The Stokley Girls go to Italy

Mom and I at the Coliseum in Rome, Italy

Last year, We kicked off our Stokley Girls travel tradition in Paris, a beautiful city for a beautiful start. This year, we planned a road trip through Italy, starting in Rome and ending in Florence with a few stops along the Chiani Highway and one sidebar to Cinque Terre.

Itinerary
Day 1, 2 - Rome
Day 3, 4, 5 - Chianti
Day 5, 6, 7 - Florence

Trip Goals
• Lay eyes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome
• Walk around inside the Coliseum in Rome
• Enjoy a picnic in a Roman park
• Eat all the gelato in Italy

• Night time taxi cruises of the sites - a tradition!
• Hot air balloon ride in the Chianti wine region
• Lots of bike riding around the Chianti wine region with stops at castles, vineyards and churches
• Day trips to Sienna and Cinque Terre
• Italian cooking class - also a tradition!
• Walk between villages of Cinque Terre
• Take photos of Cinque Terre from a boat
• Visit museums in Florence
• Drink espresso, the kind with the foam on top
• Take amazing pictures with my new camera, including one of us holing up the leaning tower of Piza
• Blog along the way

Blog Posts
The Stokley Girls go to Italy

Links

Fortyseven Hotel - Hotel in Rome
Castello di Spaltenna - Castle/hotel along Chianti Highway
NH Porta Rossa - Hotel in Florence
Driver in Italy - Recommended driver/tour guide

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Prosciutto and Melon

The first time I tried prosciutto and melon, I was sitting at the kitchen table of Elise Pierce, the Cowgirl Chef, for a French-Tex cooking lesson during our mother/daughter trip to Paris. Just prosciutto, melon and olive oil. I fell in love, but I didn't dare recreate it in the small east Texas town of Nacogdoches, where I live. It just didn't seem like I would find good prosciutto, like you mind not find good seafood in Montana or quality snapper in the Caribbean. 

The second time I tried prosciutto and melon, I was underneath a poolside cabana with my family in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, only a few feet from the beach and the shaded hammock where I spent the morning reading a book. This time, the prosciutto and melon were served with olive oil, capers, grated parmesan cheese and wedges of lime. I fell in love all over again.

The third time I tried the dish, I was at home. In the midst of a craving, I purchased prepackaged prosciutto from Kroger, added parmesan cheese and capers as well as lemon flavored olive oil and orange flavored vinegar from the Texas Olive Ranch. (Side note: this is amazing olive oil, even the regular olive oil they make is amazing. I bought it at a street market in Gruene, TX but recently saw it at Central Market in Houston). And again, I was smitten. 

I'm looking forward to our mother/daughter trip to Italy for many reasons, but one of those reason is that I think quality prosciutto and melon will be readily available. 

Also, after writing this post, I now know how to spell prosciutto. 

Have you fallen in love with a dish while on vacation? Is there a meal you've tried to recreate at home? 

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