Matera, Italy: Great Food, Good Prices And A View Of Sassi Di Matera

Il Terrazzino

Vicolo San Giuseppe 7
75100 Matera, Italy
Phone number: +39 0835 334119
Website: ilterrazzino.org
Prices: €€€€

Off of Piazza Vittorio Veneto on a small alley on the east side of the piazza, you will find Il Terazzino. Go down the winding stairs to this restaurant and pizzeria of very good quality and reasonable prices with a terrace view of Matera's famous (UNESCO) sassi where Passion of the Christ and other movies were filmed.

A large, nicely appointed interior set in into the cliff has ancient vaulted ceilings and several rooms with plenty of space for 30-40 tables. We were warmly welcomed by the owner who took our order because the servers had not yet arrived. We ordered the house wine (€3.50 per 1/2 litre), a deep red served slightly above room temperature and a good value.

The Tourist Menu is just €18 and includes primo (pasta or soup), secondo (meat dish), and contorno (fries or salad), mineral water, and dessert (spumoni or fruit). I had the Cavatelli alla Boscaiola (€8 ala carte), fresh pasta in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and ham served with grated goat cheese to top it with. The serving was healthy and the flavor delicious. The pasta could have been a bit warmer in order to melt the goat cheese after mixing, but, otherwise, it was a good selection. I also had the Salsiccia di Maiale Arrosto (roasted pork sausage - €8 ala carte) and a side of fries. The sausage was a bit spicy, but flavorful and well cooked, and the fries plentiful, large, and hot.

My wife had the Pizza Ai (Quattro) Formaggi (€7.50) with mozzarella, grana padana, gorgonzola, and emmenthal cheeses and without tomato sauce. The pizza was very well done and comparable quality of those in Naples where pizza was born with plenty of cheese and a thin, yet firm, crust.

We ate extremely well for under €30, the service was excellent and the interior roomy and rustic, and would not hesitate to return in the future.

CombatCritic Gives Il Terrazino 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Il Terrazzino on Yelp

MENU

Title: Matera, Italy: Great Food, Good Prices And A View Of Sassi Di Matera

Key Words: Il Terrazino, il, terrazino, Matera, Italy, Sassi di Matera, Sassi, pizza, pizzeria, view, centro, Italia, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: WTFO! = "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Naples, Italy: Simplicity And Value On The Outskirts, Yet Well Connected

Hotel Camaldoli

Via Gabriele Jannelli 586
80131 Naples
Italy
Phone number +39 081 5466836
Website: hotelcamaldoli.it
Prices: €€€€

A nice, simple, reasonably priced, clean hotel just north of Vomero in the hospital zone (Zona Ospedale - hospitals Monaldi and Cardarelli) and close to two Metro stops (Policlinico and Rione Alto) as well as shops, markets, restaurants and pizzerias galore.

You can walk to both Metro stations (Linea 1 - Line 1 - Yellow Line), taking you to Vomero, downtown (Centro Storico - the historical district), shopping areas on Via Toledo and Via Roma, and the port as well as the main train station (Napoli Centrale) and Piazza Garibaldi. At Napoli Centrale, you can take trains pretty much anywhere in Italy and Europe, either slowly (Regionale) or very quickly (Freccia Rosa and Italo), getting you to Rome in an hour, Florence in two, and Venice in five. You can also travel locally on the Metro from Piazza Garibaldi (adjacent to Napoli Centrale), taking Linea 2 (Line 2) to Mergelina and Pozzuoli. Linea 4 (Line 4 - Circumvesuviana) to Herculaneum (Ercolano), Pompeii, and Sorrento is actually in the basement of Napoli Centrale, so follow the signs or inquire at an Information Booth if needed. It is also quite easy to get to the islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida by ferry in addition to Sorrento or even Sicily if you have the time.

CLICK HERE FOR A NAPLES METRO MAP

Breakfast is included at the hotel and is served from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM daily. It is a typical, light Italian breakfast, serving cornetti (a fresh, flaky croissant filled with sweet cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar - indigenous to Southern Italy, Naples in particular) and coffee as you like it (cappuccino, espresso, caffe latte, etc). They also have juices, water, cereal, croissants, tarts, toast and an assortment of jellies as well as Nutella and butter.

Most rooms have balconies although the view is limited to surrounding buildings and the neighborhood's high rise apartment buildings and shops. Our balcony was spacious with a table and chairs to relax and get some fresh air. Our room was large with an entry vestibule to hang coats and umbrellas and store luggage. We also had a medium size wardrobe with four drawers, a small desk, two chairs, and a TV (only useful if you understand Italian because there are no English language channels - e.g. CNN, BBC, or Sky). The bed was an "Italian king size" (two twins pushed together on a king size frame

There is Wi-Fi, but it is a bit slow. You can stream videos, but they sometime pause as the video is buffering. Wi-Fi on the ground floor is spotty at best as it seems the wireless routers are on the upper floors. The staff are very friendly and helpful, attending to our every need. There is almost always someone at the front desk or in the breakfast area/bar where they have a limited selection of spirits.

There is no elevator, so handicapped access is a problem because even the lowest floor of rooms is 8-10 steps up from the front desk. Large bags can also pose a challenge, particularly if you are located on any of the upper floors. Our room was on the 1st floor (2nd floor in the U.S.), a trek of over 30 steps up the staircases from the lobby and even I was a touch winded after dragging two large bags up to our room.

A simple, pleasant hotel on the outskirts of Naples, yet well connected through the Metro system, Hotel Camaldoli is a good option if you do not have the need or desire to stay in the main tourist areas and want to get acquainted with the true Neapolitan way of life.

CombatCritic Gives Hotel Camaldoli 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Hotel Camaldoli on Yelp

Title: Naples, Italy: Simplicity And Value On The Outskirts, Yet Well Connected 

Key Words: Hotel Camaldoli, hotel, Camaldoli, Naples, Napoli, Pompeii, Sorrento, Roma, Amalfi, Italy, Italia, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, review, Yelp, bed, breakfast

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Florence, Italy: Beautiful, Historic, Impressive, and Overpriced Like Everything in Florence

Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Camillo Cavour 3
50129 Firenze, Italy
Phone: +39 055 2760340
Website: palazzo-medici.it
Prices: $$$$

One of the most ancient and important palaces in Florence, Palazzo Medici Riccardi belonged to the infamous Medici family who started construction in 1445 under the direction of Michelozzo di Bartolomeo, completing the palace in about 10 years.

Courtyard and Statues

Palazzo Medici Riccardi sits prominently on the northwest corner of Via L. Gori just one block north of the Piazza del Duomo (take the street that heads north just between the Battistero di San Giovanni - aka Baptistry of Saint John - and Santa Maria del Fiore - aka "Duomo" or "Cathedral". Entrance is €7 for adults and includes the impressive Capella dei Magi di Benozzo Gozzoli (Chapel of the Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli), the Medici family chapel and the first thing you visit as you enter the apartments on the second (European first) floor. Not very large, the chapel's ornate frescoes, painted in the mid-Fifteenth Century by Gozzoli, tell the story of the journey of the three kings to Bethlehem interspersed with members of the powerful Medici family along the way.

Magi Chapel

The rest of the apartment has a few pieces of furniture, some statues, paintings and tapestries, but the most impressive thing is the palace itself, its beautiful courtyards, and the chapel of course. There are art exhibitions in three locations around the courtyard on the ground floor which are included in your admission.

Palace Interior

Definitely worth a visit, I am not sure it is worth €7 ($7.60) and would be a much better value in the €4 to €5 range. Florence would definitely benefit from a "reasonably priced" all inclusive museum day-ticket option other than the Firenze Card (€72 - good for 72 hours). The Amici degli Uffizi card (€60/adult and good from Jan 1 - Dec 31) used to allow free entry into most of the major museums and churches, including unlimited access to the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria L'academia (statue of David), but starting in June 2015 they limited entry only to the Uffizi, making it a much less attractive option.

Medici Family Portraits

CombatCritic Gives Palazzo Medici Riccardi 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

"Good To Go"

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Florence, Italy: Beautiful, Historic, Impressive, and Overpriced Like Everything in Florence

Key Words: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, palazzo, Medici, riccardi, Florence, Firenze, Italy, Italia, magi, chapel, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, attraction, museum, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation for Civilians: