Contact Beverly & follow her
travel adventures
Send her e-mail
The Everyday Gourmet
Travel Newsletter: January, 2003
Subscribe to receive this in e-mail
A FABULOUS FALL
Not sure I know where to begin, the fall was soooo great!
The groups were amazing, weather
outstanding, and my follow up exploratory trips to new locations were
extremely productive. A lot of good things in process for the future.
Cinque Terre/Riviera
What a group this was -
seven women and one man. Somehow Phil managed
to keep his equilibrium AND his sense of humor. A day that stands out in
my mind is when he earned Chef Fausto's undying gratitude by fixing a
door that had come off its hinges. It was a male bonding moment.
We were blessed with good weather
the entire week and took full advantage of it by taking boats whenever
we could. At our visit to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso with it's undersea
statue it was so hot many went wading - a first.
It was one sunny panoramic view
after another; from charming Camogli to the Bay of Silence in Sestri
Levante. Somehow sunshine makes every experience better.
While we had many memorable
experiences, one that stands out in my mind is the St. Michael
celebration in the tiny village of San Michele (so close we walked it).
Watching this ancient procession of townspeople singing as they followed
the lighted statue of St. Michael through the town, receiving the
blessings of the priest, followed by a modest display of fireworks. We
all felt privileged to be a part of this ancient tradition.
Our cooking classes with Chef
Fausto were unbelievable. He is worth the price of admission under all
circumstances, but he seemed especially inspired with this group. He has
an amazing instinct for selecting the right person to tease the most.
(That person shall not be named here). The laugh meter was constantly
pinned. How he can be so funny and at the same time impart so much
information is beyond me - a real talent.
We continue to expand our "cast of
local characters" each of whom added measurably to the week. Our new
guide Loredana is a definite 10: lovely, knowledgeable, fun to be with,
committed to making our experiences better. Through her we were able to
visit a new cheesemaker who produces the local strachino - a primary
ingredient in the famous foccacia.
And speaking of cheese - our new
"star" has to be Guido - he combined a wine/cheese/salami tasting (in
his shop that has fabulous local products AND they ship) - along with a
lecture that had us all captivated. Of course, it was too much to eat
but that's nothing new.
On "fish day" our Hotel host (and
frustrated cook) Claudio guided us to his Santa Margherita fishmonger on
his motorcycle; a real sight! In Portofino the merchants were glad to
see us again- several of us have keepsake jewelry available only there.
The grand finale was watching the local fisherman bring in the day's
catch - followed by a quick cooking class and sumptuous dinner.
Our Cinque Terre day was another
perfect day in paradise, sunny and warm. Unfortunately we bought a bit
too many goodies in Monterosso and had to lug the bags around. We
managed most of the towns and by the time we returned to Rapallo we were
certainly ready for a casual and uncomplicated menu at the local
pizzaria. Beer and pizza - unbeatable combination.
Our cheese/olive oil tour day was
unforgettable on several levels. The cheesemaster had saved a batch just
for us and walked us through the entire process for making strachino for
the famous foccaccia. Then to our amazement the olive oil plant was in
operation - earlier than I've ever seen it! Then came the wonderful
lunch in Sestri Levante overlooking the Bay of Silence, after which, the
shoppers broke out and inflicted great damage.
All too soon it was time to make
way for the gigantic Boat Show that was taking over the Riviera.
ROME - New Tour (May 4-11 OR
Oct. 19-26)
As many of you know, I've
been trying to put this one together for some time a
nd it's finally
done. Spent a lot of time here in the fall - found the perfect hotel:
easily reachable by train (Ostiense) and metro (2 stops from the
colosseum), elegant with huge rooms, beautiful garden, in a quiet
residential area, but within a 3 block walk of what is now "the NEW
culinary center of Rome" - how much better can it be?
Well, add to that a fabulous new
cooking teacher, the "cheeseman to the stars" (Sophia Loren) who will do
a cheese education/tasting class, enthusiastic artisan producers, wines,
authentic trattorias, plus guided tours of the major Rome attractions as
well as some lesser known ones.
Put this one on your list - you
won't want to miss it.
SICILY- Strange, wonderful,
mysterious ( Oct. 26-Nov.1)
This is an amazing place —
it feels older than anywhere else in Italy. Plus it has a definitely
"foreign" feel to it - different from the rest of Italy. If you think
Italian is difficult to understand, wait until you experience the
Sicilian dialect —
it's REALLY another language. Andiamo (let's go) in Sicily becomes "ammuni".
Fortunately we have a wonderful
local guide there who makes the local customs understandable. Another
beautiful Italian woman, our Marcella, makes Sicilian history come to
life as she patiently explains customs, politics and life in general.
We'll experience sea salt
production - windmills and all, Marsala winery, ancient villages like
Erice home to one of the finest marzipan artisans, cooking classes of
course, plus visits to colorful trattorias (like the one where the owner
may sing and dance with a napkin on his head). We may even be treated to
an elegant musical/dining evening in the oldest Palace in Palermo -
hosted by a singing Contessa.
And the entire time you're treated
to breathtaking scenery everywhere. This is an unforgettable place that
will capture your heart.
Lake Como/Bellagio/Venice (side
adventure)
After bidding farewell to
the group, Anne and I took off for visits to Lake Como and
Belaggio and Venice. If you don't know it, Belaggio is probably the most
famous town on Lake Como - I always call it the "high priced spread". We
stayed in a charming Inn overlooking Lake Como (not in Belaggio), and
explored the Lake by boat, car and bus.
Our inn was a perfect base - warm
crackling fire, great English-speaking hosts, outstanding food, modest
cost. What an eye opener Belaggio was - truly shoppers' heaven - great
merchandise and not overepriced. Anne was looking for baggage to
accommodate her ever-expanding cache of purchases. There are also
discount centers nearby. I'm trying to figure out how to offer this as a
3 day add on to either a Venice or Cinque Terre trip. Stay tuned.
Then it was off to Venice which
had bargains galore. Maybe Anne can be persuaded to send a picture of
her new fur-trimmed leather coat - among other treasures. If only I'd
known the character of the group coming for Tuscany I'd have suggested
Anne stay to join the "shopping queens" - she would have been right at
home!
Tuscany-Chianti
I want to say right up
front, that NOTHING prepared me for this group. I thought I'd seen
shoppers before but NEVER have I seen shopping done as an Olympic
competition!
This group was unusual in its
makeup: six of the women were interrelated (mother/daughters &
daughters-in-laws), the other two were not related to the six, but were
sisters-in-law. It quickly became apparent they were all sisters under
the skin.
I'm
still not sure how they all got everything home - even after purchasing
much extra luggage! The scene the night before we were leaving was worth
the price of admission. Poor Bhati hasn't recovered from carrying down
the bags - he's a pretty little guy and the bags were BIG and numerous.
Eight people - 24+ bags.
We had a great market tour in
Florence with a quick lunch at the Sicilian stall for some of the best
pannini available anywhere! Our Sicilian hostess was busy matchmaking her
son with Deb in our group (marital status unimportant). Then the
shopping began!
Cooking classes with Vincenzo were
amazing with this group. Italian men go just a little ga-ga over an
entire group of women. So from Vincenzo, to Sr. Capelli, to Michele in
Radda (an entire story in itself), the body count was quite high!
Greve is waiting for this group to
return - Koshrov (the artist) gleefully told everyone that thanks to
them he could now purchase his new MacIntosh G4! And Sr. Cappelli has
never had a day such as this - I wasn't sure he had any balsamic left
when we were finished. And I know we got the last of his special wine.
As usual, the consensus was that the meal at Cappelli's villa is the
best of the week (and the competition is pretty stiff).
The grappa factory was in full
production - always fun. Hildrud, our guide, was amazed that we were
buying so many bottles - little did she know. Those of you that have
been there know how LARGE these bottles are - one of the group bought
THREE bottles of Sambuca!
Pizza night in Radda was
especially memorable - we walked into a FULL restaurant. Chef/owner
Michele saw us, cleared tables at once, and we were served quickly -
much to the amazement of other diners. One man tried to join us just to
get the service. Without a doubt it's the best pizza I've had anywhere.
We had a pizza feeding frenzy, followed by Moscato with Michele. What a
night.
After a Grand Finale Dinner with
Vincenzo, Sabina and Giancarlo it was time to say goodby. I watched the
news anxiously for news that airliners had been unable to take off due
to extra cargo weight, but apparently everyone made it safely.
What wonderful memories of this
season. Thank you all!
This 'n That
CARNIVAL! - Grownup Fantasy: I've
been having so much fun with new costumes, wigs, and masks i
n
preparation for our upcoming Carnival trip - I just had to share my "new
look" with you. (That's really me on the left). Don't think you'll
automatically recognize me - this is only 1 of 4 "looks". One day I'll
be a redhead, next a brunette, then honey blonde. I'll be extra careful
not to get near the flame when we're cooking - could be a bit too
exciting.
We'll be attending four private
costumed events - including one grand ball, plus for our Grand Finale we
will enjoy a very special private musical performance and elegant dining
experience in a Grand Venetian Palazzo. I'm counting the days.
We had a late cancellation so if
you're free Feb. 22-March 2 you could join us in the festivities.
Airfares are the lowest during this period.
REMEMBER – CUSTOM TOURS
ARRANGED FOR GROUPS OF 6 OR MORE
2003 TOUR SCHEDULE
Feb. 22-March 2 Carnival! Venice
SPRING
April 27-May 4 Provence
May 4-11 Rome (new)
May 4-11 Amalfi Coast
May 11-18 Cinque Terre/Riviera
May 18-25 Tuscany
May 25-June 1 Venice
FALL
Sept 28-Oct 4 Cinque Terre/Riviera
Oct 5-12 Amalfi Coast
Oct 12-19 Tuscany
Oct 19-26 Rome
Oct 16-Nov 1 Sicily (tentative)
Past newsletters:
Spring, 2002 :: April 2002
::
Fall/Winter 2001
