Keith, sampling some cheese at the San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale
We spent 18 days in Northern Italy and remarkably didn’t gain an ounce. Not a single flippin ounce. We ate whatever and whenever we wanted. We drank gallons of
birra alla spina (it was HOT in Florence!) and bottles of wine. Sometimes we had two gelatos in a single day, once going in for a second cup immediately after finishing the first one (
Vivoli).
I admit the second cup of gelato that night might have been a bit of gluttony that went over the top.
Nope, the two pounds I gained on vacation was from our five days in Munich. The huge mas steins of Bier at Oktoberfest as well as the heavier, starchier foods and the use of the S-Bahn vs walking, but hey- two pounds is nothing. It’s gone by the time I’m writing this I’m sure. Shoot, hours of lifting the steins of beer should qualify as an arm and back workout!
So here’s the deal. ITALY IS FREAKING AWESOME. There. I said it. So far, no other place has compared with how much good food there is. Even in the touristy restaurants, we still found decent food. Even my worst meal was decent. I’ll list my favorite places at the end of this post and one that you should avoid even though Rick Steves recommends it.
So what is the mystery Italian diet? After much discussion about why we never felt full or bloated after meals, why our clothes seemed to actually hang looser rather than tighter during the trip and why we could clean our plates and not feel sick it came down to these simple truths:
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No processed food
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Walking a daily average of 6-9 miles
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Satisfying portion sizes
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Bread as a “utensil” not appetizer*
I try to go into another country without set expectations but one thing did surprise me. The table bread at restaurants was not really very good. It is purposely made flavorless-ish to enhance the food you mop the bread up with. It’s plainness allows you to taste the olive oil or the fabulous sauces without interference. So I was totally able to resist eating it altogether.
We took a pedometer with us this time. Last trip, we just guessed at 5 miles a day but now we know we averaged between 6 and 9 miles a day and many of those miles were going against gravity. I would say that even though I didn’t run as planned (I had a thing for falling and sprained my ankle badly the first week), our constant body in motion kept calories burning. Just walking around in Cinque Terre and Bolzano (we hiked 5 miles straight up the Dolomites, without oxygen) added probably a million calories burned, so I’m guessing we actually had calorie deficits those days.
Adorable AND delicious...
My favorite dish was Pappardelle al sugo di Cinghiale (Pappardelle with Wild Boar Sauce) and I probably ate that at least 10 times, the entire plate of it each time. I would have licked the plate clean if that was socially acceptable. If the Cinghiale wasn’t on the menu, then I ordered whatever pasta with red meat sauce there was (I love me red meat sauces) or pizza. Usually the meat is pork or rabbit. The plates are full, but not heaping. The amount of food served is satisfying, yet realistic. We were never hungry in Florence, and we were never uncomfortably stuffed.
Fact: We never once ate chicken. For the first time in my life by the time I got home, I was craving chicken.
The thing that struck me most, and saddened me the most, was that the “normal” there is fresh pasta made daily or hourly. Fresh pizza dough made from whole ingredients. Shoot- my cappuccino or caffè lattes were sweet enough without adding sugar because they used whole milk. The TOMATOES were unlike any tomato I’ve ever eaten. In fact, I would argue that an Italian Tomato was Adam’s downfall, not an apple.
RANT: It saddens me because I wish our culture would embrace that and quit with the convenience foods, ”light” and “chemically enhanced dietary food” or “genetically modified for mass production” that is making us so unhealthy. Our produce is picked green and shipped from all over the world and tastes like crap. AND THIS IS OKAY? I’ve believed in whole food philosophy for a long time and we do buy real food products but we’re rare among our circle. It is possible to make a fast dinner with real food. But the crap food industry and diet gimmick industry just don’t want you to know it. And if you do know it and go to local resources to get real food, you certainly pay for it. Real food should be cheaper than the engineered food. It’s not and this is why we’re fat. Well, that and our reliance on cars. END RANT.
Keith came home depressed he had to leave Munich. I came home depressed I won’t find a perfect tomato unless I grow one or join a farmer’s co-op and they still won’t be Italian Tomatoes.
So my first post about our trip is about the food and really, aside from the visual beauty of Italy, it really was all about the food. From now on, the word Italy will start me salivating.
Stats- Italy:
Birra alla spina: 40 glasses (varying sizes)
Gelato: 16 cones or cups
Bottles of wine opened: 22 (shared among our traveling companions, honest!)
Amazing Dinners: 1
Disappointing Dinners: 1
Miles walked: 80.5
Best Meal Overall: Trattoria Mario- $ best lunch – we went twice and would have gone more – locals go here- there’s a line to get into this small trattoria. The Ribollita soup was perfect as well as the Cinghiale, and the next time we had the ragù di coniglio (rabbit ragu) YUMMY!
Best Dining Experience: Il Porcospino - $$ The waiter recognized me & Keith when we came back with our friends for dinner (we ate there a few nights prior). He wouldn’t let us order from the menu and selected the best dishes of the house and served us family style, all the while cracking jokes with us. The outdoor seating is very close and we would bump elbows with other patrons, but it was friendly and fun. The first time we went there, Keith and I met a young German couple next to us because we kept touching, so why not introduce ourselves? ;)
Most Romantic & Delicious: Osteria Alla Piazza - $$ Keith and I rented a car one day and drove through Chianti, just us. We stopped at this restaurant located on a small side road with vineyards all around and a big villa. We had a quiet, delicious and romantic lunch before we continued on wine tasting. Keith had the best Panna Cotta he’d ever tasted. To write this post, I found the restaurant via Google (i love Google) and am so happy we found this gem! Had no idea we were in Siena. Of course I had the best Pappardelle al sugo Cinghiale there.
Best Gelato: Vivoli - mentioned above – decadent, creamy and whipped! It was a lighter consistency than any other gelato we found. Sadly we found this place on our last night, so we had 2! We found several great gelato places, one on via Corso at via Calzaiouli that we called “31 Flavors” (Festival del Gelato) because it had a huge selection and was lit up like a parade. Despite that, it was good gelato. They even had a “meringue” whip that was yummy as a gelato topping in case you wanted to add more calories to the treat.
Most Overrated Restaurant – don’t waste your time: Al Castello, Vernazza - $$ Our friends considered Rick Steves the bible and made reservations at this restaurant WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE MENU. Not knowing this, Keith and I agreed to meet them there for dinner (they were staying in Vernazza, again a Rick Steves recommendation, and we were in Manarola). The best thing about this place was the view. The restaurant is on a high cliff overlooking the cove of Vernazza and the Ligurian Sea. The rest of the experience was meh. The restaurant was full of english speakers, no locals. The best thing we can say about the food is that the pasta was cooked well. After tromping 6 miles up and down hills on uneven steps all day, I was starving for the first time during the trip and was bitterly disappointed with my pesto lasagna (only thing I could order since it’s mostly seafood at this restaurant and I’m not a fish person) and only ate half of it. Rick Steves has his good points, but it’s a guide book, not a “to do” list.
Next up: The German Diet (what exactly is in Leberkäse anyway?)
Mocha Buche de Noel
Tannenbaum Cupcakes 
Candy Cane Trifles
Did you think I forgot about 
