Summer camp in Italy, a crisp cool dish to beat the heat, and the final drama with our bank guarantee.

Plus, the Spaghetti Vongole Summer Playlist!

Keeping It Cool And Crisp

The boys and I have been staying at our friend's house outside Turin for the past week while Andre sets up our new apartment in Rome. We thought it would help the kids transition to have a few weeks enjoying summer camp at school with their friends here, and I needed to start getting us ready for the long road trip we will be taking from Liguria to Puglia beginning this weekend. The trip will be filled with lots of beach and pool time along the way, and we'll be cooking simple meals at the various places we'll be staying. A great thing about traveling in Italy is that you can get great produce all over the country, especially the further south you go, making cooking for family and friends easy, enjoyable, affordable, and delicious. When the ingredients are the stars, only a little is needed from us but to bring them all together. I'm particularly looking forward to eating lots of cold, sweet, juicy melon on hot summer days. I can already see myself sitting with a plate of this refreshing dish piled high, perfect for slow afternoons under the sun. And, with just a few ingredients, the crisp cucumbers, salty cheese, sweet melon, and tangy lime dressing come together in just minutes, leaving you more time to relax and enjoy.

CANTALOUPE, CUCUMBER, AND FETA WITH LIME

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Honey to taste

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

• 1 small cantaloupe, cold

• 2 medium cucumbers, cold

• 3-4 ounces feta or ricotta salata cut into strips, then broken into large pieces

• Zest from 1 lime

First, prepare the lime dressing. Place the lime juice, olive oil, a little honey, a pinch of sea salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper into a jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.

Cut your cantaloupe in half, removing and discarding the seeds from both sides. Next, cut the melon into thin wedges, carefully removing the rind from each wedge after it's cut. Then, cut the melon wedge in half so you have two large pieces. Repeat the process until all your melon is prepped.

Next, peel your cucumbers and discard the ends. Cutting on a diagonal, slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Set aside.

On a large plate, evenly scatter the melon and cucumbers. Add the large pieces of cheese and the zest from 1 lime. Finish by drizzling the lime dressing over the dish and serve immediately.

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Summer Camp in Italy

My friends would come home after the summer break brimming with excitement, ready to tell me about their camp adventures, the new friends they'd made, the fun they'd had, and how they couldn't wait until next summer to go back and do it all over again. I remember always wishing I could go to summer camp, but it was never something we could afford. Once Costa's first year of elementary school was nearing its end, I was excited to find a local summer camp near our house in Atwater Village, where he could be outside all day, playing sports, learning archery, swimming, and just being a kid. Nothing fancy, just lots of time outside running around and having fun. After searching for options, I couldn't believe how expensive so many of them were, let alone how competitive it was to get a spot. I felt like I was in the private school application process all over again. Do I need a recommendation to get my kid into summer camp?! And, once Paolo graduated from preschool and needed to start going to summer camp, the price for two kids was crazy (forget about factoring Bruno's childcare into the equation!) How is it that having some summer fun playing games and sports and eating an occasional popsicle costs so much?!