......Back to reality, this dream was sparked by our day three in Italy. Packing, early morning, into Papa's car, we set of south to the Agricultural areas south of Salerno famous for all things Buffalo, but above all MOZZARELLA.
We met up with Angelo Braca, a cousin of Papa's, who took us on a guided tour of a slick modern cheese factory. What an amazing experience! We were astounded by the sterility of the facility and at the same time equally surprised by the fair amount of manual process still involved in making top end Mozzarella....
It all starts with the curds...
...add the renit and beat in a figure of eight...
Feed through the moulding rollers..
...and a series of whey baths...
in various sizes from the small Bocconcini...
...to the plaits, that look disturbingly like space larva...
The Mozzarella are packed in bags with their liquid, by hand, and then packed in polystyrene boxes to ensure maximum freshness.
The day went from good to great at this point, as Angelo took us to an organic Buffalo farm, the exact same one I'd happened to have found on the net in my research, prior to us coming over. I was so excited to be at Tenuta Vannulo! 
The original farm buildings are picturesque in the faded Pompeian red, honeysuckle and bougainvillea tumbling over the wall, while ivy scrambled up the wall from below. 
The animals are kept in what seemed like buffalo five-star! 
After watching the dexterity of the guys practising the age-old art of hand pinching the mozzarella balls into shape, we went to the Yogurteria for well deserved refreshments. 
Very modern, yet authentic the interior is cool and crisp.
The boys were seduced into having Gelato di Buffola choccolato and Oumie an amazing Gelato Limone, which she maintains still is the best ice-cream she's ever eaten in her more than 60 years! 
Soni and Papa both had Brioche, latte di Buffalo of course, with crema di limone and marmelade aranchia, respectively.
Angelo and I both quenched our thirst with a deliciously tart Limonata. Thank you so very much Angelo! It was so great meeting you , and here's to years of friendship and having you guys visiting us in SA soon. 
As a last thought to this post, a visual sampling of some of our fav dishes featuring mozzarella: Antipasti
Grilled bruschetta of prosciutto and mozzarella, with fresh nectarines and black figs.
Fresh torn and seasoned mozzarella with bresuola and mortadella.
Lastly, the ricotta. So creamy and luscious, which we mixed with some chopped prosciutto, stuffed into zucchini flowers, wrapped in prosciutto and the breaded and gently fried. Served with a squeeze of lemon these were the food of the gods!
This was only the first half of day three, so more to follow....
Grilled bruschetta of prosciutto and mozzarella, with fresh nectarines and black figs.Fresh torn and seasoned mozzarella with bresuola and mortadella.Lastly, the ricotta. So creamy and luscious, which we mixed with some chopped prosciutto, stuffed into zucchini flowers, wrapped in prosciutto and the breaded and gently fried. Served with a squeeze of lemon these were the food of the gods!
This was only the first half of day three, so more to follow.... 
