Chef Berman writes: A busy day! We started with our first language class at 09:30. What a blast! We quickly moved through the useful grammar and pronunciation and went right into the food verbiage. Now we can actually order our dinner and not merely hope for the best when we dine out. Following the class, we moved to Le Cuccelo (The Snail) for another class on pizza making. Different from yesterday, we worked with a wood-fired oven using traditional (translation: no measurements/weights) methods to assemble the ingredients. Seeing two different methods in as many days has been a great learning experience. The sampling is even better. Our very generous instructors insist on showing us many toppings and their own personal favorites, all of which we get to eat following the classes... you will hear no complaining. To top it off, lunch was served at the convent immediately following the pizza class. We feasted on pasta dressed with 'salsa di spinachi con prosciutto' and 'involvtini,' little rolls of beef with even more prosciutto and zucchini nestled inside, green salad (that rivals ANY salad, anywhere!) and mixed vegetables from the convent's garden. The meals at the convent have all been simple, delicious and exactly what you would expect dining in this region. No pretension and twice the flavor!
We have a museum visit in about an hour, which is a welcome repast given the extremely warm weather. Like much of Europe, many folks take sanctuary in their homes during the hot afternoons. So, we too, shall take refuge in the museum.
Tomorrow, we travel to San Benedetto for the market. Our trip takes us down a winding, two-lane mountain road, overlooking the valley leading to the Adriatic coast, festooned with grape vines and olive trees. Ciao a Tutti! (I think that's hoe you say it)
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