A seven-day trip to Italy began last week with spaghetti alla chitarra in Ortona, Abruzzo. The seafood there is ridiculously good.

Case in point: cuttlefish crudo. So simple, so perfect.

The first night I was in Pescara, I saw all these Carabinieri (Italian paramilitary police) filing into this forgettable seafood takeaway shop. The joint had a few tables where I enjoyed lightly breaded and delicately grilled cuttlefish and shrimp. The cuttlefish were wonderfully tender, the shrimp so sweet they tasted like candy.

Oven-fired sea bass with roast potatoes. May I have another glass of Cerasuolo di Abruzzo, please? So good.

Teaser from my upcoming winery visits. Wild mint in a legendary vineyard in Chieti province.

On my way back north from the central Adriatic coast, I made a detour through Sangiovese di Romagna country and happened upon “the longest bruschetta in the WORLD!” in sleepy Predappio. No, I didn’t eat there.

Swiss chard filled tortelli verdi just outside Carpi. I ordered mine with soffritto, a term that has different meanings in Italian but here denotes a tomato sauce, used sparingly to top the stuffed pasta.

Have you ever tasted cured pig’s ass? If not, you don’t know what you’re missing. Culatello (yes, from culo) is the ultimate expression of prosciutto, uniq because it undergoes a gentle fermentation during aging.

And drum roll… the dish you’ve all been waiting for!

Over the last few years, I’ve seen more of these baked potato outfits pop up across Italy. The one I visited in Torino was packed. The Italians borrow the British jacket potato for their patata in giacchetta or baked potato, to keep it American over here on Do Bianchi.

My buddy and colleague Paolo had his with burrata, spec, sautéed onions, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Mine was with gently cooked salsiccia di Bra (raw veal sausage), Gorgonzola, and radicchio di Chioggia.

One thing is for sure, it’s pretty hard to come away from Italy with an empty belly or a dulled palate. Stay tuned for winery visits from my recent Italian sojourn. Thanks for being here.