My venture

Oh my.....finally here....well yes...and no....could have been a hell of a lot worse.....let me start...we got up this morning at 3:15...that is am....not pm....why so early...well i had to shower, get Sofia ready and of course sterilize her bottles etc...and trust me...if you have a baby, getting ready takes just is a little bit longer.....but...we managed to leave, as planned , 4am...in fact is was 4:04....flight 7:05 from Florence. Our journey started with a cappuccino at the Firenze airport...and I am sorry, but I do not have a pic....it was Illy coffee, it was strong, foam was thick...but way too little...but not a bad cappuccino at all...price...€1.60. I had decided to bring my Stokke snuggly for the journey and i handed in the new Chicco pram and one luggage...arrival...Houston....best decision. Let me share a pic.....(it is not the best...but Sofia was so happy that she actually could not sit still, hence the blurry-ness).... Sofia in her Stokke snuggly First flight with Air ...

Short and sweet....WE LOVE TO COOK..so often we each (my grandmother, my mom and I) do one course...cooking wise...the main course sets the scence..the rest has to adapt....mains...starters and the one that is supposed to be doing dessert...has the option between dessert and aperitifo....so this meal was created one of the nights... Mutti (my grandmother, Sofia's great-grandmother) had the honor of mains...me...starter...hence mom got to choose between making dessert or aperitifo...aperitifo it was.... So...what did mom do.....simple...but so effective... Aperitifo Guacamole brushetta, caprese bites, cold dried meat and marinated olives....with of course some bubbly and beer...great way to get your appetite going...we all enjoyed it...also it was light which was great cause it does not spoil the appetite for the next courses. Up next....me...chicoree salad with a crispy bacon, walnuts and a blue cheese dressing.... Chircore salad And yes...if i mY say so....absoloutely divine......

Well...this is not going to be too long...cause shortly after I published my other blog on cappuccino around our new home...we in fact went to Pienza to one of the two places that I had mentioned and we also discovered another amazing coffee spot in Sinalunga.... First up.....Pienza....It was a stunning Sunday when we decided to take a drive to Pienza and park quite a bit from the centro storico, why, cause we wanted to walk the panoramic route to centro storico. It was a breath-taking day, the views were absoloutely amazing, i was in such awe. We could see Montechiello, Montalcino, San Quirico d'Orcia...just so wow....it really took my breath away...so i need to share some pics so you can get an idea... San Quirico d'Orcia in the distance Breath-taking view Sofia enjoying her stroll Don't you just love the fresh green colours....take a moment and go back....just look...so crisp. Once we entered the centro storico we walked from one side to the next, through the actual ol...

The flowers are starting to bloom, it is getting warmer...it is really beAutiful....it is beautiful to see how the landscape is changing. As you know we frequently take walks either to Montisi village or into the forrest...and there is where you notice it the most....various arrivals...flowers that were snoozing....are waking up. No, i am not going to become too soppy...but I have decided to share a few pics of the season changing....spring has arrived.... Daffodil Mimosa Ponahalo (family of saffron) Olive trees and yellow flowers (as you can see i do not know the name) Again: not sure of the name...i just thought the colour was beautiful So...this blog is not very long...just a few more pics before this blog comes to an end....i am going to share some pics of Sofia, how she is enjoying the walks.... Sofia in her light-weight stroller (her new Chicco) Sofia in the forrest So, that is is from me...short...and sweet....well sweet I hope...hahaha....im off to bed now...tomorrow shoul...

Yes...time again to write some coffee blogs....we all know I have already written about coffee in various blogs...and yes, I have written two blogs about coffee in Italy already...BUT one was more in the North of Italy, Jesolo, Venice etc...and the other one was in the Tuscany....but now it is time to do one from around us...around our new home. Now...just to refresh your memory...I have rated the Montisi one (Montisi, just to refresh your memory is 2.5km from our home)....I said not so great, although the coffee was strong, there was too little foam, the foam was too thin, there were no chocolate sprinkles and no cookie (then again...in Italy...I have not yet received a cookie or a chocolate anywhere...something to think about)... Montisi Maybe you also remember...Polizia in Montepulciano (Montepulciano is about 15km from us)...there, the coffee was strong, the foam thick but there could have been more foam...but I must admit, I am a sucker for illy coffee.... Polizia ...

Let's start by saying...better delayed than never...why do I start like that...because in fact we were at this restaurant about 3 weeks ago....we had friends from South Africa who were here to visit us for the weekend...three very cool ladies, so we decided to take them out one night to La Botte Piena and one night to Madonnina (Pizza). They spilt us by bringing us Rusks from South Africa and Marzipan from Barcelona....yummie....i guess i should share some pics...just so you get a lottle bit jealous... Rusks Marzipan Now...more food....so..on Saturday night we went to La Botte Piena (this is where we were for New Year). First decision...wine and bubbly...Tracy (the one friend) picked the bubbly which came from the famous Valdobiadene region while my dad picked the vino rosso....a Brunello di Montalcino. In Montalcino the name Brunello evolved into the designation of the wine produced with 100% Sangiovese grape. First we received an amuse bouche....a cheese profiterol....delicious...

Nope....not dog and cat..well, yes, dog and cat translated from Italian into English...but in fact this is the restaurant we tried in Siena...on Via Pagliaresi, off the main Piazza del Campo, so not touristy at all, in fact it was full of Italians, which is always a good sign.... The main reason we drove to Siena was to go and check out the Chicco Baby store...I wanted to buy a one-piece stroller for little Sofia...and this was the closet option...we thought that rather than just driving to Siena for one particular shop, why not make a day of it and go and enjoy some lunch in the old town of Siena...and that is exactly what we did....but we did not want to end up in the tourist area...so we ended up at this tiny restaurant called cane e gatto....and guess what...it was cute...and quaint and the food was actually very delicious... I guess I should share what we had...mom and I shared a salumi and fromaggio platter...beautifully presented and tasted delicious and we also shared a pi...

Believe it or not.....yes, you are reading correct, after writing my blog last night...i had the urge to go back to Buonconvento today and try this pastry shop...i mean as i said...it looked inviting and i was just so disappointed that it was closed yesterday...so why not.....we also thought the weather is a little strange...so cappuccino sounded like a good plan.... Our view this morning Already the entrance to Dolcezze di Nanni looked inviting and warm...it looked like a pastry/ coffee shop with some atmosphere.... Entrance Close up of entrance sign When we entered the door we were welcomed by pastries....and right in the front...the typical fried carnevale pastry...i was already sold....i knew what i would be having with my cappuccino....let me show you... Deep fried carnevale pastry The place was beautifully decorated, warm, friendly...just very quaint...the downstairs had the bar counter where you order your goodies and upstairs (well about 8 steps up) were three cute coffee tab...