To quote that famous philosopher, Gilda,
“it’s always something.” Last spring was the
missing luggage.
This spring it was THE HAIRCUT that so traumatized me one
of my witty clients suggested I was going to need therapeutic
intervention to help get me past it. While I needed a haircut,
I didn’t need the one I got – which resulted in a very European
look, but not one with which I was especially comfortable. It
took 2 months for it to begin to reach a reasonable length. So
everyone from May 8 on was subject to my distress. Oh, well,
these things do happen. Thanks to all for tolerating my
grousing. (photo above, L)
The trips for spring were just GREAT! I’d
finish one group and think it couldn’t get any better, and the
next group would surprise me. Culminating in the WONDERFUL
WOMEN of Tuscany. Not sure when I’ve laughed so hard. And, of
course, the Italian men rolled out the welcome mat. Life can be
so unfair.
COOKING IN PARADISE - AMALFI
May 1-8, (week 1)
Amalfi has to be about the easiest place
to ease into the Mediterrane
an style, and Ravello is the
best there is. It quickly insinuates itself into the fiber of
your being and becomes home away from home – welcoming at the
end of a day’s excursions.
By the end of our van ride from Naples to
Ravello, Deanna had already interviewed us all, which
facilitated immediate bonding - this was a group comfortable
with each other from the get-go; funny how that happens. One of
the most memorable events was that the wisteria was in full
bloom – first time that occurred during
a visit. Rob has special memories of the wisteria at our welcome dinner –
dining outside under the stars in balmy weather. Memorable on
several counts.
Next day Anna expertly guided us around
Ravello, followed by panini lunch in the town square, free time
to explore, and then off to Mamma’s cooking class. Chiara,
Mamma’s daughter and organizer of the classes, introduced us to
her new baby, Paola - just 2 months old. Older brother, Mario
continues to be a delightful exuberant little boy.
It Is such a
treat to be allowed into their home. During the crepe-making
contest, Philip easily came in first place with best technique.
(R-Team Debbie & Philip)
The mozzarella lady was waiting for us the
next morning, once again demonstrating her patience and skill
with making this delicious cheese. Giorgio at the cameo store
welcomed us into his private museum and explained the various
treasures on display. He is such a kind, generous man – and his
work is lovely.
Angela, our sommelier in Amalfi,
enthusiastically led us through a thorough examination (tasting) of
the
wines of Campania, paired with a delightful light lunch. We
knew we were off to Mamma’s for another BIG cooking class, so
the light lunch was most welcome. Cooking class was all about
fish: fresh anchovies, squid, sea bass, mussels, clams; you
name it, we cooked and ate it. Rob & Claudia won the prize for
cleaning the most squid.
(L-Rob & fishy friend)
The weather forecast was looking like a
change, so we switched plans and went to Capri on
Wednesday instead of Thursday as scheduled. Had smooth sailing
the whole way, and great weather on Capri –definitely the
right choice. Next day was Vietri sul Mare, center of
great ceramics (where Anne snagged a great ceramic pizza cutter
that I lusted after), plus a visit to Cetara for lunch
and the anchovy processor. As usual,
it is always a surprise to see that the anchovies are processed
almost completely by hand – tedious work, but it is a job and
jobs are not always plentiful.
That afternoon, Margaret made an important
decision – she got her hair cut at a local hairdresser. It looked
so great, I became inspired to follow suit and get a trim. Oh well, some days cherries some
days pits! Next day it was off to Pompeii. I
had gotten word that Nino, my regular guide was ill, and a
previous guide, Gianni would be with us. Gianni was really
excellent. The real trick was finding the pizza restaurant
that Nino had introduced me to. We finally found it and
once again were the only English speaking people in the
restaurant - as always. (see Margaret's photo R- and
compare it to my chop job at the top)
That evening was the musical performance
and it was spectacular – piano and flute. I truly think it was
one of the best performances I’ve attended in Ravello. Being
able to participate in these local events is such a treat. No
wonder Ravello is known as the City of Music.
Next day w
as Positano and all the shopping
anyone could possibly desire. Lunch on the waterfront, then back
to Ravello for the new Special Dinner of Traditional Foods of
the region, Campania. We were honored to be the first participants in this
new event. It was, indeed, a perfect way to end a glorious week
– local foods and traditions, served on special ceramics, with
one taste treat after another. It made it even more difficult
to leave this lovely setting the next morning, but we did. (L-our
very own
rainbow)
THE
TASTES & TRADITIONS OF SICILY
(November 2-9, 2005)
After Tuscany I headed to Venice (hotel
hunting) then on to Sicily for a walk through of this newest
tour. In 1978 I fell in love with the “idea” of Sicily, and, at
long last my dream is realized with this new tour. I am
thrilled beyond description. (Photo R- Cefalu beach view)
You can set aside any preconceived notions
you might have about Sicily (Al Pacino notwithstanding), this is
a land of sunny warmth and generous, kind people eager to share
the uniqueness of Sicily with you.
I have a special memory of the ceramic
artisan who very carefully positioned me and my camera so we
could get the best photo of HIM working. After which he sent us
to a nearby trattoria for lunch – as his guests. He is one of
the many artisans we visit.
Because my colleague is a native Sicilian
we have a wonderful opportunity to visit the REAL Sicily –
places where the average tourist simply never goes. Of course,
we visit the famous places too: Palermo, Monreale, Segesta,
Erice, Marsala, Mt. Etna, Taormina. But it is in our visit to a
small hill town that I feel we take a step back to a simpler
time and place. Believe me; you don’t want to miss this; a
moment to treasure.
And, of course, our time in Taormina (jewel of the
Mediterranean) is
made even more wonderful by the choice of our hotel – located
near the center of town, but with breathtaking views of the sea
(photo L). Taormina will charm you – just as it did
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton many years ago, and still
fascinates travelers
today.
As a bonus for this trip, you will be
traveling when airfares are lowest – all prices drop November
1. And, Sicily is still pleasantly warm at this time of year.
In fact, it is one of the best times to travel there – November
& April are prime.
So, mark your calendars and prepare
yourself for a real treat.
THE MAGIC OF - VENICE CARNIVAL!
(February 22-March 1)
My quest in Venice was for a new hotel for
our Carnival trip next
February of 2006. I found the perfect
hotel, but they are sooooo popular they are always fully
booked. For Carnival 2006 they only had 4 rooms available –
which I promptly put on hold. But, that means anyone interested
needs to contact me ASAP. They will only hold the rooms until
September. So if you’re thinking of doing this, contact me
soon.
I was only in Venice for 3 days, but
managed to visit several of the people who will be doing events
for us in February: the glass expert who guides us through
Murano, the cooking teacher, several of my favorite restaurants,
the chocolatier, and, of course, the woman who plans and
executes the Doge Ball (most famous of all the Carnival
events).
Don’t miss this GRAND PARTY – when Venice
plays host to the world in this spectacular event.
THE TASTES OF TUSCANY
(May 15-22)
It’s not often I’m at a loss for words,
but in searching for the right ones for this group I may come up
short! At some point we were having so much fun and time passed
so quickly, we were sure we had skipped a day 
somewhere. That saying “time flies when you’re having fun” really
applied to this week. It was non-stop fun.
(L-artist
sketch of our villa)
This group had already bonded when I met
up with them in Florence! From our tour of Florence’s Central
Market to our fabulous lunch at Mario’s (I’m happy to report
that Theresa, my favorite waitress, was back in her best form
and taking good care of us), to our cooking class with Vincenzo
the week was off to a great start.
Even some rain in Siena couldn’t dampen
our spirits – we managed to shop til we dropped anyway. Paolo
our guide is always appreciative when I bring him groups of
women. But I think Michele, our pizza man (photo-R), was ecstatic (more
on that later). That evening we dined at a favorite “view” restaurant
near our villa and had an exquisite meal.
Wednesday’s cooking class was the
highlight of the week. Bea skillfully guided us through some
more of
Sr. Cappelli’s famous recipes, ending with the best
dessert in the world – THE apple tart with gelato and balsamico.
The murmurs of appreciation went on for quite some time. There
was a consensus that we had turned out a fabulous meal –
featuring the best pasta we had tasted!
Then came our leather making visits –
first to the producer of really high end handbags, belts, etc.
where each of us found something we just couldn’t live without.
Afterward we went to Carlo, the custom leather maker in Panzano
– surprise, surprise – there were some shoes just waiting for
some of us to choose. I always think having a pair of shoes
made just for YOU is an indulgence worth doing. I would have to
say, however, that the decision-making process is NOT quick, but
it was VERY satisfying.
Next morning we went to Volpaia for our
wine & olive oil tour & tasting – once again, the company store
did well. But we were late getting to shop of Dario, the
world-famous Butcher of Panzano – and another group had come in
and eaten our food! Not that we were in any danger of starving
to death, we just missed some good treats. Dario was looking
sharp as ever and the shop was packed. After that we visited
our watercolor artist in Greve and I was pleased to see he had
finally finished the watercolor of our Villa. (see photo above)
That evening was our pizza party at
Michele’s. He loved having the attention of all these women and
put on quite a show for us. After dessert he dashed outside
and came in with fresh cut roses for each of us – what a guy.
He certainly knows how to charm. (see photos with roses
below)
Friday was our catch up day in
Florence – to get all those things we had by-passed on
Monday.
Jane then guided us through the highlights of the Uffizi and the
David. A very satisfying day, followed by a dinner back in the
tiny village of Volpaia that turned out to be just FABULOUS.
And, it was a surp
rise birthday celebration for Sandy & Royce
with candles in their panna cotta! Celebrating a birthday or
other special occasion in Italy is about as good as it gets.
And in this case, surrounded by a great group of women. We had
a WONDERFUL time – and fortunately they had put us in a private
room so no one noticed how much noise we made. I’ll definitely
go back there. (L-birthday dinner, R-Sandy)
Our last day began with Greve’s open air
market which was greeted with great enthusiasm by these
shoppers. It always comes as a shock that it is possible to
find really good quality items at markets such as this. After a
panini lunch in the square we headed back to the villa to pack
and do our last cooking class and Farewell Dinner.
It was tough for this group to part and
they did so vowing to do a repeat in the future. I can hardly
wait! (Photo below: Awesome 8 w/Roses)
COOKING IN PARADISE - AMALFI
May 8-15,
(week 2)
From time to time people ask me if it ever
gets boring going the same places and doing the same things over
again. I always respond by explaining that each group brings
its own way of experiencing a place, so even if I’ve been there
before it takes
on a freshness and newness created by the
dynamic of the group I’m with. That was especially true this
year when, for the first time, I had two groups back to back in
the same location -due to the continuing popularity of Amalfi. (R-
us at dinner)
My second Amalfi groups brought an entirely
different approach from the preceding week. Interestingly, I had a mother/daughter team
and a mother/son duo, plus two good friends. Although we had a cloudy
beginning to our walking tour of Ravello, that was the
end of questionable weather the rest of the week – something we
always hope for – and the Amalfi Coast usually delivers.
I’d have to say our cooking classes
(as well as all other activities) were
livened up quite a bit by John’s wonderful antics – Mamma loved him (just like Rob the previous week). I’ve concluded
that she has a definite soft spot for the men. As usual, Mamma
just doesn’t think we eat enough – even though John did his best
to live up to her high standards. (L-John in Naples, no
we didn't eat there)
THE
BIG topic of conversation with Anna,
Mamma, Chiara, and Alessandra at the
limoncello factory was the
news that Kurt and Cindy (Amalfi
10/03) were getting married this October. Since Kurt
& Cindy met on that 2003 trip, everyone in Ravello is taking full credit
for the happy event. We all participated and offered opinions
as to which bottle of limoncello looked best with the bomboniere
for the wedding. We finally decided to take a sample of each
bottle back for them to choose – carefully wrapped and schlepped
around Italy for the next month in my suitcase. Truly a group
effort.
Again, we had to change our expedition to
Capri because of weather predictions – and again, they didn’t
come true. But we had a great time on Capri. I
managed to find a very special pair of shoes as mementos –
anyone who has traveled with me knows I have a shoe “thing”.
I was pleased to find something reasonably priced on the island – needless
to say they weren’t in the Gucci store.
Our visit to
Vietri Sul Mare and the
various ceramic producers was a profitable one – especially for
the merchants. We all managed to find something, but had most
items shipped. Nothing worse than trying to haul around heavy
ceramic plates! My personal triumph was that I happened to step
into a shop – looking for some missing members of our group –
when I spotted the great ceramic handled pizza cutters that
Anne had found the previous week! Bought two and ran out
the door.
On our Pompeii/Naples day I made a
fascinating discovery in the Naples Galle
ria. In the center is
a series of mosaics each depicting a sign of the zodiac. I was
fascinated – as many times as I’d been there, stood in the same
spot, I had never noticed it before. It was while we were
waiting for John to have his photos downloaded onto a cd that I
saw them. Guess it really does pay to be patient. I originally
planned to put each person’s photo with their astrologic sign,
but can’t find the notebook telling me who was what. Oh well –
good idea anyway.
The real shock came when we went for our
pizza. Same restaurant, but in the space of one week Heineken
had taken over and there was no Italian beer served. I couldn’t
believe it. In fact, I was so skeptical I went out to check
the spigots on the taps. I encountered the same thing the next
week in Tuscany. I’m not sure what’s going on but I think
there’s something wrong when you can’t get an Italian beer on
tap in Italy.
Our Farewell Dinner at Mamma’s was
different from the previous week in that there were other people
there. It is more like a private dining experience with very
limited seating – max 16/20. The food is so delicious and
learning about the history of the foods is great fun. A picture
perfect ending to a lovely week. (R - night lighting in
Ravello)
Next morning, we were off and running – me
to Tuscany, four to Rome and two reluctantly returning home.
That's
about it
for now - Hope to see YOU soon on a tour.
Ciao, Beverly
2005/06 TOUR SCHEDULE
Custom Tours arranged for 2 or more,
Groups of 6 or
more
