A fabulous Sunday

The highlight of the trip to Italy so far: having lunch with Pepi and his family and friends, on a farm outside of Siena. The conversation, Italian. The wine, a chianti made by Pepi's son in law from grapes on his farm, a special 2003 vintage that was the best I've drunk in a really long time. The people, so nice, so welcoming. And my god, the food. Unbelievable. The meats (lamb and sheep) produced by the folks at the table, marinated simply with olive oil and fresh rosemary, seared on the barbecue, then sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper, then finished over an oak wood fire. I loved this Sunday dinner family and friend get-together. All generations were there, from grandparents to babies, as well as friends of the family. There was little ceremony over dinner, people just ate and talked and ate and laughed and so on, with courses and courses of outrageous food, but interesting that the focus was definitely more about the people than the food. Absolutely beautiful.