Luckily they also love their gelato :) I had lots of it, most of the time sticking to my favorite flavors (pistachio, yogurt and coconut). I was never disappointed!
I also did my best to try the local specialties as I traveled...
Sfogliatelle in Napoli
Pesto and focaccia in Cinque Terre
Ribollita in Firenze
fresh fish along the coast
Ricciarelli, panforte margherita and a pine nut torte in Siena
the obligatory (and delicious) tomatoes
... and undocumented wild boar, salami, prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and pecorino tuscano. I never thought much about pecorino until I tried the tuscan variety- if you're a cheese lover definitely give this a try!! I don't think I've ever tried buffalo mozzarella as good as I had in Napoli, either, but now I'll be on a mission to find out if I can :)
I'll end this post with the most amazing wedding cake I have ever had. Hands down. Millefoglie (thousand layer cake) with chantily cream and flecks of bitter chocolate. I went back for seconds and even contemplated scrounging off of others plates for a bit more, but decided I'd have to figure out how it was made instead! Stay tuned ;)
With that, I'm off to dream about the cake and try to get back on Boston time!
What's the most surprising thing you've tried on vacation??
I should NOT have read this before lunch...it made me so hungry! oh and it brought back so many memories :) When we went to Italy I had gelato almost every day - how awesome is it! Oh and I tried wild boar salami and became addicted to buffalo mozzarella!!!
ReplyDeleteAhhh! So excited to hear more about your trip! Already the food has me crazy excited!
ReplyDeleteGood to have you back on our continent :) All of the Italian eats look amazing, and I can't wait to hear more about your travels!
ReplyDeleteWhen vacationing in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia as a kid, I sampled wild chanterelle mushrooms and raw freshly caught shellfish.
It's fun to become immersed in a different culture through their food, and I'm sure Italy is the perfect example of that!
Well, the food portion of your trip looks outstanding!!! I can't wait to hear about the rest of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little kid we went to a retreat center in the mountains of Washington state. They cooked a HUGE (in my mind it was like 8 feet long, but that could be my youthful recollection) salmon on a cedar plank over an open fire. I had never had salmon before and am a little ashamed to say I didn't really like it. Those taste buds developed later.
Wow what ammmmaaaazing food! Chipotle will never taste the same again :) I can't wait to hear all about your trip!
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a trip (just in terms of food :) :)). I bet the fresh foccacia was out of this world. ah!
ReplyDeleteSounds like such a fantastic trip!!! I hope I'm able to go to Italy someday.
ReplyDeleteWe have Paella in Spain, and it was one of the best meals of my life.
Oh my goodness Shannon, everything looks wonderful! I imagine the cheese would be amazing there - and I am not much of a fish lover, but that fish looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteAwww I want to go back!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear more about your trip, I bet it was amazing!
I had Scorpion Fish in Santorini...really good!
Shannon,
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful vacation, love all the food you display here, especially that sfoliatelle, I am so tempted to make it. It is probably very challenging. You are so lucky to tasted it.
You're back......yaaaay. Sounds like an awesome vacation. Let's meet up after you recover :)
ReplyDeleteWow...all of that look amazing!! I think you should recreate some of your eats and post the recipes! hehe!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had an amazing trip! Wow, that wedding cake sounds incredible!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good trip. Those photos make me even more excited for my excursion to Italy!
ReplyDeleteI had gelato every day when I was in Italy last summer. I think I had fresh mozz every day too. So jealous!
ReplyDeletewow, the food looks awesome now you have to show us more of YOU galavanting in Europe...that's what i really wanna see :)
ReplyDeleteI'm turning green with envy right now. Everything sounds so delicious - especially the cake! Have a safe trip home!
ReplyDeleteOhhh mahhh goodness! To say I'm jealous would be a major understatement. But you just made my desire to go to Italy even more intense!! Glad you had fun and I really hope you recreate that cake :) :)
ReplyDeleteSues
What gorgeous photos - my mouth is watering just looking at them! I'm glad you had such a fabulous trip! Oh, and I'm available to help with cake tasting anytime :)
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous....ahhhh! Italian food = what dreams are made of!
ReplyDeleteSounds like one delicious trip! We loved the fresh seafood in Greece too, and I'd have to say the most interesting new thing I tried was grilled octopus. I never thought I'd crave such a thing but when I saw it fresh and being grilled up, I couldn't stop thinking about wanting to try it! It was pretty good :)
ReplyDeleteSo. Incredibly. Jealous!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, great pictures! Everything looks so yummie, if I only could have a small bite of it :-)
ReplyDeleteoh girl i am so proud of you. you ate all the good stuff, the fattening stuff. with this gorgeous looking food we need bigger photos.
ReplyDeletei love coconut gelato!!!!
We're going to Italy next month!! I'm so excited, esp looking at all these pics!
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