Krazy Kufstein

The Kufstein Fortress stands watch over the colorful buildings of Kufstein.

45 minutes up the Inn River from Innsbruck lies Kufstein, a beautiful little Austrian village next to the German border.  It has the characteristic section of old town below a foreboding fortress, filled with good restaurants, cute cafes, and a plethora of tourist shops.

Cafe Hell didn't seem that bad... maybe because "hell" in this language means "bright."

While the buildings and scenery were nice to look at (and very picturesque), our first mission was simple: FOOD.  We found parking on a side street, then strolled into the tourist district.  It was a little early (11:30 am), but one local Italian restaurant smelled so good we were forced inside. 

The exterior of Mama Puccini.

Once inside, we were greeted by an Italian woman that had to be mama.  She ushered us to a table, speaking to us in Italian.  You can imagine her surprise when we spoke back!  She immediately quizzed us on how we knew the language... and you can understand her surprise when we told her we had lived in Catania, as she was from Catania!  (She actually grew up in a village called Castiglione, a village not far from Catania.)  This immediately broke the ice, and before you know it Olive Oil & Balsamic along with warm bread were placed in front of us, soon followed by some of the most incredible pasta we had tasted.

An enjoyable meal at Mama's - around the table tagliatelle pesto, penne arrabiate, pizza prosciutto, and cantalone al forno.

It is moments like this that make traveling enjoyable.  It is not always the Eiffel Tower or the Colisseum that you remember best, it is making a connection with a woman in a small village who suddenly you share something in common with.  Over the course of the meal, we chatted about her two grown sons, her grandsons, and how she enjoys this tranquillo - calm - period of time before the summer.  I even joked with her about Cavallo & pasta al nero, two local Catania delicacies (horse meat and cuddlefish-ink pasta, respectively).    

Me & Mama.

Absolutely stuffed from our Sicilian lunch, we wandered down to the waterfront to take pictures and later walk through the quaint cobblestone streets a block up from the river.  It was a nice break from Innsbruck, and a destination I will be sure to visit later with my family and friends!  (Always stopping of course at Mama's!)

The waterfront.

What is CLAUDIO MANGANO doing selling Lederhosen?  Pazzo!

The imports in Kufstein.

An interesting wall that has something to do with 1504.

Go ahead... click this picture... make it big... save it as your new desktop wallpaper.  (I know you want to.)

A golden statue overlooks the colorful buildings in historic Kufstein.

~ J. Twice