After six weeks of a no chewing diet, I will get my stitches out this morning before I head to the airport to fly to Italy where I intend to eat – and chew – with abandon! I’m taking a group of 15 guests with me this year – first to Rome (my favorite city in the world), then to Lecce (in the region of Puglia that has captured my heart), and finally to a castle in the country side for a week of biking and cooking and eating and drinking. I’ll be posting plenty of Instagram and Facebook pictures, and you can expect to hear about the details of my 2019 trip as soon as I return! In the meantime, I thought I’d round up some of my favorite recipes inspired by this annual food and wine pilgrimage that you can make at home.