Branching out from gnocchi and pesto...

My Vernazza boyfriend, Antonio, knows everybody in this tiny town (don't get excited, Antonio is in his 50s and just, no). He speaks english very well and obviously likes hanging out with tourists. Especially the cute ones.

Anyhow, Antonio's friend Piva owns a little restaurant here in Vernazza - it's actually literally outside my window. I ran into Antonio and Piva this afternoon, and Piva invited me to his restaurant for dinner. Of course, I said yes.

I've been wanting to try noci. It's kind of like pesto - only it's made with walnuts instead of basil. Even though it's not on the menu, Piva made it for me (on gnocchi, naturally!). Delicious! It's very dolce (sweet) and very filling. All in all, a very nice change from pesto - although I still love pesto. I don't think I'll ever get sick of pesto!

I've heard about Piva from people here in town. Apparently, he's quite the troubadour. I thought people here just tolerated his vocal obsession, but no. He's got CDs. No kidding. He only sings after hours, so I'm definitely going back later tonight!

I finally tried the local sweet dessert wine called sciacchetra. I'm not entirely clear on this, but the locals say it's made from raisins. It takes an awful lot of raisins to make just a little bit of this wine (very similar to port, only a white wine port...). It's kind of expensive, but very worth it! It's also very high in alcohol (well, compared to regular wine anyways). I had a bit of trouble navigating the stairs after dinner...

Did I mention that to get anywhere in Vernazza you have to climb a million stairs? And not just any old stairs, straight up, steep, and rather dangerous stairs. Italians apparently have an aversion to handrails...

Anyhow, some of the locals are throwing down tonight on the breakwater. One of them is getting married tomorrow, so tonight is the pre-party. I've been invited to hang out, so obviously, I'm so there! I think I'll try some grappa. I have no idea what grappa is, but all the youngins are drinking it, so salut! Then, it's back to Piva's for some more wine and some singing. Ahhh...this is the life.

I can't believe I'm off to Milan tomorrow. Kind of depressing. When I get home, I'm throwing a picture party and making pesto with gnocchi. And noci with gnocchi or ravioli! So yummy!

Ciao!