My Review of Teva Tirra Sandals

Here is my review for the Teva Tirra Sandals, which are coming with me to Italy this September:

Originally submitted at REI, http://www.rei.com/

At home in the water or on terra firma, the Teva Tirra sandals mesh fun, feminine style and multisport performance for everyday, go-anywhere use.

Teva Tirra Sandals - Women's

Comfortable enough to hike in!

By Mb on 7/2/2010

5out of 5

Gift: No
Sizing: Feels true to size
Width: Feels true to width
Pros: Breathable, Comfortable, Cute, Durable, Great heel comfort
Best Uses: Everyday, Walking, International travel
Describe Yourself: Casual

Got two pairs, one for daily use and hiking, the other for an upcoming trip to Italy. Wanted to try them on the trail to see how they protected against uneven surfaces, as the cobblestones in Italy can really make your feet ache. These sandals were GREAT on the rocky trail! I've never hiked in sandals and was a little dubious about how they would fare, but they were awesome! I will hike in these again and again and am so relieved to have found a great pair of shoes for Italy. The best feature is the cushion under the heel - supportive but soft and really comfortable.

Castello di Verrazzano, Greve in Chianti, Tuscany

Here is the Sassello Super Tuscan that we enjoyed the other night with our Italian meal.  It is a fabulous wine, aged 18 months in oak, made from Sangiovese grapes.  This wine is among many produced at the famous Verrazzano winery in Greve in Chianti, Tuscany.  Its website is http://www.verrazzano.com/.  Once on the website, click on the little British flag to get the English version to appear.  

The vintner has this to say about the wine:  "Sassello represents the highest expression of the terroir-vine binomial, where Sangiovese creates a unique wine with a deep and impenetrable colour of an intense ruby red, enhanced by purple overtones. The fragrance is fine and intense, wide and persistent, and offers a variety of fruity notes including cherries, blackberries, raspberries underlined by hints of oak and vanilla. The taste is elegant and complex with closely woven tannins both smooth and pleasant joined to notes of fruit and spice, oak and vanilla, with an equally pleasant and long finish." 

No good wine tasting is complete without wild boar salame and bruschetta (above) !  We were made to feel very welcome, and the tastings were numerous and plentiful.

Simone, on the left, is the sommelier who led our wine tasting.  His personality is as vibrant as his smile!

I recommend a visit to this charming and refined establishment.  Visit their photogallery here:  http://www.verrazzano.com/en/photogallery/ 

Dining in Orvieto - Don't Miss Pizzeria Charlie!

The restaurant I heard the best things about and that has great reviews is called Trattoria La Grotta, on Via Luca Signorelli 5, right off Via Duomo (between the Duomo and Corso Cavour, the main street intersecting Via Duomo). On my trip in December, we walked by and peeked in, and it looked darling -a converted stable with frescoes. Closed Tuesdays. tel 076 334 1348. However, we didn't eat there.

We ate at a super fun, highly-recommended, authentic, non-touristy pizza place called Charlie's Pizza. It was a bustling place on Corso Cavour, between Pzza. San Angelo and Via Delle Portiche - in general, that is northeast of the Duomo, about 1/2 way along Corso Cavour between Via Duomo and the Piazza Cahen end of town (where the funicular comes up). tel. 076 334 4766. All the Orvieto youth seem to eat here - it was so much fun listening to them and watching them and eating the FABULOUS pizza. The menu is almost overwhelmingly long, with many interesting choices. The owner is a darling man. I don't think they take reservations, so you want to get there ahead of the crowds to be sure and get a table - try to arrive before 8. They will not rush you, so you can stay all evening if you want :-) A fun, lively, local place but still quiet enough so you can talk. Buon appetito!

You must visit B&B Giglio Bianco in Florence !

Here are some photos from our stay at B&B Giglio Bianco in Florence. This "home away from home" is located in the Oltrarno district, about a 10-minute's walk south of the Ponte Vecchio. Each night as we walked back to the B&B, we felt that we were leaving the madness and chaos of Florence behind us (wonderful though it can be) and that we were coming "home" for the evening.

Varinia and Edoardo were excellent and caring hosts. They offered us a cell phone to use while we were in Florence; our bed was very comfortable and the room adorable; Edoardo gave us a lovely bottle of wine to enjoy in our room upon our arrival; and the breakfasts were beautifully-presented, and we were offered anything we wanted.



We also enjoyed two of Varinia's "special dinners," one of which followed a cooking class that Varinia taught just to me! Varinia and I made two luscious types of pasta (pumpkin ravioli and tagliatelle with vegetables), talking and laughing and drinking wine in her cute, intimate cucina.
Check out the pictures of some of the courses below!


There are hundreds of places to stay in a city as large as Florence, but I am thrilled that I chose B&B Giglio Bianco. It was not a long walk to the hustle and bustle (and there are tons of cute shops along the way, plus the best pizzeria in all of Florence!), but this B&B offered a quiet, comfortable and safe refuge from the crowds and craziness that you find in the center of the city. We got a wonderful night's sleep each night, delicious and healthy (and mostly organic!) meals, and two new friends in Varinia and Edoardo. Visit http://www.gigliobianco.it/ to see more pictures and book your stay or your cooking class with Varinia and Edoardo!

I miss you, Varinia and Edoardo !