My musings so far have lacked description of the cheif aspect of Italian culture...
The Food.
In an effort to get the complete cultural experience, I've eaten nearly everything given to me ( excluding a rather suspect portion of octopus salad...I don't do tentacles). From pastas to pizzas, gelato and coffee, I will attempt to detail the highlights of my culinary adventure.
Day one started off with an airport coffee, which was poor by Italian standards, but bypassed by far any of Starbucks' expensive immitations. The local gelateria offers a modest selection of flavors- my favorits being so far ciccolata, tirimisu, stratatella (not realy sure what this is yet...kind of creamy with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate flakes) and nutella! The chocolate is a magnificent dark brown color,so rich you really only need one scoop, and thick enough to pave a driveway.
An average days breakfast includes a strong espresso prepared by the housekeeper, Carla, accompanied by either bread and nutella, or biscotti ( I could really get used to this cookies for breakfast thing).
A word about Italians...these people can really eat. They continue to down extragagent portions long after I've reached my capacity. And with such purpose! A proper dinner continues for more than two hours, they eat slowly, intentionally, savoring each bite. Dinner alone feels like a days worth of meals for me. First, the resteraunt will present you with a spectacular arrangment of homeade local artisan breads (the best of which so far being an intimidating bluish bread in Loano which turned out to be a marvelous blueberry bread). Then, the Primi Piatti, which is usually a pasta of some sort. I had grossly underestimated the ammount of pasta these people eat...literally one or two times a day. And such variety! Ravioli, radiatori, spaghetti, linguini, occhi, rigatoni, bucatini, canelloni, capellini, ....and other varieties reaching far beyond my previous experience with just "spaghetti". Some of the more notable dishes thus far have been a "mezzo nero" ravioli, typical wheat pasta on one side, and an exotic black side colored with squid's ink. Filled with crab meat and savory herbs, and topped with a light seafood sauce and prawns. Delicious. After the Primi Piatti, they meats and main entrees come out. My favorite so far is "frutti del mare". Fruits of the sea! Swordfish, lobster, salmon, mussels, prawns, I've sampled all the ocean's finer selections. Just when I'm about to slip into a food induced coma, they want you to eat dessert! Rich, chocolate cakes the size of paving stones, tiramisu sweet enough to melt your teeth, and of course, gelato. Always gelato. Around this time its all I can do to remain upright in my seat, being so full...and then you have to drink the coffee. It doesnt matter that its already about midnight, they insist you drink it. Being the explorer I am, I do, feeling its reviving effects immediately. This gives you just about enogh energy to watch the adults make their way through several more glasses of grappa and wine, before finally making very long, (and very full) trip home.
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