30 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #5


The ancient town of Matera with its cave dwellings carved into a mountainside turned out to be the surprise of our trip. Craggily rewarding and rich in history, it was used as a film set for Ben-Hur and The Passion of Jesus Christ.

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Update 10/11/2017
New York Times Travel: Matera - Where To Stay, What To Eat

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Update 11/22/2017
Anthony Bourdain Field Notes: Southern Italy (w/Matera) 

29 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #4


Eataly!

Today's photos focus on Apulian FOOD: seasonal, organic, fresh from local farms.... and it's everywhere.

Above: cheese tasting in the countryside; home-made herb pasta w/dried figs, toasted almonds and cream; outdoor market stalls; taralli in a variety of flavors; bagged fresh oregano; nonna rolls out orecchiette ("little ears") pasta; crunchy potato focaccia fresh from wood-fired ovens topped w/prosciutto and onions; a hearty autumn soup

Below: my start-the-day espressino and flaky lemon cream dream crostata





28 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #3


Trulli amazing.

Above: cone-shaped Unesco-protected fairytale-like stone dwellings called "trulli" must be seen to be believed

27 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #2



The old port town of Monopoli absolutely seduced us, and the afternoon finished with what else: Aperol spritzes on a comfy couch overlooking the Adriatic.

26 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #1


Main piazza in Cisternino, one of many small hilltop villages and towns that dot the region.

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Cisternino is a carnivore's fantasy: if you get wafts of barbecue that's because small butcher counters are encrusted in restaurants where you choose what you want and it will appear on your table sizzling and char-grilled to perfection.

Below: grilled sausages and local specialty bombette, beef (or pork) rolls stuffed with basil, speck bacon and cheese; entrecôte topped w/arugula and a grated pecorino


25 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia!


Though we've been to Italy many times this is our first trip to the "heel" of the boot, the enchanting region of Puglia in the south from where I will be posting all week.



Above: Grotta Palazzese, restaurant in a grotto; coastal cliffs; fresh seafood pasta (course #3 of 5), Polignano a Mare

Below: main square, Martina Franca
 

23 September 2017

Cravings


A woman stops to admire pastries as her little dachshund tugs on its leash.
 
 
 
 

22 September 2017

Procaffeinating


In the heart of the old Marais district a café at the back of an offbeat bookstore looks onto a vegetable garden.

La Mouette Rieuse
(The Laughing Seagull)
17bis rue Pavée 75004 

21 September 2017

Dinoseine


Life-sized chrome replica of a T-Rex skeleton adds zing to a stroll along the river.

20 September 2017

19 September 2017

Magic meringues


Multi-flavored meringues in a Left Bank pâtisserie said to reverse negative wishes, spells, curses, hexes, you name it, back onto the sender.
 
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See post Spirit of Paris
 

18 September 2017

Hermès, Paris


Horse and rider atop the Hermès building, a reminder of the brand's equestrian beginnings.

Hermès (main shop)
24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008

16 September 2017

Interior refresh



Creative furnishings fill the upstairs loft at this Marais concept store.

MERCI
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais 75003

15 September 2017

The purple hour

 
 
It's early and hardly anyone is awake as cafés get ready to open.
 

14 September 2017

Twizy


"Twizy" Renault's all-electric two-seater can zip around narrow Paris streets.

12 September 2017

11 September 2017

Sudden café


One of my favorite subjects to photograph is cafés, and I came upon this one completely by surprise despite visiting this quartier often.

8 September 2017

A simple lunch


3-course formule in old Les Halles district.

On the chalkboard: tomato-guac mille-feuilles, chiffonade of roast beef with caper-dill mayo and crunchy garlic potatoes, house strawberry tiramisu

 
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie
34 rue Montmartre 75001

7 September 2017

Back-to-school


The stately Université Sorbonne embodies the spirit of this week's rentrée scolaire.

5 September 2017

Rocher de Cancale


Now a regular café-restaurant this was writer Balzac's go-to place for fresh oysters from Brittany.

Au Rocher de Cancale
78 rue Montorgueil 75002

Dead fish


Scrawled onto peeling wallpaper, "Only the dead fish follow the current."