I could eat nothing but Tuscan Cuisine for a year, or forever!

Of all the places I have traveled in my life, I could spend the rest of my days basking in the warm and inviting Tuscan culture.

Toscana - Tuscany by allegra_

Have you ever seen a skinny Italian?

I am not implying that every Italian person is fat, or by any means out of shape but you have to admit that there are not a whole lot of Italian people running around the streets with their ribs showing through their skin...

The reason for this is pretty simple. Italians view dinner as a celebration. Yes, dinner every night is a party not to be missed.

In the time I have spent in Italy, I have had the opportunity to spend many nights enjoying the variety of food and the process of enjoying the entire process of eating dinner. What an awesome experience!

First of all, dinner in Italy is a time to spend with family and friends. Dinner starts around 7 and rarely ends before 10. That entire time is spent eating (and for many drinking wine) something. Because you are with family and friends, dinner is spent talking about the day, the family issues and business. Because family is large, there are a lot of people to talk, and so there is a lot of food to make sure everyone has an opportunity to share their story of the day.

I have never left a meal in Italy feeling hungry, for that matter I have never left dinner in Italy feeling anything less than completely full! The food, from beginning to end is plentiful and awesome. When you feel you are all done, they bring something else to "just try", then they fill your plate with the "sample". Where else in the world can you be so well taken care of?

If I had to choose one cuisine to eat for a year, I would insist on spending that year in a small village in the Tuscan hills, enjoying the company and the food they serve!