Villa

Today we have yet another meeting with the architect, or at least my husband does (he doesn't trust me not to lose my temper!)  We are at the tweaking stage of the design for the house before the basic building starts at the end of the month. Amongst other things we need to decide on whether one arch or two for the Roman courtyard we are having on the lower floor.  While these important issues are being discussed I shall be wandering round Castiglione del Lago and hopefully meeting a friend for an aperitif.  Later we will dine in the garden at La Cantina where we will be greeted warmly as always. La Cantina was the restaurant where I tasted my first pizza over 40 years ago when a truly international group of us descended.  As I remember there were two families from Holland, a couple from Florida,one from Germany, an Italian family and my parents and myself.  We sat inside the restaurant that evening and I remember being fascinated watching the pizzas being made and put into the huge oven.  Even going to the loo there is an experience as you enter through a barrel!  The pizzas at la Cantina are excellent but I remember that,  to my then very English digestion, it was all a bit rich especially followed by gelato and I ended up feeling pretty nauseous.  Once we started taking the girls to Italy for the summer, La Cantina became our regular haunt.  We usually sat in the garden overlooking the lake to the deafening noise of crickets in the trees - in which the girls often hid! 
Now a days it is one of the most popular restaurants especially with the tourists but the welcome and quality of food remain the same.