My husband, Sergio, and I have always travelled a lot, many times to far distant places for several weeks at a time. Decades ago, I developed the habit of making a big pot of vegetable soup as soon as the suitcases were unpacked and I did some local food shopping. The recipe varies with the time of year, of course, because I only put fresh, organic produce in the pot. Below is what I just made in our New Jersey home, after returning from a one-month fabulous stay (thanks to our adorable one-year-old grandson, Elia, and his parents) in our Friuli home.