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- Italians take a long time to eat. Dinner out, even at a casual restaurant, always took upwards of 2 hours. They just kind of leave you alone and expect you to linger.
- Pasta everywhere we went was homemade.
- Breakfast is brioche (a croissant) and cappuccino.
- Breakfast is eaten sitting in the bar where it is purchased (rarely, as it is a lot more expensive to sit) or standing at the counter. We didn't see any paper to-go cups the whole time we were there.
- Italians have espresso in the late afternoon. In Siena we enjoyed seeing a nun and her friend standing at the counter in a "bar" in Siena having their afternoon pick-me-up.
- Bread is bad. Or at least it wasn't my thing. The bread in the basket at dinner everywhere was stale.
- Risotto is just rice there, not necessarily the cooking method and the creamy texture that you think of as risotto.
- They always have wine with dinner. Fully enjoying one's meal is not a special occasion.
- Seemingly all Italians know how to cook. Some of our best meals, and the wonderful gnocchi and tiramisu we were taught to make and ate, were prepared by a man our age who ran our "agriturismo" (a place that is farmed-- in this case, for olives and wine grapes-- and where they also host guests).
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I can't wait to go back someday. Napa Valley (another favorite food and wine and idyllic-lifestyle destination) is on the horizon for this spring as a sort of fifth-anniversary trip...so maybe Italy again in five more years!
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