Tocco – Day 3
Monday 1st June 2026 Today we explored Tocco in the morning. We drove up to the Convent, Convento di Santa Maria del Paradiso is a Franciscan monastery and dates back to the 15th c
Tocco – Day 2
Sunday 31st May 2026 We drove north to the winery Torre Raone. We joined the annual wine festival for the region where the cellar doors are open for the long weekend. Visitors bu
Rome – Day 2
Thursday 28th May 2026 Italian Adventure Day 2 Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore and surrounds. We spent a large part of our day exploring the Colosseum (see separate post) however we
Rome – The Colosseum
Thursday 28th May 2026 Italian Adventure Day 2 at the Colosseum The Colosseum is the largest standing amphitheatre in the world. Construction commenced 72 years after the birth o
Rome Day 1
Wednesday 27th May 2026 Italian Adventure Day 1 Whilst it only took us 30 minutes to step off the plane, go through security, collect of bags and pass through customs it did take a
Brisbane – Singapore – Rome
Tuesday 26th May – Day 1 Our Italian adventure starts today. It was pouring rain on our departure from Buderim but fined up eventually as we approached the Brisbane airport
Sofitel and Red Kidney Beans
This simple dish goes well when it tops red kidney beans and served alongside the cumin Kumara. It is a great accompaniment to a small steak drizzled with Chimichurri. I prefer to
Seafood Tom Yum (not a soup)
This is a lazy meal for two. It is NOT a laksa, so for those counting calories this is a low fat meal. Set the saucepan on to boil with 10/10 heat. It is a quick meal and yo
Chimmichurri Drool
This recipe appears to be Argentinian and used by the gauchos on the pampas. Steak was easy to come by, but monotonous. With no refrigeration and limited space the cowboys carried
Herbed Snapper and Vegetables (or salad)
Based on 200g of fish each person for two people so: 400g of fish 40 curry leaves fresh off the tree 1 teaspoon each of cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds. 4 cloves of garlic 1 caye
Roast Tomato and Ravioli
This is for LAZY cooks. And it gets away from heavy pasta sauces. In a pinch you could roast on a stove top, in a heavy wok, with a firm fitting lid. But this recipe gives you a
Hearty Breakfast
Serves 4 This is a combination of pepper sopresso (Italian salami) with halloumi, tomatoes and red kidney beans on a mustard toast topped with an egg. It’s enough to last you t