What I cooked during my trip to Italy

In Venice I shopped in the neighborhood market but also at the open air food market near the Rialto Bridge. Prices were a little lower here and the produce abundant.




This was a simple and typical breakfast I made almost every morning.




This is a little fancier breakfast I made that includes vegetables. This so NOT Italian. Italians just like a little coffee and perhaps a pastry. They do not eat cereal, eggs and bacon, nor pancakes. But I love a hearty breakfast when I am on holiday and walking a lot.





Here is my typical dinner. I would always have a salad. The main dish in this picture is risotto with fresh vegetables.





In Bologna, I shopped at the famous market, Marcato di Mezzo.




I was fortunate to speak to a fellow behind the counter who spoke English. He recommended two kinds of meat and a cheese to buy at the deli below.




For three days in Bologna I only had a refrigerator so I mainly made sandwiches. The only thing I lacked was a knife so it was interesting eating tomatoes and cheese. :-) Every thing I bought was extremely tasty although I did miss my vegetables.




In Urbino near the farm I stayed at we shopped the first day at an open air market. I bought some lovely fish there. One thing I noticed at the markets the vendors would always give me a gift like a handful of calamari, or a carrot and some Italian parsley thrown in.








The farm, Locanda della Valle Nuova, also provided us with a welcome basket of goodies from their farm. I was so sad I could not take my jar of unfinished jam home with me!





I prepared this meal at the farm for my friends and me -- prepared fish, sliced potatoes in a little garlic, and a salad that included tomatoes and apricots.




I very much enjoy cooking when on vacation with local ingredients whether it is just for me or for others.




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Location:Italy

A Few of the Meals I Ate From Restaurants

This is a drink specific to Venice called a "spritz." The drink is prepared with white wine (generally a Pinot Grigio delle tre Venezie or Tocai) or Prosecco wine, a dash of some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Gran Classico, Select or Cynar. The glass is then topped off with sparkling mineral water.

Served at a beach town called Sirolo. I loved it! the tuna and mozarella made it sing.

Served at Hosteria del Castello (near the farm where I stayed at. )
This is the Italian version of seasonal vegetables. Featured here are bitter greens, and breaded tomato, zucchini, and sweet onion.

This is a dessert that was made and served to us at the farm, Locanda della Valle Nuova. It was panna cotta with sour cherry syrup. All main ingredients were grown on the farm.

This was a small very tasty sandwich of salami and cheese. In Urbania we bought several for a mere 1.50 euro each. The fresh orange juice squeezed in front of me by hand was one euro.
And last but not least...

Unlike the coffee I have had in Paris I found coffee in Italy to be exceptional!
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Location:Italy

Songbirds at the Farm

These are the sounds I heard this morning at Locanda Della Valle








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Hosteria Del Costello - My Favorite Restaurant

Up way in the hills of Urbino close to the farm where I was staying but far from anything else was this restaurant. It was here I had authentic meals prepared by Italians who did not speak English nor were they accustomed to tourists. Even so they were very friendly. The second time we came here we sat out on the patio with an incredible view. We had it all to ourselves. I will remember it always.





I especially enjoyed the pizza. What you see below was a one person pizza. However, the crust was so incredibly thin one person could eat it all. It was even better the next day!





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Giulia describes the dinner she made for us at the farm

Last night our host made us a full course meal. In this soundtrack she describes the meal. Almost everything was made at her farm.







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Location:Ubrino, Italy. At the farm

Thirty Eight Years Later Jen and I Finally Meet

I just know when I go home I am going to have to pinch myself to believe I actually met Jen, my pen pal from England. Until this week I had never met her in the flesh.

We found each other by replying to an ad in the back of a teen magazine. We were 16 years old then. In fact, recently I found the actual document that shows when we applied! Thanks to Facebook we reconnected. And now here we are in Italy far out in the countryside sharing in a grand vacation at an organic farm where tourists are a rarity.

It has been quite an adventure I will always treasure, and hopefully it won't be the last one.




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Recording of an Italian we met today while we were lost in a town park.

The fellow with the full head of grey hair and the black t-shirt is the one speaking in this recording I made. We encountered him running a snack shop inside a shack at a bedraggled park. In this recording he shares his view on how Italian musicians can't get a break.




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Location:Ancona, Italy