Our First Adventures in Italy

 

We finally made it off base a few times!

We have been to a Mozzarella farm tour, out to dinner with friends, and to a historic Royal Palace in Caserta. 

The Mozzarella farm tour was through a base service, and we took a bus with a tour guide to the farm. The farm was a true, working farm with water buffalo on it. We were walked through the process of the care of the buffalo, and then the making of the cheese. Hubs was even able to stretch and form a mozzarella ball. Afterwards, we were treated to some fresh mozzarella di bufala, ricotta, and bought some wine to have with it. It was obviously delicious! Baby E really enjoyed it. A was not as thrilled to try new foods, but had a fun time running around in the open spaces on the farm with some other kids and the farm dogs. 

The farm's ancient home

We were greeted by these lovely swings hanging from a cork tree in the front courtyard

The water buffalo were very curious about us

A got to feed a calf!

We tried fresh mozzarella, ricotta with honey, and some buffalo salame

Our next time out, we were invited to dinner at a restaurant nearby. I honestly don't even know what the place was called, but the wine was flowing, the bread they served was amazing, and our meals were delicious. It was the glimpse of Italian living we needed, as we were still in temp lodging and feeling pretty antsy on base!

octupus- it was firm and delicious

A had a margharita pizza

The cutest tiramisu

I took a quick day trip with a new friend to a grocery store and a little café with American breakfast food. Anyone who knows me, knows I like to center myself in a new place by visiting a local store. Local places give you a better sense of the people and what is popular in the area. It made me feel so much more grounded and less anxious to take this little trip. That friend gave me a peace of mind that day bigger than she could have known, and my heart will never forget it.

Cappuccinos at Coffee Point 

Lastly, we visited a historic Royal Palace. The Reggia Caserta is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and shows off the fabulous wealth of the royalty of Southern Italy, dating back to the 18th century. Also, there were some scenes from Star Wars shot here! We toured the grounds, gardens and ponds, and the Royal apartments which included a throne room. It was a good way to see how much older Italy is than anywhere we've been in America, and also beautiful. Hubs and I love learning from museums and historic sites, and the boys were able to stretch their legs a little as we walked a lot!

We ended this last adventure with a trip to Coffee Point which is a café connected to a fuel station that serves American breakfast food.

Fair winds,

- Big A⚓