december-2009

168 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Pisa
Italy
DIALLING CODE +39
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI The fare to the city
centre is about €7.
Compagnia
Pisana Trasporti
(CPT) buses go to
the centre every 20
minutes. Route 3 stops
at Pisa Central, Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele,
Riverside and Santa
Chiara Hospital. Tickets:
€0.77 (at the airport).
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Osteria
La Mescita (2 Piazza
delle Vettovaglie, tel:
050 544 294) An eatery
with a belle époque
charm at the old fruit
and vegetable market.
The menu is light and
imaginative, smacking
of nouvelle cuisine.
UP TO €30
Ristorante Cinese
Il Giardino (Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele,
tel: 050 28178) If
you’re hankering for
something different
after too much pasta
and pizza, this restaurant
offers good Chinese fare,
as well as hot and spicy
Schezwan dishes.
UP TO €50 Leopolda
(11 Piazza Guerrazzi, tel:
050 48587) A trattoria
near the train station
that offers an effortlessly
relaxed atmosphere and
great meat dishes.
EXCLUSIVE
Cagliostro (26 Via del
Castelletto, tel: 050
575 413) Housed in
a refurbished convent,
this is a unique trattoria:
colourful, airy and with
walls showcasing the
work of contemporary
artists. The menu is
creative with vegetable
and meat dishes.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Caffetteria
della Vettovaglie (33
Piazza della Vettovaglie)
A café in the old
marketplace where you
can relax after dinner
with a cocktail or glass of
wine and listen to jazz.
LIVE MUSIC
Leningrad Café (5 Via
Silvestri) Enjoy drinks,
food and DJ sets playing
jazz, soul, reggae and
electro. On Sundays
there’s a packed line
up of theatre, cabaret
and live music.
LATE & LIVELY Irish
Pub (56 Via Antonio
Ceci, tel: 050 23062)
One of Pisa’s best
and liveliest late night
venues, the bar staff are
friendly and the beer is
more than palatable.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Via Santa Maria
is one of Pisa’s oldest
streets, full of shops
selling the best of Italian
crafts: beautiful objects
in alabaster, olive wood,
plus Venetian masks,
Florentine artistic paper,
hand-bound writing
books, and much more.
SEE From 15 December
the Centro Arte
Moderna is exhibiting
the work of artist Alberto
Berti, inspired by real-life
and imaginary travels.
He was attracted by
the natural beauty of
Tuscany and moved
to Pisa in the 1960s.
This exhibition
celebrates his life (26
Lungarno Mediceo).
GO With the festive
season upon us, Borgo
Stretto is the area to
discover. Cheerful
vendors and illuminated
Christmas lights give
the main street a real
buzz – but don’t miss
the charming little shops
along the backstreets,
especially the delicious
pastry shop Salza.
ESCAPE Livorno is
a bustling port city
just a 20-minute train
ride from Pisa. For
a romantic Christmasseason
getaway, visit its
New Venice district with
fantastic bridges and a
network of canals. Don’t
leave without dropping
into the antique and
bric-a-brac shops.
TAXI TAXI
NO WAY!
Did you know that bread
in Florence is unsalted?
The reason: Pisa, one of
Florence’s oldest rivals,
controlled the port in the
12th century and placed
high taxes on salt.
Silvia Falsaperla
Porto
Portugal
DIALLING CODE +351
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI The 20-minute trip
costs about €20.
Metro trains
depart every 20
minutes for the centre.
The journey takes 30
minutes. Tickets: €1.40
single for a Z-4 ticket,
covering four zones.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Pimenta
Rosa (285 Rua Miguel
Bombarda) Right in
the centre of town, this
new restaurant serves
lunches with meat, fi sh
and vegetarian options.
UP TO €30 Chic
Dream (64 Campo
Mártires da Pátria, tel: 22
201 0391) This eatery is
always a reliable choice
for some excellent grub.
The menu features
Portuguese dishes with
an African twist.
UP TO €50 Gosho
(1277 Avenida da
Boavista, tel: 22 608
6708) The newest
Japanese restaurant in
Porto boasts a relaxed
atmosphere. Choose
from noodles, sushi
and fi sh dishes.
EXCLUSIVE Kool
Restaurante (604–610
Avenida da Boavista, tel:
22 609 2876) Set within
the Casa de Música,
this cosmopolitan
establishment offers
eclectic creations from
chef Augusto Gemelli,
with a strong Italian
infl uence. Book ahead.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Majestic
Café (112 Rua de Santa
Catarina, tel: 22 200
3887) A landmark
of the city, order the
heavenly chocolate cake,
and afterwards, pop
downstairs to the art
gallery in the basement.
LIVE MUSIC Passos
Manuel (137 Rua
Passos Manuel, tel: 22
205 8351) A renovated
cinema that hosts live
AXIS
PORTO
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Wooden panels
line the corridors
with photos of the
city and its old
houses, and the
fantastic restaurant
offers Italian and
Portuguese cuisine.
Breakfast included.
From €75, book at
holidays.easyJet.com.
If you want to continue to read this magazine
and cannot take it with you, visit
‰infl ight.com/emag
‰
music at the weekend,
head down to see
Porto’s freshest talent.
LATE & LIVELY
Discoteca Via Rápida
(567 Rua Manuel Pinto
Azevedo, tel: 22 610
9427) Friday nights are
the real attraction at this
lively club – although
they can be outrageous.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Porto Signs is
a great souvenir shop
with a wide range of
T-shirts, mugs, Port
wine and local ceramics
(17 Rua da Alfândega).
SEE For a traditional
Christmas experience,
visit the Lapa church’s
services. The church
has a beautiful
baroque structure
with a grand organ
(Lago da Lapa, near
Praça da República).
GO The area around
the Crystal Palace
park offers some of
the most glorious
views of the river.
ESCAPE Viana do
Castelo is a medieval
city, famous for its
fi ligree jewellery and
beautiful architecture.
The city is home to a
15th-century cathedral
and Old Town square. It’s
an hour from Porto.
NO WAY!
Over 20,000 tiles in the
São Bento station tell
stories from signifi cant
moments in Portuguese
history. One of the
largest is the remarkable
panel showing the arrival
of King João I and Queen
Philippa of Lancaster
into Porto, in 1387.
Joseph Guerra
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