Spotlight On Rome's Fiumicino Airport

Rome, The Eternal City
They call it the Eternal City. From the Vatican to the Colosseum, Rome's been the center of Western civilization and religion for over 2,000 years. Planning a Rome vacation is the dream of a lifetime. Carlino's newsletter will provide answers to all your questions and help you plan the trip of your dreams.

Arriving in Rome
Rome's principal airport, located 20 miles from the Rome city center, is called the Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Many still refer to it by its old name Fiumicino.  All international flights to Rome land here. It takes about 45 minutes to travel from here to the city of Rome by taxi and the fare costs 40-50 Euros. Many insiders beat the traffic and pay 8 Euros to take the train service directly from the airport to Rome because it's a faster and less costly alternative.  Click here to see a map of the train service. If you decide to splurge on a taxi, be sure to go for the reliability of using the official yellow and white licensed cabs available from the taxi stands rather than take a chance on a cheap fare offered by illegal taxi services.

Click here to see a map of the Rome airport, showing Terminal A, B, and C.

Interview with Chef Wali, Co-Owner of Carlino’s Restaurant

Spotlight on Chef Wali

What’s the most important thing to know about Carlino’s Restaurant?

Chef Wali: At Carlino’s our patrons are number one.  We know that they have a choice, and we’re very grateful to them for choosing Carlino’s Restaurant.  They’re the reason we’re here. We spend time to get to know our customers preferences, the way they like their food cooked, and the dishes they love most to eat.   It’s an honor and privilege to cook for them and we make sure our customers always feel at home.

Are you a natural born cook?

Chef Wali: Experience is the best teacher and I’ve learned almost everything I know working in the kitchen with Carlo and Umberto, 2 of the best chefs in the business.

How did you hone your skills?

Chef Wali: There are many ways to acquire good cooking skills. I’ve learned the most by tasting and trying new things.

What’s the most important thing to know about cooking?

Chef Wali: The key thing is to always use the finest and freshest ingredients.  We begin early in the morning to make our sauces with fresh tomatoes and spices and slow cook them to release the natural sugars.  We make our dishes fresh every day.  My favorite is our handmade sausages and meat balls which we create from scratch using Umberto’s secret recipe.

Why is it so hard to find authentic southern Italian cooking today?

Chef Wali: Real southern Italian cooking is part of our heritage but it’s quickly becoming a lost art.  At Carlino’s we’ve resisted the movement to reduce the amount of dishes offered.  Our menu offers a full spectrum of southern Italian foods, replete with all the veal, chicken, fish, and pasta specialties that have always been a part of the rich Italian heritage.

What are you most proud of:

Chef Wali: My four children.  My family is everything to me.

Spotlight On The Coliseum:

The Coliseum, Rome, Italy

The Coliseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome constructed in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian. It's the largest Amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.

The Coliseum accommodated 87,000 people.  It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.  The best views of the arena were reserved for the Emperor, the Vestal Virgins and the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs. Non-senatorial noble class or knights occupied the next floor up. The next level above was reserved for ordinary Roman citizens.

Roman architects engineered solutions very similar to those used in today's modern stadiums which allowed entry and exit of the Coliseum’s huge 87,000 people capacity in minutes.

The Coliseum is 567 feet long, 468 feet wide and 157 feet high, with a base area of 6 acres. The perimeter measured 1,788 ft. The central arena is an oval 287 ft long and 180 ft wide, surrounded by a 15 ft wall.  The outer wall, built with 131,000 cubic yards of travertine marble, was set without mortar. The exterior of the Coliseum you see today is actually the original interior wall.

The arena had a wooden floor covered by sand.  Underneath hid an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum consisting of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals were held before contests began.

Access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces was made possible by eighty vertical shafts.  Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props and lifting caged animals to the surface for quick release. Major hydraulic mechanisms connection to a nearby aqueduct made it possible to rapidly flood the entire arena for sea battles.

Each Good Friday the Pope leads a torch lit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Coliseum.

Interview with Carlo Corteo, Co-Owner of Carlino’s Restaurant

June 14th, 2011, at Carlino's Restaurant, Mineola, NY

Hello Carlo.  Where’s your family from?

Carlo: My family’s originally from Naples. It’s one of the oldest cities and its port is #2 in the world for passenger flow. Naples has profoundly influenced the culture of Europe and is best known for its food, people, history, natural beauty and art. Naples invented pizza, the romantic guitar, and the mandolin and has made strong contributions to opera and folk standards.

Are you a natural born cook?

Carlo: No one is born “knowing how to cook.” Experience is the best teacher and my mom instilled a love for cooking by making the kitchen the heart of the home.

Do you make mistakes?

Carlo: The person who’s never made a mistake never made anything. At Carlino’s we won’t serve anything to our customers unless it’s absolutely perfect.  Right now, I’m working to recreate a dish that mom used to make. I’ve tried to make it many times, but I won’t offer it at Carlino’s until I feel mom would have been satisfied.

How did you learn how to cook?

Carlo: There are many ways to acquire good cooking skills and to grow into a great cook. I’ve learned the most by tasting and watching mom cook the family dinner with love and devotion.

Why is it so hard to find authentic southern Italian cooking today?

Carlo: It saddens me that real southern Italian cooking is becoming a lost art, and I encourage everyone to embrace the children in your life and share this gift with them.
What are you most proud of?

Carlo: My four children.

About Carlino’s Restaurant
Carlino’s Restaurant in Mineola is Long Island’s # 1 southern Italian family restaurant and your best value for delicious, authentic Italian food in our intimate dining rooms. Our pasta & meat dishes contain the freshest ingredients. We’re open 10 - 9PM Monday – Thursday, and 10AM - 11PM Friday – Sunday. There’s plenty of parking.

Contact Info:
Carlino's Restaurant
204 Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, NY 11501-1701
(516) 747-6616 ‎
Visit Carlino's On The Web: www.carlinosrestaurant.com

Carlino’s Restaurant sponsors free trip to Italy for two

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Carlino’s Restaurant sponsors free trip to Italy for two
Today, Carlino’s Restaurant announced that it is sponsoring an 8 day Romantic Vacation to Italy for 2, including airfare, hotels, and tours of Rome, St. Peters, and The Vatican.  Carlino’s Restaurant is located at 204 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola, and offers authentic southern Italian cuisine.

Mineola, NY – June 3rd, 2011 - Dreams of winning an exciting vacation to sunny Italy could become a reality by entering Carlino’s Restaurant Romantic Vacation Getaway Drawing Promotion between June 3rd and September 30th, 2011.  One winner will receive an 8 day Romantic Vacation to Italy for 2 including airfare, hotel room, and tours of Rome, the Vatican and St. Peters. 

There’s two ways to enter the Promotion and there’s no purchase necessary to win.  Customers of Carlino’s Restaurant will be automatically entered to win the Promotion by submitting the supplied entry form.  Non-purchasers can enter by going to Carlino’s Restaurant website www.carlinosrestaurant.com/Carlino_EntryForm.jpg completing the online entry, and dropping it off or mailing the entry form to Carlino’s Restaurant.

“I’ve chosen the old country as a grand prize because I want to share my love of our family’s ancestral home of Italy with the people of Long Island” said Carlo Corteo, co-owner and namesake of Carlino’s.
“My fondest thoughts invoke memories of mom in the kitchen preparing the family dinner with love and devotion.  Thoughts of home, gathered round the dinner table with family and friends, the air infused with the aroma of classic Italian cooking, and visions of old world southern Italy.  Stepping back in time, to a place where everything is simple and made fresh every day.”

Whether you’re at our restaurant enjoying an intimate dinner, hosting an important celebration in Carlino’s party room, or winning the romantic trip to Italy, these are the memories that I want to share.”

“It's our commitment and an honor to create an unforgettable experience for you. Each time you dine at Carlino’s restaurant, you’ll have another opportunity to win.  So please come and join us.  Who knows, you may be the lucky winner on your way to Italy!”

About Carlino’s Restaurant

Carlino’s Restaurant in Mineola is Long Island’s # 1 southern Italian family restaurant and your best value for delicious, authentic Italian food in our intimate dining rooms. Our pasta & meat dishes contain the freshest ingredients. We’re open 10 - 9PM Monday – Thursday, and 10AM - 11PM Friday – Sunday. There’s plenty of parking.

Contact Info:
Carlino's Restaurant
204 Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, NY 11501-1701
(516) 747-6616 ‎
Visit Carlino's On The Web: www.carlinosrestaurant.com