I arrived in Italy yesterday and am ready for a week of enjoying la dolce vita. Yesterday when I arrived, my boyfriend's mother and brother took me over to the beach club, where we had focaccia sandwiches made with speck (a smoked prosciutto) and pecorino tartufato (pecorino cheese with flecks of truffle). Even something as simple as that sandwich was more than enough of a welcome for me. We lay around in the sun for a few hours before returning home. Later, I thought that I would have gone with my boyfriend to the pharmacy, but quickly found myself being dropped off alone in the middle of a small town near where he lives, wearing my bathing suit, a very small sundress, and flip flops. I was not happy about the fact that I would have to walk around like that for an hour! I walked up and down the main street, which took about 15 minutes, and then plopped myself down for an aperitivo, my favorite meal of the day. I ordered an Americano, which is made with vermouth, campari, and a slice of orange. The waitress brought over the chips, peanuts, and sliced up focaccia sandwiches that always come with the pre-dinner drink. Italy is so civilized in that sense, you are always given food when you order a drink. That is something that I never have understood about American bars. They want you to drink a lot and pay a lot, but never offer any snacks. I enjoyed my drink and read Plenty, my current book club book. We returned home to a dinner of linguine with shrimp and zucchini, prawns, and salad. For dessert we had fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream. I love eating here because everything is so fresh and seasonal.

I will be blogging every day from here, taking note of cultural differences, and culinary adventures. I hope you keep reading!