ITALY!
Sigh.
The mother of all culinary adventures (well, that's not entirely true as I am certainly not Anthony Bourdain and he lives a life of which I can barely dream) - at least for me, anyway. My brother and I packed our bags and spent two weeks at the end of September in a country I truly wish I could claim as my own.
Sigh again.
Okay. Allow me to indulge in a stroll down the tastiest Memory Lane I've got (I swear I'll stop sighing) and tell you about some of the most fantastic food I've had the pleasure of experiencing. And yes, in that hallowed land of all things rich and delicious, you do, indeed, experience your food.
Rome! Ah, Roma. Not my favorite city - and by far the most "American" food - but they had a few things to offer that are worth mentioning. I'm going to let you in on a little secret ... shhh. Ready? Here it is: Gelato. GELATO! There is nothing this side of the Atlantic that can even compare. I can't even really describe it to you except to say that I really wish I had eaten it at least twice a day. And I am in no way exaggerating. It's stupid good. 
But I digress. Other noteworthy morsels were the sandwiches. Man, Italians don't fuss and they certainly don't overdo their sandwiches. Super chewy, crusty fresh breads (I was in heaven with the ciabatta) with a few slices of prociutto and a silky slice of mozzarella ... oops, I'm about to drool. (Sorry about that). Another fantastic topic on which I could spend all day: Nutella. Divine. Find it at your local grocery store and get yourself a big ole spoon. SO GOOD! It's a chocolate hazelnut spread and it's brilliant. And the coffee! Italians know what they're doing. Oh how I miss the sound of the espresso machine shooting fluffy foam all over the top of my morning cappuccino.
Enough about Rome. That was slightly disappointing when it came to mealtime. But Siena! (I really want to sigh again but I promised I wouldn't.) Siena was the absolute best travel decision we made. I wish I lived there. I wish I could go outside right now and stroll through the cobbled streets of the contrade, munching my way across Il Campo - gelato in hand, sandwich in my back pocket, and thoughts of pasta swirling in my head. The very best meals of my entire existence happened in this little city that appears to have stopped moving forward about the time the Plague swept through Europe (which was roughly six hundred years ago or so). We stayed at this phenomenal agriturismo (a working farm that also operates as a bed and breakfast) about 2.5 miles outside of the center of Old Siena (we walked in every day and back in the evenings and believe me, my waistline needed it). Christian and Maggie (of Agriturismo Marciano - I so highly recommend this place) were the consumate hosts and the farm house and grounds were like something out of a movie. Fairy tales could have happened there. Anyway, Christian and his staff served us two big family-style meals (along with the other guests) and those courses are forever imbedded in my brain and on my tastebuds. I'll forever be trying to top those taste memories. Even though I know it's never going to happen :o)
Meal one: Prociutto e melone ... that cured Italian ham sliced thin and layed ever so delicately over thin wedges of ripe cantaloupe. Sounds weird. BUT IT'S AMAZING! Homemade pasta dressed with oil pressed from olives just outside the windows of our room. Sliced beef, vegetables from a garden I had the pleasure of strolling through. Homemade breads and a flight of wine (well, more than a flight really. Much more) from the family vineyards. Peaches steeped in a sweet liquor that can only be described as ideal. Ottimo! (That means excellent, by the way).
We also ate at this storybook restaurant ... no name, menu written on a chalkboard, loaded with locals and very little English. I had pici pasta in a cheesy peppery sauce. My brother had truffled gnocchi. Good heavens that meal was good. I still think about that pici. More sandwiches - always worth seeking out. Another farmhouse meal with fruit drenched in wine, tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and laid alongside fat green leaves of homegrown basil, turkey cutlets rolled around sage leaves and sauteed in butter ... There is no telling what kind of damage I managed to do to my arteries while abroad. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
Sigh. (I know! I said I wouldn't but I just can't help it!)
This is getting lengthy and my mouth is watering. I'll post again soon (for real this time) with part two of Bella Italia! Florence and Venice are still to come ...
Stay hungry!
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