The Mediterranean lifestyle is palpable, not photographed.
The first thing you have to be clear about is that not all ports are close to cities. Barcelona, Venice, Split are, in this sense, exceptions or exceptional, however you prefer to define it. Because, although in the advertising brochure you see Rome as a port of call, the truth is that you will arrive in Civitavecchia, which is actually in the province of Rome, but 80 kilometers northwest of the city. So, if you're not tame enough to share a whole day's hiking with strangers, coming and going, in and out, eating and running, the best thing is that... Let yourself go and enjoy your destination calmly and in your own way! Nor should you get overwhelmed and try to see everything in six hours. Sometimes it's more important to have a real espresso after eating s_paghetti bolognese_ in an authentic Italian trattoria than to waste two hours in line at the Colosseum and then be inside twenty minutes and cross it off the list of places to 'take photos to get on the stairs. social networks'.
'Ombrière', designed by Norman Foster for his intervention in the Vieux Port Pavilion in Masella.
MARSEILLES
Restaurant le Relais 50: Try the Provencal cuisine of this place inspired by the Parisian bistros of the 50's. We love its modern look and menu of simple dishes where vegetables, meat and wine from the South of France take center stage depending on the season. call and book a table on the terrace facing the Vieux Port, you will see in the background Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde and Fort Saint-Nicolas right on the other shore. Take advantage of the call to request a authentic bouillabaisse from Marseille, they only make it to order and 24 hours in advance. If you are not so careful, no problem, any of the dishes devised by chef Emmanuel Perrodin will be delicious: choose the wild sea bream (pink or grey) with goat cheese and coconut milk ravioli and, for dessert, a puff pastry filled with butter cream.
Grand Hotel Beauvau Marseille Vieux Port: End the afternoon with a cocktail and ** privileged views of the 'Ombrière' designed by Norman Foster ** in his discreet intervention in the Vieux Port Pavilion. Ok, maybe from the first floor where the bar is located miss the distorted reflection of your figure on this 46 by 22 meter stainless steel deck, but it will be a lot of fun to watch people like fleas crawling under this structure. Norman + Partners has really managed to bring 'life' back to this part of the city.
** Four des Navettes: ** Don't leave without trying their typical boat-shaped cookies (they make them since 1781) . Some Marseilles say that the navettes would take their appearance from the boat in which Mary Magdalene would have supposedly arrived to these French coasts taking with her a descendant of Jesus.
Terrace of the SE·STO restaurant, with views of the Florentine domes.
FLORENCE
Da'Vinattieri: Here the sandwich is disguised with Tuscan flavors and becomes a homemade panino (remember that panini is the plural, not paninis) . Filled with sausages from the region, lampedrotto (dish based on cow guts) or cheese, you can choose the modality called schiacciata (a flat bread seasoned with olive oil and salt) . Do not expect great luxuries, just wooden stools at the door where you can enjoy a Florentine lunch (from €3).
SE STO: Make up for what little money you spent at tiny Da' Vinattieri with dinner at this exclusive restaurant located on the sixth floor of the hotel The Westin Excelsior. I assure you that it will be worth it, in return you will enjoy a 360º panoramic view of the rooftops and domes of Florence. You can even waste time after a meal, since from a bird's eye view you can cross off your list of places to see: the Arno River, the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens and the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore. If the weather is good, it is best reserve in one of its two large terraces and try its avant-garde Italian cuisine dishes, such as paccheri from Gragnano with asparagus carbonara (€20) or Acquarello's carnaroli rice-based risotto with beetroot, Bagoss cheese and cava sauce (€21).
In any corner of Rome you will discover incredible pizzas.
ROME
The Monte Carlo: This iconic pizzeria a bit off the Roman tourist track 'was' for a while one of the best kept secrets of the city of the Tiber, partly because of its location (even being on a side street that starts from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II is not easy to find) and partly because those of us who knew of its existence have managed to keep the secret well. But I don't mind writing about it anymore, my colleague Arantxa Neyra has given me other 'Trasteverian' coordinates that are just as authentic or better, so I can now talk about those waiters with towers of more than seven pizzas dodging the tables like tightrope walkers or those ridiculous (obviously if we talk about Rome) handmade beads on the paper tablecloth or of those metal plates that look more like trays (or maybe they are?) or those pizzas with thin and crispy almost transparent dough or those Roman families who don't hesitate to come over on Sundays for a popular Roman cuisine feast. You will have a stone's throw from Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.
Trattoria Monti: In one of the most Asian neighborhoods in Rome, this family trattoria stands out as a island of quality and homemade pasta not far from Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle and the Colosseum. Don't miss their ravioli stuffed with potatoes and bacon or their egg yolk tortello, served stuffed with spinach and cheese and washed down with a simple tomato and basil sauce. Nothing can go wrong when the mom cooks (Via San Vito 13; tel. +39 06 4466573).
Sora Miralla. You may not suffer a night of afa (embarrassment) on these dates, but even so, you cannot leave Rome without taking its best remedy against hot flashes (only suitable for those who, like me, eat ice cream in winter) : a grattachecca. But not just any one, one in which crush the ice at the moment and where the syrups and the fruit are really natural. In Trastevere, next to the river, ask for a lemoncocco (lemon syrup with pieces of fresh coconut on top) or the most popular, the sour cherries and tamarind with pieces of lemon and coconut.
Delicious and romantic Nautika, in Dubrovnik.
DUBROVNIK AND HVAR
Nautika: Considered one of the most romantic restaurants in the world (which implies that it will also be one of the most expensive, around €100 per person), its terrace is in fashion among celebrities who come to the Dalmatian coast in summer. Outside the summer period it is likely that you will not meet any of its distinguished guests, but you will find a place almost sure. Dining under the moonlight is perfect for discovering the charm of the city, with the illuminated stone and that fresh fish on your plate. Next to the western entrance to Dubrovnik's Old Town and overlooking the Adriatic and the Bokar and Lovrijenac fortresses, order their lobster salad with mussels, prawns and marinated fish.
Macondo: This charming and familiar restaurant located on the island of Hvar is characterized by receiving several times a day the catch of fish from different boats. This means that the menu is not decided by them, but by the luck and the work of the fisherman. The protagonists of the table are the small fried fish, but we recommend the grilled stuffed sardines or the pasta with lobster (caught, surely, on a neighboring Dalmatian island).
Views of the Acropolis of Athens from the restaurant of the Grande Bretagne hotel
ATHENS
GB Roof Garden Restaurant and Bar: The truth is that deciding if I liked their views more during breakfast or during dinner is something like asking me: "who do you love more, mom or dad?". At the luxurious Grande Bretagne hotel, have breakfast intense coffee with views of the Acropolis, the Mount Lycabettus and Parliament (and a little more confusing to the Panathenaic stadium and the neighborhoods of Plaka and Anafiotika) is delicious and comforting, but the illuminated 'upper city', while you have a tuna tartar or a ceviche perfectly executed by its chef Asterios Koustoudis, leaves a mark on the soul that will make you never forget why Greece once owned the world.
Ioanna Kourbella: The Plaka neighborhood is well known for its Sunday flea market, but either you don't like haggling or your cruise ship arrives in Greece on a Tuesday, so the alternatives offered by this historic environment, beyond its countless souvenir shops, go through greek designer boutiques who strive to adapt to our times the aesthetics and the taste for the wide garments of its splendid and historical past. This is the case of Ioanna Kourbella, who owns a shop at number 109 Calle Adriano with her most basic clothing. If you are looking for something more arranged, you do not even have to leave Plaka, since in Hatzimihali 12 it exhibits its most exclusive designs.
Meze, at Fish. Suada Club.
TURKEY
Fish Suada Club: We know that you do not have much time, so it is best that you go to this restaurant located on Suada club Galatasaray island, the only one in the middle of the Bosphorus. The views are 360º and the fish is practically the same, since their menu has everything. Here the concept Meze (Turkish appetizer) acquires a superlative value. It is best that you ask three or four fun entrees s (according to desires, but don't forget the grilled octopus) and then ask for the fish of the day - they will cook it in salt, they will fry it, they will cook it or they will do it in salt (as you like) —.