It's not a news flash that the food in Italy is amazing. We spent a week in Lake Como as our family vacation. Since there where eight of us in all, cooking at our little villa was the key to keeping the everyone happy.

This week I'm sharing a recap of how we ate. Eating our three meals a day for a week can get tiresome, fattening and expensive. So we tackled breakfast and dinner at home. We had a glorious outdoor granite dining table that overlooked the lake--and a grill. What more inspiration did we need!

We picked up all the necessities at the market in town. There was a stand for cured meats, one for cheese, another for fish, a glorious fruit and vegetable stand--you get the picture an open-air shopping adventure.

Thankfully my mom and dad are excellent cooks. Between team momtrends and my parents, we crafted some gorgeous meals. The highlights include my dad's chicken pianello (feature--my dad made up the recipe--saute chicken with garlic, wine, lemon and pancetta) and the caprese salads we had every night.

Each night at dinner we talked, sipped wine and savored every bite--no rushing no distractions--isn't that what vacation is all about. So while I don't actually have a recipe to share, I can share my glorious photos of Italy. Here's what the kids loved:

Italy is an amazing vacation for families of any age the food and the people are so wonderful. I hope all of you had equally memorable vacation meals. Goodbye summer, hello fall.