Cooking School Tours In Italy with Mama Margaret & Friends

Cetona In southern Tuscany just south of Chiusi and off the Autostrada Del Sole lies beautiful, little Cetona, where designer Valentino has a home, but where few tourists venture.  If you’re traveling from Rome, look west across the valley to the round, forested Mount Cetona. At its foot on its own hill, picturesque, little Cetona […]

Here are some ideas if you love Italian red wines! We can custom design these tours for you too. In northern/central Italy: Piedmont’s Barolo Country + Veneto’s Amarone Country Veneto’s Amarone Country + Tuscany’s Brunello Country town of Barolo in Piedmont in the fall In southern Italy: Wine country inland from the Amalfi Coast + […]

From the wonderful web site, italianfood.about.com full of every category of Italian recipes and food information. I liked the variety of flavours: pancetta, vinegar, pine nuts with several vegetables. “This spinach, zucchini and pancetta salad is fairly elaborate, and will work nicely as a starter.” Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1 […]

A Real Life Situation: good tips for you A travel agent contacted me for clients wanting to spend 9 days on the Amalfi Coast in late August. They wanted to see towns in the evenings after tourist crowds had gone so requested hotels in five towns including Capri. We advised them they’d waste too much […]

Book a cooking tour at a lovely, boutique 4 star hotel in the hills above Sorrento for any 6 days between August 1-10, and save $625 Cdn/$585 U.S.! We’ve sent many ecstatic food and wine lovers on this wonderful cooking and sightseeing tour in the Sorrento and Amalfi Coast areas! Instead of $3900 Cdn/$3650 U.S., […]

The name of this Sicilian pasta intrigued me! It’s classic, simple Sicilian recipe, tasty and easy to make from a web site with a wealth of Italian recipes from all Italy’s regions, mangiabenepasta.com (not only pasta recipes though!) Serves 2  1/3 cup olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped Pinch of red pepper flakes 1 […]

A Mama Margaret tour client asked me to research special events and festivals at Lake Maggiore and Lake Como for their fall holiday.  Here’s what I discovered. Lake Maggiore When I went to Lake Maggiore this May, I asked the tourist office in Stresa for a list. They only had info for the summer. The […]

Do you love Amarone wine? October is the ideal time to go to the Veneto! Imagine entering a winery cellar where they’re drying the grapes for Amarone wine. That intense wine perfume engulfs you. Your guide is a sommelier whose family owns a winery making Amarone and other wines so you’ll learn everything you ever […]

Summer Berry Medley with Limoncello & Mint From Yummly.com but originally from Micol Negrin in Cooking Light I’ve been enjoying summer berries tremendously so this dessert full of berries inspires me! 1 cup fresh raspberries 2 cups fresh blackberries 2 cups hulled fresh strawberries, quartered 2 cups fresh blueberries 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon grated […]

Ahh…fall in Tuscany! That means experiencing the wine and olive harvests, eating porcini mushrooms fresh from the forest, enjoying chestnuts picked off trees above the wine hills and hunting for white truffles. San Miniato, home of November white truffle festival September and the first half of October, depending on the weather, you’ll see teams in […]