I am in love. But it is a bit more complicated than that. It’s a love not from finding my dream travel job. It’s a love that no matter how bad it gets – the late night fights, the occasional cheating with the fast and unhealthy sirens who call when you have had too much vino rosso – it never wanes. It’s a love that even if it looks rotten on the outside – it isn’t – there just aren’t any preservatives to step in the way between you and your love. It’s a love that you must tend to daily. You can’t pay for it a month in advance and use it callously whenever you fancy. It must be earned, each and everyday. It is the kind of love that even when blonde office girls who work tirelessly late into night to seduce all your senses, tickle your tastebuds, and whisper multiple languages into your ear as they scratch your back and scream Mama Mia – can’t lead you astray (for long) – without that lust and craving returning for your one and only. But it is a love that when treated with care. When treated with respect. When treated with the attention it deserves – it is something that truly makes life worth living. And I am of course talking about my love affair with Italian food. Simple, fresh, and most importantly – made in Italy. But don’t let me tell you. Let me show you where this love began – on a food tour in Campo de’Fiori, Rome.
A Day at the Campo de’ Fiori Market
Assortment of fresh Italian vegetables at Campo de’ Fiori
Zucca – a Roman specialty
Campo de’ Fiori sundried tomato and spices
Fiori di Zucca
Italian chiji peppers – peperoncini!
Campo de’ Fiori spices
Balsamic and Olive Oils
Balsamic Vinegar and Oils in store
Italian sauce assortment
Italian tomato sauces
Assortment of Italian cheeses
Campo de’ Fiori meat store front
Campo de’ Fiori meat counter
Multi-colored pasta in Campo de Fiori
Multi-colored pasta up close
Campo de’ Fiori food market tester
I maybe have lost my eye on the ball in my job search journey in all this love and lust, but at least he has found his muse, and he didn’t even have to pay for airfare to get his job.
the food tester reveals himself
the Italian Happy Ending – Gelato
This article, my new dream travel job (eating), and my new found love of Italian cuisine is owed to Walks of Italy and their wonderful – and attractive – office staff, who would not stop until I was 100% satisfied – and I am:)