By Chris MacKechnie
Boston has become an outdoor enthusiast's playground thanks to careful city planning and a wealth of natural resources. The city's famed "Emerald Necklace," a collection of city parks that are connected with maintained paths, provide runners and hikers with seven miles of trails to enjoy. If golf is your passion, William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park is the nation's second oldest, and is only minutes from downtown. In the winter months, the famed Boston Common sports is a skating rink that all ages can enjoy.
At the end of a day of activity, enjoy one of the many Italian restaurants that can be found throughout the city.
Gennaro's 5 North Square
Located in the heart of Boston's "little Italy," Gennaro's offers up fine Italian food served in an extremely casual environment. The restaurant focuses on a small number of pasta and meat dishes, served using only the freshest ingredients. Stuffed sole is a popular choice, as is the bacon-wrapped beef medalians. The pastas are all made on-site, and its chicken and broccoli dish is prepared from a hundred-year-old recipe.
Gennaro's 5 North Square
5 N. Square
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 720-1050
5northsquare.com
Prezza
Prezza is a town in Italy's Abruzzi region, known for its peasant menu of pork, polenta and vegetables. Prezza restaurant takes these simple ingredients and combines them with fresh ingredients from America to create a fusion of old and new world tastes. The result are dishes such as Lobster Fra Diavlo, saffron tagliatelle with roasted tomato, fennel and lobster meat, and potato gnocchi with rustic meat ragout, tomato, porcini cream and pecorino cheese.
Prezza
24 Fleet St.
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 227-1577
prezza.com
Mama Maria
Located in an elegant, fully-restored 19th-century home, Mama Maria offers fine Italian dining in an intimate setting. The restaurant has been featured in the Patricia Schultz book "1,000 Things to do in America and Canada Before You Die" making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The menu includes such gourmet delicacies as pappardelle pasta with roasted rabbit and rosemary, and osso buco with saffron risotto and oxtail ravioli.
Mama Maria
3 N. Square
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 523-0077
mamamaria.com
About the Author:
Chris MacKechnie is a graduate of Carleton University's Law Program and has been writing professionally for more than a decade. He is a regular contributor for a number of travel and business magazines and marketing websites, including "OutPost Magazine," "Report on Business" and several insurance trade publications. MacKechnie also writes extensively for several Fortune 500 companies located around the globe.
