{"id":188,"date":"2023-07-13T16:57:37","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T20:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/happyfooddance\/?p=188"},"modified":"2023-07-13T16:57:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T20:57:37","slug":"food-glorifies-god-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/happyfooddance\/2023\/07\/food-glorifies-god-in-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Glorifies God in Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
We are planning our next adventure to Italy for September, which is always the highlight of our year, one that incorporates food. Being first generation Italian, one might think that I would have gone dozens of times before. But no, this all began when my Papa died in 2021. His final wish was to have his ashes returned to his hometown of Giulianova<\/a> in the Abruzzo region of Italy. That\u2019s along the west coast for those of you not familiar. It\u2019s a beautiful seaside tourist area known for its wide sandy beaches, long Lidos built for leisurely passeggiata at sunset, and its arrostocini<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Our first trip was filled with sadness and joy as we brought Papa home to rest with our relatives in the family mausoleum. I was exposed to the lush and enveloping homeland that I had known only through Papa\u2019s presence. We met many friends and distant relatives, saw historic homesteads from my family, and obelisks erected in honor of my Nonno, Francesco Manocchia<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Beyond the memorial service., we spent another three weeks exploring the country of Italy. Our time was filled with historical tours of the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Forum, and Palladian Hill. We walked along the cobblestones of Rome and viewed the ancient fountains, drinking deeply from their cool, crisp streams of free water. We drove on the autostrada, navigating the tunnels too numerous to count that cut through the Campanese countryside. We got lost among the mucha (cows) in the Appenine Mountains. And we drank prosecco and limoncello in Massa Lubrense while watching the tour boats skirt from the mainland to the isle of Capri all day.<\/p>\n
But the food. Oh, the food!<\/p>\n