What I immediately buy when I am in Italy

There are so many things I am extremely looking forward to when we go to Italy: the view of the mountains at my parents' cottage, the lovely beach in Menton where we introduced Otis to the sea for the first time... But what I always look forward to the most is our regular shopping round. And I mainly mean the items I shop to take home in my suitcase. First, we get the essential products at Carrefour (yes, we are on the French/Italian border, so best of both worlds), where right next door is a lovely pharmacy. I stock up there immediately: among other things, I get a large tube of Biafine cream, which should actually be in everyone's bathroom cabinet. Whether you are sunburned from the sun or have burned yourself on household appliances (here an average of two oven fire sessions per week), have dry skin or suffer from skin irritation: I apply a layer of this fine stuff everywhere and the problem disappears like snow in the sun. If you are traveling that way this summer, I recommend stocking up on some tubes or starting a little trade, which you can also do with Mustela, the kind of Zwitsal from France, but a thousand times nicer in terms of scent. I always stock up on baby wipes plus a bottle of bubble bath. Of course, all of this can also be found online, but so far there has always been a deal at the French pharmacy and that saves a lot, I can tell you. of om een handeltje in te beginnen, wat je overigens ook met Mustela kan doen, de soort Zwitsal van Frankrijk, maar dan duizend maal lekkerder qua geur. Ik sla altijd de billendoekjes flink in plus een fles badschuim. Dit is natuurlijk ook allemaal online te vinden, maar tot nu toe is er altijd wel een aanbieding in de Franse apotheek en dat scheelt een hoop, kan ik je vertellen.

Once this shopping session is completed, we are only halfway, because then comes the market with fresh products in Italy, where I always go crazy for the fresh pasta, burrata, and parma ham that melts in your mouth. At home, I hardly eat meat, but in Italy, I devour a hefty portion of parma ham and mortadella every day. I always start at the ‘oil stall’, where I stock up on two jars of truffle sauce and a bottle of truffle oil for home. Whether it is much cheaper, no idea, but somehow it really tastes better knowing that this jar has been brought all the way from Italy. If you come across such a stall on vacation: stock up well! With your egg, in the pasta sauce, or on a toast with a good cheese; it instantly brightens up your dish, such a jar of ‘black gold’ (no idea if this term exists, but I hereby claim it). Finally, I take a round to see if they have launched any new products: we already have a self-dripping watering system for the plants at home, a super handy leatherman, and a foldable net to put over your food against insects (how often we use these products annually can be counted on one hand, but we will leave this info aside for the coming weeks). Great, we just landed and the suitcase can already not close. And I haven't even visited my favorite market in Ventimiglia (every Friday, a must-go if you are in the area), but oh well, they must have such a super handy foldable travel bag to carry all the extra stuff back with...