Full Bellies

And the food. I ate buckets of fresh pasta, pizza, tomato sauce, gelato, rabbit (my favourite), tiramisu, excellent breads and balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and a variety of soft, medium and hard cheeses. We found lots of markets to get our fruits and vegetables nearby. And the coffee - or really espresso. Lennart made coffee for all of us each morning with a traditional stovetop pot where you fill the bottom with water, fill the middle halfway with coffee (Illy coffee), and let it percolate to the top. While out, we got shots of espresso or my Americano with a little milk, Sheryl had her usual cappuchino . And the wine. I don’t have any idea what we drank, but mostly we drank local wines from southern Italy. It was often so inexpensive and delicious. It wasn’t unusual to get a nice glass of really good house wine for 4-5 euro ($4-5 USD or $5.70-6.50 CDN).

We cooked several really excellent meals at home. Lennart was in charge of creating the sauces. I chopped and assisted. Kerstin did dishes; and Sheryl did whatever anyone else wasn’t doing. We ate really well.

It is true that very few people around the world speak Italian, but everywhere you go, you can get Italian cuisine - These folks have their priorities straight.

All the photos are curtesy of Kerstin - our food photographer.Read more