Somedays I Really Miss the World’s Best Trucker Restaurant

And the world’s best trucker restaurant is, of course, Mastro Dante, right off the E35 in the Upper Tiber Valley in Italy. Big plates of pasta, mighty mouthfuls of meat (if you partake), a bottle of wine per person, and the most fantastic antipasti bar:

all for a mere 12 Euro. Dang, I wish I could roll up there for lunch today.

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*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Marianne’s Antique Pasta Roller

In Col di Rosa (our landlords Marianne and Andrew’s wonderful house outside of the town of San Leo Bastia), there is not only a lovely separate apartment that you can rent (if you visit Italian rental site Amici Villas, that is) but also the possibility that you might get invited upstairs for a meal cooked by Marianne. I’ve detailed one we had here, but didn’t talk enough about how amazing the kitchen/dining room is, packed with intriguing pieces like this antique pasta maker:

I probably didn’t talk enough about how wonderful a cook Marianne is, either, but really, you should go over to Italy and discover that for yourself.

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Caramel Panacotta at al Frantoio

In honor of Nat bringing Bella Cinghiale (which was her Italy blog) back up and running, and with a focus on delicious pictures of scrumptious sweeter treats (most of which she makes her-own-self mind you), here’s a pic of a wonderful dessert we shared at the restaurant al Frantoio in Assisi, a caramel panacotta that was just over-the-top tasty:

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*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

A Boar for a Birthday Husky Boy

One of the few sad thing about our Italian pre-tirement was the folks that couldn’t make it to visit, including pal Jeremy Holt (though, for full disclosure, he and his wife Megan were with us on our first trip to the Upper Tiber Valley, and another one too, so we have had the pleasure of hanging out with them in Italy). Jeremy’s not only a great pal, but also the co-author and omnivorous half of Double Take, and is mighty fond of the pork products. And, it’s his birthday today, so I wanted to invite a large member of the Italian pork family to send along birthday wishes:

Happy birthday Husky Boy! May your glass and plate never be empty.

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Castiglione del Lago in Fog

This view of Castiglione del Lago (the mountain town that boasts not only a full castle to walk through, but also the dandy Cantina restaurant and Nat’s Italian dentist) I believe was taken from Isola Maggiore on Lake Trasimeno.  Doesn’t it look adorably medieval in a way:

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Truffle Risotto at Il Granaro del Monte in Norcia

I always meant to do a full Il Granaro del Monte (the restaurant in the Grotta Azzurra hotel in Norcia) post, but just never got around to it. We went there with pal Shane Farmer way back when, when he visited us during our pre-tirement, and I did post one pic of his meat plate, but skipped everything else had there, including the tasty truffle risotto, which is what I had. It was different than many risottos, in that it had big chunks of cheese mixed in, as well as truffle shavings on top. Yummy:

*See all Italian restaurants

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Crowned Eagle in Ravenna

Following up the below bird-art-in-Ravenna theme, here’s a picture of this amazing crowned eagle statue which was perched in the Dante neighborhood (if I’m remembering correct). This pic also shows in beautiful blue fashion how pretty our day was in Ravenna, with clear skies to go along with the avian art:

 *Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.