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This is a typical breakfast at Casa Gregorio. It changes daily but we can always expect delicious choices, along with an espresso, macchiato, fresh juices, and a large variety of teas. We sat out on the patio to enjoy the vista, and great conversation.

Today, instead of going to a premium coffee roaster, we went to a shop/restaurant that specializes in curing and cutting all kinds of pork products. Plus, they have many varieties of cheeses, pastas, and truffle products. It is a very special place and Palma, our host and guide, is the fourth generation in her family to lead the business. She, her sister, and her mother head the company after her great-grandfather started the business many decades ago.

They do not grow their own pigs, but get the hind quarters from a variety of growers, where they prepare the meat, cure it, and hang it in refrigerated rooms for as long as a year or more. Some of the legs are de-boned, some are bone-in. They come from regular pigs and some from black pigs, which are much larger.

After learning about the business of making top-of-line pork products, we had a delicious lunch, creating a charcuterie plate with the many choices on the table. And just when we thought the meal could not get better, we headed to a nearby gelato store that made the most unique flavors. Of course, we still had room for gelato! Pistachio is my favorite but since Jim and I share a small cup of gelato, we have two flavors in the cup – one side with pistachio and the other with a different flavor – in this case, vanilla.

Now it was time to return to Casa Gregorio to begin our cooking class. We started making mini-meatballs for the Italian wedding soup. Then, we learned how to make a variety of pastas, which is the typical first course for an Italian dinner. We made a semolina and and an egg dough, which was made into different types of pasta, with help from an electric pasta rollers. The dough can be used for a variety of pastas, including, lasagne and fresh spaghetti. We had a great time creating these popular kinds of pasta and an even better time enjoying them for dinner. The cream puff dessert was amazing.

It was another wonderful day. Tomorrow, we will focus on wines and making the secondi piatti.

Breakfast was again an event, with many quiches, fresh fruit, and mini-sandwiches. Off to the market, which was not huge but quite busy. The veggies and fruit looked good. There was a profusion of olives, and the fish was very different than we have in Mexico. We also found lots of clothing stalls and other stalls carrying doodads for the house.

Next, we went to a local cheese maker for taste the Buffalo mozzarella and provolone they made. They raise water buffalo, which we visited behind the store. The babies were adorable, but one wanted to lick me. I had finally get away from that precocious baby! The cheeses were unique and delicious. Bufalo mozzarella is prized in Italy and a very special ingredient in all kinds of dishes, including pizza.

We had lunch at a local trattoria in Terracina. We had our choice of pasta with a tomato/sausage sauce, or a white sauce with truffles. Jim and I each got one of the pastas and did a taste test. The truffle sauce on the pasta was a hands-own winner. We had a short shop at the cathedral, which is very simple, even stark, but had its own charm.

After our many stops, we returned to the Casa for a little rest before starting our next cooking class, a variety of antipasti. Italian meals usually start with an antipasto, then a primi, a secondi, sometimes a salad (to cleanse the palette), and dessert, of course.

We made sausage-stuffed mushrooms, bruscheta, arancini (rice in various shapes and deep-fried, grilled peppers, grilled zucchini and egplant, various cheeses and eggplant. The versatile dough we used to make the pasta is made by rolling it on a gnocchi board. It made it so easy and can be used to make gnocchi. We were served all these delicious treats before we started to eat dinner. Easy and delicious.

So, what did we have for dinner this night? We had a focaccia,, a platter of the various antipasti,, our pasta in a delightful Bolognese sauce, with tiramisu to round out the meal. We ate it all!