Diet later: Rome and Tuscany food

Who gave us the best advice before we left on our trip to Italy? It was from my father. And boy was he right. He told me to diet later and enjoy every piece of Italian food I could get my hands on. I have to say that I took his advice literally and breathed a little deeper to make more room for the amazing gelato and perfection pasta.

Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: Rome: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World. Try cooking some authentic Italian recipes at home with this cookbook.

Tiramisu has always been my favorite, but I learned something new in Rome about this classic dessert. We can make our tiramisu with fruit. You can use whatever is in season like juicy strawberries, blueberries or even mango.

Finger foods and appetizers complimented most of our four course Italian meals. Here are some bruschetta pieces and olive oil mushrooms. These first course examples helped encourage my pallet to wake up for the main course.

Oh amazing gelato...where have you been my entire life? Plus I loved how we got to choose two types of gelato that complimented one other. And most of the gelato places believed that they had the best gelato in Italy. So I had to try them all, right sweetie?

And we discovered what pizza was meant to taste like in Rome. Napoli pizza and pizza bianca eaten folded over is still calling to me. All of the pizza had fresh ingredients, thinner crust, basil, fresh tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and was cooked to perfection. We're trying to recreate it at home. I'll let you know how we do!

It wouldn't be a honeymoon in Tuscany without wine tasting some Brunello wine. We stayed in a sleepy, cobblestone and lovely town called Montalcino which is famous for their brunello's. The residents even cook with this wine and braise beef and chicken in it. Yum!



Dieting later was a wonderful way of encouraging us to let go and enjoy. To live in the moment and enjoy all Italy had to offer. Good food, wine, dessert, music, fashion and people surrounded us. And I would travel back in a second. Do you agree with my father's advice to us?