Monday Market in Prato

Yesterday turned out to be hotter than stink...

And how hot is stink? Well, it hit a high of 37 Celsius, which I figured was pretty darn hot considering it is only mid-May. One has to wonder if there isn't something to this global warming thing. Not complaining - nope not me - just observing.

Having said all that, we decided that our extremely reddened extremities could use a break from direct sun. Rather than travelling back to the beach, we opted for staying local, under whatever shade we could find. Walking along the river that runs around the perimeter of Prato and westward, we happened to notice a large outside market under cover. It turned out to be the Monday market where everybody and their dog (literally) shops for everything under the sun (sorry for a bad pun - chalk it up to possible sunstroke)!

Baccala is dried cod; it doesn't look too appealing but you see it everywhere! Apparently, my great grandmother was fond of it, but not so much my dad!

Yes, even adorable little ducks for sale!

The infamous hot salami from Calabria - pork sausage with hot peppers in it  - called n'djua. It is depicted as dynamite for a reason!   

I was beside myself looking at all the fresh, local produce and vegetables with no where to cook. This beautiful apron just waiting to be donned.

Carciofio are in season right now and there is an abundance of them just begging to be enjoyed. In case you haven't pulled out your Italian dictionary, carciofio translates to artichoke.  Looks at these beautiful babies!!

And I would certainly be remiss to not mention the much loved zucchini:

Not to be outdone were the eggplants, beets, green beans, tomatoes and fennel:

All was not lost though because after we explored the market, we just happened to find this local little family run restaurant that we have been frequenting once or twice. Guess what they had on their menu (amongst other things). Artichokes.  Even better is that hubby doesn't like them so I had them all to myself!!!

  

Consider me, once again, a happy girl! Ciao for now - with love.