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August 3, 2010
Italy: Making Perfect Pizza—and Wonderful Memories
During one of our visits to Sicily, Alan and I rented a house from a local couple. One night, our landlords invited us over for dinner—and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable moments of our trip! Despite the fact that we didn’t speak much Italian—and our hosts knew little English—we spent a wonderful evening together, relying on plenty of smiles and hand gestures (and the pocket-sized Italian-English dictionary I’d brought with me) to communicate.
Together, the wife and I made pizza: She taught me how to roll out the dough, bake the crust in a small brick oven, and then top it with just the right amount of tomato sauce, olives, and cheese. Her husband brought out a jug of homemade wine, and the four of us sat down to enjoy a leisurely, laughter-filled meal. (Interestingly, the more wine we drank, the better we all seemed to communicate!) The pizza was some of the best I’ve ever eaten—and I’m sure its flavor was enhanced by the fact that we’d had so much fun making it in her kitchen.
In your own travels, have you ever enjoyed a special meal with local residents? If so, I’d love to hear more about your experience. You can share your thoughts with others by posting your comments below this Journal entry, or you can email me directly at
In the coming weeks, we’ll be featuring Eastern Europe, Holland and Belgium and our River Cruises along the Rhine, Main, and Danube. If you’ve explored any—or all!—of these fascinating destinations with Grand Circle, I hope you’ll send your stories and pictures to me at harriet@gct.com.
Harriet Lewis