This week I had the amazing opportunity to visit Siena, where I even had the chance to try some of the local cuisine! While I was in Sienna I stopped at a local family-run restaurant and tasted ravioli with a pork sauce that was absolutely delicious, and although not pictured, I did also try some of the award-winning gelato in San Gimignano. I also sampled Vermentino for the first time, and I quite enjoyed this refreshing blend in particular.
Last weekend I made a trip to Pisa, and found a local American-style restaurant that served matcha lattes. As matcha is one of my favorite drinks, I had to indulge. Something I’ve consistently noticed with Italian drinks is that they usually don’t add sugar into their drinks- you need to add it yourself. Honestly though, I don’t mind. The matcha was lovely, and later in the day I tried some pici pasta at a restaurant near the tower. I personally found the pasta to be somewhat lacking in flavor, but I think I would enjoy trying that style of pasta again just with a different topping/sauce.
The last two items that will be getting honorable mentions are both dishes that were presented in class: one was the pizza from Italian Gastronomy, in particular being the arugula pizza. Lastly, but certainly not least, is the wine sampling from Thursday’s Italian Wine Culture class outing to the vineyard. The sample included three wines as well as a platter with various Italian meats, cheese, and bread to go with the wine.