Skip to main content

The Case of Vegetarian Detective in Italy

Buon giorno!
 
I feel like a snob saying, "I'm just back from Italy." That's me: jetsetter. Yeah, right!
 
But wow...Italy!
 
I could talk up a storm, and I surely will as I adjust to being back here, six time zones from magnificent Italia. I often ask people who've just travelled what was their favourite part of their trip. If I ask the same of myself, my answer is seeing Michelangelo's sculptures. His Pietà and The Statue of David literally moved me to tears. I just can't believe I saw "him" in person!
 
So...our plane from Toronto was delayed six hours and we missed the first day of activities, but we still visited Rome, Montecatini, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Vinci, Florence, Cinque Terre and Assisi. Quite the agenda for ten days, including the two flight days, wouldn't you say? But Trafalgar made it work. I would go on a Trafalgar trip again in a heartbeat.
 
Things I learned in Italy:
 
  • In the regions we visited anyway, large rimmed plates are not used for pasta. Bowls or smaller plates are used.
  • It's not trendy to grate Parmesan into large flakes or to top pasta with Parmesan curls. Italians grate their Parmesan very fine.
  • Italians have built their villages on the top of large hills, not nestled in valleys.
  • Each and every village warred with every other village and there are still serious rivalries today.
  • Leonardo da Vinci was not a pacifist.
  • It's very true that gelato is addictive. I'm making do with ice-cream now that I'm home.
 
Cynthia will be posting more pictures on Twitter and Google+, so stay tuned if you want to see what a Trafalgar bus tour in Italy is like.
 
♥ Becki
 
PS Feeling social? Use the share and comment buttons below. 

Comments

  1. Buon Giorno, Cynthis,

    Thanks for sharing your findings. You've triggered some memories of when I was in Italy - too long ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me but SO worth it, eh? (Using "eh" to express our shared Canadianness. Um, spellcheck says I spelled Canadianness wrong, or maybe it's not a word?)

      Delete
  2. But then Spell Check argues over grey, practise, humour and all those other Canadianisms. (Nor is that a word.)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome Foodies!

Wonderful to meet  YOU ! At Vegetarian Detective, I share with you some of my favourite veggie, vegan and raw recipes. I know you’ve noticed that eating meat-free is a popular trend everywhere. Even going veggie just once a week. There are many reasons why. This is how. You're also invited to get to know me (Cynthia's favourite character) better by reading the mystery novels I'm in: A Purse to Die For and A Killer Necklace . Yours, Becki Green (Vegetarian Detective)

#108 The Case of Smokey Bean Soup

S mokey Bean Soup  may be the recipe I am most proud of. Smokiness is derived from two sources (no, not mascara and eye shadow)—roasted garlic and hickory-smoked BBQ sauce—a combo that produces a surprising depth of flavour. Smokey Bean Soup 1-1/2 cups navy or white pea beans 12 cups water, separated 6 rounded teaspoons (for 6 cups) vegetable bouillon powder 1/2 bulb garlic olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary 1/4 teaspoon   pepper 1 tablespoon hickory-smoked BBQ sauce salt Soak the beans overnight in 6 cups of the water. Drain and rinse. In a covered pot, simmer the beans in the rest of the water and vegetable bouillon powder, for 1-1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice the top off the half-bulb of garlic to expose each clove. Place upright on foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap. Roast for 45 min. Let cool. Add the onion, carrots, bay leaf, rosemary ...