Autumn in Italy

After spending a good deal of time in northern Norway, my return to the splendors of Italy was certainly welcome. But this time, instead of returning to Sicily, I returned to La Spezia, in northern Italy, about an hour east of Genoa and an hour west of Pisa. Markets in Italy are always seasonal, so what you see is what is best. It is fall now, and that brings with it some of my favorite foods. Fresh pumpkin, mushrooms, grapes, apples, chestnuts...these are the fruits of fall.

My first day brought me to the daily vegetable market. Oh, what splendor...

As the old adage says: 

"A picture speaks a thousand words"

So this time, instead of a thousand words, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

There's a reason Italy is known for it's castagne or chestnuts!

Have you ever seen such HUGE Porcini mushrooms???

Fresh, huge Borlotti beans (a white bean), cauliflower, dark lush parsley and my favorite, la zucca. This dark Italian pumpkin blows our orange American pumpkin out of the water.

Fresh cheese, honey, nut flours, olives, herbs and more good stuff....

Well, that concludes this mini tour through the market. You can see it for yourself any day of the week, except Sunday, of course. Just come to any city in Italy and you are bound to find your own cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.