There are so many reasons that I love coming to Italy and to Lucca in particular-the charming streets, the friendly faces, the gorgeous churches, the great small shops and of course, the food. There is however another draw for me to return here year after year-the opportunity to spend time with my wonderful friend B. who lives in the UK. I will not bore you with the history of our relationship, but you an get the gist of our start as kindred spirits here. Needless to say California and Faversham UK are so very far apart but meeting in Lucca is easy and has become part of our routine.
B. is here this week with her amazing daughter R. who now is a grownup woman graduating with a Masters from Oxford at the end of this week. I have very vivid memories of when I first met her as a young girl in 2004 and we sat and compared the similarities and contrasts of our common language. It seems like just yesterday…
Whenever B. and I do spend time together food plays always plays a big part. We are both enthusiastic cooks and lovers of all things food related. Our first stop yesterday was La Cioccolateria Caniparoli– our favorite Lucca chocolate shop. This cake has become part of our tradition and was the perfect treat after an afternoon of walking and shopping. In typical British fashion B. served it with a cup of tea. Layers of sponge cake, a filling of chocolate mousse topped with meringue and cocoa powder-just lovely! If you prefer not to share your cake there’s even a personal sized one that’s just a few bites.
Caniparoli Cioccolateria
Via San Paolino, 96
Lucca
Panini Girl 
May 1, 2017 at 4:50 pm
My favourite chocolate shop too.
May 2, 2017 at 5:10 pm
Hopefully we can meet up in Rome later this month…sounds as though you are right at home – once again….a presto!
May 3, 2017 at 10:12 pm
Looks pretty decadent….as it should!!