Artichoke pizza
The restaurant chains that specialize in pizza in London offer a variety of toppings. But these will be standard tinned or sometimes fresh vegetables, so it will be easy to find corn, pineapple, aubergines and even artichokes. But this last choice will rarely be fresh.
In Italian restaurants the artichokes will certainly be fresh, trimmed and cut, and added to a crisp crust and just enough tomato sauce so the pizza is not soggy. This is one we had in one of the squares in Brescia. A perfect supper after a flight and all it entails, followed by a drive along unfamiliar roads, so the arrival at our destination was several hours later than expected.
An English cream tea in a lakeside restaurant in Italy? I do wonder if the locals would be the slightest bit interested, or why on earth the British would want to go all the way to Lake Como to eat scones with cream and jam (see below). The answer is probably that this part of the world is full of coach tours, as it’s near one of the 60 fine villas near the lake, offering views of lavish interiors and fine gardens.
Below is a view of Como (not actually from the air, but from a funicular ride which takes you high above the city). At the centre is the cathedral, which was started in 1396 and built in different stages over three and a half centuries. The cupola was completed in 1744.
Seeing this spectacular sight made me remember why I don’t want to travel to Cambodia or the Maldives, since there are still a thousand things I haven’t seen in Europe!
