After what turned out to be a less eventful day than expected, we went out as a family with friends in the evening.

The weather was dreadful with torrential rain. The roads have been dangerous lately when it rains. Due we think to the rain lifting up oil to the surface after months of dry weather. We drove to a restaurant in the next town. It is renowned for lively evenings but being a Thursday, it was likely to be a bit more subdued and it was, but in a good way.

I feel very guilty that I forgot to take a photo to add to this piece. I had such a good time and the food was wonderful that it just went out of my mind.

The food in this area is not your typical mediterranean fayre. It is very stodgy as we are in the mountains and the winters are long and cold.

My meal consisted of for starters: Fried polenta with porcini mushrooms (I just love polenta in any form), first course – minestrone with farro (one of my favourites), second course baccalà with beetroot yummy. I wasn’t going to indulge in a pudding but weakened with buccellato di mele – a sort of apple cake. Coffee followed and we all agreed that the meal had been a good one.

While we were there, there was a birthday group singing tanti auguri as the sparkler topped cake was brought out. It was the whole family, young and old, aunts and uncles all together having a wonderful time.

To top it all, we were given a good discount which always goes down well. We got talking to the manager who on finding out that we lived here and that he knew some of our friends, cheerfully offered us a discount the next time we went, so we’ll definitely be going back again.