Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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I'm thinking of planning a trip there for September. Can anyone advise of good places to stay , say in Taormina? And can you see most of the island with that as your base or would it be best to divide the trip between there and maybe Agrigento(sp)?
I did hear some rather nasty things about the Grand Hotel Timeo which is supposed to be a five star. Anyone have any experiences in Sicily that they would like to share? Many thanks.
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daniela
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 42
Loc: Duesseldorf, Germany
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Great place to stay in Taomina is the Hotel "San Domenico", gorgeous old convent but quite expensive. Villa Doidoro is near the old center and nice, but not compareable to the Domenico. The island is too big to explore from Taomina, so you should change the place. Agrigento is a must!
Sardinia is very nice island as well.
Have a great trip.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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we stayed at the Lido in Taomina which was just alright but the San Dominico was truly awsome looking....I loved Sicily and have plans to go back many times.....it is the same as it always has been which is a rare treat these days to find....Syracusa....the whole Taomina area...Mt Etna area...they are all beautiful....and if you get to the northwest side of the island...a little town called Alcamo ( which is my family's namesake and of course where they lived) is a quaint little village surrounded by even more quaint little villages.....the only part of Sicily that sucks is Palermo...the rest is magnificent!....you will never taste and smell lemons like you will in Sicily...and there is a local wine called Donna Fugato....they dont export at all...they only bottle for Sicilians...and the wine is to die for...you must try it
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Thanks Daniela and Mike. The San Domenico is outrageously expensive ( I usually save my real splurges for St. Barts) and as we are going to SBH in April, those kind of prices will probably be out of the question. Palermo holds no interest for us either. My husband's family was from Corleone, but I think we might pass that up too. He doesn't know of anyone there anymore and his family name is associated with a former mafia chief there so I think we will skip that area. Any one know of good hotels in Siracusa or Agrigentro. We are planning on renting a car and getting around ourselves as we usually do in Europe.
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Sandy
Reged: 09/11/03
Posts: 220
Loc: South Philadelphia
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I'm sorry, but I can't resist posting this joke in regard to Corleone -- the town featured on The Godfathers, of course. I think it was Jay Leno a couple weeks ago who said, "The people of Corleone want to change the name of their town because it's notorious for the Mafia, made famous by The Godfather movies. They want to change the name to 'Bada-Bing.'"
OK, I thought it was funny ... ;)
Haven't been to Sicily yet, but if you change your mind about Palermo, I have a close friend who lives near there, in Carini. Close to beach and mountains. Just duck when you hear a popping sound. (Kidding, kidding!)
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South Philly vs. St. Barth -- Hmmm ...
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SELES
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 1826
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Dittos Mike R...you stuck it perfectly. Cannot say more. Ric
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Okay, my trip to Sicily is planned for the end of Sept. but a hotel i booked in Agrigento called Villa Athena gets very mixed reviews. Some travel books love it but reviews on tripadvisor.com are pretty negative. It seems that the location is the draw here, anyone been there ? Or should we be staying at another hotel there or just out of the area that would be nicer. I prefer four stars when I travel.
thanks
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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We stayed at Colleverde and loved it....Agrigento is a great place...the temples are a must see...they are in amazingly good shape.....and dont forget to sample Donna Fugato wines...they are the best of what Sicily has to offer....and staying true to themselves...they dont export..I miss Sicily so much.....we re trying to put together a trip in 05
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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thanks Mike R. I an looking to changing from Athena to Colleverde so we will see if they have availability. I will definitely check out Donna Fugato and my hairdresser is from Sicily so he knows a lot about the Siracusa/Taormina area.
Any good restaurants you would recommend? How's the restaurant at the Colleverde or is it better to try something not connected with a hotel. We like the feel of a place that locals go to.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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We didnt eat at the restaurant at the hotel.....We ate a local place whose name I've forgotten.....most of the places I ate at were little local joints and all were beyond good....I remember when we were staying in Taomina, everyone wanted to go to where the "main action" was, and I wanted no part of that so I walked by myself to the next town...it was a quiet quaint little fishing village.....and I went into this place...right on the water.... it looked like a dive...there were old crusty fishermen.drinking wine and playing dominos outside at a table....and I had the most magnificent lunch you could imagine, served by a beautiful woman who was the daughter of the cafe owner, and she spoke just enough english and I spoke just enough sicilian to have a very pleasant conversation about her little village.....and they made their own wine and poured it out of a decanter into regular water glasses..the wine was incredible....later that day when my friends and family got back and were all complaining about the lines to get into the "good places" to eat.....and asked me what I did and where I ate etc,......I just smiled and told them I did nothing noteworthy that afternoon....
you will be just missing the chestnut harvest when you go...too bad....
Edited by Mike R (05/24/04 08:04 AM)
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Thanks Mike. Just what I thought. When we went to Capri years ago, we left the crowds at the plaza and went up to Anacapri--
found a little restaraunt surrounded by huge sunflowers, they were hosting one big local family for lunch and we knew we hit it right. The kind of places are such gems and the memories we have from them are special.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I think I know the place you went to...i was there too!!!!!!!
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Get out! WE have a photo of me standing in front of the flowers. I think the name of the place is in the photo. I will checkit out when I go home. It was a while back maybe 1990?
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Im sure it is.....big outdoor dining area??...it sits up on a bluff overlooking the sea....way up, where that cable car ends???....lemon trees and sunflowers all around the patio???....big beautiful homes all around it...very residential??.....I too, like you, looked out on the plaza and said..."ok folks..way too many people ....we re outta here...get me a map!"...LOL
Edited by Mike R (05/24/04 01:21 PM)
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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yup, not far from the cable cars as my husband was on them and I was searching for a place for lunch. Outdoor patio.
The name of it was Trattoria di Salitoria, wonder if it is still there. So any places like that that you remember in Taormina?
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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yeah there were plenty of places like that in Taomina......just dont ask me names....Im really bad with names....I remember places by what they look like...but you wont have a problem....I never had a bad meal in Sicily.....just look for places with no Americans and no english being spoken and you will be good to go.... are you doing Italy at all or just Sicily?
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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We are flying into Milan and spending a few days on Lake Garda at what looks like a wonderful villa. We will do day trips to Venice and verona and then fly off to Catania. We have recently been to Tuscany and Umbria and a wonderful little village called Camogli near Portofino. I would guess this is about our 10th visit to Italy. It just keeps on drawing us back, not unlike another place that we all enjoy.
Any info on a place in Venice to have lunch away from the PIazza would be great. The only way I remember names if it is in a photo or if my husband and I recount our memories of them.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Maureen...I hated Venice so I cant say much good about it....an overrated cesspool if you ask me but I am in the minority here.... call me crazy, but I just dont see the romance of sitting in a gondola with your loved one and watching dead rats and used condoms floating by as the tired driver sings something stupid, off key as we experienced much to our disgust....but thats me....but Venice does have tons of Murano glass cheap if you like that sort of thing...I do...just not the clowns
I loved Verona....almost got into a fight there defending some poor old man who really had to go the bathroom and gave the attendent the money and the attendent was trying to hustle more money from him and refused him entrance, physically restraining him, and I somehow stepped in and jammed him up against a wall while this poor guy went to the bathroom...to funny...he tried getting the police but we were long gone by the time they arrived...
Florence is my favorite place hands down
Have had some great meals in Catania and there are some nice things to see in that town too if you havent ever been there...great piazzas and fountains
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Lake Como is goregous...I would go there before Venice in a heartbeat.....and Lugano is not far from Milan too....beautiful town...great shopping....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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I do know what you mean about Venice, I was there once. But my husband has never been there so he would like to experience it.And it is just for one day, so that should be fun. Some memories of Verona you have there. I love Firenze too but you have to go at the right time or the crowds will drive you mad.
We've been to Lugano and stayed in Bellagio at Como as well.
And I just heard back from Coloverde and they are booked for the two nights I need. so that's a bummer but we do have the Athena so that should be interesting.
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daniela
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 42
Loc: Duesseldorf, Germany
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Hi all, as I have seen you talking about Capri, could you give me a recommandation for a nice, small hotel near the center (piazetta) of Capri town? We are going for 4 days in July and i have not found an appealing place yet. Some are booked out, others are extremly expensive. Thank you!
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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If you dont find a reasonably nice place that is priced appropriately, I would recommend staying in Sorrento, which is just a very short boat ride over to Capri..We stayed at a very nice hotel, but the name escapes me, however I have the name of the hotel in my desk at home which I can get to you if you ae interested........Sorrento is a very nice town
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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It was years ago that I was there but we stayed at LaScalinatella. Our room was just okay because we got a standard double, but the views were gorgeous and I have fond memories of having lunch around the pool. It was expensive then as I recall so not sure how it is now with the euro so strong. But Capri is especially enjoyable when the day trippers go home. There's lots of walking with incredible viwes.
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daniela
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 42
Loc: Duesseldorf, Germany
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Thanks, I already had a look at La Scalinatella, but they are asking 500 per night, and i just do not think that it is worth the price. We are only going for a weekend and I just have booked our christmas trip to St Barth. Well....
Sorrento is definitly gorgeous, but I really want to stay on the island, it is much nicer when the day touristis left I guess. Sorrento aand Positano are next on my list. Do you have any recommandations? Thanks for all the help.
Daniela
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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We stayed in Positano and Amalfi. In Positano, we stayed at il San Pietro which was stunning, but expensive. In Amalfi, we stayed at a place that was not that expensive but still wad nice. I think it was called Marina Rivera or something like that. It was 13 years ago so who knows if it still goes by the same name. Make sure you get to Ravello up on the mountain, stunning views and beautiful gardens. Keep in mind that the traffic on the Amalfi coast crawls, and big buses look as if they will push you out of the way. Once situated, we left our car parked where it was and took the buses to get around.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I will post where we stayed in Sorrento when I get home to look it up......it was a very nice place and as I recall it was about 200 USD a night....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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daniela
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 42
Loc: Duesseldorf, Germany
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Thank you Maureen and Mike. Hope to go to the Amalfi coast in october for visiting Positano and Sorrento ect. Will let you know about the Capri trip in july, and where we finaly ended up.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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daniela....I stayed at the Hotel Parco Dei Principi and I know of people who stayed at the Grand Royal hotel and they said it was very good too
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Just a quick trip report on Northern Italy and Sicily.
We spent three days in Lake Garda which was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in Locanda San Vigilio which is an incredible 7 room inn right on the lake. Great food and service and as it turns out was on the cover of Sept's Alitalia inflight magazine. I highly recommend it. The people were lovely on the inn-- many many German-speaking people travelling in this area.
We took a side trip to Venice which has definitely cleaned up the waterways since I was last there many moons ago. The water had no garbage in it and was actually a pretty color green instead of that awful brown.
My husband has a serious eye disease and of course two weeks before the trip started having problems, so I had to do all of the driving. That was the downside to the trip as we moved around quite a bit and of course those Italians drive fast and furious.
In Sicily, we first went to Agrigento. We stayed at an awful place Villa Hotel Athena that I would like to warn everyone against even though the guidebooks say it is the place to stay. Yes, you have incredible views of the temples but that is it, The rooms had an awful smell to them and the people who run it are not friendly at all. I had found this out right before I left my reading tripadvisor.com but it was too late to get another place. Agrigento is great for a day trip but otherwise not worth staying over.
We then went to Taormina and stayed at the wonderful Villa Ducale which was on the way upto Castelmola. Wonderful views and the best breakfasts I have ever had. And the people who ran it were fabulous, a totally different experience than we had in Agrigento. We decided to chill out in Taormina as I was getting very stressed from doing all of the driving and of course getting lost as well.
We went to the beach ( watch out for those jelly fish) shopping in town and enjoyed the views of lava coming down the side of Mt. Etna at night. We decided to drop the plans to go to Siracusa and just relax and enjoy Castelmola and Taormina. Just too much to do in too little time and after all vacation is also about relaxing and destressing.
Thanks Mike for the tip on Donna Fugata wine, it was great and so reasonable -- a bottle in a restaurant is less than two glasses on wine in NYC. I think I had Donna Fugata every night. I tried to get it here in a local wineshop but as you said it is not exported.
You really need more time than we had to see the rest of Sicily. But we did enjoy it -- the food was fabulous and weather was also a big plus. But gee, has anyone else had problems finding their way around--e.g. signs that are there one minute and at the next roundabout they are gone? Maybe it was just me, trying to be the driver and navigator all rolled into one.
Well at least thenext trip I will know my way around, SBH in April. And that is total relaxation.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Sounds great Maureen.....and your welcome...I miss Sicily soooooo much....have to get back and show my little darling ( and the big one too ) the beauty that surrounds my heritage
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Dante
Reged: 03/30/04
Posts: 72
Loc: New Hampshire from Long Island
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Actually, you could also look into the Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina (I know, funny name for a place in Sicily). However, it is comfortable, great views of Etna and he sea, terrific value, and a matter of minutes by foot to the great evening stroll down the Corso Umberto or the cable car to the beach. Add to this a lovely breakfast room with panoramic views and a friendly staff, and you're in business. Choose the slightly more expensive junior suites. You'll get a nice terrace and the best views for a great price.
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New Hampshire
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Mike R;
Just found donnafugata wines in Morrells in NYC, Turns out they have been exporting it for a few years. both white and red. Can't wait to imbibe this weekend.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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OH REALLY?????????!!!!!!??????>....well thanks fo that.....I'll have to get some too......wow.....I dont know if long term that is a good thing or a bad thing...but it will sure as hell be fun finding out as we drink it
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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It will be interesting to see if it is as good as when you are in Sicily with view of Mt. Etna and the bay in front of you. also, I wonder how those dam sulfites will change the taste. I will sample them this weekend.
Morrells actually had a wine tasting of the white on Wednesday but I missedi it because I was not in the city. I got the email and thats how i found out.
The red goes for $60 so I think I will stick for the white now which was $15-- not bad as I paid 12 euros in the restaurants over there.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15729
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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yeah sulfites for sure will change it a bit.....60 for red???...good God I think I paid the equivalent of 20 USD for the best of the bunch.......figures....well let me know please
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Maureenm
Reged: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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The donnafugata bianco was lovely--light and fruity and crisp. It went perfectly with our mozzarella, basil and argula salad, shrimp cocktail and prosciutto and melon repast. I will be going back for more.
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