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09/11/2000 Archived Entry: "Off to Italy -- See What's Coming"

Dear Friends,

I am off on the WOR trip today. We go first to Naples for two days, then to Paestum, which is south of Naples, in the province of Salerno, for a day in the country. My friend Baronessa Cecilia Bellelli Baratta will be taking care of us down there, offering us a tasting of local products and a buffet of cooked foods. If the weather holds up – it has been gorgeous there the last few days – this will all be set up around her pool. We’ll also visit a mozzarella factory, see the water buffalo on the farm, and take in the three Greek temples of Paestum (and the wonderful little museum across the road).

We’ll be eating pretty well in Naples, too, with a welcome party (with Neapolitan music) at Cantanapoli on Tuesday evening, lunch at Ciró a Mergellina on Wednesday, and dinner at Giuseppone a Mare in Posillipo on Wednesday night. All these places, plus many more, will be featured on this website in a few weeks. My webmaster, Ben McCullough, is now busy designing the new Naples Restaurants section.

While I am away, Ben will be filing Maven’s Diary items for me. Carol Berman’s wine buys will be appearing on Wednesdays. The other days I will be sharing with you the recipes that the Radisson Diamond will be preparing for our dinners. Because we only can have lunch at each port that we stop in, I have provided the Radisson’s chef with what I call “Arthur’s Pasta of the Port.” Actually, a couple of the dishes are not pastas, but you’ll see.

As of sometime this week, the week of Sept. 11, there also will be a new subscription software on this site. This will enable me to send messages to all the many of you who have kindly given me your email address. The old software was inadequate to the job. However, it will require you to rejoin my subscription list. Please provide your email address in new box that should be appearing at the top of the home page very soon. This new software will carry advertising. It’s the price we have to pay to have no price at all for the use of the software. Thanks for understanding.

All my best wishes,

Arthur