pizza, pasta, & pastels.: Obligatory post dedicated to food

So, even prior to this adventure, I've adored Italian food. However, one of the aspects that I had most anticipated was being able to experience some great Italian food in Italy itself. I've decided that the best way to cover this topic would be to create a post completely dedicated to what I consumed over the course of my trip. The study abroad program didn't include meals, so I had brought a decent amount of Euro to put aside for food and drink. Because of the fact that I wasn't accompanied with a huge wallet to spend on top restaurants, a lot of the food I ate was street food. A slice of pizza here and there, a square of olive foccacia, some apricots, etc. Nevertheless, I think I was still able to get a pretty amazing experience, gastronomically speaking. Because I really feel that pictures speak louder than words, I'll leave it up to my photos to illustrate the kinds of foods I was eating throughout this experience...

My first pizza experience in Italy! It was definitely a positive one, even though I had to pit the olives.

Tiramisu for breakfast...what of it?

One place I went to more than once in Siena was a bar/restaurant where you could get all the food you wanted from this appetizer table if you ordered a drink. The food was mainly little bruschettas and some pasta salad, but I think it was a great deal, not to mention that the restaurant was located right on the campo.

Of course, gelato!

There's really nothing better than fresh pasta.

I wandered into a few Italian bakeries as well, and here's some of the kinds of pasteries they would sell.

The largest bagel I've ever eaten! It had some kind of herbs or spices in it (fennel seeds, i think?) which made it pretty tasty.

Apparently, Italy produces quite a bit of apricots, which I never knew before the trip. Apricots are one of my favorite fruits, so I would buy several of them at a market to eat as snacks later on.

In Italy, the cheap pizza is actually the best pizza.

I tried a cookie from a bakery in San Gimignano, and it had apricot jam in the center.

More gelato!

This was the one meal that was paid for by the program. It was a wine tasting and lunch in the small Tuscan town of San Donato, and I was able to sample some of the best wine, cheese, olive oil, and prosciutto I've ever had.

Chocolate and pistachio gelato in Corniglia.

Little 'take-away' places like these were the most common sources for my meals in Italy. They were so convenient and the food always tasted good.

I had to order lasagna at least once (and it did not disappoint!).

Okay, so, if I had to choose one food that I enjoyed the most, it would probably be this olive foccacia bread. It's simple, but my goodness, it is so delicious.