Prague - A Gem of a City

We have friends in Prague, former refugees who came to America while the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union were still around, and we hope to visit them this year or next.

"ITALIANS IN BOHEMIA
You may not expect a Slavic capital to be a font of Italian culture, but Prague has been the home to notable Italians ever since the 16th-century court of Rudolph II employed the painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the gem-cutter Ottavio Miseroni and the sculptor Alessandro Abondio. Today the art
is culinary. Check out Vino di Vino (Vezenska 3, 420-222-312-999; www.vinodivino.cz), a wine bar in Old Town that recently added a small selection of recipes from the Piedmont region. Entrees cost 360 to 580 koruny, or about $16.50 to $27 at 21.8 koruny to the dollar. For truly outstanding Italian cooking in Prague — and many would say anywhere this side of the Alps — head to Allegro inside the Four Seasons Hotel (Veleslavinova 2a, 420-221-427-000, www.fourseasons.com/prague). The chef Vito Mollica serves seasonal dishes like slow-roasted veal with Alba truffles and aged Modena balsamic vinegar, with entrees costing 640 to 1,700 koruny. You can see why some Italians think twice before leaving Prague for home."

I didn't know about the Italian connection, but our friend escaped tp Italy before coming to the U.S. as a political refugee.