Dreaming of Italy....

For the past few months I have been longing to go back to Italy, maybe Capri, Sicily, Sardinia or maybe the mainland, hard to choose. I have been drawn to all things Italian and have delved into my cook books to seek out Italian recipes and have been shopping with an Italian theme in mind.


For my Birthday, I recently acquired a beautiful book called VENEZIA Food and Dreams. The photographs are so beautiful and the recipes look delicious and tempting.




Another image from the book. That chandelier is so beautiful!


Nesti Dante soaps are made in Italy. They are the most wonderful soaps! On a recent visit to Dartmouth, I bought more as they are not always easy to find locally. I had only just ran out of them.


Moving on to food...

I have quite a few Italian cook books, reflecting my love of Italian food.

One of my recent book buys is Two Greedy Italians. The TV series is very enjoyable, if you haven't already seen it yet you will be entertained.




Would like to have a meal at this restaurant in Capri, on a warm balmy evening...


There are a number of online Italian Delicatessens where speciality foods can be bought. I like Sardinia's flat crisp bread called pane carasau also known as 'carta da musica' (music paper) as they are so thin. I bought them from Tre Stelle, they are perfect with dips, on their own broken up as a snack or used in lasagne as an alternative to pasta. The recipe for that dish is featured in the Two Greedy Italians book.
The bottle of Mirto is a speciality from Sardinia. I discovered it whilst on honeymoon in 2006.


I have subscribed to Italia! and every month get my fix Italian images and news. It covers all apects of Italy, travel, food, politics, language, property etc.




This is the book that I am reading at bedtime: Head over Heels - Seduced by Southern Italy by Chris Harrison. It is based on his real life experience of having fallen in love with an Italian woman and leaving his country behind (Australia) to go and live with her in Italy. I like his humour and the way he describes what it is really like living and working in Italy. I am not half way through the book yet but I have already learnt quite a bit about Italians or Italian way of life which I was not aware of before. A very good read so far!


Next book waiting in the wings...


There are quite a few films set in Italy which I have enjoyed watching and this is one of them. An easy going romantic film with stunning views of Italy throughout it. It's a lovely film.



Well, that's my little tour of Italy over for now...Thank you for letting me indulge in a bit of dreaming...

Do you have a favourite place in Italy?

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Honeymoon in Sardinia

Today is our wedding anniversary! Alan and I married on the 17th June 2006.

A week after our wedding, we flew to Olbia in Sardinia (Italy) for our honeymoon.
We stayed in lovely little place called Porto Rafael in North Sardinia.

Porto Rafael

Porto Rafael



The view from our accommodation. A breathtaking site to wake up to in the mornings!


Before it would get too hot in the mornings, we would go for a swim at one of the local beaches. It was a small & very quiet beach, no hoards of tourists, bliss! The sea was so clear. On one occasion we got caught out when a storm started (see bottom left picture) It was fun swimming in the pouring rain.

During our two week holiday, we explored the main island as well as neighbouring islands.
We took a ferry to La Maddelena archipelago just off Sardinia. Towards the end of the afternoon, the beach emptied until we eventually had it all to ourselves. We stayed to watch the sunset go down into the sea.


On another day, we drove to Porto Cervo, the St Tropez of Sardinia. It has a marina filled with yachts, restaurants, several beautiful boutiques, including Louis Vuitton, Missoni and other well known designers. I like the architecture & colours of the shopping area.


Santa Theresa is a very colourful place. After having a lovely seafood lunch we went for a stroll by the sea. Before returning back to Porto Rafael, we had an ice cream. Something that we did most days, each time trying out a different flavour. Undoubtedly, Italian ice cream is the best in the world!!! So creamy and full of flavour. The best ones where to be found in Palau, not far from Porto Rafael.



Before we left for Sardinia, Miss P made this really sweet drawing for us to take on honeymoon. It was not easy leaving Miss P behind for the two weeks but I knew that she would be in good hands. My parents kindly stayed at our house and looked after her.



Porto Rafael is a beautiful resort, it has: Crystal clear seas, no lager louts, quiet beaches, beautiful scenery, good food, not over run by tourists, a night time market in nearby Palau and a wonderful atmosphere... Plenty going for it!

We had a wonderful honeymoon there and look forward to going back. We would definitely stay in Porto Rafael again.

Alan has taken the day off today and is going to take me out for a meal to celebrate our anniversary ;-)

A bientôt!

Isabelle X