I am addicted! My new favorite way to plan my vacations in Italy is by dining at a restaurant that belongs to the Unione Ristoranti Buon Ricordo. It is a great way to visit small, out-of-the-way villages and find a home away from home in the large towns. On a recent trip with my web master Phil a k a Filippo and his wife Joyce a k a La Gioia, I picked up three plates in Umbria. They picked up many more! Phil's brother Eugene and his wife Rae, in Italy for a family wedding last summer, planned the last two weeks of their dining exclusively around Buon Ricordo restaurants! It got them to small towns they might not otherwise have visited, and a dozen plates for creative entertaining at home. If you are going on a marathon eating binge to get these plates, I strongly suggest building in some time for intensive walking time. It isn't easy! And if you entertain a lot, make a count of your plates before your guests leave. Phil and Joyce report Buon Ricordo thieves! Stop by the Buon Ricordo web site for information on where to start. Having started my collection over 10 years ago, I was upset when I returned to California for a teaching tour and found the plates for sale! I wrote to the association and it was explained to me that a selection of 30 plates--there are over 100 originals--were made especially for sale abroad. I guess these were for people who didn't have time to get more than one or two plates on their trip. The only difference I can see is that the plates have a special stamp "Made for the USA" on the back. There are also a handful of restaurants in major U.S. cities (and Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Japan) that offer limited edition plates by famous artists and graphic designers. Phil and Joyce have plates by Milton Glaser and John Baldesarri in their collection. There are others in the series by Ralph Goings, Arman, Michael Graves, and Christo. Purists will only collect plates from where they've dined! Since I live here I've been able to find some older plates at flea markets and couldn't resist! (I hear that the flea market in Milan's Porto Genova canal district is a great source for pre-owned plates.) If you're like most tourists coming to Italy, you've seen most of the monuments and are coming for the food and wine. If you are looking for itineraries and are willing to go off the tourist path, the Piatti del Buon Ricordo network of restaurants is an excellent guide. It's like being on an Italian treasure hunt! Happy Hunting! NEWSLETTERS Life's Too Short [fall 2005] Pasqua [march 2005] Estate [summer 2004] Primavera [spring 2004] Tuscan Chocolate Valley [winter 2003] I Scream, U Scream, We All Scream for...Gelato! [summer 2003] Slow Food, Slow Travel [spring 2003] Sagre, Sagre, Sagre! [spring 2003] Tuscan Virgins [fall 2002] Fall Festivals [fall 2002] La Notte di San Lorenzo [summer 2002] Fireflies & Fireworks [summer 2002] I Love EWE! [spring 2002] Andrea's Christmas Dinner [winter 2001] Addio Bistecca alla Fiorentina! [summer 2001] Guelfa e Ghibellini [late summer 2001] Tartufi, Feste & Sagre [fall 2000] Piatti del Buon Ricordo [summer 2000] COMING SOON! Carrara: Marble & White Prosciutto