…and everything it stands for?

NO!  not everything ~ just pasta.

on the flight to italy, i read a book called “WHEAT BELLY”.  and before landing at the fiumicino airport in rome, i had decided i would go off all things wheat and grains.

of course i wasn’t going to quit those items before i ate my way through florence, assisi and rome!!!  i’m not crazy!!!

so, before i start posting yummy wheat-free recipes from here on out, i thought i would share some pictures of my last hoorah with pasta in italy.  i was absolutely miserable after every one of these meals, but as they say, VENI, VIDI, VICI ~ i came, i saw, i conquered!

and then i came home and vowed to never feel that badly again.

WARNING:  VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.  IF YOU ARE ALREADY OFF WHEAT, AND THE MERE GLANCE OF A DELICIOUS PLATE OF PASTA SENDS YOU INTO A FIT OF RAGE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP HERE!

 

here.  we.  go.

 

this is penne pasta with a meat sauce that you can barely see on it.  somehow, it’s the most flavorful meat sauce, but not greasy or dripping off the pasta.  it’s magic.

in florence, the hotel served tomatoes and cucumbers for breakfast, along with all the pastries and fruit and cured meats you could ever dream up.  but i never got past the tomatoes and cukes.  i GORGED myself on these. this morning, i had the same thing for breakfast, and it is so good.

mozzarella caprese salad with an entire basil plant on top.  also legal on my new diet, and boy am i glad!

bruschetta.  my sister makes the most delicious bruschetta.  these are a close second.

ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and ricotta cheese, topped with sage butter and shaved parmesan.  i think we decided those black dots were poppy seeds.  they had a burst of flavor and a little crunch too.

my hub’s all-time favorite ~ pasta carbonara.  so rich and decadent.

the 2nd absolute best lasagna of the entire eating experience of my life.  it had a meat sauce that was poured over the top. the 1st most delicious lasagna on the list was eaten later in the trip.  i must have been too drugged with lasagna to remember to take a picture.  it had a basil bechamel sauce poured over it.  so, so good…

a restaurant in assisi ~ beautiful, isn’t it?

fusilli pasta with marinara sauce.  looks simple, doesn’t it?  but the pasta is so fresh, and the tomato sauce is even fresher.  indescribable.

you can see from this picture that this pasta has such a luxurious “bite” to it, can’t you?

espresso.  a beautiful, beautiful thing.

same espresso, almost destroyed by a close call.

all of the food you see in these pictures are from restaurants that are average-priced.  you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have amazing food in italy.  but here are a few pictures of the fare from a more expensive restaurant, just down from the spanish steps.  it’s pici (fresh hand-rolled pasta) with fried artichoke hearts and carbonara sauce.

and from same expensive restaurant ~ cacio e pepe (pasta featuring cheese and tons of black pepper)

pizza!!!!  i ate that whole thing, by the way.

amatriciana, a roman specialty.  the sauce is made with tomato and pancetta.

the breakfasts in italy aren’t really anything to write home about.  while the cappuccino was divine, and that juice was fresh squeezed, and those croissants had chocolate in them, nothing beats the american breakfast.

i stumbled into a gorgeous cafe and deli, and took some pictures…

ravioli with marinara sauce.  i don’t even care about the ravioli ~ i could DRINK that sauce.

the hub ordered cannoli for a little snack in tivoli ~ pistachios on one side, chocolate sprinkles on the other.  heaven.

 

thank you for indulging me, while i take you on this little culinary trip to bella italia!  although i have limitations now, i am passionate about making the following posts look (and taste) as succulent and appealing as these pictures!  ciao!