Chi ha l'ag'io ha la gioia

As we drove from Padova to Anghiari, we played tag with a truck bearing this logo on the side, "Whoever has garlic, has joy", with the Italian word for garlic, aglio,written in a slang form, so gah-lic might be a better translation. Joy may not combine too smoothly with garlic in English, but in Italian all those letters blend beautifully. The flow of vowels, with just a few consonants like rocks in a stream that create distinct paths, aptly figures the wonders of Italian cooking. The vowels, a steady supply of very fresh fruits, vegetables, and olive oil, and the consonants one clean breast of chicken, a flaky bit of fish, a fine wedge of Pecorino cheese.

We sat for a while in the Piazza dei Signori in Verona, and Ann photographed a blue container filled with apricots and tiny red tomatoes, a picture that captures one moment in that simple, refreshing river of food.