Il Dolce Far Niente...revisited

Everytime I try and describe what it is that I love so much about Italian life, I can't help but think: il dolce far niente, il dolce far niente... For as long as I have been here, I have seen this phrase in action over and over again. I have experienced it and fallen in love with it again and again...

One of my absolute favorite things that I have experienced is a full-course meal. This past weekend, John and I were invited into the home of a young, Italian couple who live in the quieter part of Florence. John has been teaching a young man named Claudio english for the past month or so. Claudio's girlfriend, Anna Maria is a fantastic cook and both of them are very down -to-earth and hospitable people. Their home is situated on the other side of the Arno river, way up on a little Florentine hill that overlooks the Tuscan hillsides and has a beautiful view of the stars at night. It is a small condo-like home, but warm and spacious enough for two.

As I said before, Anna Maria is a wonderful cook and everything we ate was out of this world. For our antipasto, she made baked prunes wrapped in speck (like prosciutto, but a little dryer and saltier). Our primo was a white-bean pureed soup, with giant, whole prawns. Secondo was some sort of beef filet served with mashed chesnuts. If you have never had a chestnut before, it is a very sweet and soft nut when cooked. They are a Tuscan specialty and they even sell them on the streets and make chesnut cake around christmas time. Dessert was Claudio's specialty: mini chocolate cakes with vanilla cream...

But although this was probably one of the best tasting meals I have had here in Italy, it wasn't necessarily the food that made it so wonderful. Rather, it was the good company, the conversation (half italian and half english...), the relaxing atmosphere. We talked about how our cultures differ. Anna Maria is from Sicily, Claudio is from Tuscany, John is from New England, and I from the South.... there are many differences, but then again there are also many similarities.

1 more day left of my life here in Florence. Wish me luck and more importantly, dolce....