This year my family and I ventured overseas to the gorgeous Amalfi Coast of Italy for a 2 week escape. With all of the travel involved in getting here, we decided to visit a small region and get to know what we could. My husband and I spent the first week at a b&b in Sorrento touring the historic district. Next, we met up with the rest of my family in Praiano, a small town next to Positano, where we rented a villa and really settled in. While on the trip, I turned 30 years old and it was incredible to celebrate with my family at such an amazing location!

Next comes to food. About 70% of what I cook at home is italian so what I was most excited about was the food. I probably ate about 5 pounds of proscuitto on the trip and tried out several amazing cheeses, anchovies (they really are better there), fruits (figs=yum), handmade pastas, grilled boar, suckling pig (my husband’s favorite), and pizza of course. We did cook a few meals and visited the local mallaceria (butcher shop) to purchase the biggest beef roast I have ever seen. My husband marinated and grilled the beef using grapes, grape leaves, rosemary, and lemon, all found growing around our villa. I decided to show off my italian pasta making skills and made some gnocchi to go along with it.

The locals were amazing and happy to serve the tourism industry which keeps this area strong for about 6 months of the year. I asked several italians if I could photograph them and each had a unique pose for the camera. Enough talk…I can probably describe the trip best by showing you what I saw: