Don’t Stay overnight in Cinque Terre

The five villages of Cinque Terre are lovely.  However, they can be awkward to get to with luggage and they are small.  I’m staying at Portovenere, a lovely village just to the south of Cinque Terre.  There are regular ferries (Euro 25 for a day pass) that go from here to the five villages, and it is also an easy drive.  Besides, Portovenere is lovely village.

Don’t Go to Italy in July and August

Well, OK, any time is good to go to Italy, but summer is both hot and crowded.  If your schedule allows a visit in spring or fall you will have a much more relaxed time.  I’m in northern Italy at the moment.  The weather is fine.  Things are uncrowded.  It’s a very relaxing time to be here.  There is a reason why Roman emperors avoided Rome during the summer months.

Using an Italian Coffee Maker

It’s not immediately obvious how to use the standard Italian coffee maker.

The easiest way to be prepared is to watch any of a number of YouTube videos that will explain the process.  In brief, one unscrew the bottom pot, fills it with water up to the interior line, inserts the coffee stem, adds coffee (without tapping it down), screws it back together tightly, and turns on the burner.  Five minutes later, you’ll hear bubbling and see steam.  It’s ready.

They make excellent coffee, by the way. Like a lot of visitors, we promptly bought one upon returning home.

Italian Gas Stations

While returning a rental car to the Milan airport I found myself temporarily confused, along with others, by an unattended Italian gas station. These are open 24 hours a day — but there is no human present to explain things.

 The instructions were there, but not immediately obvious.

Here’s what to do.  Pull up to a pump.  Look for the kiosk between the pumps.  One enters the pump number and cash (the two I tried didn’t take credit cards).  Then return to your car and the pump should function.