Ciao Italia

The view from their terrace

Ciao everyone! I am soooo happy its almost the weekend even though it will be a busy one. We are traveling to NJ for my niece/goddaughter Isabella’s second birthday. That means lots of fun bbq food and time with family, but it also means I won’t get anything done at home, and there is lots to do!

Today’s post is a mini vacation for the mind. It has NOT been a great day at all, and I spent a bit of time daydreaming about Italy! I am lucky to have married into an international family. I have a brother in law, sister in law, and 2 adorable nephews who live near Ascoli Piceno in Italy’s Marche region, and visiting them is quite the treat. They are actually coming to visit for the whole month of August, and I look forward to cooking and shopping with my lovely sister in law. She has such style!

Our Italy family lives in a tiny village in a beautiful home at the top of a hill. Their entire front property is covered with terraced gardens growing everything from olives to artichokes.

Artichokes- soon to be eaten

Civitella

Grapes to the left Olives to the right

My sister in law’s family makes wine for their own personal use. They also grow loads of olives to brine and to make olive oil from. They have a massive cold storage room where they have jars after jars of tomatoes, meat hanging from the ceiling, wine, olive oil, etc. It is like your dream gourmet store at home.

Wine tasting near Ascoli

http://www.filippopanichi.it/sito_precedente/ing-vini.asp

The food is always incredible, each and every meal: morning espresso with cookies (!), lunch was either homemade pasta and sauce or a caprese salad with  sparkling water and espresso, and dinner a variety of deliciousness including pounded out chicken cutlets, lightly, perfectly friend in breadcrumbs and spices and Ascoli’s famous Olives all’Ascolana. I don’t eat much meat, and I never eat red meat or pork unless I am traveling and it is a local specialty. Thus, I ate many many of these delicious stuffed olives, fried and served hot, drizzled in fresh lemon juice. Wine, of course is also a big part of the meal. The last time we visited Italy, we arrived on a day where the vineyards in their valley were all having open days. We only made it to one, Fillipo Panichi, but touring the facility and tasting the wine while my brother in law translated for us was so much fun!

Our family lives very close to the resort town of San Benedetto del Tronto which is gorgeous and tons of fun with outdoor cafes and a great market. I will definitely post some photos of that soon, but for tonight, I need to head off to do some more day job work and pack for the weekend.

I have been thinking about all of the blog posts that I want to write, but I would love to hear from all of you what YOU like to read about, so let me know.

Buona sera!