Una Lasagna, La Spiaggia and S.U.P.

I woke up, or better said, was woken, by Claudia knocking on the door of my apartment at 1:00 pm.  A quick splash of water on the face, and we were on our way to Francesco's parents' house for lunch.

Sunday pranzo in Italy is a big family occasion, and Fran's mom really made a fantastic feast.  Above, he can be seen showing off the masterpiece before we dug in.  Below is a solo shot of the star of the show.

This was my portion.  Okay, I didn't  refuse seconds.  It was beyond delicious, with homemade pasta, homemade tomato sauce and eggplant.  Really, out of this world.

The lasagna was just the first course, followed by cotoletta a la milanese, or, veal milanese, served with potatoes cooked in olive oil.

I know that the meal sounds really heavy, and I even had a beer with it.  Wine or Pepsi were the other options.  Anyway, somehow it was not heavy at all.  When polled independently on this seemingly paradoxical feat, Fran and Claudia each commented that Americans like to use garlic and onions in their lasagna, which is why it is heavy.  I'm sure there is more to it than that, but, man was it good.

After that, it was off to the beach for an afternoon of sunshine and relaxation.

Here's a shot of the guys that Fran took with his new toy, a GoPro that Claudia gave him as a birthday present.

Today, instead of beach volleyball, Fran thought it would be fun to go paddle boarding, or SUP as they call it (I'm guessing it's some variation of stand up paddle).  

Careful to avoid the multiple medusa (jellyfish), I quickly got the hang of SUP.  It's all in the core.  But, not so fast.  Once a few waves came in, I was falling all over the place, but managed to avoid getting stung.  An hour out there proved to be a decent workout.

After that, it was off to a nearby beach cafe for a sunset aperitivo.  Aperol?   Check.  Prosecco?  Check?  Soda water?  Check.  All stocked for my Aperol spritz, a refreshing cocktail I have often enjoyed in Italy.

Fran's friend Andrea and his really nice lab, Ducca, stopped by to chat with us as we enjoyed our aperitivi including a frittata with gamberi (shrimp).

Okay ragazzi, it's almost 10:00 pm, and time to head out to dinner.  Yeah, maybe a bit early, but for sure we won't eat until 11:00 pm.  Ciao for now.  Tomorrow, let's hope for a good update on the luggage!