This....

.....sucks.

xoT

Pesto time

When I returned to Italy in the middle of September, I was not surprised and not happy to find the hot and humid temperatures. The mosquitoes that were still lingering around until last week were the worst. Actually, wait a minute....I just killed one yesterday. But now, we finally need jackets for the nights because they are quickly getting cool.

The best part about this transitional season is having an abundance of fresh basil growing on my balcony. Instead of letting all those beautiful aromatic leaves die, my mother-in-law-to-be (whom I already call mamma) suggested we make some good ol' pesto.

A few days ago, I was in a lazy mood. So I cooked up some spaghetti, threw a few small spoons of pesto onto it, mixed it up and enjoyed a simple, yet savoury lunch. It feels good not to let good things go to waste. =)

xoT

San Gemini

San Gemini is a charming little town very close to where we live. Every year, there is a medieval festival there for a few weeks where the town is converted and performers are dressed in costume marching around the town. The most popular thing to do is to go eat at a "taverna" where you can enjoy some good old comfort Italian food. The long lineups are not fun, but once you're inside, you can guarantee tons of shouting, singing, laughing and wine.  We had the pleasure of going twice.

San Gemini

Putting them kids to work! 

Why so many jugs???

Top: Polenta and Picchiarelli (homemade pasta with spicy meat sauce)
Bottom: Medieval style bill

blurry blackberry pic =(

xoT

Last few hours in Toronto

It's been a very short 5 week trip home to Toronto. Watching my baby nephew grow has been the best part about being here. It is also the worst part about leaving today.

Emanuele also enjoyed some time with me in my hometown. It was amazing to see him bond with la mia famiglia and all my friends! We also went from being Godparents to my nephew to being fiancees in just 2 short weeks. What a trip....

While it's very hard to leave my family and friends, I am excited to get back to my normal "Italian" life with my new hubby to be!

xoT

bride & baby "express shopping" for a dress

soon to be zio (uncle) reading to my little chubster

xoT

Italian dimsum?

Yeah right, I wish. But it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the menu, checklist styles and all.


Last weekend we drove to Strettura to check out the sagra of "bruschetta al tartufo". Living here makes it really difficult to have any kind of "portion control", I'm beginning to feel concerned about my eating habits. 

So anyways, I kind of got a little too excited and ate my bruschetta covered in tartufo before I realized I could take a picture of the plate to show you guys. Sorry about that. Here's what I managed to snap:

fagioli and frittata both cooked with tartufo

Counting down to my visit home. 2 more weeks....can't wait.
xoT

The happiest day of my Italian life.

I think the picture explains it all.

Okay, I guess receiving a fedina for my birthday is really the happiest moment I've had here so far, but having this bad boy installed comes pretty damn close. Being able to sit on the couch without having my legs stick together or feeling sweat dripping down my neck is truly bliss. This air definitely feels luxurious, especially when it's nearly 40 degrees outside. Ahhhhh....

xoT

Seasonal Adjustments

This is my first official summer living here in Italy. As you know, I live in Terni, but what you possibly don't know is that it's located in a valley between mountains. This makes the city feel like a huge oven during the summer. Coming from Toronto, I'm completely used to hot, sticky, hazy and humid summers. But what I'm not used to is the absence of air conditioning. Called me a "spoiled city girl princess" if you want, but not having the luxurious crispy cool air at home can turn me into one nasty human being. The worst part is trying to cook a hot meal, literally sweatin' over the stove. Mamma mia,  I can't take it anymore!

So last week, we finally decided to splurge and install an air conditioner. While Emanuele's Mediterranean blood is used to this dreadful heat, my cold-ass Canadian blood isn't. Relationships are all about compromise, right? Obviously, living here, nothing is instant so we have to wait another week before we can have the beloved installed....so in the meantime, I'm making some summer adjustments.

my manual air conditioning

I have quickly learned that the people that live here "just deal" with this heat by making minor adjustments in their lives; Doing their errands in the early morning until about noon. Staying home during the hottest hours in the afternoon with the windows open and shutters closed (in hopes that a slight breeze will enter while the sun doesn't). Heading to the pool, the mountains or the sea on the weekend to cool off. One adjustment that I've quickly adapted is: just not using the dang oven or stove! It may seem obvious to many of you, but to me it was breaking news. 

Dinners are actually quite more enjoyable without the unbearable heat from the oven and the bitchy cook (right, that would be me). Fresh mozzarella, bruschette topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, salads and assortments of affettato (that's 'coldcuts' to us north americans) --especially the good ol' faithful sliced melon topped with prosciutto, can't go wrong. Oh and tons and tons of gelato! And if all else fails, just pick up a freshly made margherita pizza for 3 euros down the street.

Yes, the summer here is annoyingly hot, but the evenings can be quite nice. Especially with a glass full of homemade Sicilian wine (given to me by one of my students who brought it back from his trip home to Sicily and was generous enough to share the goodness with me), relaxing on my balcony.

Last night, I also had the pleasure of heading up to Prati again to our friend's summer home to enjoy some cold air and Italy beat England in the quarter-finals.

But, don't get me wrong. I'm still excitingly waiting for my new a/c and will probably shed a tear when I press that "on" button. 

xoT

ps. Please blame the poor quality pics on my blackberry and my laziness.