Day 8: Italy Unexplored Learning an ancient cake recipe and Porchetta DayToday is bitter sweet. It's possibly the meal everyone has waited for all week but also the day we all dreaded arriving..the final day of the tour!After a light breakfast and a sombre mood among the group we arrive at an institution, born in 1923 and now home to some of the best pastries and fresh pasta in the province of Teramo. At the pastry shop we surprise our guests with not only our own Nonna Igea but also the resident Nonna's who work tirelessly day and night to help the power couple, Angelo who is a master pasta maker and Rosvelta who is an absolute legend when it comes to pastries - both traditional and modern.We hear the story of Rosvelta and watch her create a delightful cake 'Pizza Dolce' that has been around for almost 100years, made up of the freshest of Italian custard and sponge (not to mention a few drops of alcohol!)We also got a peek inside Angelo's pasta lab as he turned out some fresh ricotta ravioli made from double pasta sheets.After some taste testing and observing all 3 Nonni rolling out fresh gnocchi, the very essence of the tour is upon us - family, tradition, food.From here we take a trip down memory lane where we arrive at a slow food restaurant, an old stable turned food destination and are joined by friends who will be helping us with our final feast.As we arrive at a long communal table in a family garden, adorned with the classic red and white check cloth, it is set up for both our families (new and old!)The meal opens with the freshest of fresh bright red tomatoes dressed simply with thick extra virgin olive oil and basil from the garden, along with homemade bread...then baby peaches infused in truffle oil are served (You don't know you need them in your life until you've eaten them!)Then, the magic begins...Paolo has been preparing slow cooked wild boar sauce and wood fire cooked porchetta for hours ...both are served to guests who savour every, single bite (and extra helpings). The porchetta crust is even crunchier then you can imagine...and what comes next is a surprise for all!The day ends with a personalised Pizza Dolce cake from the pastry shop we visited earlier, with a group photo on top, and suddenly the local band come to play live just for our family day and an extra special farewell to all.As we chat about the week that was, one of our guests had prepared a wonderful poem about the group and our experience and there is a lot of hugging and a few tears as we say goodbye to our new family hoping memories made will last a lifetime!Join us in Italy https://www.vincenzosplate.com/italian-tour/#porchetta #abruzzo #italianfood===============================================
