My husband Zeke and I went to Italy a couple years ago with a great deal I found on Travelzoo– a week in Tuscany, with a rent-a-car, breakfast every morning and round-trip airfare, for less than $1000 a person. We picked up our car in Milan, drove to Tuscany and stopped in Bologna to eat lunch at a restaurant that I’d read about in a Bon Appetit. The restaurant was in a house and you could see the mom (or nona) in the back kitchen, rolling the pasta dough with a rolling pin. I couldn’t make up my mind between the ricotta and pumpkin tortellini in cream sauce, so the waitress suggested I get both. It was the best meal of that trip and one I will never forget.

I’ve never attempted to make my own stuffed pasta from scratch, as I find the ones found in the freezer section are quite good. Trader Joe’s has an interesting variety of raviolis such as: Ricotta with lemon zest, Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil, Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese, and Butternut Squash. Of course, the selection depends of when you visit and if they are stocked with the particular frozen items. It’s a bit of a crap shoot with Trader Joe’s.

I recently picked up a package of Rana Mushroom and Cheese Ravioli at Publix that were delicious. Honestly, I could have eaten them plain, but this recipe from the Serve It Up! cookbook, takes it to another level. The browned butter gives it a nuttiness, the balsamic vinegar a sweetness and the nuts, a crunch, that makes for one flavor-packed ravioli dish. Also, on the plus side, it’s ready in no time with a minimum of fuss.

This recipe was contributed by Ellen Hamlin, a friend of my sister Kelley’s from Our Lady of Lourdes high school. I don’t use all the butter (it’s a stick!) and didn’t have walnuts, so substituted pistachios. Almonds, pine nuts and hazelnuts, all favorites in Italy, would also work nicely. I skipped the Parmesan cheese and topped mine with chopped scallions, but chopped parsley or basil would also be good, depending on the type of ravioli.

Balsamic Brown Butter Ravioli

1 stick butter 1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and pepper, to taste 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 18-20 ounces ravioli

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook according to the package directions, while tender but still firm. Drain and place in bowl.

In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn golden brown (about 3 minutes), turn off the heat. Let it cool about one minute and then stir in the balsamic vinegar. Stand back, as it will bubble up. Taste and season as necessary.

Transfer the ravioli to the saucepan with the balsamic brown butter, sprinkle with walnuts and parmesan cheese and serve immediately. Great with a salad and crusty Italian bread.

Up Next: Key West Food Tours

The other night I approached an elderly lady who travels to Italy each year in the month of May (the same month as my Italian aunts would visit). I went to whisper in her ear. She pulled away violently from me: “Don’t kiss me!” she shuddered. I leaned in and whispered to her, “Isn’t it sad that Italy is closed?” and she nodded yes. I walked away.

It’s not that I had a trip planned to Italy, or anything like that, but the realization that I CAN’T visit Italy now is incredibly sad to me and also, kind of unbelievable. The fact that the cafe’s, trattorias, bars, piazzas, coffee houses, museums, galleries, shops and parks are closed to the public, that spots once filled with people- St. Marks Square, the Spanish steps in Rome, Saint Peter’s Square- now look like ghost towns, is just sad, sad, sad.

My favorite part of an Italian trip years ago with my sister and our daughters, was how all the inhabitants of the little Tuscan town (San Casciano de Bagni) where we were staying would gather in the piazza in the late afternoon. Old women holding hands, older and younger couples walking arm in arm, young children with their parents, would all come out before dinner, to stroll, talk and spend time together. And now, just like that, gone. Finito.

After playing a tennis match Tuesday, I found out the rest of our season has been cancelled, so that match (unbeknownst to me) was my last. That seems like nothing when compared to everything else that’s going on. The Miami Open’s tennis tournament is cancelled, Ultra (a blessing to some) silenced, Miami-Dade schools are closed and Disney World, where I was supposed to take my grandson Wyatt this month, is closing, along with countless other events/places. Today it was announced Golf’s Grand Dame, the Masters is being postponed, as is the Boston Marathon, the first time in it’s history.

It seems as if the world is coming to an end.

I took my son Christopher to Italy around five years ago. We visited Rome, Florence, Siena and Sorrento. His favorite meal was a huge antipasto plate we ate in Florence, before going to see the David at the Academia. We took the train from Florence to Naples and then to Sorrento, where we were staying. After a crazy train trip and shuttle to our hotel, we finally checked in, got settled and took our glasses of wine onto the balcony. We watched the sun set over Mt. Vesuvius. It was stunning.

The next day we went to Capri and spent the day walking around admiring the amazing views, eating pizza with zucchini blossoms and fresh mozzarella and being followed around by a little dog Christopher named Luigi. We had a wonderful day. As we waited for the ferry to take us back to Sorrento, I had an Aperol Spritz.

Aperol is a liqueur invented in 1919, based on an infusion of selected herbs and roots. It’s also called a Spritz Veneziano and is typically served in a wine glass and garnished with an orange slice.

It’s an easy drink to make yourself. I suggest you make one and enjoy it in the seclusion (and safety) of your backyard, with a nice antipasto plate. It’s orange color, reminiscent of the brilliant sunset in Sorrento, is a harbinger of things to come. La Dolce Vita, the sweet life of Italy, with kisses and hugs and pinches, will one day return and so will our own normal lives; when it does, we will appreciate it all the more.

“Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life.” Anna Akhmatova

Aperol Spritz

3 ounces Proscecco

2 ounces Aperol

Splash of Soda Water (preferably Italian)

Put ice in wine glass. Add Aperol, Prosecco, sparkling water and garnish with an orange slice.