Sticky Boy and Italian Food!

First stop on the food tour of Naples, Da Michele's pizza.  Yes, this is THE place from the book/movie "Eat, Pray, Love"!  Yes, it totally lived up to the hype and is quite possibly the best pizza around.  Then again, most of the pizza here in Naples is the best pizza.  There is something about the fresh ingredients, the wood-fire oven, and the love going into each pie.  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!  We arrived thinking it was the early afternoon, surly the line wouldn't be too long and we could grab a table no problem.  Ha ha ha, it was a 2 hour wait and with 3 kids, 4 adults who were hungry, we decided to wait in line to get pizza to-go.  Not quite the same, will go back to get a table and enjoy eating at a table.  It was still fun to be there and see all the people who had come from all over just to get this famous pizza.

Second stop, a coffee roaster, Cafe Barbera.  The oldest family run roaster in Italy, started in Sicily, Domenico was known as the magician, because of the aroma of the roasting was something the locals hadn't smelt before.  In the late 1940s, the family came to Naples and started to mass product their beans.  Each generation has taken coffee roasting to the next level.  With the 5th generation opening up cafes worldwide and winning many awards.  Here is Jr. (who is not only easy on the eyes, makes a GREAT cafe) checking ME out!  After explaining who I am and Close To My Heart, he wanted to take a picture withe me.  It was a fun tour and the smell was truly magical, not to mention a bit of a high.  :)

Last stop, was Mr. Pete's garden.  This is the lot that I live next to here in Licola and is farmed by the nicest man Pete.   As the kids call him, Mr. Pete and Mrs. Maria are our neighbors living down the street and are alway bringing us over treats.  We provide them with American baked foods, they give us fruit and veggies.  It's a win-win for us all!  Its so nice to see all their hard work paying off and the dinners we have made with their veggies have been some of the best food I've ever made.  

It's not a bad live I live here in Italy.  Next week, I'll be going to find a friend to share my travel experiences with at the Close To My Heart Convention.  It's the event of the year and I wouldn't miss it!  See you all soon!!!

Sticky Boy's Memorial Day Weekend

OK, so it was a few weeks ago now and the "unofficial" start of summer.  All I can say is that we have been busy with the end of school, the upcoming CTMH convention, and potty training The Dude.  Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Calabrian region of Italy, along the Ionian Sea.  It was a bit windy, not too hot yet.  It was a great weekend to just relax, have a drink by the pool, and let the kids play.

We (being a military family) never forget the true meaning of Memorial Day... we have too many friends to remember, who are always in our hearts and their families are in our daily prayers.  It takes being in a foreign country to really appreciate how lucky we are as Americans.  Until next time, Sticky Boy has been enjoying some yummy Italian food and experiencing some awesome local events.  If I can get my act together, I'll get that posted before he and I go across the pond to hopefully find a friend at the Convention.  Fingers crossed!