Ciaotraveler

There are so many beautiful, manicured gardens all over Europe but recently I was surprised to find that Lugano, Switzerland is among those.  The lake area or old town section is kept fresh and neatly groomed of trees and lush flowers.   This is a great day trip from Milano.  Enjoy...  At the local market There are public vegetable gardens around the main walkway Manicured trees and shrubs More public grapes for harvesting along the piazza So gorgeous around the lake! See more of Lugano here or my other posts through the search icon.  Thank you!

I've enjoyed gelato in Rome, Portofino, Venice, Sorrento, Lucca, and many other cities in Italy.  Its rich and delicious but contains less fat than regular ice cream.  Gelato is made with  water, milk, eggs, cream, sugar, cocoa, fruit and more .   There's nothing like its refreshing taste during those hot days while you're on scenic walks or window shopping.  The gelato freezer case above was the most unique one I've ever seen.  It twirled around so you could see each selection.  This gelato shop was in Sorrento.   But the best Gelato I've ever eaten was in...

I'm in awe of the landscape colours I've seen throughout my travels in Italy.  Hilltop towns such as Cortona in the Tuscany region are perfect for capturing the most alluring colours and charm of this beautiful country.  One can appreciate how they've influenced artists for centuries and continue to be so inspirational. The road up to Cortona The beautiful central piazza. Cortona shop Can't forget the wine!

Bellagio is a destination of many people every day but it's also a fine representative of the beautiful warm colours Italy has to offer.  Enjoy these wonderful colours of Bellagio... The popular streets for shopping in Bellagio. See my Cortona Colours here

So my friends at the office decided I needed a little luncheon for my retirement...yes, I'm giving up my love of teaching and administration after 39 years (wow!).  So they know my taste...everything Italian...wine, pasta, and pizzelles.  My Aunt Teresa, the baker, made pizzelle cookies forever until she passed and now cousin Jo now has taken on this tradition. Speaking of pasta and wine, my favorites, chill up a bottle of Pinot Grigio and let's talk a little pasta... Oops, it doesn't have to be THAT chilled... This is better....the girls didn't know this is my favorite! Have a little wine as you work your magic in the kitchen--and add a little to the sauce as you go.  If I've learned anything over the years about cooking and eating, it's all about the personal tastes.  My husband loves spicy flavors.  Fresh ingredients are so healthy and delicious but they don't always provide the best spice to a dish.  So I add dried Italian seas...

Another great Pinterest idea for those wine cork products.   See my other cork products here .

This is the glorious statue of David in Florence.   It was absolutely worth seeing if you go to Florence.  Recently however, there's been a post on social media showing the USA David in a less than flattering way.  So here is the USA David: I suppose we must show a sense of humor!

A little departure from the norm today with Chicken Parm that I recently cooked up in the kitchen. Parmesan cheese is one of my favorite cheeses to use for dishes.  To come up with an easy breezy Ciao recipe, I actually studied a variety of recipes to create this one.  Here's how the process looked...    Here's what I used for ingredients: 6 boneless chicken breasts 3 tbs. olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup bread crumbs (panko or herb style) 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Fresh ground pepper and sea salt for flavor Chili flakes (optional) Box fettuccine Bottled pasta sauce if you don't have time to make one Grated mozzarella 6 Fresh basil leaves or sprinkles of dried basil (use less dried) Prep: Place the minced garlic with the olive oil in a plastic gallon bag to start the fusion process.  Place each piece of chicken in another plastic bag and tenderize with mallet until thin, repeat for each piece Mi...