Here's how I've been making spritz lately. Not altogether standard, but then this is the sort of drink that does well with tinkering:

per serving:

juice of one small blood orange
Cynar (or Aperol or Campari or some other similar bitter, and I've no idea how much---about as much as there was juice)
ice
prosecco (or cava or some other inexpensive sort of bubbly)

garnish with slice of blood orange and one green (non-stuffed) olive

The olive sounds weird, but it's typical of what you're served in Venice and I like it for balance.

Blood oranges are in season right now, but I don't have any at home, so will have to make do with navel. And here's hoping that not all of our olives are stuffed with anchovies.

And now I have a really serious yen for pain au chocolat. I must stop reading these reports.

The dessert with Therese was a terimisu that was served in a bowl and quite delish. I also remember some sort of chocolate liquore.

Ah, yes, now I recall.

It was the chocolate liqueur that was possibly the most interesting part of that meal. The son of the family waxed lyric about it, saying it was made in-house by his mother. And well it may have been, but we speculated that she might have had some help from the good people who manufacture Hershey's syrup.

I had the cassata (a frozen ice cream dessert) and it most definitely had come from a commercial source and was just as good as that sounds. The tiramisu likely was made in-house, and was presumably quite nice.

Just to add a touch of sentimentalism, now that I’m not living near DM anymore, I look back on that month we spent together very fondly. I think we might have both been a little nervous about spending so much un-interrupted time alone together. You never really know someone until you travel together, but with lots of laughter it worked beautifully.

I could not have possibly asked for a better friend, mother, or travel companion.

I have not read through this report but looks absolutely amazing.

I've got to stop reading these great trip reports. They always fuel my trip planning imagination.

This was a joy to read.

Thanks bubblywine - so sweet! It was a great month and you were such fun to travel with. Heck, it was a great year!

Therese - yes Aperol - that was what I looked for in my local liquor store. I'll pick up some Campari instead. For some reason remembering your frozen dessert makes me laugh :) it struck me as very funny in a 'what were they thinking?' kind of way.

Mebe - you'll have to share these trip reports with your mom! You'll be in Paris in no time then.

marigross - thanks so much. It's been fun remembering the details with all of my wonderful travel companions. The only ones missing were our new friends from Sienna.

Bubbly,

You are talking about my two most favorite cities Paris & Rome! What a very fun report, I wished I was with you guys.

We stayed at Bill & Julie's place too immediately after you guys left. I saw your signing in the apartment guest book. This was our second time staying there and we love it too.

Thanks for telling your adventures, but now you've got me really conflicted & torn because we want to go back next Feb. and I can't decide between the two loves...

Be well, E

Wow, this trip report was a lot of fun--even drink recipes to wrap it up.

When I have had friends going to Paris I always tell them the most important words to learn in French are pain au chocolat. Sure you don't have another box?

ecat - Bill told us you'd be there right after us. We were SO comfortable there. I thought about you in Paris when we were in Italy and hoped you were having fun.

5alive - we aim to please! Drink recipe, pasta recipe... Our last attempt to bring back pain au chocolate was less successful. Our 16 year old son spent last August with our friends outside of Paris. The whole family went traveling for weeks - camping in the Loire Valley, farmhouse in Albi - such fun. Anyway, he tried to bring home a box of pain au chocolate for those of us here but he's less bossy than me and it was taken away by customs. I figured they were hungry.

This has been the most wonderful trip report.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

Topping for future reference for the Italy restaurant recommendations.

I loved reading about your trip and am now looking forward to ordering a Spritz when we get to Italy in April.

Thanks so much for sharing your trip!