Hot Cookie On the Road in Italy

If I'd reported I turned down a trip to Italy because I just had to work on my cookie blog, everyone would know that was an April Fools joke. Instead, I'm planning to make cookies in Italy. Really.

Civita di Bagnoregio, north of Rome, and near Orvieto.

Another passion - gardening - has qualified me for a position as volunteer gardener in residence at a small architecture institute in Civita di Bagnoregio. The call for "volunteers" said, "Duties include but are not limited to planting seeds and starts, mulching, weeding, managing compost and irrigation, some pruning and harvesting. Also, will need to keep hand tools in good working order. Knowledge of sustainable practices is helpful, as is the ability to speak some Italian."

I figured a dozen horticulture students with no job prospects, but an interest in Italy, would apply. They may still, but I beat them to the punch. My 28 years of digging in the soil, with emphasis on organic gardening, qualified me. And having conducted some genealogy research in Italy, I am not afraid to speak my what-gets-by-as-Italian. I will be the first giardiniera in residenza, and I will plant their veggie garden for the season. 


To date, I've made a few more cookies than I've written about. I'll post these during my trip, but I have saved two recipes to make in Italy. Some Italian cookies found their way into the Gourmet Cookie Book. I will make Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Biscuits) and Pine Nut Macaroons (Pignoli), and maybe one wild card to be chosen later.