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Hot off the presses, bucket list #2:  Appear on the Italian news.

A week in Italian for the youngest Italian Children

Ok, so technically we’re not on the news, we’re in the news, and technically our names aren’t in the article, nor does it mention anything about how freaking cool Jet Set Zero is.  But last week our faces made it into Arezzo’s Nuovo Coriere Aretino newspaper.  That sort of counts for a bucket list win.   I’m on the far left holding the stars and stripes and Lynne’s on the far right, stuck holding the English flag.  Seems Scotlish pride was cut from the budget this year.

We’re not giving up on this BL item yet.  Sarah and Perrin are shaking things up at a nunnery in Salerno, while Lynne and I are stalking jornalists in Nettuno.  If all else fails, we may just have to sneak into Rai.  Stay close.

Slimy bologna sandwich? Soggy pb&j? Anyone? Bueler? Didn’t think so.

Brown bag lunches may be a fixture of Americana but we’ve got a lot to learn from the Italians on the art of the gourmet bag lunch. In Arezzo I was packed five mind-blowing meals to take to my job as a teacher. The only indication that they weren’t from a nearby restaurant was the Tupperware.

The size of our Tuscan childrens’ lunch bags should have tipped us off that we’re in for something big. And we were: Proscuitto with melon, fresh mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes, farro salad, and zucchini stuffed with meat and cheese. Thanks Host Mom, Giulia!!

the gourmet Italian brown bag

zucchini stuffed with meat and cheese

Prosiutto and Melon

Fresh Mozzarella & Pomodorini with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt