A quick Italy fix in Udine

On our way back from Croatia we broke up the driving by spending a night in Udine, Italy.

We didn’t have much time there, but we managed to squeeze in two meals, two gelatos, and a lovely aperitivo while people-watching on a busy square (ie, all the essentials of a great Italy trip).

We had dinner at the charming and casual Al Vecchio Stallo, where we learned that Friuli offers up dishes just as yummy as those from Italy’s other regions (such as polenta with a big pile of melty cheese, and cialzons, the local version of ravioli).

The local dishes were rounded out with lots of cooked veggies, buffalo mozzarella caprese, some decent desserts, and a little grappa* and blueberry liquor on the house. Al Vecchio Stallo was a great meal, exactly what we were looking for.

Udine itself was a nice enough city, compact and easily walkable. Given all the other exciting destinations Italy has to offer, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to see it, but for our purposes it was delicious perfect.

Lunch the next day was at Pizzeria ai Portici, where we filled up on yummy pizza and pasta. The gelato stops were at Grom and C’era una Volta, both chains we knew from other cities that reliably serve the good stuff.

We concluded the trip with a quick sweep of a gigantic supermarket to stock up on cheeses and other Italian delights. I love it when vacations end that way.

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* Or as Cliff calls it, “raisins that are evil.”