Staying Cool During a Tuscan Heat Wave

There has been a serious heat wave for several days now. Thank goodness I have A/C, my last 2 apartments did not and after one Tuscan summer I knew better when renting this place. My electric bill this month will probably be equivalent to Berlusconi's salary, but I don't care. Drapes are drawn closed and I have those 2 little wall mounted Mitsubishi electric a/c units blasting!!!

On a usual day my diet resembles that of an American teenager, it always has. Example menu : pizza, candy, frozen fish sticks and some sort of ice cream or gelato. Why I don't weigh 650 lbs. is a mystery to me but I fear I may wake up one of these days looking like a "nutty professor " version of myself, which is probably why I have insomnia.

Now I know this is not what people think of when they think of great food in Italy, I do indulge in "normal" delicious Italian food as well. Food like this........

I  just don't eat it on a daily basis, and definitely not when it is a real feel of 105 F with off the charts humidity, it's just too heavy for this heat.On days like this, it is becoming strictly a cold food on a stick, in a cup or in a cone diet.

After I finally dragged myself out of bed late morning and made my coffee I took a peek in the freezer for my dining options for the day. One tray of ice cubes and this

The 6 flavor assortment of icy pops! Cooling and low in calorie BUT not filling. I feared that even if I ate the entire box through the day I'd still be hungry ( and vitamin deficient).

SO, as much as did not want to be slammed in the face by the steamy, sticky blanket of 100 degree Tuscan air I made my way to the little bodega/cafe on the corner and in 10 minutes was back in my airconditioned apartment with this ...........................

Those that live here know what this is, for those that don't ................

It is 500 grammi di gelato!!! That's right! 500 grams of gelato, that is 1/2 a Kilo or 1.1  LBS of gelato!! Surely enough to feed an entire family dessert or in my case, breakfast, lunch and dinner TODAY!!!

Now in my dietary defense, the gelato is made with milk ( and that's good for ya, vitamin D) and I got 2 fruit flavors (which are usually not my favorite) , melone & fragola ( cantelope & strawberry) figuring they could almost cover my fruit portions for the day. The straciatella and cafe flavors I needed, because those ARE my favorites.

Buon appetito a me :))