The Best Hike and Best Dinner EVER!

Today was a very relaxing day because I babysat the girls for a bit this morning while Angelo went for a bike ride and Gianna was working at the parafarmacia. Then, we went to a neighboring town to buy Giulia new hiking boots because she is growing a lot! They have a really nice discount outdoor store there. Of course, we found Momo a new soccer ball and he loves it...so much, that it is already in shreds in the front yard. It was very fun while it lasted! For lunch, we had some kind of long, twisty pasta with tomato sauce that had mussels in it...definitely not my favorite, but I always eat what they give me and I always say how good it is! After lunch, it started to rain so we decided to take a long nap and then see if it stopped to go on our hike. Sure enough, the rain was over at 6:00 and then we headed up the mountain! Thank goodness it was overcast today because I could not get another sunburn! The drive up to Mounte Pizzoc is beautiful! It only takes about 35 minutes up the very curvy road from Cappella Maggiore to the top of the mountain. ON the top, there is a refuge where workers, tourists, and inhabitants of the town can come to eat and sleep if they want. This place overlooks the whole valley of town between Venice and Vittorio Veneto. Angelo said on a day with no clouds, you could see the sea in Venice! We were so high up that it was about 14 degrees celsius, instead of the 33 degrees celsius it was in the valley. I still don't understand celsius very well but that is a very big difference in temperature. The air was so crisp and cool, I was beyond happy to have a relief from such humid temperatures! We began our hike from the parking lot of the refuge and then climbed all the way to the cliff of Mounte Pizzoc on the northwest side where you could see the area we hiked last weekend. It was just absolutely beautiful and I loved every minute of being there. While we had cell phone reception in one area, Angelo called down to the valley where they said there was a fantastic restaurant for dinner. It is usually very busy, especially on the weekends so Angelo called ahead to make a reservation. I couldn't wait to try something new and see what they had on the menu. It was another 20 minutes to the restaurant that was on the other side of the mountain. I don't even know what the name of it was because it looked like an old church that was made into a restaurant. Gianna told me earlier that it was actually a barn for sheep that has been renovated. I couldn't get a great picture of it because there were so many people outside, I didn't want to look like a photo-obsessed tourist. We went in and it was amazing! The inside had a loft where you could eat and then on the first floor, there were many wooden tables with benches to sit on. I had no idea what the menu said so I had Gianna order whatever she thought sounded good for me. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I have ever had!!! Mark it down in the books for me because I don't know if it can be beat. I don't exactly know how everything was prepared but here is what I had: a big slice of grilled formaggio (a very popular cheese in Italy), a huge pork sausage patty that tasted like a beef hamburger, sauteed mushrooms, a very generous portion of polenta (a cornmeal texture), pinto beans seasoned with onions and spices, and baked potato wedges with rosemary. Holy cow, it was absolutely delicious! I kept saying that I couldn't possibly eat another bite but I just kept eating! After I finished my whole plate, there was more to come! They ordered coffee and dessert, one slice of apple cinnamon and grape strudel and a slice of ricotta and berry cake that almost tasted like cheesecake but not as rich. At dinner, I just kept thinking of how lucky I am to be here with this amazing family. They have shown me so much already and I have only been here 3 weeks! I just can't wait for more experiences to come my way. Tomorrow, we are going to the sea in Brussa, where we went two weekends ago. It should be very nice weather there so I am excited to have more fun in the sun! As far as the pictures go, the first couple are of my view from my window of my room on the 3rd floor. It was raining so hard so the pictures are kind of blurry but I have a pretty stellar view. The last picture is the outside of the restaurant, blurry but I had to sneak it from the bottom of my jacket! Also, today I heard the best news that Zach became a dad to a healthy baby girl named Raelynn after Grandpa. I could not be more proud of him and I can't wait to love on her when I come home. Ciao for now and more from the beach tomorrow!