Your Restaurant in Venice - In the Heart of Veneto's History

Leaving the wonderful Piazza San Marco behind you, making your way through the busy alley ways of what people consider to be "The Queen of the Adriatic", you are nearing the restaurant we have selected for you to dine in, during one of your nights in Venice.

The restaurant goes by the name of Taverna dei Dogi. Taverna, simply means "Tavern", dei in the form of "your" or "of" and Dogi is a word in Italian that refers to what we would describe in English as "leaders" or someone like a "duke."

Neighboring one of the most famous bridges in Northern Italy, is the Bridge of Sighs. Which earned it's name by Lord Byron in the 19th century, coming from how prisoners who would pass over the canal on the bridge would sigh at their last view of Venice through the windows before being taken down to their cells. Also local legend says that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss shall they kiss while passing under the bridge on a gondola, when the bells of St. Marks Campanile toll.

The artist-city of Gmuend in Carinthia, Austria welcomes the Mater Dei HS Choirs

If you have checked out our Facebook page, it is no surprise that Incantato Concert Tours is enchanted with Carinthia - Austria's most musical state.

When traveling with the MDHS Choirs on the Enchanting Easter Tour 2014, you will visit the city of Gmuend. The town is located in northwestern Waldviertel in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. The development of the town, first mentioned in a 1208 deed, was decisively pushed by the inauguration of the Emperor Franz Joseph Railway from Vienna to Prague in 1869. By the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain its northern part with the main station was awarded to Czechoslovakia, forming the new town of Velenice.

It is called town of the artists because culture, family fun and natural beauty are among the best you will find in this part of Austria. An extensive range of events and attractions make a great experience for everyone. The medieval town of Gmuend lies at the heart of the cultural center of the region. With its wonderfully preserved buildings and a program rich in art and cultural events. No trip to the region is complete without a visit to Gmuend.

The Old Castle (Alte Burg) presents the doyen of the Styrian art scene, the painter Gerald Brettschuh. His exhibition “In Arkadien” can be visited from April to September and introduces you to the Styrian wine route, to the people and the landscape of the artist´s home country. The in Gmuend living local artist Birgit Bachmann is showing her new color-oil-woodcuts and graphite pencil drawings from the end of September to the end of December.

All Mater Dei HS travelers will enjoy a special meal at the restaurant Alte Burg on Tuesday, April 22 and you will have a beautiful view over the region and try different traditional Austrian specialties including home-made Spaetzle (noodles) and Apple Strudel in this historic castle. 

Incantato restaurants: Venerina, Rome - Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Mater Dei High School Performance Tour will eat dinner in the heart of the Eternal City at Venerina Restaurant on Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

Venerina restaurant, located merely fifty feet from the Vatican Walls, sits in the historical Rione Borgo district of Rome. The family-run eatery offers both traditional Italian as well as international cuisine, offering a variety of pastas, risottos, fresh seafood, fresh produce, and homemade desserts. Some of their menu’s specialties include sedanini with avocado and truffle, strozzapreti with clams and asparagus, sea bass with porcini mushrooms, and veal with radicchio.

Venerina offers both indoor air-conditioned seating as well as quaint patio accommodations. The property also boasts an outdoor garden bordering the “Passetto of Borgo” monument, marking the former secret passage way connecting Saint Peter’s Basilica to the fortress of Sant’Angelo which the Popes used to escape during sieges of Rome or to send their enemies for lifelong imprisonment.

Incantato restaurant: Ar Montarozzo, Rome - Friday, April 1, 2011

 The Mater Dei High School Performance Tour will sample some traditional Italian fare as they enjoy dinner at Rome’s Ar Montarozzo Restaurant on Friday, April 1, 2011. The Ar Montarozza is located on the Via Appia Antica, one of Rome’s earliest and most strategic roads, constructed in 312 BC as a military access road during the Samnite Wars. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the road fell into despair but was eventually ordered restored by Pope Pius VI and underwent extensive restoration during Rome’s Millennium and Great Jubilee celebrations. The area is now a popular free tourist attraction. The Ar Montarozzo is owned and operated by Chef Gabriele Graziani Calmieri along with his sons and located within an 18th century former post house and inn. The restaurant offers a variety of traditional Italian cuisine and local Mediterranean specialties, including fettuccini, calamari, shrimp risotto, hand-carved prosciutto, ravioli, and hand-made pizza, in addition to an extensive dessert menu.

Mater Dei HS Shadow Tour Treat: Tasting of Italian delicacies on March 29 at Casal Pilozzo

On March 29, the Mater Dei HS Shadow Group will get the chance to taste a variety of Italian delicacies at Casal Pilozzo. Casal Pilozzo, a property of the Pulcini family located in the village of Monte Porzio Catone, sits atop a marvelous hill just nine and a half miles south of Rome offering beautiful views of the Eternal City. Considered one of the oldest farms of the Castelli Romani area, the Casale was built on the ruins of an ancient dwelling place thought by many scholars to be the residence of the sister and nephew of Emperor Traiano. Throughout the modern age, it has served as residence to many famous personalities, from the likes of Orson Welles to the families of Filonardi Brandi e Bottai and Tyrone Power. The subsoil of the Casale features ancient tufa soil grottoes, extending for hundreds of meters, where the wines are stored to mature in natural conditions of stable temperature and humidity. Hidden in the depths of the cellars stands an ancient altar carved in the tufa soil. Some historians believe the cellars to be remnants of a cave-dwelling “protostorico” village. The Casale stands in the center of the property, surrounded by a magnificent park and 13 hectares of volcanic land now cultivated for vineyards and olive groves. The pride of Casal Pilozzo remains the strictly biological cultivation and selection of wine grapes. Varieties include Malvasia del Lazio, Grechetto Antico, Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlote, and Syrah. The Vineyards and vinification, olive trees, and oil production are all personally controlled by the Pulcini family. This makes the Casal Pilozzo one of the few truly “family-run” operations, demonstrating in practice the very real possibility for creating high-quality products in coexistence with an environmentally friendly philosophy.

Incantato restaurants: Torre Normanna, Maiori - March 28, 2011

The Torre Normana (Norman Tower), located in Maiori, is the oldest, largest, and most well preserved of the Amalfi Coast towers. Constructed between 1250 and 1300, the tower originally served to protect the local inhabitants from raiders from the sea and is only accessible by stone bridge. The tower, with its seaside terraces, now hosts a traditional Italian restaurant, saloon, event rooms, and a private beach under the management of the Proto Brothers, Italian restaurant entrepreneurs.

The Mater Dei High School Performance Tour will enjoy a special dinner here on Monday, March 28, 2011.

Incantato Tour Restaurant for March 25: Liolà

On Friday, March 25 the travelers of Mater Dei High School will have dinner at Hotel Liolá prior to continuing to Maiori for overnight. The hotel, close to the highway A1 (Rome-Naples), will give you a comfortable and friendly welcome to Italy. The staff is multilingual. In addition to the restaurant, the hotel features 40 rooms, a bar, and a congress room for up to 150 people. The hotel is located in Castrocielo, a comune (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about 110 km southeast of Rome and about 30 km southeast of Frosinone. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,831 and an area of 27.9 km². Castrocielo borders the following municipalities: Aquino, Colle San Magno, Piedimonte San Germano, Pontecorvo, Roccasecca.