Lecce: Appetizers anyone?

I like to try regional foods, and Lecce offered a bounty from which to select. Late in the afternoon on the day of our arrival, Bill and I stopped for a glass of wine. I was a little hungry so I ordered this regional pastry that is a little bit puff pastry, a little bit chicken pot pie, and a little bit melted cheese. It was a good pick-me-up.

Later that night, we took the owner's advice about where to eat dinner, only to find that it was closed for the holidays. Disappointed, we scoured about the city center until we found this little restaurant near our hotel.

A word about Italian dining. It starts late--even later in Lecce than in Roma. We showed up at this restaurant about 8:00 pm and were only the second table to be seated. Between 8:30 and 9:00 pm the regulars began to show up. Like American menus, an Italian menu begins with an appetizer, then throws in two separate entree stages (the Italians would disagree with me on this) called the primi piatti and the secondi piatti, followed by salad, and then coffee, and then dessert, or is it dessert and then coffee? Chissa'? (Oops, I forgot the bread.) I really can't handle a primo and a secondo myself, but I thought I could handle an appetizer and a primo (pasta). The next three pictures are just the one regional appetizer we ordered--count them--ten separate items! They are golden-colored because I did not want to use my flash.

One...



two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...



nine, ten!



I could only eat one-quarter of my pasta dish.

Time passes...

We left Lecce in late afternoon, so the day we left we returned to a restaurant with really good pizza. Unfortunately, they only make pizza in the evening, so instead I had this delicious shrimp pasta.



Sometimes I take random pictures because I like the composition. The next picture is a basket of mushrooms that the grocer had set outside his store.



These were next to them. I assume they are food, but I haven't a clue what these are. If anyone knows, please let me know their name and whether or not they are edible.



Finally, like Fayetteville, Thursdays are farmers' market days. There were several out about town that morning, but this was the best picture.