La Famiglia Northern Italian Restaurant, Baltimore, MD

105 West 39th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21210
443.449.5555

-valet parking-

Main dining room with fireplace

Fabio from Sardinia heads up the experienced kitchen crew

Bar and dining area for private parties

Dino and wait staff wrap up at the end of the day

Main bar area has comfortable seating options

Bert serves at the bar

Bar and lounge with varied seating for meals

Make your reservations now for the most distinctive and authentic Italian dining experience in Baltimore, Maryland: La Famiglia Northern Italian Restaurant.

Located near the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University, the menu offers a wide variety of antipasti, salads, entrees and seafood. The wine list has excellent choices from California and Italy. The ambience is sleek, modern and comfortable.

LaFamiglia Northern Italian Restaurant
105 West 39th Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21210

Hours:

Lunch
Monday through Friday: 11:30 to 2 pm

Dinner
Sunday and Monday: 5-9 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 5-10 pm
Friday and Saturday: 5 -11 pm

Telephone: 443.449.5555

More photos coming soon.

Treno a Napoli - Train to Naples

You know you have arrived when you see this world-famous topography looming over the teeming and most densely populated city in Europe from the train window:

Despite vicious rumors to the contrary, there are functioning trash trucks in Naples.





Welcome to my place of worship for the next week, the chapel of San Sosio in Miseno, dedicated to one of the deacons martyred with the great patron of Naples, San Gennaro. The "casa canonica" or rectory-apartment upstairs, will be my home during my stay. Fr. Domenico, the pastor, has invited me to celebrate holy Mass here some days this week.


The holy patron, San Sosio.


Despite the disappointments of the past, in faith and trust we turn again and again to the "images" of Christ in the members of His Body in order to truly know and love Him and discover His love for us. Here catechist Enza prepares her class for the celebration of the Sunday liturgy through a lesson on the encounter of the Lord with the Samaritan woman. By taking part in the catechism class, the visitor receives a gift from the Lord, His love, that is possible only by giving oneself as He does in the word of the Scriptures and His Body in the Eucharist. "What you have received as a gift, give as a gift."


New friends reach out with curiosity, inquiring about my home far away and discover my life in many ways is very much like theirs.





Rewarded at day's end with a home-made meal with old friends.


Enzo and Teresa.





Father and son, Donato.





Pasta with lentils, a fresh salad of tomatoes with tuna and olives, fresh bread, salami and steak.
The food was swept quickly from the plate. The cook has a passion for his craft and the guest is most pleased to taste the fare. Grazie amici!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Siblings

"Be prepared to deny your child anything but a brother or sister." -- John Paul II

Silvio Berlusconi at the White House

Silvio Berlusconi a la Casa Bianca

This was my view this morning from a knoll on the south lawn of the White House at the welcome ceremony for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Thanks to JB for the invitation to join her.

Mr. Berlusconi spoke compellingly of his visit when he was young to the American cemetery in Anzio, Italy, where, at his father's urging, he swore to never forget the ultimate sacrifice American servicemen made to free Italy and restore her freedoms and nationhood.

And, later, that same day

And, later that evening, hours east by car between the ocean and the bay...assisting at the celebration of married love between Sam and Becky.

A Father has so many children to be proud of, yet so little time...

Promotion to Lieutenant Commander

On Saturday, 5 October 2008, CAPT Smith administered the oath of office and pinned on the insignia with the assistance of LCDR Buzzetti at the Marine Corps Reserve Center in Anacostia.



Years of labor with Marines and Sailors, at sea aboard carrier USS IKE and ashore at North Carolina, Virginia, Italy and Florida, and dogged determination in the paperwork department have now, officially, paid off.





Oh, and how could I forget Iraq? I guess it's not so hard to do, after all.

Forget the people never.

Napoli da Bici

Naples by bicycle













We often set out on the road with enthusiasm, fresh from the night's rest, thankfully with no thought for the fatigue to come on the course of over 100 km and steep gradients.













We have friends to help us along the way. Michele Ercole, left, is training for the Giro da Sole tour series of southern Italy and has placed this season in one of the races.














Before starting out, a "fuel" stop for a quick caffe with the small group on the way to Vesuvius.













In the city, near the port area, the fruit and vegetable vendor, or fruttivendolo, sets out the offerings for the day.














We stop to discuss the road to take. Our course wended its way along the coast of the bay of Naples, visible at the end of the road ahead in photo, crowded with towns linked by the Vesuviana railway line.















The arc of the bay of Naples visible from the lower slopes of the dormant volcano which reminds the city to never take a day for granted. Naples is the most densely populated and most at risk city in Europe.














The peak of the volcano looks quite different as one approaches. The roads are lined in places with the rock lava formed by earlier eruptions.

















The scugnizzi, or street kids, of Naples find work in different ways. Ciro, seen with his bike, works with his older brother as a "posteggiatore", or parking attendant, at the cemetery along the bay in Torre del Greco.













Danielo D'Ambrosio and his daughter Rosalia, of Angri, craft mosiac items popular with Americans. Here is their rendering of the famous view "Napoli da Posillipo".