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Glorious meal + wine tasting at Bindella winery. |
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Bindella winery. Literally in the middle of the Tuscan countryside. |
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This picture sums up so much. We had just toured an incredible vineyard and seen the process Bindella does to make their wine, had an amazing lunch with the most A-MAZ-ING olive oil on incredible bread, had a few glasses of wine (they were very generous with their "tastings"), and now... sitting looking out over the hills never wanting to leave. |
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Venice |
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Fiesole - a little town on a hill just north of Florence. Took a bus up for 2 euros and walked down/got lost. So great. |
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Roma |
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In Florence, there's this magical place called Piazzale Michelangelo. There are steps. There are sunsets. Bring your own wine. |
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Cinque Terre |
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Reason #479 why Italy is better than America: Backyards are smaller than your garage, but they use them to grow veggies. And lemon trees. Beat that. |
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This man literally sat outside my window and played the accordion every day. I'd just sit there with my big shutters open and listen. It was perfect. |
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Mercado Centrale: the most amazing market you will ever see. Go immediately. |
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Warehouses FULL of Parmigiano Reggiano. If you've never had any, get some. I know it's about $20/pound. It's worth it. Trust me. If you currently use the green stuff in a can, throw it out and promise yourself you will never be so foolish again. Once you have this cheese in your hand, smell its salty sweet cheesy goodness and picture what it must have smelled like to stand in this barn. Yeah. Heavenly. |
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Lunch in Parma. Hand-made gnocchi. |
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After 3 courses of pasta, we got this meat tray, roasted veggies, and fried bread. We were already stuffed after the pasta. |
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Espresso after the fabulous Parma lunch. This is another picture that in my mind is worth an hour of talking. |
Hopefully this gives some insight into why I am so passionate about Italy and its food and culture. It can't be beat. It just can't. Go ahead and try to beat it. But actually don't because it won't work. Thats all I have... look at the pictures again, drool a little, and book yourself a flight.