Hi everyone,

Sometimes things present themselves that simply lend to newsletter-worthy text; this is one of those times. 

My wife and I recently returned from two and a half weeks in Italy. It's been a dream of ours to visit since I have relatives there whom I've never met (my mother is of Italian descent). What I was particularly interested in determining though was if the food was as good and pure as I had heard, i.e., folks with celiac disease being able to eat breads and pastas without consequence, etc. What I discovered was that there is some truth to this depending on what part of the country you are in.  

We learned quite a bit about the history, culture, economy, and agricultural practices of Italy. I won't bore you with the details, but essentially (and keep in mind, this is only what we were told by locals), southern Italy is vastly different from northern Italy in all the aforementioned areas.  

Due to the milder climate, mineral-rich volcanic soil, and the determination to keep western influence away (particularly the U.S.'s desire to introduce GMO practices and foods), the foods in southern Italy appear to be more organic, healthier, tastier (and I mean tastier - wow!), and more nutrient dense. It's what my wife and I will miss the most.

Personally, I tend to have gut issues when I overindulge with our American pastas and breads. However; this did not seem to be the case while in southern Italy. In fact, we had the absolute best pizza and pasta we ever had in our lives in Naples and Sorrento. We also stopped by a highway grocery stand on the Amalfi coast and I sampled the BEST and juiciest orange I've ever tasted!