Jeanne's Next Chapter: Sunday - 30 settembre, 2014

Sunday is the day of the week that Italians devote to spending time with family and friends. Most people aren't home watching sports on television or doing yard work as we often did in the U.S. Instead they are sitting in multi-generational groups eating and socializing all afternoon while their children and grandchildren play nearby. This past Sunday, we were invited to join friends at "Da Gusto", a seasonal family restaurant on Monti di Gottro high above Menaggio. It was an hour's drive from Como, first along the lake and then up a narrow, twisting road for several miles. Thankfully, we rode with Roberto and Kim. We left in plenty of time so we could get out and walk the last mile or so through an old village and up a scenic trail to the tiny village of Carlazzo.

We had reservations as did about 40 other people. Most of us sat inside because it was a cool day. Roberto told us he has been coming to Da Gusto for thirty years and they have served the same food for all thirty of those years. We didn't see a menu and no one ordered anything, the food just showed up to be served family style in the exact order that Roberto predicted. First the salume antipasto and bread, then polenta, then my absolute personal favorite ...pizzocheri, followed by another type of polenta (uncia), three types of meat (rabbit, chicken and beef), salad, cheese and dessert (crostata). The meal also included sparkling water, house wine, and grappa with coffee at the end of the meal. The total bill was only 27 euro per person, paid in cash of course.

The meal began around 12:30 and moved at a leisurely pace for several hours. After lunch, people sat outside and visited while the children raucously played and ran around. Our group took a short walk to a Alpine war memorial that overlooks Lake Lugano on the other side of the mountain. Kim had brought a quilt and pillows - the heavy meal and the warm sunshine definitely were calling us for a nap. I laid down on the hillside and fell sound asleep. Around 4, most of the families were rounding up their kids and heading back down the mountain. We drove back the long way, around Lake Lugano in Switzerland to end up a perfect Italian day.