Firenze al fresco

I feel relaxed just looking at this picture. Although not the most elaborate, exotic, or experimental of the meals I had in Florence, this one will always remain in my mind as one of the most enjoyable.

For the first two and a half months of being in Italy, it rained. Cold. Icy. Rain. I've dealt with the snow in New York for many years, but the rain in Florence somehow seemed colder than any of my days with snow. Finally around early April the sun started to shine on a more regular basis, and there was no better place to enjoy than on top of the terrace.

With the warmer weather came the tomatoes. I always bought my fruits and vegetables from this sweetest, oldest lady in Piazza Santo Spirito. She was selling this beautiful heirloom tomatoes straight from her garden. I had mozzarella, salumi, and olives on hand, so I threw those into the mix too. Sometimes I can believe the argument for foods tasting better after you've slaved over it for hours-seasoned by your own salty sweat-but usually I like foods that take no time to prepare and taste naturally wonderful. If something is good from the start, why mess with it?

The adorable little triangular bottle on the table is a Campari Soda. The art deco shape dates back to its 1960s heritage. I have yet to find it here in America, but it is essentially just a combination of Campari (a bitter, bright red liquor) and tonic water. It's perfect mixed with white wine, creating a bubbly but not sweet cocktail to sip on slowly. It's an acquired taste for sure; I hated it the first time I was in Italy.

There's no need to write a recipe for this post. Simply throw together fresh, high quality ingredients in your fridge. A good drizzle of cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil always makes things taste better. Salt, pepper, and a good heap of sunshine is all that you need to make a beautiful day taste just as good as it feels.