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Italy Pt. 1: Italian Food & Culture

October 12, 2011 20 comments Article Restaurants, Travel

Finally, I have a free moment to tell you about my first trip to Italy! I kind of had an idea of what to expect from seeing photos and hearing stories, but nothing compares to actually experiencing it yourself. After having my flight to D.C. cancelled (thanks so much United) and spending an extra night in D.C., I finally made it to Rome a day later than my mom and the rest of the group.

Since I was a day late, I only had one day to explore Rome before heading South to the cooking school. I arrived at about ten AM, got settled into the hotel, then headed out for a short tour of the town and lunch. We ate lunch on a restaurant patio right next to the Pantheon, it was unreal! Of course, the food was delicious. I sampled everything from vegetable bruschetta to caprese salad to carbonara to pizza and more.

The Pantheon

Mixed Vegetable Bruschetta

Caprese Salad

Authentic Italian Pizza

After lunch, my mom and I climbed all 500+ stairs to the top of the Copula (we didn’t even take the elevator for the first part!) in the Vatican. The views of the city were amazing! The red tiled rooftops are so rustic and there are historical ruins at almost every turn you take. Of all the places I have been, Rome has the largest historical essence instilled into its city walls.

City Rooftops (Vatican in background)

Every place I visited was filled with cute little bakeries and coffee shops. The assortment of gelato flavors and desserts was amazing- too many to choose from! If I was ever going to be a baker I think I would want to own an Italian bakery.

Italian Gelato

Desserts

After my day in Rome, we took a six-hour train ride to the very South of Italy, to a small town in the “heel of the boot” called Lecce. The streets in historic Lecce are so cute with beautiful alleys, unlike any in the US. I loved seeing local farmers selling produce out of the back of their little wagon-like trucks.

One of Lecce’s Street

Farmer Selling Produce

After touring around Lecce for a day, we had a welcome dinner with Silvestro, the teacher of The Awaiting Table cooking school that we were going to be attending. Silvestro and The Awaiting Table have been featured in the LA Times, Food & Wine magazine and many other places. Silvestro’s school was gorgeous; each room was a different, and very bright, color; there were trinkets and collections everywhere. But, I’ll save that for another post because there are just too many pretty pictures to share from this dinner. So for now, arrivederci!

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Tags: awaiting table, cooking school, italy, Lecce, Rome, travel

20 comments

  • M.J. October 12, 2011 at 6:11 am

    We were in Venice and absolutely loved it..Your pictures are beautiful..We plan on hitting other areas next year..My husband and I have family still living there..Coincidentally our families are several miles from each other…Small world..We had no clue!

  • The Elegant Eggplant October 12, 2011 at 7:38 am

    YUM!!! SO envious of you!!

  • Peggy October 12, 2011 at 7:41 am

    Oh how lucky! Can’t wait to hear about the cooking school!

  • Kita October 12, 2011 at 8:06 am

    How lucky to get to tour Italy and have a cooking class! I would have been livid with United for screwing up my plans!

  • Schee Culina October 12, 2011 at 8:09 am

    o wow…wonderful pictures:) Your post had reminded me of our trip to Italy last summers. It was just superb…warm, friendly culture and the best food on Earth….:) Will be waiting for your next episode:=)
    Do visit/join my blog if you like at http://schee-culina.blogspot.com/..chao!!!

  • Savour the Senses October 12, 2011 at 8:38 am

    Oh I was! Not to mention also that they cancelled my return flight by accident when trying to fix my reservation, so much unneeded stress! Oh well I’ll take some stress in order to travel! =)

  • Jen at The Three Little Piglets October 12, 2011 at 9:12 am

    I’m going to culinary school here in the states, and it’s nowhere near the beautiful! Can’t wait to hear more…

  • Savour the Senses October 12, 2011 at 9:16 am

    I start culinary school in the states next August, this was just a one week class, but yes it was gorgeous!

  • Tiffany {A Clove of Garlic} October 12, 2011 at 10:43 am

    What an amazing experience! I can’t wait to read more. I would love to do this someday. We plan on going to Italy in two years (and I can’t WAIT!) but cooking school in Italy – WOW! New item added to my bucket list.

  • firefoodie October 12, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Wow, I am soooo jealous, Italy is food heaven…

  • Mike@The Culinary Lens October 12, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    I miss Rome so much. Evening strolls with some gelato a must.. Buzzed

  • the food dude October 12, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    So much history, culture and great food! Can’t wait to read your next posts on your Italian adventure. Thanks for sharing!

  • Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. October 12, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Ugh, I am jealous x100! Everything looks just incredible!

  • Ann October 12, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    SO excited for you and I can’t wait to see the rest of this series. The food in Italy is amazing and Rome truly is the Eternal City. I lived in Sicily for 3 years….and the experience never equals the telling – it’s that incredible! Thanks for sharing the pictures!

  • Elyse @The Cultural Dish October 13, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    Oh I miss italy so much! Even though you were late it still seems like you had a great time! Love the photos!

  • nisha.cam@gmail.com October 15, 2011 at 3:17 am

    wow lovely location and yummy food. really Excellent this post for italian food. i like it

  • Elisa October 18, 2011 at 7:18 am

    I was born in Southern Italy (Abruzzo) and go back quite often. I do miss those small streets and the fruit vendors. Love the photos.
    Elisa@LaCasa e Il Giardino

  • Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family October 20, 2011 at 6:20 am

    How wonderful that you got to go with your mom…sorry however that you were delayed a day.
    The sites are just gorgeous!

  • Foodness Gracious November 2, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    Wow, I’m so jealous of your trip, I plan to do the same thing in 2013 with cooking school and all. I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog, it looks great and happy to follow you,
    Take care…

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