Ciao y'all. Happy almost almost almost Friday! I don't know about y'all but this has been w.i.l.d.

Also. Eating salads alone is no fun. Luckily I have many many recipe books to keep it interesting so I don't go off the deep end and end up face first in a bowl of buttery mashed potatoes.

It is officially one month on the nose from our 1/2 marathon. Yikes. Prepare to see me laid out on the pavements and running trails of H-town. Just feed me so agua (water) and tell me to get back to it.

Anywhooo. My #TBT today goes to an amazing amazing trip to Italy I took, and many amazing amazing meals. I spent the majority of my time in Firenze (Florence) but had jaunts in Roma (Rome), Cinque Terre, and Siena. All utterly breathtaking, and taste bud tantalizing.

This photo was taken before my life changed. We went to Il Paleo in Viena for the major bi-annual horse races, and it was so crowded that we decided to duck into this charming salumeria. Once inside, you are NOT allowed to take pics. However, the owner took a liking to us, and two hours later we were upstairs in his private kitchen learning to make risotto and seeing his homemade sauces and house cured prosciutto. We also drank lots and lots of vino rosso. I also learned that "Een Eetaly, a men will trade heez wife for bottle of Sassicaia". I don't know if you've had the pleasure of tasting this wine, but it's PHENOMENAL.

This phot of me stuffing my face was taken my last night. We found this charming little restaurant on the square in Santo Spirito called...Osteria Santo Spirito. I fell in love with this part of town, and you should as well. (Seasonal menu, so what I had is no longer available, but you can't really go wrong here!)

Here you have TheSizzle standard snack. Prosciutto e melone. I was there in the summer, so the cantaloupe was PHENOMENAL. And eating prosciutto in Italy? Not a bad thing.

Any given night, I was to be found in a café or outdoor patio sipping Amaro or Campari spritzers, taking in the scenery. Italy is just so alive, all the time. And you see someone wearing a super chic outfit, only to realize you're sitting in a piazza that has artwork by amazing artists that have been gone for hunnnndreds of years. Mind-blowing.

Fiocchetti: delicious pasta "purses" filled with taleggio cheese and pear served in a creamy sauce with asparagusNot fattening AT ALL. — Fiocchetti: delicious pasta "purses" filled with taleggio cheese and pear served in a creamy sauce with asparagusNot fattening AT ALL.

One of my all time faves in Firenze was 4Leoni. We went as often as possible, and it's in an adorable little piazza tucked away across the bridge. HIGHLY recommend. Plus they have sassy flowerbeds..See below. I died laughing.

4Leoni even has sassy flowerbeds, so what's not to love?

And now, beach times. We only had 2 days in Cinque Terre, and while the food was fine, the beach was my only concern. I'm a water fiend, and any chance to be near it, in it, on it, I'm there. SO there. I tried paddle boarding for the first time and loved it. It's a great place to visit and make sure you hike through the 5 villages, the views are unbelievable.

Another great spot is Acque al 2 in Firenze. Great food, incredibly helpful staff and delicious wine. I'll an in-depth Italian wine post another day. It's too close to Friday for me to get so detailed.

In the meatime, if you've gone to Italy, leave your comments below, and if not, buy that ticket!

Happy early Friday amigos.