Another exciting week in the mountains… We officially went into a white zone, which meant we could travel freely AND eat inside a restaurant in the evening. Absolutely fabulous.
Freedom is a wonderful thing, something which I may have taken for granted in the past, but I’ll never do that again. Only being able to travel 30kms from home is quite restricting, even if you love where you live. So, this week saw a shopping trip out to the market and the first evening meal in a very long time. Yippee.
Living in Italy is all about the food, and where else in the world could you feast on a nun’s breasts? No seriously. We live in a Catholic country and yet in this region, and in particular the town of Guardiagrele, you can indulge in Nun’s Breasts or Sise delle Monache?
Ok, you guessed, it’s a cake, but even still how slightly scary is that?
These delights come in two sizes, big or small. These are two layers of sponge cake, filled with custard, shaped in three protuberances, or “Sise” (tits). There are three theories behind the name, but you’re really not interested in those are you… no, I didn’t think so. The name is enough. But I have to say being a Sise virgin they were beautiful, I never thought they’d be so soft.
Trips out don’t get much more exciting, or do they?…. yes they do! Not only did it involve eating, twice, it also involved vintage shopping. As well as a few summer clothes (well a few more than a few) I found a lovely metal art deco wall hanging which was reduced. I love a bargain. A lunch out, a rather nice Aberdeen Angus burger, wine and lots of chat and then home. A rather pleasant day all around.
Saturday night. A night out, yay!
Tonight was a trip to the lovely Locanda Mastrangelo in the village. If anyone knows anything about me, it’s that I am in love. In love with cheese. Especially goats' cheese. Tonight was heavenly because on the menu was a Salumi e formaggi della Maiella, a plate of cheese and artigianale meats. The cheese came from a local family who have taken over their grandfather’s farm. Visit their Instagram account, and you’ll see the goats and kids out in nature messing about like goats do, so cute, their Pastore Abruzzese sheepdogs are gorgeous too. Anyway I digress
The meal was fantastic. As it always is, but our newly found freedom made it even more so.
You may also know that I help people with overeating, and it may seem strange that I go out for wonderful meals with cheese, pasta, desserts and wine but there’s no secret… really it’s all about quality over quantity. We left with our bellies satisfied and our souls happy. Heaven does exist.
So all in all, a rather splendid week. As usual, lots of food, the sun shone and our freedom was restored. There was another road incident, but I simply cannot write about a very near miss, and three car stories in three weeks is one too many.
Links
@Locandamastrangelo
@fattoria_casetta_bianca