How can one loose weight in Italy?

I was not able to even if I thought that I might. It was an opportunity, in a way, walking and walking during days of sightseeing, no fridge around to make trips to in moments of weakness. However it did not work that way I intended and I am not sure why. Three meals a day, no excesses, hmmm...Many would laugh at me thinking – Italian food and slimming??!! Think of those Italian mamas. The mama image must have been created for a reason. Well, yes, maybe... But when I looked at the Florentine people, no matter what age or sex they were slim! Maybe I was selective in my noticing examples of skinny Italians. Maybe, but they were many slim people there anyhow.  Maybe Floretines are different to the other citizens of Italy, I know they think themselves better and more sophisticated.

So what do they eat, the same as tourists? Pastas? Risottos? Gnocchi? Cheese? Gelatos? Focaccia? Panini? Do they drink Italian wine as so many of non-Italians do? I am still puzzled but I also have my little insight to the mystery. I met a very slim, elegant  lady in an elegant shoe boutique. We engaged in a conversation, she spoke very good English and was keen to talk. After some polite remarks and some girly chat I plucked up the courage to asked her the question : how come you can be so slim having all this food around you? Do you eat it? The answer was – yes, once a week I eat what I like in moderation including gelato and tiramisu. I thought – this is clever. I will then declare Saturday to be my day of pleasure. I will eat nice things in moderation with a glass or two of champagne or a good wine, maybe even Vin Santo  with a biscotti? Do you know they dunk biscotti in Vin Santo? Fantastic! And such a simple delicious desert to serve your friends!  Wow, I am dreaming of it already.

When I was in Florence, I actually behaved as it was two weeks of Saturdays. We ate what was available and this was not particularly healthy but we hardly had any choice. In our palazzo accommodations we had coffee, tea and biscuits for pre-breakfast snack. After few days I skipped the biscuits. I still do not know what Italians eat for breakfast but in cafes there are only piles of focaccias or paninis with bocconcini or other cheese, prosciuto  and sometimes a symbolic leaf of something green. This was our regular breakfast which we ate on our way to some church or gallery. Plus two cappuccinos served without any chocolate as it is in Sydney.  Coffee is much nicer this way.

Big coffee to get us going

Our lunches were light another white bread sandwich, sometimes a salad with a glass of wine. So far not that sinful. 

Around seven we were making our way to Santo Spirito for dinner. By Italian standards it was still very early for diner, but in my book it was already late. We did not eat anything excessive really, but this was time for a hot meal. Italian eat in a different way to what I am used to, vegetables are ordered separately to the meat and one somehow forgets about them when faced with other choices and they do not land up on your plate automatically. Each dinner stared with compulsory white bread that landed up automatically on our table, not like it was with vegies, together with  fragrant olive oil or black olives tapenade. One simply had to eat it. In our  favourite restaurant we typically ordered a big salad to share and half size  portions of either pasta or some delicious Italian main course speciality. Excessive? I do not think so.

This was really nice

On our way home it was time for gelato, we passed two of fantastic galaterias and one just had to sample the flavours. My companion was very particular about what she ate so there was always a research stage before she made her choice. I was more overwhelmed with possibilities and they all seemed fantastic to me, so I did not fuss.

One of our favourites Galateria La Carraia. Serious stuff! This was only part of one of the two counters, hence problems to make a choice.