Lunch in Luserna
Eating our Way Through Northern Italy
After eating meals that consisted of:
cheese, pasta, bread, pizza, sandwiches, a grocery store smorgasbord, soup,
dumplings, chips, chocolate wafers, and gelato etc…
in a diverse range of locations:
museums, piazzas, the top of mountains, the bottom of gorges, forts, hotels, and
lakeside
with the company of:
guides, professors, drivers, cows, a mayor, locals, and strangers
….our lunch in Luserna was the perfect bookend meal.
Our days were pretty routine. We hiked, toured museums and monuments, examined rocks and landscapes, and explored forts. Often, they intersected, which made for interesting discussion at the end of the day. Meals broke up the day, allowing us to absorb what we had just seen and learned. They allowed us to connect with those in the area and facilitated the close dynamic of the group. In the Bletterbach Gorge, we ate lunch with international students assisting our guide for the day. After our lunch, mountain-side in Predazzo, we had our first sips of Grappa with the restaurant staff. In Lavarone, we had lunch with local students and community leaders. In Luserna, after learning about the Cimbrian people, a community of hunter-gatherers dating back to the ice age, we sat down for a final feast. After eating across the Trentino region, this meal introduced even more new foods. My favorite was a round dumpling served in butter. We did not have to worry about the food running out because the dishes kept coming. When the varieties of yellow food got to be too much, our server picked some lettuce for a salad. Indeed, the best service I have ever had.
es·pres·so
Definition: the best way to start the day, lengthen a lovely meal, and re-energize after a hike – an essential aspect of one’s time in Italy.