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Sicily Pizza Pattaya

March 8, 2021 by David Herd

Sicily Pizza Pattaya

Sicily Pizza Pattaya is located on the dark side opposite Maprachan Lake about a 25 minute drive from Beach Road. A popular family restaurant serving some affordable delicious Italian food.

A pre lunch drink at the bar

Orange juice please, I’m driving. 🙂

There is the pizza over on the right

On my next visit I’m having a pizza.

Looks very tasty indeed

Perfect meal for two people.

Bruschetta Di Montagna

This was my choice of entre. I think I may be mistaken with the name of this dish, my apologies.

Fresh Melon & Prosciutto

This is the entre I should have ordered. I had a taste & the melon was delicious. 🙂

Delicious mushroom soup

Very tasty with lots of truffles.

A huge lamb shank

Very tasty indeed, a little expensive at B690, or $29 AUD. Patrick’s Steakhouse has a similar dish for B390. A little smaller perhaps.

Fire up that pizza oven

A good pizza with red wine is hard to beat. 🙂

A very interesting wall

The featured lady has been given an extra leg. 🙂

Location

As I mentioned earlier it is located on the dark side opposite Maprachan Lake about a 25 minute drive from Beach Road. This friendly establishment is certainly worth the drive, it offers very good food & service with a nice atmosphere. On the way you will pass 3 or 4 other interesting looking restaurants.

Thanks for visiting my Sicily Pizza Pattaya photo blog, check out the links below for some interesting restaurants I have visited all over the world, including a review of popular Pattaya venues.

Thanks also to my friend Hamish Elton for introducing me to this interesting Sicilian venue. Here is a LINK to Sicily Pizza.

Check out these great food photo blogs from around the world.

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Pattaya live webcam

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Lake Como northern Italy

August 17, 2015 by David Herd

Lake Como northern Italy

Lake Como northern Italy has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, it’s a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni, and Villa Carlotta.

Fabulous Lake Como home

Lake Como weather is generally mild. It is known for its Mediterranean-like climate where sub-tropical plants can grow year-round, Average daily temperatures range from about 2 °C (36 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July.

Bellagio on Lake Como northern Italy

Bellagio is a wonderful upmarket village on Lake Como, certainly a place that attracts the wealthy. Bellagio & Lake Como are both beautiful and famous, however I do prefer the larger Lake Garda which is a couple of hours east. I found it more “user friendly” in so much as there were many more places you could actually access the lake itself. The wealthy and the snobbish will always pick Como because that’s what they read about in the fashion magazines and gossip columns, but the experienced traveller I believe would choose Lake Garda as the more interesting location.

My little road rocket

This little car really covered a lot of miles in the coming weeks, all the way to Saint Tropez, Cinque Terre, Menton, Breil Sur Roya, Verona, Pejo, St Moritz and Salzburg.

Lake Como northern Italy

Taking the shortcut across Lake Como northern Italy.

West side Lake Como

It is a rather short trip on the ferry.

For whom the bell tolls

Pardon me quoting the title of Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 novel, however I’m sure he would have sometime in his life sipped his double daiquiris on the shore of Lake Como. 🙂

Hemingway did enjoy a drink

What a fabulous old photo.

San Giacomo Church, Ossuccio

This Romanesque church is situated along the shore at Spurano, Ossuccio. It was built between the 10th and 12th centuries. The sail bell tower on the outside wasn’t built until after the 14th century. The double arched apse is typical of the local architecture and inside the church you can see visible traces of original frescoes.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Dining outside on the terrace overlooking the lake with the lights of Bellagio twinkling is a magical experience.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Way above my pay grade I’m afraid. 🙂

Como Cathedral

No, I didn’t go inside. 🙂

Como

Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a popular tourist destination and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks and palaces.

Veal Scallopini

One of my favourite meals is veal scallopini and this dish I had in Como at the restaurant shown below was perhaps the best I have ever experienced.

Main square opposite Cathedral

The food here was fantastic.

Restaurant on the square

A beautiful summer day in Como.

Como by the lake

As you can see the weather was absolutely perfect at the end of June.

Garage for the boat

I would be very happy living here, 🙂

I’m enjoying a coffee in Bellagio.

Thanks for visiting my Dramatic scenery Lake Como northern Italy photo blog, lots more links below.

Checkout some more of my terrific blogs on the links below.

Zagreb Croatia Rio de Janeiro Brisbane River

Koh Samui Korea London

Bangkok Osaka Pattaya

Chiang Mai Pattaya Chao Phraya river

Pattaya live webcam

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That’s all folks

Europe before Covid-19 & mass immigration.

Brussels for mussels

Upmarket Portofino

Barcelona

Prague way back in 93

Amsterdam

Sarajevo

Beautiful Budapest

Fabulous Dubrovnik

Ancient Lisbon

Summer in St Moritz

Pattaya live webcam

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Brazil Italy Thailand Adventure 2006

April 16, 2015 by David Herd

Another magic world trip

Brazil Italy Thailand Adventure

Brazil Italy Thailand Adventure 2006, once again my journey began with a flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney in October 2006, before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.

I flew to Teresina to meet a friend and her family then continued on to Forteleza and Belem. After Brazil I flew to Italy hired a car and headed for Portofino, San Gimignano, Vinci and Florence.

A friend in Sydney hosted a dinner at his hotel with several friends, great food and 2 very sexy waitresses.

This it not part of my travel blog, just part of my personal photo & travel history from 2006. Mainly revolving around the many people who helped make it another memorable year.

Freeway Hotel Crayfish

Crayfish? I can’t see any Crayfish. 🙂

Peter plays it cool

The following day I missed my Qantas flight to Rio through a mix up with the airline. I had to purchase another ticket, luckily a couple of months later Qantas reimbursed my original ticket.

A terrific night

GREAT FOOD, GOOD WINE & HOT BABES, WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

Copacabana Beach Rio de Janeiro, say no more.

These two look like they mean business.

Alan Austin and his wife Renata

Alan & I met in Rio and became very good friends, unfortunately the following year he ran into some problems with the English authorities and I now visit him every year in various English prisons.

Shenanigans Ipanema

Monday nights here there are lots of specials and the place gets really crowded. The guy in the red shirt is Alan’s Las Vegas friend Jay.

The girl from Copacabana

I was relaxing on the beach when this vision appeared in front of me. I have never been one to let a golden opportunity pass so I brushed up on my social skills and introduced myself. Her name was Mel and she came from neighbouring Niteroi. Lo & behold within an hour we were in my apartment making mad passionate love. This certainly was one on the best days of my trip. 🙂

Mel from Niteroi

Mel is around 6′ tall with amazing green eyes, a total knock out. It is 2015 and I still have her photo on a shelf in my condo. 🙂

John, an Aussie guy who owned “The Office” restaurant.

John was an Aussie guy from Sydney and we swapped many stories about people we knew and knew of, mainly well known Sydney gangsters. 🙂 The following year John in fact was abducted by Brazilian gangsters who forced him to go to his home in Angra Dos Rios and pen his safe which they cleaned out.

Cabo Frio

Here is my friend Renilda, she lives at Cabo Frio near Buzios with her son and lots of pet dogs. We met in 1999 on Copacabana beach and have had a lot of fun together. I have not seen her since I took this photo in 2006 but I hope we meet again one day.

Sueli and Silmarinha Oliveira

I actually met Sueli online so on my way to Fortaleza I decided to stop at Teresina to meet her and her lovely family.

The whole family in Terisina

Here is the lovely family.

Fortaleza on the north Coast

Fortaleza is in the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.3 million (metropolitan region over 3.4 million), Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. Fortaleza is one of the three leading cities in the Northeast region together with Recife and Salvador. The city will be one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host nation.

Brazil Italy Thailand Adventure

164 kilometers from Fortaleza is Canoa Quebrada.

Canoa Quebrada

We rode in a beach buggy along the beautiful long beaches and wandered through the amazing coloured sands of Canoa Quebrada.

Belem at the mouth of the mighty Amazon

Such a beautiful face, (of course I mean the girl) these two were dancers on a cruise I took on the Amazon.

The catch of the day

Belem is at the mouth of the Amazon river which represents more than half the planet’s remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Founded in 1616 by the Kingdom of Portugal, Belém was the first European colony on the Amazon but did not become part of Brazil until 1775. The newer part of the city has modern buildings and skyscrapers. The colonial portion retains the charm of tree-filled squares, churches and traditional blue tiles. The city has a rich history and architecture from colonial times. Recently it witnessed a skyscraper boom.

Old man of the sea

By now his skin must be like leather.

2.30 am flight Belem to Rio

Ah! Copacabana I have missed you so much. 🙂

Lets not forget Ipanema.

Ipanema is even more beautiful than Copacabana.

Lets have one last look at Mel

This is the photo I still have in my room today in 2016.

Transit at Madrid

Changing planes in Madrid on my my to Italy.

Francesca in Florence

Here is my friend Francesca, I was lucky enough to be able to crash on her couch for a few days.

The Old Bridge Florence

Certainly one of the most famous landmarks in this great city.

Great Pizza in Florence

People queue every night to get into this tiny restaurant in Florence, the chef is from Naples and only has 3 choices on the menu, all magnificent.

Ines from Rio de Janeiro

Ines is the daughter of my friend Reni from Cabo Frio, she was in Florence at the same time as I was. Francesca cooked dinner while we chatted about old times in Rio.

Beautiful San Gimignano

San Gimignano is famous for its Medieval village architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls form “an unforgettable skyline”

San Gimignano

What a wonderful Italian village.

Lunch in Portofino

When you visit Portofino make sure you have your credit card, seafood soup 26 Euros. Maybe they charged me extra because I was dressed so upmarket. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Fabulous cheeky Portofino

If you own a nice boat the babes will come. 🙂

Club Med yacht.

Club Med 2 is a five-masted computer-controlled sailing ship owned and operated by Club Med and operated as a cruise ship. It combines the power of seven computer-operated sails with more traditional diesel-electric power, having four diesel generators that power two electric motors.

Arriving in Bangkok

My gorgeous friend Cleo who I catch up with every time I am in Bangkok.

The boys at Honey pot in Pattaya

Let the games begin, I’m back in Pattaya. 🙂

Brazil Italy Thailand

Thanks for visiting my Brazil Italy Thailand post, it really was another incredible around the world trip.

Here are some more posts to check out

Zagreb Croatia Rio de Janeiro Brisbane River

Koh Samui Korea London

Bangkok Osaka Pattaya

Chiang Mai Pattaya Chao Phraya river

Pattaya live webcam

That’s all folks

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Florence beautiful Italian city

October 20, 2013 by David Herd

Piazza della Signoria

Florence beautiful Italian city

Florence beautiful Italian city , I have been there 3 or 4 times and can’t wait to visit again. I saw a lot of the city and surrounding areas thanks to my good friend Francesca.

Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political hub of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.

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Florence beautiful Italian city

Replicas of Michelangelo’s David have been made numerous times, in plaster, imitation marble, fibreglass, snow, and other materials. There are many full-sized replicas of the statue around the world, perhaps the most prominent being the one in the original’s position in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, placed there in 1910. The original sculpture was moved indoors in 1873 to the Academia Gallery in Florence, where it attracts many visitors. Others were made for study at art academies in the late nineteenth century and later, while the statue has also been replicated for various commercial reasons or as artistic statements in their own right. Smaller replicas are often considered kitsch.

Florence’s Cathedral: the Duomo.

Florence’s cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The cathedral named in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore is a vast Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of Santa Reparata, the remains of which can be seen in the crypt.

On Ponte Vecchio the Old Bridge.

The Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common in the early days. Butchers initially occupied the shops however the tenants now are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. The Ponte Vecchio’s two neighbouring bridges are the Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte alle Grazie.

Florence beautiful Italian city Ponte Vecchio

The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times, when the via Cassia crossed the river at this point. The Roman piers were of stone, the superstructure of wood. The bridge first appears in a document of 996. After being destroyed by a flood in 1117 it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333 save two of its central piers, as noted by Giovanni Villani in his Nuova Cronica. It was rebuilt in 1345.

Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge.

Below you will see how the road near the bridge collapsed on May 26 2016.

Sink hole

Disaster strikes and 20 cars sink into the ground. It was very lucky it did not occur closer to the bridge.

Sinkhole road collapse devours cars just 200 meters from Florence's Ponte Vecchio bridge - TomoNews

Watch this video on YouTube

View from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Probably one of the most photographed scenes in the world.

Piazzale Michelangelo.

Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) is a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence, Italy, and is a popular tourist destination in the Oltrarno district of the city. The famous view from this observation point overlooking the city has been reproduced on countless postcards and snapshots over the years.

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Palazzo Vecchio from Uffizi Gallery.

The Vecchio Palace with its huge clock tower, is one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in the city of Florence.

Florence beautiful Italian city

Artist at work in Florence.

David Herd with “Loggia del Porcellino”

Popular tradition has it that rubbing the nose brings fortune, so over time, the statue has acquired a certain shine in that spot. Visitors are encouraged to place a coin in the mouth of the boar after rubbing its nose, and superstition implies that the wish will be granted if the offering tumbles through the grate whence the water flows. The slope of the grate is such that most coins do fall through, and are collected by the city.

A beer with my friend Francesca.

Francesca & I first became friends when we met in Koh Samui Thailand in August 1999. The next photo is a flashback.

Koh Samui Thailand in August 1999.

Great memories from Koh Samui in 1999, my how time flies when you are having fun.

Caffè Italiano

Here is Francesca at Caffè Italiano, Via Isola delle Stinche, 11R-13R in Florence. Without a doubt this is the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. You can’t book at this small restaurant, you must wait outside in the lane until there is a free table, believe me however, the wait is worth it.

I rest my case

If I remember correctly the magician who makes them is originally from Naples.

The Master Chef at Caffè Italiano

I certainly have never had a better pizza.

Brazilian dinner in Florence in 2000.

This was April 2000 we enjoyed a Brazilian dinner in Florence. I’m on the left, then comes Barbara, Franco, Francesca & Andrea.

David Herd & Barbara Manelli in April 2000

Memories of this beautiful Italian lady will stay with me for a long time.

Lets finish with another shot of the Old Bridge.

Arrivederci

Thanks for visiting my Florence beautiful Italian city photo blog.

Pattaya Hilton

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate.