La Dolce Vita

The way people live in Garda is how I always imagined people in Italy to live. The key to la dolce vita? Wine! Lots of wine, at any hour of the day. My friend Giampiero and his lovely fiancee, Eva, (and their dog, Alisea) graciously took Andy and I into their Lake Garda home and showed us the true Italian way of living. It goes a little something like this:

Start your morning off around 9AM with a fresh cup of coffee made from a delicious coffee bean, preferrably Lavazza. Accompany this with your choice of organic yogurt with fruit or maybe a biscuit or two. Now the key to doing this is drinking slowly and savoring every sip. Maybe do this on a deck or in an outdoor area or at the very least with a window open so as to enjoy the fresh morning air on your just awoken face. If you have in your company a friendly canine, it is always enjoyably to pet and play with said canine.

Take your time getting ready to do most nothing. Lay around, lounge around, laze around. You get the idea. When you are feeling ready enough head into town around midday and take in apertivo with the local crowd. Now, this is probably my most favorite part of any day in Italy. Apertivo is not so much a meal as it is more of a reason for drinking with friends in the middle of the day. You sit down and order Prosecco, because that is what you do at apertivo. Accompanying this glass of bubbly are little snacks such as peanuts, chips, and hard pieces of bread with extrav virgin olive oil drizzled on top. As you much and drink your one to three glasses, you chit-chat with friends you haven't seen since yesterday at apertivo and comment on various topics. However, the most favored topic is, of course, food itself.

By now you should be feeling happy with maybe a little bounce in your step, possibly attributed to the bubbles of the Prosecco...This is the part of the day, around 2 or 3PM, where you head back to your house and prepare the meal of the day. Start it off with some wine, then a starter of a fresh squid salad maybe and then throw in fresh pasta with delicious sauces of ragu or a funghi melody courtesy of a true stereotypical Italian man*. All the while, make sure your glass is nice and full and savor it with your heaping portions of everything. Finish off with something like dates or cheese and homemade fig jam (which is stellar, by the way!). As an after lunch drink, have another fresh cup of coffee but this time add some Italian brandy and sit back and let the digestion start. Continue talking about food and argue about the way to properly prepare a ragu. If you get the ever so special opportunity to do this on a deck sheltered from, but still able to hear, smell, and experience, the rain, I highly recommend it. It is the proper way, I believe.

What next? A nap. Most definitely.

After a few hours, get up leisurely, and go back into town and walk around. Take in the tourists thinking they are doing it right but knowing all the while they are not even close. Enjoy the local bands playing blues and jazz and chat with other friends that you haven't seen in a few hours. Maybe walk along the pier and take in the gorgeous sights on the lake and the mountains jutting up and creating the dramatic scenery.

Now, you can either go to a local restaurant and get a delicious arrabiata pizza and wash it down with another glass(es) of wine and top it off with limoncello and superb gelato that will make you think you've died and gone to heaven or you can head back to your house, prepare a salad and fresh tortellini with olive oil and parmesan cheese and have a more laid back meal. However, both should be smaller than your massive meal at midday but never falter in quality or taste. And both should be just as relaxing and easy going.

Maybe before you go to bed, have another glass of wine. Totally up to you though. Stay up late talking with close friends, regardless where this occurs and then get up in the morning and repeat.

* A true stereotypical Italian man is one that talks more with his hands than with his mouth. He need not say anything and yet things are more clear than if he were trying to speak. He bangs the table and offers wine almost at very breath; His topic of conversation is food and how to prepare it properly. He is older, large around the belly (only to show his passion for food, of course) and smokes almost as often as he his drinking out of his wine glass.

This is what I have learned from my one weekend with such great people. I want to thank Gianp, Eva, Giuseppe (the amazing cook of sauces and fresh squid salad!) and Gianp's uncle all of whom made my stay in Garda one that I will cherish and remember the rest of my life! Words to live by following this weekend... Dolce far niente. Enjoy the road your on and life as it is happening because it is all happening right now. Italy has been amazing. Every year I visit, it gets better and better, just like a fine Italian wine. So wonderful and just a perfect way to end my Italy part of my trip. So, ciao Italy, until next time...

What next? Well, I think I've had my share of wine. Now, I think it's time for some delicious beer drinking in the great country of Germany! Until my next post...Ciao e bacini