We came across quite a few Italian places along the way from Victoria Station to our destination.

Firstly La Bottega – The Italian Delicatessen

25 Eccleston St  City of Westminster, London SW1W 9NP
020 7730 2730

La Bottega Del San Lorenzo

23 Beauchamp Pl  London SW3 1NH
020 7591 0074

Divertimenti – a kitchen ware shop and cookery school

27-229 Brompton Rd
London
020 7581 8065

Orsini Caffé

8A Thurloe Pl, London, Greater London SW7 2RX

020 7581 5553

Plenty of places to go back to and explore.

This is what I made.

To one side was the diced chicken.

Then in a bowl my friend put in two egg yolks, the grated rind of a lemon and about two tablespoons of finely diced parsley.

I cooked the chicken in a frying pan with some oil and towards the end my friend added a bit of water.

Then my friend added the cooked chicken to the bowl with the egg mixture and then we sat down to eat.

It was absolutely delicious – so simple and so tasty.  My son had seconds (that is always a great sign).

My friend said to me that this method is usually used with lamb, but that it would be suitable for chicken.  I can certainly give a positive response to that, as there were no leftovers whatsoever.

When I was presented with the opportunity to promote some Italian recipes and amongst them was a bruschetta one, I was very keen.

Bruschetta con crema di funghi, prosciutto e Grana Padano

The following recipe makes 3 bruschette

Ingredients:

350g mushrooms, sliced

50ml extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

2 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

Salt and black pepper

50ml double cream

20g butter

3 slices of pugliese bread 1cm thick, toasted

3 thin slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele

12 shavings of Grana Padano Cheese

Method:

· Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat and when hot, add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Fry for just a minute and then add the mushrooms.

· Cook on a high heat, tossing or stirring frequently. When the water from the mushrooms has evaporated, and they have become browned and slightly crisp, they are ready.

· Allow mushrooms to cool then puree with a blender or food processor, adding cream and butter, then return to the heat and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, checking the seasoning.

· Spread mushroom puree over toasted bruschetta then place San Daniele slices and Grana Padano shavings on top to serve.

Recipes created by Giancarlo Caldesi for the Italian Consortiums of Grana Padano Cheese and Prosciutto di San Daniele, to promote Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products

For more information and suggestions on how to enjoy Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano Cheese, including recipes from the renowned chef, Giancarlo Caldesi, visit www.prosciuttosandaniele.it and www.granapadano.it.

Disclaimer: I used another type of prosciutto from Parma as San Daniele was not stocked in the supermarket where I did my shopping.  I did use Grana Padano cheese.  I also doubled the ingredients.

This recipe was absolutely delicious and my family loved it (apart from my non-loving mushroom son who contented himself with the extra prosciutto in a bread roll).

This is a joint post.  My dad provided the photos and I have assisted with the captions.

Guests at the B&B arrived in natty (Dutch?) vehicles and also on push bikes.

Fontana di San Giacomo

bar seating near the duomo of Tuscania, San Giacomo

The Rivellino Theatre and part of the comune

Torre di Lavello and entrance to the park

via Roma, Tuscania

I (Cathy) will comment on this last photo.  My Dad was on holidays, but we still had to get on with those day to day tasks like recycling, and he came to help me.

For those that have enjoyed my Dad’s guest posts on An Italophile, he now has his own blog, which can be found at An Evolving Scientist.

Cosa Archaeological Museum is set on the ancient Latin colony of Cosa, founded in 273BC.   It was founded by the Italian Government and the American Academy of Rome in 1981, and has been developed since. It is open all year, but it is not all that easy to find. It is near the modern town of Orbetello in south-western Lazio.

The car has to be left outside “the complex” and the day we visited, there was one other car parked ahead of us.

The museum contains excellent models showing the relationship of Cosa to the coastal town as well as what the buildings probably looked like.

The museum contains a number of artifacts discovered in the immediate area and nearby.

There are not many signposts around the ruins, so the map provided at the Museum is vital to both identification of the buildings and finding a way back to the car!

It is very obvious why the site was chosen, as it commands views in all directions including along the coastline as a protection from invasion by sea.

In this last picture of the ruins, a roof has been provided to preserve the mosaic floors that have been revealed by the archeologists.

The gardener in me had cause to wonder about the occasional flowers on this otherwise fairly neglected site – birds maybe?

One could but smile at the contrasts of an ancient olive tree amid these ancient walls and a seemingly out-of-place 20^th century antenna.

Built on the site of an Etruscan temple, the Basilica di San Pietro dominates views from many vantage points in the mediaeval town of Tuscania.

Scholars argue whether it was begun in the 8th or 11th century, most of the building occurred in the 12th century, although various visiting Popes provided funds for extensions and renovations in later centuries. It is very popular for weddings, even though there are thirteen churches inside the walls of the town, and another four outside the walls.

Being a keen gardener, he naturally gravitated to taking photos of the plant selling stalls.

The market takes place every Friday and is centrally located being set up in time to catch parents on their way to school, and packed away as the parents come back to get their kids at lunch time.

The quality of the fruit and vegetables is excellent.

One is immediately struck by the abundance of Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) in full bloom.

The brilliant display and pleasant perfume are only hazardous for the hay fever sufferer!

La Torre di Lavello – Trattoria/ Pizzeria, historic centre, Tuscania

Bar Gelateria Falleroni, Tuscania

Last year I had a lesson on fresh pasta making from my neighbour in Italy.

What we did do on some occasions was go to a local pasta fresca (fresh pasta) shop and buy something.

There are some types on display, and then you can also ask specifically for pasta, as we did on this particular occasion.

Do you have a favourite pasta shape?

This post I’m focusing on winter scenes in Tuscania (a town in northern Lazio).