WE'RE IN SINGLE DIGITS!

Nine days, folks! And I've finally completed our itinerary, printed our cruise documents, added our passport info to everything, and purchased some fancy (cheap) ziploc tags from amazon made for cruise luggage tags!

Here are a few things I learned in my google adventures:

FOOD WE MUST EAT

-Gelato. Every. Day. “produzione propria” and “artigianale” mean it’s made on-site the old-fashioned way with natural ingredients (NO bright green mint or pistachio) 

-All the pasta

-Pizza! – Eat it with your hands, in a pizzeria cut the pizza into slices and then eat by hand

-Focaccia

-Tiramisu

-Zeppoli (a street food) - fried dough topped with sugar or filled with jelly, custard, pastry cream and even chocolate

-Panelle (another street food) - chickpea polenta cut into thick slices and fried in olive oil, topped with pecorino romano or a squeeze of lemon

-Risotto (apparently Venice has the best risotto!)

-Gnocchi

-Ravioli

-Prosciutto (Not for me, it’s meat!)

TIPS:

1. PRIMO (first course) is usually vegetarian, SECONDO (second course) is almost always a meat

2. Order wine with a meal... beer & soda with pizza! It’s listed as un bicchiere (a glass) but can also be ordered un quarto (a quart - a jug), even if only bottles are listed

3. Mineral water comes natural (normal) or frizzante (fizzy) – tap water is not common and soda is expensive (the same price as that un quarto of wine) 

4. Tipping is optional (just round up your bill) & people don’t eat dinner until 1930 or 2000.

5. Fare la scarpetta! “Make a little shoe!” … When given bread you eat it after your meal by [squeezing it into the shape of a shoe?] using it to soak up your sauce after all of your noodles are gone.

Hopefully I can remember some Italian (I have not been practicing) :/

I look forward to sharing our first photos!

Arrivederci!