Being location-independent now means that I can do something like wake up at 3:30am on a Saturday morning to drive down to Puglia so I could work from there for the week. Unfortunately, even leaving at 4am from Milan we encountered massive problems. Around 6:30am at the “nodo” knot of Italian highways that meet at Bologna, it took us about 90 minutes to go a few kilometers and I heard it only got worse later in the morning. If I could tell you how many Swiss license plates I saw going to Rimini…and they got up much earlier than we did.

But 10 hours later, and in time for lunch, we made it to lovely Puglia. We spent a few hours on the beach on Saturday afternoon, and then decided the day to enjoy the beach in full would be Sunday. And we wouldn’t be fooling around. We woke up early, or late compared to the day before, depending on your viewpoint.

Perhaps a bit too early. The lifeguards weren’t even on duty yet, and the beach was blissfully empty. We went for a swim in the already-warm water while we waited to find out if we would get an ombrellone, big umbrella, on the beach.

I enjoyed the peace and quiet.

And good thing we did get there early. When the lifeguards arrived at 8am, we got the very last ombrellone of the day. At 8am. This is what the beach looked like later in the day.

Since Sunday, I haven’t gone far from my temporary office, though you won’t hear me complaining. In the morning I walk down to the best cornetteria and pick up a still-warm-to-the-touch cornetto, Italian croissant, filled with marmellata, [apricot] jam, (which I categorically hate except for these, so you know they are good) to have with my beloved marocchino coffee, or espressino as it’s called here. I have lunch and dinner in one of the best mensa, company cafeteria, a working girl could ask for: her Pugliese mother-in-law’s.

Here’s a bit of a sample:

Grilled fish – pesce alla griglia

Orecchiette, little ear pasta Puglia is known for, with creamy zucchini and gamberi, shrimp. The risotto ai frutti di mare didn’t make it into this post, nor did the eggplant parmigiana my MIL makes every time we come for a visit, otherwise this post would have about 30 pictures of just primi, pasta.

Perhaps my favorite pizza in all of Italy: crispy, crunchy pomodoro fresco fresh-tomato Pugliese pizza (of course I also love pizza bianca and pizza napoletana). The MIL didn’t make this, we brought it home from a favorite pizza place that is so popular and known, he has absolutely no signage anywhere outside the tiny take-away-only pizzeria indicating that it’s a pizzeria or a business, and it’s standing-room only.

These polpette, meatballs, are not meatballs in the traditional sense – they are not made with meat, but with eggs and bread, and then fried, and served in a meat-based sauce.

And the special pepperoncino, hot pepper, that just sits on the table at every meal, waiting for you to dip your spoon or knife in to spice up the plate in front of you. Nonna, grandma, still selects the peppers, dries them and grinds them up for the whole family. At home I alternate between the dried pepperoncino and the spicy chili oil I make with the peppers.

Of course, even in the summer Nutella is around. And in big quantities! 5 kilos for 30 euros. 5 kilos. That’s a lot of hazelnut chocolate to eat in the summer. Best stuff it into a cornetto as advertised – only 1 euro!

I was able to escape for an occasional passeggiata, stroll, in the evening through the city and do a little people-watching of people….watching.

And fit in an aperitivo on the evenings we hoped not to ruin dinner. Just a few finger foods to nibble on in case we were hungry.

I tried not to watch all the people walking around with their beach coverups on, and concentrated on palm trees and fountains surrounded by whitewashed and marbled walls…

…and a sunset or two among the cactus before back to finishing up work in the evening.

Yes, I definitely feel lucky. I’ll be in the US for the whole month of August and moving my temporary office from SF to SD and Alaska, too – hopefully I’ll run into a few of you :)

Posting will continue of course, but if you’re hungry for more Italy news, make sure you listen to all 14 of the Eye on Italy podcast episodes we’ve done so far and let us know what you think!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Another behind the scenes look in Puglia
• A Perfect Barbecue in Italy
• Fighting Fires with Canadair Planes in Puglia’s Gargano, Italy
• The Cheapest, Great Gelato with the Longest Line in Italy
• An Army of Orecchiette on a Sunny Day in Puglia

My friend Nicole (her blog Zoomata has interesting and wacky Italian news) asked me if I had tried the summer version of Pocket Coffee. And not only that, but she had one in her possession to share with me.

Summer version of Pocket Coffee?? Yes, Pocket Coffee has a summer brother and thy name is Pocket Espresso to Go!

I pride myself as being a pretty curious person, especially when it comes to food – I often wander the aisles of local supermarkets when I travel, even within Italy, to see what regional and local differences there are in selection. So the fact that I hadn’t heard of or seen this summer version was indeed news to me.

I was then introduced to a friend working for Ferrero who agreed to bring me some of the Pocket Espresso to Go for my very own.

Yippee!

Pocket Espresso to Go has only been released in a few select markets throughout Italy (and only a few stores in those cities – I still haven’t seen it in Milan, but found it in Puglia) and only has an Italian product page for now. I found mention of them “in the wild” as early as last summer (including a post on the Food Section), but I’d never seen them before.

There’s a lot of potential in those little packages, especially when you realize they aren’t susceptible to the hot weather like the original Pocket Coffee. And I’m going to be giving some to you!! (Giveaway instructions below)

But first, let’s meet Pocket Espresso. These little containers are a liquid mix of the original Pocket Coffee : real espresso and dark chocolate. The flavor of Pocket Espresso isn’t a big surprise – it tastes like a melted Pocket Coffee, though some claim the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong.

It works for me.

Just like regular Pocket Coffee, each piece has 1/3 the caffeine of a regular cup of espresso. And, in case anyone was wondering, they are only 47 calories with 1 gram of fat! That’s a snack I could grow to love.

Perhaps the most genius part of Pocket Espresso is the packaging. They are made to look very similar to the original Pocket Coffee, but they are slightly larger.

Isn’t it cute?? Yes, that’s a little straw there. It’s cute. It makes me happy. I brought a box to work and we had a lot of fun sipping from our little straws while everyone else was drinking regular espresso around the coffee machine. There’s something about sipping from a tiny container with a little straw that ensures no one will keep a straight face. Try it in your next board room meeting, or instead of sipping water during a speech, or even better, next to your friends chugging back those gallon-size coffee drinks. Definitely a conversation starter.

You can drink them directly from the box, but I put a few in the fridge for when it’s really hot and I want something a little more refreshing – they are good!

My Ferrero contact wasn’t able to tell me when or how quickly they might be available in other countries outside of Italy (or throughout Italy, for that matter) but hopefully we can make some noise to encourage them to hurry up! I’m running out of my personal stash!

Pocket Espresso to Go Giveaway

I’m giving away two 3-packs of Pocket Espresso to Go. You get two chances to enter – and I’ll be picking one winner from each method of entering! I’ll accept entries until midnight, Pacific time (GMT -8) on Friday, June 12th.

1. Comment here and tell me what your favorite summer drink is. What refreshing drink do you look forward to in hot weather?? (Note: I have comment moderation turned on due to high spam, so please don’t be alarmed if your comment doesn’t appear immediately)
2. Tweet about the giveaway (I’m on Twitter: @rosso) and include two things in the Tweet: 1) the URL to this post and 2) my id @rosso – that’s also how I’ll keep track of who’s entering. If you prefer not to be creative on your own, you can Tweet this with the short URL (http://tr.im/nZG0) already provided : “Win some new Pocket Espresso to Go (summer Pocket Coffee) from @rosso http://tr.im/nZG0“

PS: Did you know Ms. Adventures in Italy has a Facebook Fan Page, too? Become a fan!

Disclosure: While I did receive a few packages of Pocket Espresso from my Ferrero contact, it was done as a personal favor through our mutual friend, and he did not ask me to write about Pocket Espresso or give them away. So I’m not! The packages I’m giving away are ones that I bought with my own money down in Puglia. Enjoy!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Pocket Coffee: Real Italian Espresso covered in Chocolate (Giveaway!)
• Italian Weddings: Greeting the Bride and Groom with Rice, Pasta and Confetti
• 2009 Year in Pictures
• Chocolate Brownie Birthday Cake with Homemade Caramel and Pistachios Recipe
• A Wedding in Tuscany

Some housekeeping:

• I’m participating in (Dessert First) Anita Chu’s The Field Guide to Cookies Book Tour! Check back this Thursday for a recipe from her fabulous book, and visit the other bloggers involved in the meantime!
• If you’re an Expat Blogger in Italy, and you don’t see your blog on my Expat Blogs in Italy list, contact me to be added!

One of the highlights of spending so much time in Puglia, and in Manfredonia to be more specific is my close proximity to one of my favorite gelaterias, Gelateria da Tommasino!

It’s an institution in Manfredonia, and while it doesn’t have a flashy patio for seating or even an indoors for when it’s raining, it’s always packed. Take this picture for example, taken this summer in August.

Not impressed? What if I told you it had been taken at 2am? Or that at midnight on a weekend, I found myself with the number 14 – a mere 42 people between me and my beloved gelato. I think the only time I’ve seen lines longer are at the Questura (police station) managing work visas.

Needless to say, I took a few turns around the park and came back to find my number was approaching.

So, how’s the gelato?

I’d have to say it’s in my Top 5 Gelaterias in Italy, and the prices mean that it will always have a place in my top rankings, and in my stomach.

Oh, did I not mention the prices? It is by far the cheapest (good!!) gelateria I’ve found in Italy, with cups and cones starting at just 1 euro! And these aren’t kiddie servings. The cone below was the next size up at 1.50euro. You can use the wafer as a benchmark for the size – I’ve never even ordered the 2 euro size.

If you can’t come to Manfredonia, don’t worry. Tommasino has their gelato, and more specifically their Ice Cream Cassata in many of the restaurants up and down the Pugliese coast.

If you do come to Manfredonia, a caveat: this gelateria is most definitely not open all day, so plan your stop accordingly. It usually opens in late afternoon or even the evening around 6/7pm, and is open until late night (2am or so).

Gelati Da Tommasino S.R.L.
Piazza del Castello
http://www.gelatidatommasino.com

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Where to Find Great Italian Gelato: Tour del Gelato
• A Different Way to Scoop Gelato: The Flower
• Tour del Gelato: Gelateria Marghera
• More Italian Gelateria Stops on the Tour del Gelato!
• Tour del Gelato: Grom in Torino