Italy, oh Italy... I have been to Italy a few times and when I found out that I would be going again, there was some kind of undeniable joy inside me. When I think about this country, it is definitely the food what comes to my mind first. Let’s be honest, it is difficult to find anyone who doesn’t like Italian food. All variations - pasta, pizza, desserts, in fact everything!

It was lunch time when we arrived to Agerola on the first day of the holiday. We checked-in at the hotel and went to find a nice lunch spot. We stopped at some place where they served antipasti. Me oh my...that mozzarella was melting in my mouth and the taste of it was not even close to what we can buy at home. Mozzarella is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo milk. But here in this part of Italy (Campania) they make "fior di latte" - mozzarella obtained with cow's milk. It was then I realized that there could be many more surprises for me during this adventure.

For example, one evening the first course took us completely by surprise. It was pasta with potatoes (pasta e patate) - two ingredients that you usually don't put together in one dish - carbs with more carbs! This traditional local dish could easily be considered a soup, which is how many see this dish anyway. It is a simple dish that uses basic ingredients, including parmesan crusts, and is delicious.

Have you ever heard of panuozzo? If not (I didn't before this trip) remember this word, too. Panuozzo is a traditional type of bread in Campania, particularly in the mountains between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It’s a type of panini or pizza dough, long and flat and stuffed with different ingredients, from classic mozzarella to ham. We had it when we first learnt to make pizza. After the first time...you want to eat it again and again. So light but filling and so tasty!

I have to mention Limoncello, a famous Italian refreshing drink made of just a few simple ingredients: lemons...water...alcohol and sugar. In Italy, especially during the summer, limoncello is a very popular grand finale to any meal and usually served just after coffee. No one knows who invented this drink but it was born somewhere on the Amalfi coast. Wherever you walk you’ll see terraces of lemon trees and because of the perfect weather you can harvest lemons 3-4 times a year. I think it’s an excellent use of lemons!

I could write a book about all the amazing food I tried in Italy. However the best thing always is to go there and try it yourself. Cin Cin!

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