Escaping the Royal Wedding VIII: Acclaimed Italian in Liverpool

While in Liverpool I decided to visit Il Forno, considered by the Times as one of the top ten authentic Italian restaurants, importing ingredients from Italy, such as their cheeses are sourced from Salerno, their cured meats are from Parma, and the olive is produced in Basilicata. Their objective makes you have two great pleasure food and wine.

The Place

The Menu

Arrived to the place and was in a mood for a pizza, even though they have a great selection of Italian dishes. My selection was the pizza calzone, a unique creation of the place, half calzone half pizza, tomato, mozzarella, and spicy salami on the inside, and tomato, mozzarella, ham, and mushrooms on the outside.

The actual "Forno"

The Pizza Calzone, Half Pizza Half Calzone

Excellent food, good and traditional flavours, great service, all these in a relax and friendly  atmosphere. If you are in The Pool and are craving for pizza this is the place t go.

Calzone always reminds me Seinfeld episode “The Calzone” where George Steinbrenner is completely hook with the calzones of Paisano’s.

Mr. Steinbrenner: That's right, do you want to say it again? I'll say it again. I hadn't had a pimple since I was eighteen and I don't care that you don't believe me or not. And how's this. Your fired. Okay you are not, I am just a little hungry. Where's Costanza with my calzone? It's 1:15, he's late, that smell, I have to call you back. Costanza! He's in the building, Costanza is in the building and he's not in this office, Costanza! I'll get you.

Escaping the Royal Wedding VII: Looking for Scousers in The Pool

After leaving Cardiff I drove north to Liverpool. The Poll is the birth place of The Beatles, a World Heritage Site (Maritime Mercantile City), World Capital City of Pop, place of many Superlambananas, and port of registry of the Titanic.

View of the Waterfront and City Centre from Liverpool Cathedral

One of the many Superlambananas

Some of their landmarks and things to do are the Maritime Mercantile City comprising six areas in the centre Pier Head, Albert Dock, Stanley Dock, Duke Street, Commercial Quarter in Castle Street, and the Cultural Quarter in William Brown Street. Also Liverpool Cathedral and climb into the tower to get amazing views of the city, or get into the Fab Four state of mind and revive some of their history going to The Cavern, The Casbah Coffee club, or if you’re more hardcore fan even considering Penny Lane, and Strawberry fields.

Royal Liver Building, in top one of the two fabled Liver birds

Albert Dock

A day in the Life

A must stop in Liverpool is going to The Cavern Club, the original club was closed in 1973 but not before hosting The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Elton John, and The Yardbirds. The place was rebuilt in almost the same spot, recreating as similar as possible, and using the same bricks in 1984.

Entrance to the Cavern Club

The Cavern Club is one of the UK’s most famous venues, and you can drop by and listen live music as I did, you might be lucky and get in a night with a Beatles tribute band playing.

Just in front of the club you find the Cavern Pub, another venue with live music, there in the entrance you can find the wall of fame featuring every band that played in the Club, also inside you can see the Hofner bass that Paul McCartney played on December 1999 at the Cavern Club during Run Devil Run tour.

A tribute band playing at the club

Macca's Hofner bass guitar

John Lennon Statue and Wall of Fame

If you’re not familiar with the history of the Beatles a good option is the Beatles Story on Albert Dock, you can have a journey into the life, music, and impact of the Fab Four.

Imagine White Room at the Beatles Story

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles were the inspiration for Jerry Seinfeld to end his TV sitcom, he confessed that the hunger for the Fab Four has lasted all his life, every time he hears a song of the band he turns up the volume, and attributes this to the fact of they ended too soon for him. So I want to close this post with the Seinfeld episode “The Finale”.

Elaine: If I call Jill from prison, do you think that would make up for the other ones?

Jerry: Sure.

Elaine: Cause you only get one call. The prison call is like the king of calls.

Jerry: I think that would be a very nice gesture.

Kramer: I got it - it's out! How about that, huh? Oh, boy, what a relief.

Jerry: See now, to me, that button is in the worst possible spot.

George: Really?

Jerry: Oh yeah. The second button is the key button. It literally makes or breaks the shirt. Look at it, it's too high, it's in no-man's land.

George: Haven't we had this conversation before?

Jerry: You think?

George: I think we have.

Jerry: Yeah, maybe we have.