Ciao!!!!

So, tomorrow I leave for 5 days in Italy.....flying to Parma in northern Italy, to the mountains of Emilia-Romagna and the villages that my in-laws came from....

....I've known my husband for about seventeen years but it wasn't until two years ago (after both my in-laws had passed away here in London) that I finally got to visit this incredible area about which I had heard so much....

....I wrote about my journey here and it's no exaggeration to say that it was love at first sight. It was everything I expected and yet so much more....and so beautiful. The scenery is vast, the hills and mountains enormous....the people so warm and friendly by nature - and not just because you are generally related in some way to most of them!.

My husband spent years of happy holidays here and I love that my own children have so far had such a great time there....last time we were there it was summer and we were able to have the front door open the whole time as they played outside and explored from morning til night....such a different experience to London life.

One of the best things about being there is the feeling of space and the peace, it's incredibly therapeutic.

Although my husband likes to believe that everyone can trace their ancestry in some way back to Italy (that's Italians for you...I think he's only partly joking!!)....I think I am correct in saying that everyone who has our family name would originally have been from the village where my father in law grew up - the name has been there for 500 years and is still there....quite amazing. Many people of course moved to the cities - and further afield to America and Britain - for work.

It is only a short visit this time but we will be catching up with friends and family, drinking many coffees, eating, reading and relaxing and of course cooking....I made sure we arrived the day before market day...the local market is fantastic and I cannot wait, there is nothing quite like an Italian market for smells, tastes and overwhelming choices of fabulous produce :)

My husband's aunt and uncle ran the local osteria (restaurant/hotel) for years - a huge place that drew people in from miles around....

she is a wonderful cook....

last time she made a dessert which was so good I could have cried (dessert does tend to do that to me!) Tomorrow night we will be having dinner with them :)

See you very soon!! Ciao!!

PS Don't forget to enter my Dr Perricone Giveaway (a product of $150 or under) here!!!!

(My in-laws in 1960)