You might initially come for the spectacular view over the Bay onto San Diego’s dramatic skyline, but once you’ve visited Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant in Coronado, you’ll return for the exquisite authentic cuisine that accompanies the sweeping view.

In addition to its standard menu, Il Fornaio offers the Festa Regionale, a unique monthly culinary expedition through the various regions of Italy. As part of this culinary tour, one of the chefs--often a native of the particular region--will craft a menu spotlighting the bread, wine, and culinary specialties prevalent in the area.

Since Sicilian cuisine ranks among our family’s favorite, my husband Tony and I immediately took advantage of the opportunity to revisit the culinary delights of Sicilia without having to travel further than the shores of Coronado.

Our Sicilian food adventure began with a bowl of bruchivia, a hearty soup prepared with fava, garbanzo, pinto beans, lentils, peas and farro. The result of the pairing of these various legumes resulted in a creamy blend that easily could serve as a main course when coupled with a chunk of the restaurant’s crusty home-made artisan bread. However, we resisted the temptation of ordering a second bowl of this superb soup, since we knew a variety of tasty dishes awaited us.

We were delighted to see one of Sicily’s specialties, arancini al sugo, on the menu. These fried rice balls are filled with meat ragu, peas, hardboiled egg and caciocavallo cheese, and topped with a light tomato coulis sauce. One taste brought us back to Tony’s parents’ birthplace near Palermo, where we last enjoyed these delicacies in a little restaurant overlooking the harbor.

Although the various pastas offered as part of the first course looked tempting, we opted instead for the Risotto o Casteddu, as it is a dish we don’t often see on restaurant menus. How delighted we were with our choice, as this creamy rice dish, which featured a mixture of shrimp, crab, dill, smoked salmon oil, and parmesan cheese, was cooked to perfection!

Our main course selection was another “must have”—pisci spada, Sicily’s famous swordfish. Caught in the clear waters of the Southern Mediterranean, this meaty fish can be prepared in a variety of ways, depending on the culinary customs of the region. We’ve enjoyed it breaded or fried in butter while visiting family in Palermo.

It was a delightful surprise to sample Chef Luigi’s version, which was grilled and topped with chopped tomato, cucumber, lemon and herb sauce and served with grilled eggplant and couscous. (Brought to Sicily from Northern Africa centuries ago, couscous is another very popular dish, especially in the southwest region of the island, and even merits its own annual Festival).

Whenever we visit Sicily, we delight in the wide variety of delicious wines produced in the sun-soaked vineyards of the central and coastal regions. The Festa Regionale features four distinctive Sicilian wines that pair perfectly with the menu options. They are available by the glass and bottle, or the diner can choose the “Sicilia Wine Flight” that offers any three half-glasses of the featured wine.

No Sicilian meal can end without Dolci (sweets). Furthermore, how could we fail to nibble on Sicily’s most famous dessert, cannoli? Our dessert plate arrived not only with the requisite cannolis, but also profiterole (the Sicilian equivalent of a cream puff), hazelnut gelato, whipped fresh cream and chocolate sauce, and almond cookies! A steamy expresso café capped this culinary adventure through the best of Sicily’s multi-faceted and always succulent cuisine.

In addition to the à la carte menu items, Il Fornaio also offers a three-course tasting menu for $29.99, which allows the diner to choose one item per course for their own personalized culinary adventure.

Upcoming culinary tours at Il Fornaio in Coronado will feature the culinary specialties of other regions of Italy such as Piedmonte, Emiglia-Romagna and Lombardia. For more information, log on to www.ilfornaio.com and make your plans to feast as you would in Italy right on the shores of San Diego Bay. Buon appetito!

Il Fornaio is located at 1333 First Street in Coronado, CA 92118. For reservations, dial 1.888.ITALIAN.

Photos: © Joanne DiBona

When my husband Tony and I learned that British Airways would begin direct service from San Diego to London on June 1, we let out a sigh of relief and rushed to purchase our tickets for a trip to Munich, via London, as part of a long-awaited Bavarian holiday.

As avid travelers to Europe, we knew that this direct connection would shave off at least five hours of travel time to Munich. Back in 2000, when British Airways last offered non-stop service from San Diego, we took advantage of the direct flight for a trip to Rome and never forgot the ease of boarding in San Diego and arriving in the Eternal City with just one stop.

Our departure to London from San Diego's Lindbergh Field on June 3 had to be one of the most pleasant flying experiences we've ever encountered. Since our flight was scheduled for 8:15 pm, we had the entire day to take care of the odds and ends one needs to attend to before leaving home for a two-week vacation. How we appreciated not having to get up in the wee hours of the morning to catch our flight, which always resulted in our feeling exhausted even before the long journey began!

Our shuttle picked us up late afternoon and deposited us directly in front of the British Airways terminal. Our immediate impression was one of calm, enhanced by the personal attention afforded us by attentive British Airways personnel. As we approached the ticket counter, we were greeted by the smiling face of a British Airways representative who was just checking in on whether all was well and asked if we needed any assistance.

Thankfully, we did not. The otherwise hectic ordeal of being processed through security seemed very easy and almost even pleasant this time around. There were no long lines and in a few minutes, we found ourselves comfortably seated in the quaint rocking chairs that lined the windows in the British Airways passenger waiting area. Since Lindbergh Field offers free wi-fi, I was able to read and respond to emails and surf the net as we waited for our flight to board.

Boarding was a breeze, and we soon found ourselves nestled in our seats in the sleek Boeing 777-200 which would be our home for the next nine hours. The San Diego-London route offers three classes: Club World (business), World Traveler Plus (enhanced coach), and World Traveler (coach). The World Traveler seats are more spacious than standard, so even travelers on a budget can be assured of a more comfortable voyage than usual, with World Traveler Plus offering even wider seating.

Business travelers will more than welcome the comfort of Club World, which boasts an environment that will ensure a pleasant night's rest upon arrival in London. Spacious cubicles offer a wide variety of media and audio entertainment in a living room-type environment. Food and beverage service is exceptional, featuring gourmet dinner entrees accompanied by fine wines and spirits. Of course, the conversion of seats into full beds is the ultimate in business class luxury, and British Airways again excels in creating the ultimate sleeping environment for the business traveler.

We observed that service in all sections was top-notch, with gracious flight personnel attending to the passengers' every need.

Furthermore, it was immediately evident upon take-off that this new Boeing 777 was one of the most quiet, yet powerful, jets we had ever experienced, and we learned that this particular aircraft can definitely be categorized as "green" for its fuel consumption and earth-friendly, limited emissions.

We landed in London's Heathrow on time and made our way through security without much fuss, though the lines were definitely longer than in San Diego. We found our connecting flight to Munich quite easily and in 90-minutes, arrived at our destination in truly "record" time.

Tony and I are convinced. Save yourself time, stress and hassle, and book British Airways from San Diego for your next flight to London and destinations beyond.