Hi Y’all,

I hope you’ll all forgive my mini break from the blog (don’t lie, you know you missed me!) while I was away in Italy on vacation with my family. So now that I’m back, we’re going to take a break from weight loss tips so I can share some wondrous tales of Gnocci con Pesto, Fresh Mozzarella, Chianti, Pizza, Seabass and Tiramisu. Get your Sensa ready, because you’re gonna want head out to your favorite Italian restaurant to order pasta galore immediately after reading this post.

I started off my trip at a beautiful villa on a farm/vineyard in Tuscany. After 25 hours of travel (flight to Detroit, flight to Rome, train to Florence, car ride to San Gimignano) I was more than ready for a nice glass of wine. Fortunately at Fattoria Poggio Alloro the wine is readily available at all hours of the day. They also have a pool that you can lounge at all day while you make your way through their entire wine library (which is rather extensive mind you). How very civilized no? But of course a California girl can hardly justify indulging in the pool for too long, with so many neighboring medieval towns to explore. And explore we did! Thoroughly covering Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, and Montepulciano. Without a doubt I consumed the very best pizza of my life in Montepulciano, a little Renaissance hill town that has recently attracted world attention due to the filming of New Moon, the latest movie in the Twilight series.

I really can’t say what made that pizza so special, since it was a very traditional combination of mozzarella, tomato and basil, but if I was given the option to consume only that meal for the next three years I’d happily oblige you. It must have been in the freshness of the cheese! The next time you’re at the market be sure to see if they have Buffalo Mozarella available. You won’t believe the difference!

Then we were off to Venice where I celebrated my 31^st birthday surrounded by 3 generations of my family. Now I am huge on fish and after 6 days of carbs, carbs, carbs, I was beyond ready to enjoy some seafood. We found a charming little spot with checkerboard tablecloths across from a church in the center of a square. Good luck finding it based on those directions! I was able to indulge my craving and ordered Seabass and a plate of balsamic marinated vegetables, including orange and yellow peppers so tasty I wanted to risk the strip search at customs sneaking them back in a jar.  The rest of my family raved about the Penne Arabiatta, which was just spicy enough for our South African taste buds. Tummies full we headed over to a waterfront table to enjoy a Cappuccino and Tiramisu. Having eaten a light meal of fish and veggies I felt quite justified in indulging my craving for dessert, although my rather tight dress let me know that there was no room for seconds. I kept my eyes open for George Clooney (who was no doubt around somewhere for the Venice Film Festival) and considered what my opening line would be if he stumbled into my café. Needless to say that didn’t happen, and as the rain started up we headed back to our adorable bed and breakfast in San Marco’s Square.

With my celebratory eve behind us, we set of for sunnier digs along the coast. I’d never traveled to Amalfi so I was most excited for this final stop. I was rewarded! Not only was Lido Mare, our hotel, right on the beach, but we were walking distance to a slew of restaurants with menus to die for. My favorite meal was at little locals spot hidden off the beaten path where I enjoyed a Pesto Gnocci that made my little heart sing. Clearly it was designed to be shared, and under normal circumstances I’d never have finished the whole plate alone, but it really was just too good to listen to my satiety signals. Sometimes you just have to be bad. To make up for it I stuck to mostly salads during the day trips to neighboring towns, (I was spending all day in a bathing suit after all – couldn’t completely abandon good practices!) save one fried Calamari indulgence in Capri. Boy was that worth it. When by the sea, always try out the crustaceans. I didn’t get a chance to enjoy a meal in Positano, so now I have an excuse to go back!

So I’m sure in reading this you’ve done a mental calorie count estimation of my 2 week trip and have guessed that I might have come back just a tad heavier that I left. I certainly did not stick to my normal eating patterns while I was away and I definitely did not turn down foods that I know to be dangerous to my waistline. However, what I did do, with the exception of what shall be referred to as the Gnocci Incident, was listen to my body. When I was full, I stopped eating and when I wasn’t that hungry, I got fruit and yogurt from a local grocery store and skipped the big meal. The nectarines on the coast were fantastic by the way! Which allowed me to indulge on the pizza, gnocci and pasta when I was in the mood for it. And my grand total weight gain…drumroll…3 lbs. A measly 3 lbs. Well worth enjoying my vacation without fear!!! Especially since I know that 3 lbs will go away as soon as I jump back into routine. Which will happen soon, right after I polish off the Lemon Risotto, Rainbow Bowtie Pasta and Chianti I brought back with me.

p.s. Just in case y’all thought I missed out on the gelato here’s some evidence to the contrary! And still, only 3lbs!!!

xoxo,

Miss T

Posted in Main at September 29th, 2009 by Miss T

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