A Panzanella in Chianti

Every time that I go back home (my other home, in Tuscany) I find myself astonished by the beauty of my birth region. Everything is drawn together in such a harmonious way that one cannot doubt the presence of a divine painter brushing colour with care and skills.

Unexpected Livorno

It is really true: never judge at first glance. This applies to people, food and places. And this is what happened to us in Livorno. I suppose that wandering in the rain without a map and dragging our luggage did not help...

Liguria - Food Heaven

Except for its pesto, many people may not know that Liguria is a real gourmet place. At every corner you find a bakery with the most inviting delicacies, both sweet and savoury. And patisseries that crop up almost at every street with alluring cakes and pastries...ah! I really don't know how locals keep fit. Or perhaps I do... the hills!

The true pesto "alla Genovese"

It is really true that secrets can only be discovered with the locals.

I have always loved pesto but often found it difficult to forget (= *digest*). It was all that raw chopped garlic that you could not even to dodge (having become invisible in the mix) that only "les Gaulois" or Vampires could enjoy.

It took me a trip to Genoa to find the answer.

Banana fritters in Cotonou

I know, I know, I am terribly behind. It started so well, almost a post a week and then...where did it all go wrong? Probably I just have to confess it: I am officially a *lazy bum*. That's it.

But it is also true that I had promised myself to keep this blog going if by now I had reached 100 followers...ahahaha...funny! I just hit 30...although my stats tell me that secretly there are more readers than it seems. This makes me feel better.

So, where were we? Or rather, where have I been?

I thought it would have been unfair to ignore my brief visit to Benin.

Sweet Sicily - Cassatelle alla Ricotta

I am sorry for having kept some of you waiting for the third and last episode of the Sicilian saga. A proper meal can only end on sweet notes.

I believe this is the *two-hundred and forty-fourth* Sicilian dish that uses ricotta. Frankly I wonder what Sicilians would do if they were denied capers, almonds, anchovies and ricotta...

Fish markets in Palermo and Stuffed squids

I have always thought that markets are a fantastic source of inspiration and the perfect subject for infinite shots. They truly fascinate me revealing the true spirit of a town. I would put a market before a museum with no hesitation. Especially when samples are on offer...

Palermo is famous for its markets.

Arancine & Panelle in Palermo or Sicilian street food

And we are back from our wonderful week in Sicily! I am avoiding sunny on purpose as the weather seemed to play tricks on us on our last two days there.

Look, I won't bore you with millions of photos (and I have taken literally millions) or try to make you feel green because we went on holiday while all of you were working hard....but I think you should really consider going to that island continuously kicked by the toe of the Italian boot. And because I hope you find this blog to make sense, useful or interesting, I intend to make this the first of a series of Sicilian posts.

Salvia fritta - fried sage leaves

Very few know how exciting fresh sage can be. It is undoubtedly unique chopped and mixed with mashed onions and breadcrumb to flavour the dull turkey or scattered among roasted potatoes with sprigs of rosemary for a truly Mediterranean spirit.

In Siena we fry it. Can you eat raw sage?!? Yes you can, no worries. Sage is not toxic. In fact I remember the many times my mother extolled the many virtues of salvia officinalis...

Sage, or salvia (from *salvare, to save) acts as an anti-inflammatory, relieves soar throat or tooth ache, calm stress and even improves memory. I bet you won't throw away your salvia now..

Carciofi alla Romana - artichokes in Rome

I always come back energized every time I have been in Rome. It might be the chaos, the nonsensicalness of the traffic, the cloud of smells and colours, the power of hidden flavours. What astonishes me every time I pay a visit to my favourite European city is the conscious awareness of being Italian.