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It’s heartbreaking to announce, but the May 2021 tour has been rescheduled due to the pandemic. I’m already dreaming of my return to Lucca this autumn. Come along and be prepared for amazing food, new friends, stunning scenery and lots of laughs. I’m available to help you with your travel plans so get in touch! […]
It was two years ago this month that we visited Ferrara. Located only about half hour by train from Bologna this city is definitely worth a visit. It reminded me a lot of Bologna, only smaller and without all the tourists. The city has one of Italy’s best preserved Medieval neighborhoods. The quarter is a […]
The first time I tasted a sformata we were in a trattoria in Acqui Terme in Piemonte. I ordered it not knowing exactly what it was and was pleasantly surprised when I was served a light and creamy vegetable custard. After returning home I searched for recipes and made one with spinach. That was quite some […]
The one bright spot in this incredibly strange time is that my local farmers market is sill up and going full force. Most of the other markets in the San Diego area have been closed for the past five weeks so I feel very lucky to be able to support these small family owned […]
Twenty years ago when we started planning our first trip to Italy J. proclaimed that he didn’t care about visiting Rome. He thought it would be too big and too noisy. Knowing that we could only see so much in two weeks I wasn’t bothered that we wouldn’t make a stop in […]
As we only had two days in this part of Puglia we didn’t get to the famous town of Alberobello. As that town is well known for its concentration of trulli, it’s also known to be quite touristy so we decided to save it for another time. Instead we drove to Locorotondo which we could see […]
Driving south from Calitri towards Lecce we passed fields with olive trees, but it wasn’t until we were off the highway heading towards Cisternino that we came upon the ancient trees that Puglia is known for. The gps directed us onto a dirt road through a grove of trees lined by short rock walls. It […]
Lecce had been on my “must visit” list long before it ended up being a hot spot for a lot of other tourists. For one reason or another we didn’t end up actually going there until last spring. Despite knowing of its popularity, I was surprised by how crowded it was. I was most […]
About an hour away from Calitri outside the town of Paternopli is Tenuta Fonzone, a family owned winery. We spent an incredible afternoon here tasting their wines accompanied by plate after plate of local specialties. You need to make a reservation to visit the winery and I urge you to make a stop here […]
After my week in Lucca last spring we spent a few days in Rome and then took the train across the country and south to Calitri (birthplace of my grandparents). You can’t actually take the train there, which we found out on our first visit. We discovered that what we thought were train tickets ended […]
Panini Girl 