We’re having a lovely time under the Tuscan sun! We’ve enjoyed a week of sunshine and so much deliciousness, coming home to the beautiful villa with its lovely infinity pool after a magnificent taste of Florence food tour. At the villa, we are delighting in simple foods, easily prepared.

My current favorite is mortadella. You can find it in America, but quite frankly it is a little more magnificent in Italy. I pretty much want to eat it at every meal!

Mortadella is perfect as is on a little individual charcuterie lunch plate including mozzarella, arugula, and bits of fruit and vegetables, but it also makes a truly amazing sandwich.

It’s a large Italian sausage or luncheon meat made of finely hashed or ground heat-cured pork, including at least 15% small cubes of pork fat. It’s traditionally flavored with black pepper grains, but modern versions also use pistachios or, more rarely, myrtle berries.

In America, this deliciousness has been reduced to more of a bologna, which is not surprising since mortadella originated in the Italian city of Bologna. It goes back to 1661!

I’m having a fantastic time, and I hope you’re following along virtually on my Instagram posts and stories. I love sharing our adventures with you! Let’s all savor life and appreciate the little wins.