Gourmet Spring Delicacy Available In Venice, Italy; Venetian Castraura (early Artichoke)

If you are in Venice this March or April, there is one delicacy you should not miss; the castraura, a vegetable available for only 6 weeks at the end of March and into April. As a tourist, it’s a perfect thing to buy at the Rialto market while you blend in with the locals, since you can buy it and eat it on the spot, no cooking required.

Castraura is the first bud of the artichoke. The Consorzio del Carciofo Violetto di Sant’Erasmo is a consortium of 20 producers on the island of Sant’Erasmo who grow these delicacies. They’re quite expensive, around 3 euros for 10, at the Rialto Market. After plucking the outer leaves, you can enjoy them raw, with simply a dash of oil and a pinch of rock salt. I guess that’s why the word literally means “castrated”!

They are also delicious braised in the oven with a little olive oil and white wine. The secret is not to overcook them. They are sometimes served fried, but it is a bit of shame eating them that way, as they tend to lose their most delicate aromas.

TravelWithCarnet.com (where I read about this) also has some wonderful tips on other foods you must try in Venice including: specialty Seafood, Veal, Soups, Pastas, Cocktails & Desserts. They also review restaurants, hotels, things to do, shopping, etc. in Venice, Italy.

Free 2012 London Summer Olympics Trip Planner

I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a trip! I’m traveling to Europe for the fist time ever and will be going to some of the events at the London Summer 2012 OLYMPICS!!!

The only downside is that I’m only going to be there for 5 days and I understand there is so much to do and see, in addition to the Olympics, that I hope I can squeeze it all in.

I’m one of those uber organized people so I am creating my own itinerary (aka my “Carnet” as they call it there!) so I don’t loose any of my valuable time when I am there. I’m using a site named Travel With Carnet. C o m that has it all. I picked my hotel based proximity to the games. Then, I picked out some interesting restaurants, shopping and museums on their site which then maps it all out for me. The site reviews virtually everything. I also got a FREE 2012 London Olympics Trip Planner which I found here.

Once I set up my itinerary on the site, I was able to send it to my mobile phone!

Free Summer Olympics 2012 Trip Planner Packed With Things to do During Your Stay in London Town, with Shopping Boutiques, Museums and Restaurants

It’s tempting to cruise all over the web to find the best suggestions of where to go and what to do when you are traveling, but I’m going to save you some very valuable time before, and/or during, your vacation.

There’s a site called TravelWithCarnet.com that has it all, and maps it all out for you – even if you want to stay (ie) within walking distance of your hotel – or find a hotel to stay at because it has a walking area that will fill your itinerary. Their annoynomous reviewers critique Hotels, Restaurants, Museums, Awesome Adventures, Up-Scale Shopping, Women’s Fashion, Men’s Fashion, Jewelry Shopping, Beauty & Fitness, Kids stuff and more.

Set up your itinerary on the site and and send the info to your smart phone! It’s awesome – away you go while traveling light!

Click here If you want their free Summer Olympics 2012 Trip Planner!