First week in italy

I arrived safely at lamezze airport on Sunday and came to the hotel in Staletti for our welcome dinner!
I was greeted with an assortment of food like i have seen in very few other places and i can tell you, honestly, it was some of the best food i have had in my entire life! Anti-pasta, which consisted of at least 15 different bite size pieces served with Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine for those who dont know). I was told at this time that i should learn to eat like an Italian and Italians never eat on an empty stomach! We then had the primi which was spaghetti with a classic pomodoro salsa, served with a choice of red wine (vino rosso), white wine (vino bianco) or prosecco! After that we had panne (bread), salad, roast potatoes, pork sausage and pork chops! Oh ja, dont forget the wonderful wine that never stopped coming! THEN when we all thought it couldnt get much better we were served gelato! Hazelnut and bananna gelato! For those of you who have had the pleasure of experiencing REAL gelato, you know what im talking about, but im sorry to say and sad to report you still have not experienced gelato until you taste Chef Sabrina's gelato! Something that i hope to recreate soon! This amazing culinary evening ended with espresso and Apperetivo! And for those of you who know me, you know i love my jager agter a meal!

We started class on monday and tasted cheese! Now not cheese tasting like im used to! EVERY tpe of italian cheese! I stopped counting when we reach 18! some of these were good, some great and some absolutely mind-blowing! One that i still cant get enough of is Burrata... It is made in Puglia and is a sheet of bufallo mozzerella filled with pieces of chopped up buffalo mozzerella AND THEN filled with heavy cream and closed up! I have not found a word that can decribe the beauty and perfection of Burrata!!! We yhen tasted olive oils (extra virgin of course) and i now know what i want in the oil i will use in my cooking! We had a salt tasting and for lunch a cold meat tasting! YES, after all that we still ate lunch! Beautiful, home-made cold meats! Everything you can imagine, everything you want and more!

We have made every type of pasta from both North and South italy and eaten it all! I am in love with pasta! Every kind, every type and every flavour! The one myth that i belived with my whole heart has been proven to be just that.... A myth... ITALIANS DONT EAT GARLIC!!!! They'll infuse it into ol and use the oil, but never the actual garlic!who knew?! But as Chef John says..... "italian kiss each other!"

Yesterday we went to Sicily, to the town of Taormina, right next to mount Edna (italian spelling) and i am in love! I know i will fall in love with many other places in italy, but WOW!!! Toarmina is beauty that i have seen very few place! There is an amphitheater which the greeks built and then the romans built on top of it and now it is open for us to see! But a day in Taormina is not enough, so i will be going back next week! And i cant wait!
On the way home we got Canolli.... And if i can tell you one thing... When you ever go to sicily, stop in Messina, at a Canolli Labratory and you will see what im talking about!!!! There is a reason it is called a labratory! En soos hulle in afrikaans se... BEF*k!

That all ive got for now!
Xxx