Pizza–it’s what’s for breakfast (if you have leftovers), lunch, and dinner in Italy.

We never had any for breakfast because we didn’t seem to have any left over. We did, however, have some for dessert.

From the moment we got off the plane in Rome, until 17 days later when we got on a plane in Milan (another adventure that will be described in a future post), pizza was a main part of our diet. Get ready for some pizza porn, suitable for all ages, of course.

After all, it’s got all of the essential food groups: bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. We even threw in a few vegetables to keep things healthy.

Combine it with beer (its own separate food group), and you can see how the Italians stay so svelte. Or is it the red wine and cigarettes?

They do smoke a lot here, although they can no longer do it indoors. That makes the outdoor seating the smoking section, which does take some getting used to. Just pick a quiet corner and hope that Luigi does not stop on the street to take a phone call while he is smoking next to your table.

Do calzones count as pizza?

Probably, since they contain the same food groups.

In Italy, you want pizza that is “forno a legna”, or wood fired. It is the best.

Most crust is thin, but in a small town outside of Arezzo, we found thick crust.

Some places sell it by the slice, or by weight. We eat a few kilos of pizza while in Italy.

Our last meal in Italy did not include pizza. Let’s break things up with a little risotto de funghi (mushrooms).

But, the first meal we get in France is (wait for it)…pizza!

It’s not as good (the pizza flour is better in Italy), but when you are hungry after 14 hours of travel, pizza is the food that will make you feel a lot better.

Coming up: an easy day in the air becomes a nightmare.

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