October 22-25

My 1^st time in the lovely city of Bologna and the Emilia Romagna region.  The old town has beautiful architecture and pedestrian streets lined with the porticos, squares and marbled pavements.  You can wander endlessly with great spots to stop for a café or glass of wine and dine on local cuisine.  Lots of young people from the universities so very lively.   It is only 30 minutes by train from Florence, has an international airport and a great base for visiting many towns within an hour such as Parma, Modena, Ravenna and more.

Our hosts Raffaella & Marcello create 4 & 5 day programs to learn about and experience the region of Emilia Romagna.  Focusing on specialties of the area such as tortellini, bolonaise, wonderful prosciutto & mortadello, Parmesan cheeses, paired with…you guessed it, wines of the region.  They are from the area so are a wealth of information on the culture and cuisine.  We enjoyed a dinner at our host’s home where Raffaella and daughter Francesca shared family recipes and their love of cooking.

Another highlight was a morning hunt for tartufo bianco (white truffles) with Pietro and his dog Bobby.  We were told they were very scarce this year due to the dry weather.  To our delight, Bobby found a sizable truffle!  An experience realized on my “bucket list”!  Spent evenings dining on specialties of the region, walking through the quaint town of Dozze and visiting Nicola, a fantastic chef who shared his talents of cooking and serving us a wonderful meal.  Many thanks to all of our hosts for a true taste of Emilia Romagna.  I’d love to get a group together to enjoy this amazing region!

Bologna Old Town with amazing Porticos

Amazing Architecture in Bologna

Pasta shop in Bologna

Tartufo Bianco from the woods

Pietro and Bobby, the truffle hunters!

Wonderful Hosts, Marcello and Raffaella

October 20

The joy of cooking in each region is both memorable and educational.  Meeting new people joined by a common interest of learning about local and fresh ingredients guided by an expert chef is a wonderful way to dig deeper into the culture and traditions.  We joined 6 other people for a half day of cooking with chef Maurizio at a villa just 15 minutes from Florence.  The class was very “hand’s on” and soon after arriving with a welcome cappucino, we pushed up our sleeves and had the experiences of making pasta, gnocci (complete with pealing and ricing the potatoes, making sauces, involtini and more.  You can attend single day, multiple days or week long classes and even stay at the villa.  Let me know if you want to learn more!

Menu for the half day cooking class

Making pasta using "00" flour and eggs

Rolling out the dough for Ravioli - It takes two!

Filling Ravioli

Involtini - rolls or "little bundles" with veal, proscuitto & cheese

Our Chef presenting dessert

New culinary friends

October 18 – 22

Four beautiful days to explore Firenze.  Lovely hotel near the Accademia that is very central. So nice to meet personally with hotel staff, friends and colleagues.

Florence's Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Happy in Florence

Parking at a premium for motorbikes in Florence

Trattoria Mario - Only open for Lunch - True Experience!

Great private guide in Florence I book for clients

Paolo, great driver,friend and colleague

October 17

Wonderful day with Daniela visiting the Testaccio market in Rome and then walked to her home in the beautiful Aventine Hill area to cook our lunch.  Joined another student, Monica from Houston.  We made some amazing dishes using local and fresh ingredients.  Pictures speak a thousand words…….

Testaccio Rome Market Daniela, Monica & Ginger

Rome fruit vendor

Fresh Zucchini Flowers...my favorite!

Making stuffed zucchini flowers with mozarella & a pinch of anchovy

Finished product..Fiori di Zucchini & Fried Artichokes

Another starter....lightly fried with tomato sauce, grated cheese & topped with basil

Prunes wrapped with pancetta quickly sauteed with balsamic vinegar

Pasta with eggplant

Now for the Secondi and Dolce….

Thin cut veal with fresh sage, lightly floured & sauteed with wine...Yummmm!

Contact me for recipes or to book a class with Daniela!

Ciao from Roma!

October 18

Arrived via train on Saturday during the “World Peace” demonstrations.  Demonstrators filled the streets along one side of the Termini (train station).  We could hear and see the crowds and thankfully made it to our rental apartment just fine.  Only a couple of incidents where cars were burned by a small group of militants.  Otherwise fairly peaceful and contained to a specific area of the city.

Rented an apartment near Trevi Fountain for 3 nights.  Found a great family restaurant with my sister-in-law, Mary and had one of my favorite dishes, Spaghetti Carbonara.  Weather continues to be beautiful.

Living room of Apartment near Trevi Fountain

Apartment kitchen

Rome Apartment 2nd floor view

Salute! Mary Pozzini (lives in Rome) & Ginger

Inside Courtyard of Rome Apartment

Ginger & Dan Apartment Living in Rome

Dan visits Trevi Fountain at midnight

Renting an apartment vs hotel stays

Pros

Live like an Italian – neighborhood experience.

Additional Space

Kitchen facilities – can prepare some meals if you choose

Usually less expensive

Washing machine

Cons

Limited onsite support – need to be resourceful

Learning curve for electronics, lighting, heating, cooling etc…

Herculaneum (Ercolano)

October 15

Visited the ruins of Herculaneum, a seaside resort which was buried after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  Most people visit Pompeii due to the size of the excavation.  Herculanium, about 1/4^th the size of Pompeii & receives about 20% of the visitors, making it a more intimate site. Only 1/3^rd of the ruins are excavated due to the new city of Herculaneum occupied by residents above the ruins.

It was discovered in 1709 (2 years before Pompeii) by Prince Elbeuf while he tunneled for treasures that were thought to have been buried in the mud flows from the eruption.

Herculaneum was a seaside resort for the wealthy.  Many of the houses were more elaborately constructed.  The town is closer to Vesuvius and was buried under a heavy lava flow and mud thus preserving much of the town’s homes and town. We viewed preserved wood, the water system using lead pipes, and thermal baths.  There are homes and the market showing shops and the way of life with many of paintings from the walls of the homes still in good condition. Thanks to the recent Packard foundation, additional restoration has taken place and it is a site well worth visiting.   Our guide, Carmine was invaluable and very passionate about sharing the history of Herculaneum.

Market Place of Herculaneum

Steets of Herculaneum

Wine Shop with terracotta vessels

Ancient Wine Vessels

Painted walls of Private Home

Private home with 2nd floor & original steps

October 12th – Beautiful morning drive from Positano up the coast.  Recommend having a driver to enjoy the views and towns of Priano, Amalfi and Ravello dotting the coastline.

Cooking class with Mamma Agata & Chiara from 10:30 – 5:00 with a fun group of 12.  Started with lemon cake & cappuccino, demonstration and tasting of eggplant fried, rolled and parmigiana, pastas with Farmer sauce and sausage & peppers.  Secondi of chicken with lemon, fish and insalata mista.  Ending with what else, Limoncello.  Words cannot due justice to the amazing views, our incredible hosts and to die for food.  Pictures will give you a snapshot of a day with memories of a lifetime.  Let me know when you are ready to go!!!  Special thanks to my brother Dan for great photography and our kind and generous hosts.

1st course with fried zucchini, marinated pumpkin, sun dried red pepper & cheese

Chiara, Ginger, Mamma Agata & Dan

Farmer's Spaghetti Sauce - Tomatoes, olives & Capers

Zucchini Fritters - Unbelieveable!

Zucchini rolls filled with roasted red peppers & cheese

Lemon cake - for breakfast and dessert with Limoncello

Took time to adjust to jet lag and walked the town of Positano.  The bright sun, beautiful blue sky and sea have a serene effect and makes you want to stay forever.   Walking is the only way to see the town and be advised not to have too much luggage!  There is a good range of properties from B&B’s to 5 star properties, some with lift and others without but no matter what you walk everywhere.  Plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views.  Our hotel was on the top of the hillside and had beautiful views.  Always get a place with views. It is well worth the splurge.

Wonderful seafood and had my favorite Zuppa di Cozze pictured below.

Jet lag day in Positano.

Lovely hotel in Positano with views!

Streets of Positano - either up or down!

Zuppa ala Cozze

Mixed vegetables of eggplant and roasted red peppers

Full Moon from Positano Hotel

Arriving at Naples airport is a convenient port of entry for visiting the Amalfi Coast.  Our private driver Alfonso navigated with the ease of a local and gave us an education of the land keeping us awake to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The views are amazing and much easier to enjoy when you have someone else driving the winding roads with switchback turns.  The hillsides are covered with sheer rocks and terraced lemon and olive groves.  It is the season for harvesting olives and we could see the setting of nets below the trees.  Alfonzo said the picking is still done by hand and the window of time is only 10 hours from picking to crushing to get the best extra virgin oil.  The weather is amazing and the warmest it has been in October for 125 years.

View of Positano on the Amalfi Coast

Leaving today for a one month journey through Italy visiting my valued vendors, inspecting properties and uncovering new gems for designing customized itineraries for Italy.  1st stop Naples with a private transfer with my great drivers to Positano along the Amalfi Coast.  First big event will be a cooking class with the famous Mamma Agata and daughter Chiara Lima at Mamma Agata’s Hidden Treasure in Ravello.  I look forward to sharing many amazing places and people with you over the next 30 days.