough natural snow, Whistler-Blackcomb can make it with their vast snowmaking system.

Considered to be one of the top ski resorts in the World, Whistler’s growth in the last 10 years has been astonishing. Whistler has a philosophy that there is ’something for everyone’ from skiing and snowboarding in the Winter to mountain biking and golfing in the summer, as well as other recreational activities such as shopping, dining, culture and arts. With regards to accommodation Whistler not only offers ski-in / ski-out condos and chalets, it provides many other options suitable for all price ranges. During the summer months luxury chalets and high end accommodation offer some incredible rates. A guest can book a 4 bedroom luxury Whistler property for as little as $40 CAD per person per night and experience everything they could desire.

While Whistler is well-known as a premier winter destination, savvy travelers are increasingly discovering the wonders of Whistler year-round. With five lakes and four championship golf courses in the area, Whistler is the perfect destination to experience the best of the Canadian wilderness with the ultimate in comfort and convenience.

Visitors are coming to Whistler during the spring, summer and fall these days. There is a saying amongst Whistler residents: “People come for the winter, but they stay for the summer.” With glacier skiing, world-class mountain biking, golfing and all the other activities, visitors can enjoy an incomparable experience for an incredible value. Whistler accommodation during the summer months can be as little as $40 CAD for a luxury chalet and located in the heart of Whistler. This is one reason why so many people choose to come to Whistler.

A Taste of Galicia – Octopus a Feira

Quite often when you research information into the various cultures and cuisines that make up countries it is quite possible to find a common theme common name for the food of that country. Such as French food, Italian food etc but with the regards to Spanish food or more accurately described as recipes that originate from the country of Spain it could be argued that it is not quite that simple.

The reason for this is that you could quite easily argue that technically there is no such thing as Spanish food and the reason being for this is that Spain is an amalgam of its constituent parts that is to say it could be described as a political construct which is made up of disparate groups with their own languages, cultures, cuisines etc. The various autonomous regions that comprise Spain have been slowly pulled together through a variety of different processes some by force, some by choice but they all have one thing in common and that is they have kept their own individual features.

The number of autonomous different regions that form what we would nowadays refer to as Spain is 17; they all have their own linguistic variations of the language, in some cases it’s a different sub language entirely and as well as their own cultures most definitely have their own individual cuisines.

One of those autonomous regions comprises the north-western province of Galicia. Galicia is surrounded on two sides by the Atlantic Ocean and it is pretty understandable to think that for a region that has such an involvement with the sea, its cuisine would also be heavily influenced by the sea.

The above having been said not all of Galicia’s finest recipes are all seafood based and the region can lay claim to quite a variety of dishes all of which are most definitely worth investigating further.

Lets top talking about the food and get down to business. Let’s eat!

The ingredients for four people with this dish are as follows:

1 Octopus of about 2 kg in weight.
1 Onion
2dl of Olive Oil
2L Water
1 Spoonful of Sweet Paprika
1 Spoonful of Hot Paprika
Coarse Salt

Basically this dish is all about preparation. Clean the Octopus carefully first, remove the ink sac, and the beak that it has between the tentacles and empty the head. Beat it with a mallet and wash it in plenty of water.

Put the Octopus into a tall pan with boiling water and the onion, and then take it out with the help of a skewer roughly three times. The aim of this exercise is to actually scald the meat rather than cook it at this stage.

Once this exercise has been repeated then put the Octopus back into the pan and then continue to cook it until the meat is tender. The time that this would take does really depend upon the quality of the Octopus that you are cooking.

Once the meat is tender enough then remove from the pan making sure that at all times that the skin doesn’t disintegrate. Remove the octopus from the pan with the aid of a skewer and this way your fingers are less likely to end up being seriously scalded!

Dry the cooked octopus and cut into 2 or 3 centimetre pieces. Put the hot octopus pieces on to wooden plates and season with salt and sprinkle with the two kinds of paprika and the olive oil.

This would make an ideal first course or a light snack!

Non-Selection Of Angkor Wat Undermines Credibility Of New Seven Wonders Of The World

I am saddened to announce that Angkor Wat did not make the new “Seven Wonders of the World” as determined by Bernard Weber’s online campaign.

Just like previous attempts to name the world’s seven wonders, this one is seriously flawed and arbitrary. The new method is based on electronic votes casted through the internet and cell phone text messages.

The New Seven Wonders were announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal at a celebrity-studded ceremony televised in more than 170 countries to an estimated 1.6 billion viewers. The winners are:
* The Great Wall of China * India’s Taj Mahal * Jordan’s ancient city of Petra * Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru * Brazil’s Statue of Christ the Redeemer * Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid * Italy’s Colosseum

Of these, only the Great Wall, which stretches over 4,000 miles and is the only man-made structure visible from space, clearly belongs on the list.

Since many of the 100 million votes came from Latin America, it’s hardly surprising that Machu Picchu of Peru, Brazil’s Statue of Christ the Redeemer, and Mexico’s Chichen Itza made the list.

However, it is hard to conceive how any of these sites could top Angkor Wat in a fair and objective selection process. For instance, Brazil’s 100-foot Christ the Redeemer statue is only 75 years old and took just 10 years to erect. By contrast, Angkor Wat, the largest religious temple in the world, is more than 800 years old and covers more than 200 acres of ground.

The voting allowed one free vote to registered members and charged a fee for additional votes. In Brazil, there was a campaign Vote no Cristo (Vote for the Christ) which had the support of the country’s telecommunications firms to allow Brazilians to cast text message votes at no charge. The “Vote for Christ” slogan, which can be seen on bumper stickers throughout North America, seems to call on people to vote on their religious faith rather than the statue’s architectural merits. If you’re Christian, I think you’d be hard pressed not to vote for Christ.

Previous attempts to name the Seven Wonders had favored Greco-Roman structures. The Great Pyramids of Giza was withdrawn from the voting but was honored anyway as “Honorary Candidate” to placate the Egyptians’ indignation that their site should be included automatically rather than having to be voted on. As if the vote’s credibility isn’t already undermined by its own dubious methodology and outcome, there are actually eight wonders on the list of seven, counting the Great Pyramids’ special honorary status.

Perhaps we Cambodians should demand a similar special honor for Angkor Wat as well because it clearly dwarfs many of the current selections in size, splendor and architectural sophistication. After all, if there are already eight “wonders” on the list of seven, what’s wrong with having nine, ten, or even twenty?

I’ve had some misgivings about the voting from the beginning because Cambodia has a population of just 14 million, compared to 522 million in Latin America and over a billion each in China and India. Moreover, internet access is quite limited and expensive in Cambodia. For instance, unlimited broadband access costs almost $900 a month, not a trivial amount by any standards, but an astronomical figure in a country whose per capita income is less than $400 a year. Internet usage is largely restricted to foreigners and English-speaking Cambodians at internet cafes charging users hourly fees.

Despite Cambodia’s small population and highly limited internet access, I figured that Angkor Wat would have no problem making the Seven Wonders list given the sheer number of Asian tourists who visit Angkor each year. As it turned out, while the world’s two most populous countries, China and India, each had their sites, the Great Wall and Taj Mahal, respectively, selected, Asians tended not to vote as a unified bloc.

While the selection of the “New Seven Wonders” is trivial and worthless from a scientific standpoint, the huge sensationalism that surrounds this preposterous undertaking could lead to serious and far-reaching consequences. Cambodia, an impoverished country still reeling from decades of civil war and genocide, relies heavily on tourism revenues for its recovery. Apart from being an insult to Cambodians everywhere, the marginalization of Angkor could eat away at the desperately needed dollars generated by cultural tourism to the country.

Although the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the world body responsible for overseeing the restoration of World Heritage sites, has vehemently dismissed the Swiss-born Bernard Weber project and said it would reflect “only the opinions of those with access to the internet,” the massive fanfare created by the campaign could lead to public confusion about who the true Seven Wonders of the World are, leading to deleterious reallocation of restoration funds from truly deserving sites to less deserving ones.

If there is such a thing as the Eighth Wonder of the World, it would not be Angkor Wat, but the mere fact that this magnificent monument was not selected among the Seven Wonders. Anyone who has visited Angkor Wat can attest to its grandeur, sublime beauty and architectural splendor. In fact, Angkor Wat is just one of the many temples in an archaeological area stretching over some 400 sq. km. The complex, collectively known as “Angkor” (which means “city” in Khmer), is home to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple, many other magnificent remains of the once-mighty Khmer Empire which ruled from the 9th to the 15th century. Although Angkor Wat is the largest and most beautiful of them all, Angkor Thom and Bayon could have easily been nominated for the Seven Wonders as well.

But don’t take my word for it– go visit Angkor and judge for yourself whether or not Angkor Wat belongs to the World’s Seven Wonders list.

Hotel and Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the UK

More and more of us in the UK are finding the need to use hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation all across the country.

Britain and Ireland have some of the most expensive hotel beds in the European Union and throughout the British Isles, Bed and Breakfast; often called B&Bs are a budget option where owners often take pride in the high service levels, local knowledge and personal touch that they are able to offer.

The arrangement of the Bed and Breakfast started before the 20th Century, when it was normal for travellers, usually in the country to spend the night at a private house but before the 19th Century this idea of the B&B was done on a social level, such as doctors would stay with other doctors and a nobleman would stay with a local gentleman.

There tend to be concentrations of B&Bs in the seaside towns where, historically, the working classes holidayed such as Newcastle in Ireland and Blackpool in England but they are also widespread in isolated rural areas such as the Highlands of Scotland and Connemara where there is not a year-round concentration of travellers sufficient to sustain a hotel.

In recent years some bed and breakfast businesses in the UK have struggled against budget hotel chains such as Premier Travel Inn and Travelodge. Traditionally, business travellers used B&Bs but many of these clients now tend to stay in budget hotel chains. However, in holiday areas the B&B or small hotel still prevails. Unlike the ‘chain’ accommodation providers these provide a more comprehensive service and breakfast is included in the price.

Staying in a hotel is more expensive than a B&B but offers a lot more to you in return; it is an establishment that provides paid lodging, usually on a short-term basis. Hotels often provide a number of additional guest services such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare. Some hotels even have their own conference services and meeting rooms so that people can hold conventions and meetings wherever they are.

There are hotels and B&B’s out there for everyone. Outdoors lovers can choose to stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast, enjoying the scenery of the uplands, peaks, moors, lakes, coastal cliffs and marshy water lands.

City lovers have choices of stylishly modern hotels or they can opt for the more traditional ones. Cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle as well as the obvious London are all centres of modern British culture hotel bookings in these areas are on the increase.

To discover yourself why they call it Great Britain, stay at one of the comprehensive accommodation types from budget to luxury, including an impressive list of hotels, guest rooms and bed and breakfasts. Whether you’re looking for business hotel booking, weekend breaks or tourist hotspots, you’re sure to find the right accommodation from the extensive choice across the UK.

Feel nature in the Grand Bahamas Island

We all work day and night to fulfill some of our dreams and aspirations. In fact, we work so that we can have a successful life and give our loved ones all that they want to have. Nevertheless, in this strive, we often realize that we become tired and in fact, look out to various means to unwind ourselves. We restore to various measures to unwind ourselves and we also succeed in doing so. This one unwinding and rejuvenation of the self helps us to get back our life and break free of the monotony of life. However, even though we might be doing some or the other exciting things in our daily lives, the fact remains that our lives are full of monotony and we keep on looking forward to some kind of a respite from this highly monotonous life. One of the best ways to unwind oneself and to rejuvenate the self is by going off for a long and a refreshing vacation, and when thinks of a vacation, the one place that can do magic is the grand Bahamas Island.

The grand Bahamas Island is one of the best places that one can go out for a vacation with their family and their loved ones. The islands are a conglomeration of seven hundred small islands and are one of the most beautiful places on mother earth. In fact, the Grand Bahamas Island helps to fascinate and captivate all the tourists with the exotic and grand scenic beauty of the place. In fact, it is a known fact that if somebody visits this place once, is bound to get back to island over and again. The Grand Bahamas Island actually remains to be one place that nobody can avoid and would not mind to go repeatedly.

Nassau is the capital city of the grand Bahamas Island. This island is one of the most beautiful islands of the entire conglomeration and proves to be one of the best places for scenic beauty. In fact, this place gives one the scope to fall in love with nature from close. In fact, Nassau has some of the most enticing and captivating natural beauties to offer to whoever comes to visit the place. It can actually be said that this island is one of the best and the most beautiful places where you can take your family, friends and your loved ones for a memorable vacation. Will they not only love the places that they visit, they will also love you for taking them to a heavenly place.

Once you decide to break free from the daily hustle and bustle and want to indulge in a temporary peaceful life in the grand Bahamas Island, you can easily look in for some travel agents that can help you to make your trip and your stay in the island a memorable one. These travel agents help you in making things easy and at the same time, help you in making your vacation a beautiful and a memorable one. You can easily locate these travel agents through the internet and you can also find them in the local newspapers. All you will need to do is look out for a genuine travel agent who can help you and make your stay in the grand Bahamas Island a memorable one.

Choosing A Family Ski Holiday In France

France is an ideal destination for a family skiing holiday. After a short flight or scenic drive, you and your children can breathe fresh mountain air, learn to ski and enjoy dinner together at the end of fun-filled days on the slopes. There is a great choice of family friendly resorts in France, where facilities for young beginners and mixed ability skiing are generally of a very high standard and the welcome is warm. The wide open slopes are waiting for your family to explore and enjoy – so how to choose the right holiday for you?

First, check that your resort has the range of facilities you need. Many have a good mix of pistes for beginners and experienced skiers and some offer cross country and Nordic skiing. You may also want a school with English-speaking ski instructors and special courses for children. Bubble lifts – enclosed pods with windows – are modern alternatives to chair lifts, where a whole family can travel together, so children might prefer them. Off-piste, the bigger resorts have entertainment such as concerts, ice skating and firework displays. Eating out is great quality and value everywhere in France; some resorts specialise in hearty regional cuisine while others boast Michelin-starred restaurants.

What can you expect from accommodation? French holiday specialist French Connections lists everything from luxurious new apartments in a private gated complex in glamorous Chamonix to cosy, traditional chalets in authentic Alpine villages. Chamagny en Vanoise, at the gateway to the picturesque Vanoise National Park, is one example. Most properties are easily accessible to the slopes and have bright, spacious interiors with mod cons and dramatic views of towering mountain peaks. Both the above destinations are in the popular French Alps, home of Mont Blanc and Aiguille du Midi. Other family-friendly resorts in this region are Les Carroz, Morillon, St Gervais and Les Menuires. Transport links are good here, making it possible to visit Geneva and Montreux. In the south-west of France are the Pyrenees, with some good value family skiing resorts off the beaten track and a local airport at Pau. The largest ski resort in this area is Les Angles, a family destination particularly suitable for intermediate skiers. In North-East France, easily accessible from the channel ports, are the Vosges Mountains. St-Maurice Sur Moselle is a small mountain village and family ski resort located in the Hautes Vosges, set amidst gentle, forest clad slopes and mountain lakes. This is a relatively small resort, but with a good choice of pistes especially suitable for beginners.

With such great choice, it’s easy to ensure that your family ski holiday in France is full of exhilarating action, good food, breathtaking landscapes and the chance to make new friends.

Britons go abroad for healthcare

While Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was out marching to protest against NHS plans to downgrade his local hospital in Chichester a few weekends ago – aptly named St. Richard’s – record numbers of Britons continue to fly abroad for medical treatment.

Last year Britons spent £60m on overseas treatments. Main reasons were lower prices, NHS waiting lists, a better choice of alternative medical treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics such as those in Marbella where many patients choose to combine procedures with a break in the sun to return home looking better on the outside and feeling better on the inside. With many increasingly concerned about the rise in hospital superbugs, more people are also choosing to recuperate overseas in a warmer climate following surgery.

Market researchers Mintel recently reported money spent by Britons going abroad for treatments will increase 150% by 2011. According to the survey a quarter of Britons would seriously consider recuperating abroad after an operation and one in eight would go overseas for surgery.

“This sector (medical tourism) is a thriving industry as a growing number of well-off baby boomers take their health needs into their own hands and pursue the elixir of eternal youth,” said Richard Cope, senior Mintel analyst.

But what happens when you fall ill abroad? One of the largest holiday resort companies on the Costa del Sol, Club La Costa, offers onsite medical care at its California Beach Resort near Mijas. Now, thanks to a new contract negotiated between the modern, high tech Xanit Hospital in Benalmadena which opened in 2006, and Club La Costa, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facilities and highly trained medical staff are available to both CLC members and staff in Spain.

Richard Fletcher, Resort Director at Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, said: “We’ve always made it a priority to have medical provision on site, but our new agreement with Xanit means that should any of our members need medical treatment while on holiday, not only do we have access to one of the top hospitals in southern Spain, it’s literally minutes away.”

As for alternative therapies and keep-fit, Britons seem to be increasingly looking overseas for a better deal. Last year, Britons spent about £25m on going abroad for yoga holidays, holistic healing, health farms beauty treatments and spa visits, according to the Mintel report.

Spain is one of the most visited destinations in Europe for surgery, especially for patients who want to combine medical treatment with a wellness holiday; also popular are Hungary, Turkey, Germany and Poland.

Limousines the symbol of Having Arrived

A limousine has long been associated with luxury, power, and high life because of its ability to command attention and to make every journey a luxurious experience.

Government organizations use limos to transport top-notch politicians, officials and state guests. Celebrities make their red carpet entry in limousines. Companies use them to transport their top executives, and broadcasting companies often use them to drive their guests back.

Since limousines have become such a symbol of – having arrived, let us know a little about them.

The name limousine has been derived from Limousin – a French region. The inhabitants of this region wore a hood that resembled the profile of the car. It first came to be used in early 18th century.

Limos typically come in black and white color but nowadays you can also find them in a variety of colors like pink, magenta, blue etc. Apart from colors, limousines come in different styles, designs and sizes.

They are broadly classified into five categories:

Traditional limousines:

Traditional limousines are modeled on the lines of a regular four door sedan but they come equipped with additional features such as TV, CD/DVD player, refrigerator, and a bar. Traditional limos have a longer wheelbase and frame as compared to sedan. This enables the forward-facing passengers to have more leg room.

Stretch limousines:

Stretch limousines are the preferred choice for special occasions such as weddings, prom nights, bachelor parties etc. They can hold up to 15 passengers and are equipped with TV, CD/DVD players, bars and refrigerator. Seats are arranged alongside the length of the car which enables people inside sit face–to-face and communicate with each other easily. Usually limousines are black in color but stretch limos come mostly in white color as they are often used for weddings.

Stage limousines:

Stage limousine is not considered a limousine in a true sense. It contains the features of both sedan and a bus. One of the important features of this type of limo is that passengers can enter via multiple doors. Its roof contains large racks for carrying the baggage of the passengers. Hummer H2 vehicles are the modern version of stage limousines. Some funeral homes use a stage limo to carry the family of deceased to the cemetery.

Exotic custom limousines:

As the name suggests, it is customized according to what the customer wants. Stretch limousines, Cadillac, Hummer, Lincoln Town Car and Lincoln Navigator are often modified to create exotic limousines. Apart from regular amenities, an exotic custom limo also contains some sophisticated features such as hot tub, bulletproof glass and even a bedroom. One of the important features of this limo is that it provides ample space and privacy as there is a soundproof sliding glass window partition between the compartment of the driver and the passengers.

Party bus:

A party bus can easily accommodate 20 to 35 passengers. They are specially hired for parties, prom nights, and for other different occasions. Many party buses allow smoking and drinking on board. A party bus is equipped with surround sound systems, plasma televisions, DVD player, disco lights, and also smoke machines.

Eating Out in Italy: Rome and Its Cuisine

As you might expect, when it comes to eating out, in Rome you will be faced by a large range of options: from the exclusive cuisine of some of the most famous international chefs to the traditional, hearty ‘Romanesca’ fare in all its manifold variations. Needless to say, the only way to really understand the heart and soul of Rome is by tasting its culinary splendors in a popular restaurant.

Eating out is part of life in Rome. It used to be said that in Rome it was cheaper to eat out than to purchase the same ingredients in a store and cook them at home. That may no longer be true, but you can still find cheap places to eat if you know where to look.

Testaccio is one of the areas in which to find traditional restaurants serving the local specialities, especially in the area surrounding the disused abattoir The district of Trastevere is also a great place to find good restaurants, and inside the Ghetto you’ll find several places offering Jewish cuisine as well as unique variations on traditional themes.

Surprisingly enough, some restaurants in the heart of the tourist centres, where red-checked table clothes swing from tables and waiters try to lure you in with their version of charm, are extremely good value. Via del Latore beside the Trevi Fountain has a number of such eateries.

If you like exotic and oriental cuisine, be advised that restaurants in Rome are pretty much confined to those of the native variety and, while you will find establishments serving Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Thai food, the standard is not as high as other major world cities. However, this is not going to be a real issue, as, once you have eaten in any of the traditional Italian restaurants, you simply won’t even consider trying anything different.

Pizzerias and trattorias are definitely the most popular places to dine in Rome: informal, economical and with speedy service, they are home to ‘pizza alla romana’, which has a thin crust and a crispy edge, as opposed to the soft raised crusts of the Neapolitan variety. You’ll find pizzerias in every corner of the city, but Trastevere offers an especially wide choice of pizza places with wood fueled ovens (these give the pizza a more intense flavor).

If you go the pizza route, in addition to the pizza, don’t miss other delicious Roman offerings easily found at any reputable pizzeria, such as ’supplì al telefono’ (fried rice balls with mozzarella filling), potato croquettes, fried cod fillets, fried pumpkin flowers, and ‘bruschetta’ (slices of toasted bread topped with tomato, garlic and olive oil).

Traditional Roman cuisine stems from a time when people cannot afford a meal made with meat, and therefore had to use offal, which at that time was definitely more affordable. Over the centuries, traditional dishes like – coda alla vaccinara’ (oxtail cooked with wine, tomatoes and peppers), ‘pajata’ (veal’s offal cooked in a tomato sauce), ‘abbacchio alla scottadito’ (grilled lamb chop) and ‘trippa alla romana’ (Roman style tripe), have come to be considered as delicacies and are eaten by even the most refined palates.

Roman cuisine has a great tradition of pasta dishes often made using ‘guanciale’ (cured pork cheek) and ‘pecorino’ cheese. The ‘amatriciana’ adds onion and tomato to the mix and is classically served with ‘bucatini’ (a thick, hollow spaghetti). while ‘carbonara’ tosses the pork and cheese with egg yolk and black pepper. ‘Gricia’ is similar to ‘amatriciana’ but without tomatoes and ‘gnocchi’ (little round squishy pasta balls made out of potato with a tomato sauce and Parmesan or pecorino) is a favorite for Thursday dinner.

Seasonal vegetables may not appear on the menu but are usually available. Romans love their greens: ’spinaci ripassati’ (sautéed spinach) are perennial favorites and many restaurants specialize in vegetable ‘fritto misto’ (deep fried mixed vegetables). Rome is famous for a local variety of artichokes, available from November to April, prepared ‘alla romana’ (stuffed with garlic and mint) or ‘alla giudia’ (fried whole, making each petal crisp). ‘Puntarelle’ is another side dish sure to be found at any Roman restaurant. Puntarelle is a type of chicory (also known as Catalonia) whose long, green spiked leaves are sliced very thinly and set into cold water so that they becomes curly and then served raw, dressed with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and minced anchovies.

If you really want to go the extra mile, Rome is also notable for lenten raisin buns called ‘maritozzi’, cream-filled pastries called ‘bignè’, rum-soaked fruit and nut cake called ‘pan giallo’, and a custard cake drenched with syrupy liqueurs known as ‘zuppa inglese’ (thoug’s neither soup nor English). Locals usually ends their meals with a cup of ‘espresso’ coffee or a glass of ’sambuca’, a sweet liqueur sipped with three coffee beans to munch on.

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This article is part of a series covering the most important Italian travel destinations and regional cuisines. Watch out for related articles about eating out in Florence, Naples, Milan and Venice.