Food!

 Le ciambelle sorane. A form of bread that is made into a ring and famous in this part of Italy. They are first boiled, then baked. Two towns over, we make them a little softer with fennel as well.

 Well, you can't stop "progress" or the 24/7 drive-thru. I'm not lovin' it.

At the mercato we bought olives - and they let you taste them first to make sure you like the taste. My favorite are the "sweet" ones - similar to what we are used to, but in their natural "olive" color!

 At the mercato again, a fish monger. Notice the little touches of lemon and tomatoes for beauty!

 Another amazing part of the mercato are these huge trucks that turn into delis - we bought some rotisserie chickens for lunch, and some porchetta too! They take a whole pig, de-bone it, season it well, wrap it all up and then show roast it... And if you are lucky, they will throw in some free "skin" - crunchy and full of flavor!

La professoressa Picone is not only a great Italian and Latin teacher but also, a great cook. At her home we had home-made lasagna; the one on the left is traditional, the one on the right is "white" cream sauce and artichokes!
I hope that the artichokes I planted are growing!!

 Risotto con funghi porcini e salsa tartufata:
Rice with porcini mushrooms and black truffle sauce. Ummmmm!

 One of the best things about Italian restaurants is the vegetables: they always have a few grilled vegies, in season, to go with the grilled meats and other secondi piatti!

The man who promises me a cappuccino and cornetto with marmelata every morning will win my heart!

 It is really hard to find "Bresaola" in the USA  - it is a very lean cold-cut, served with arugula and parmigiano-reggiano cheese, topped with lemon and a drizzle of olive oil!
I could have this every day!

 Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! This one has an egg cooked on it. The pizzerias here have pages of pizza - bianca (white) and rossa (red) with anything you can (and haven't) imagined on. They are thin as cardboard and for one person.

 These are "real" clams for me - small, about the size of your thumb. Combined with some garlic, parsley, a little white wine and a ton of spaghetti.....
In the background, crostini, (toasted bread) with salmone and a pizza margherita.

 Dessert: con fragoline di bosco. They still appreciate wild strawberries and when you can find them on a dessert....

 Bruschetta! with tomatoes and arugula.

 An antipasto (that I had for lunch) of prosciutto, mozzarella, olive,  artichoke....

 Una bistecca... with lemon and arugula.

 Torta con frutti di bosco.
Cake with wild fruits (mixed berries).

Sacher torte - chocolate heaven (above)
and a cake rolled up with cream, chocolate, caramel and other bad, bad things!