food souvenirs from italy

When I left Italy my luggage was about 10 pounds heavier than when I left Canada. And of course Alitalia made me pay (not going to disclose the INSANE amount of Euros!) to bring all my precious Italian food souvenirs back home. I knew that I was going to have pay, but it still hurt (my wallet). Anyways, here are some of the things that I brought back with me. Not pictured are the olives, anchovies, peperoncini, aged balsamic vinegar, more chocolate and more olive oil that contributed to my overweight bag.

* honey from Tuscany

* two types of mostarda

* close-up of mostarda (you can kinda see the whole fruit in there)

* three types of hazelnut spread (one from a grocery store, one from Vestri—an amazing chocolate shop in Florence, and of course, Nutella—bought solely for the Barbapapa jar)

* two types of olive oil purchased at the Mercato Centrale in Florence. November is when the new olive oil is pressed and I was lucky enough to pick up two cans that were pressed just days before.

* snacks: fonzies and Nutella & Go (brilliant idea! wish they had these here.)

* fonzies (i.e inferior Cheetos that have the same texture, but taste like the smell of burnt Kraft Singles. In other words: gross.)

* milk chocolate & pistachio bar from Vestri

* bar close-up: this was really good. I also picked up a white chocolate & almond bar that has already been devoured.

italy part 2

Some more shots from Italy. During my 8 day tour, I visited Rome, Florence, Montecatini, Pisa, Siena and Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre was my favourite location. It was breath-taking, beautiful and full of character.

* olives harvested in Tuscany for olive oil

* busker in Siena

* fresh artichokes

* entrance to a Tuscan villa I visited

* zucchini

* just one view in Cinque Terre

* fruit stand in Cinque Terre

* busker in Florence

* one of many tiramisus I consumed

* pistachio gelato from Vivoli in Florence

* gelato everywhere

* homemade popsicles

italy part 1

Here are some shots from my time in Italy. Since this trip was for work, I didn't get to do, see and most importantly, eat, everything that I wanted to. I especially missed being able to check out the different markets in each city. I did, however, come home with an overstuffed (and overweight) suitcase full of amazing olive oil and other Italian delights. Now that I've had a taste of Italy, I'm hoping to go back next spring and plan my own itinerary. Can't wait.

* it rained pretty much every day during my trip. it was nice to spot this rainbow by the Colosseum

* vegetable anitpasti

* mmmm cured meats

* artichoke risotto + penne with prosciutto + ribolitta (thick Tuscan bread soup)

* pesto

* pasta amatriciana + cheese-stuffed ravioli

* pasta w/ meat sauce and pine nuts

back on canadian soil

I got back last night from my trip to Italy. Here's a little sneak peek of what I brought back. I'll go into better detail once I'm over this jet lag.

ciao

I've been ignoring this blog all week. But I have a good reason: I am going to Italy on Sunday! It was really last minute and just found out on Tuesday, so I've been busy researching places to eat, where to buy the best olive oil and more places to eat. I'll be back on the 17th and will start posting about my trip then!