Buona Pasqua!

Yesterday we joined a group of ex-pats for a traditional Easter lunch at a restaurant just south of Lucca.  Dom and I did this for the first time last year at a different restaurant.  We learned that one really has to pace oneself because the food just keeps on coming.  Here is the menu (as best I can remember it):

All the water (fizzy and still) and wine (red and white) one can drink!

All the bread one can eat

Slices of prosciutto and salami

Three types of Crostini - liver spread, mushrooms and tomatoes

Seafood cream in a scallop shell

Fish mousse

Puff pastry packets with fish

White beans with prawns

Bowls of mussels, clams and calamari

Risotto with calamari

Tordelli alla Lucchesi (meat filled ravioli with meat and tomato sauce)

Grilled beefsteak with arugula

Breaded and fried lamb with deep fried vegetables

Deep fried prawns and calamari and french fries

Columba (a fluffy type of cake with candied fruit) covered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream (served with sweet or dry Asti Spumante)

All that for Euros 40 per person.  I must say I still don't feel much like eating.

It was a lively group of about twenty and Sandy, the organizer, had al ittle raffle prepared with the prize being one of the large, hollow chocolate ggs that are traditional Easter gifts here.  Often they come with some sort of "prize" in the center. You can even have personalized ones made up.  She held the drawing just before dessert and the winner was the gentleman sitting next to me.  Claudio asked if he should open it up and share it and Sandy said sure.  My pocket knife helped free the ribbon and string around the wrapping. The masses of orange paper was peeled back to show a decorated cardboard egg. He opened it up and found eight small cans of cat food!

At first everyone thought it was a joke Sandy was playing but it turned out she was trying to "regift" something she had been given.  Thinking it was a giant chocolate egg a friend gave her, having the Easter lunch  raffle seemed a good way to pass it along to someone else.  Instead, the joke was sort of on Sandy.  I think everyone except her thought it was incredibly funny. The friend obviously knew she and Ray have five cats so it was really a rather thoughtful gift.  If just proves that passing along an unopened gift might not be a good idea.

After eating all afternoon (from 1 to nearly 6 pm) Dom and I waddled our way back to Partigliano and sat around the rest of the evening.  This morning we got up early and went to a marcia podistica at S. Pietro in Campo north of Barga.  The weather cooperated and we had a healthy 5 kilometer jaunt under partly sunny skies.

Tomorrow we have a few errands to run and in the afternoon we inspect the apartment and then meet at 6 pm to sign the final contract.  We really hope everything goes smoothly.