Food, glorious food!

How many times have we been on holiday, and upon our return tell our friends: the weather fantastic, the food was great, and the people were friendly? Well, in Italy these are all understatements. So much has already been said about Italian food, that to say something new is virtually impossible.

However, it is possible to do something new: go to a "Sagra". There's a good website called www.prodottitipici.com which, if you subscribe to their free newsletter will list all the upcoming Sagre for the season. Probably, the most enjoyable are those held in summer in the public piazzas where you can mix with the locals and eat local produce, which is usually genuine home-grown and very fresh.

Lazio, with it's soothing microclimate offers some of the finest fruit and vegetables, varying from the "fragoline di bosco" (forest strawberries) of Lake Nemi in Castelli Romani, to the "porcini" mushrooms and olive oil of the Tuscia. Magnificent game can be tasted during the "festa dei cacciatori" in Capranica or Maremma beef in Monte Romano.

All this and more will give added flavour to your holiday, and maybe, if you're lucky you'll make some new friends too. Another real life cross-cultural experience possible with a little help from Intrinsics to enjoy the pleasures of slow travel. Feel free to ask questions by contributing to the blog.