Tales From the Heart in Italy
Tales from the Hearts of Our Tour Clients
A Celebration of Sisterhood, Friendship, the Big 5-0 and Life
Making Bread in Italy With the Man I Love
Celebrating Their Anniversary with Her Parents in Italy
"We loved the tour so much, we want to do it again!"
She Wowed the Love of Her Life: A Surprise Cooking Tour in Sicily for His Big Birthday
Tales from the Hearts of Our Tour Chefs, Winery Owners & Other Friends
How a Banana Led to a Long Friendship in the Aeolian Islands in Sicily:
Chef Bartolo & Calogero
Elio Altare in Barolo wine country
A Celebration of Sisterhood, Friendship, the Big 5-0 and Life
Friends in Tuscany
In the spring of 2005 I got a call from lively sounding Jan in Colorado who wanted a tour in Tuscany for her and her friend, Janis in New York . They'd been best friends since their college days and were celebrating their 50th birthdays that year. Janis was also undergoing chemotherapy that would end later in the spring and needed an extra special, pampering, fun filled holiday. They'd decided our Cooking & Spa Lovers' Adventure in Tuscany based at a lovely four star villa fit the bill perfectly. They liked the variety of activities: cooking lessons, wine tastings with producers, spa pampering, an olive oil visit, shopping and strolling in medieval hill towns, country walks.
Janis told me later she was a police inspector and had thoroughly researched lots of tours on the Internet as well as me and my tour company. We passed her inspection!
Word of the tour spread among their friends and family. Janis' sister, Karen and Jan's sister, Judy joined the group. A long time friend of Jan's, Debbie and her best friend, Diane signed up to make a group of six. Some had husbands or children who would survive fine without them for a week or two and some were single. They came from Colorado, Florida and New York .
What a fabulous time they had! They laughed and laughed the whole week. They hand rolled the local pici pasta with the experienced, friendly older woman chef in the kitchen of Patrizia's restaurant in a hill town and learned secrets of making mushroom risotto and more from the charming, young restaurant owner, Roberto up in the forested hills.
They enjoyed a Vino Nobile wine tasting with the winery owner in a pretty garden on a terrace with an incredible view of a country valley of green, brown and gold olive groves, vineyards, fields and forests.
They indulged in two mornings of massages and facials at the spa; Diane said her massage by Paolo was the best she'd had in her life.
They shopped til they dropped; Karen bought a lovely Tuscan landscape painting while Judy found some beautiful ceramic canisters perfect for her Italian style kitchen at home.
They lazed in the gardens of olive trees and roses of their four star villa hotel, sipping wine and laughing some more.
I was lucky enough to share this week with them--it was hard to say “arrivederci”. By the end of the week Debbie and Diane had made four new friends. Jan told me how important this tour was to Janis. While she underwent chemotherapy she had something lovely to look forward to and the anticipation helped her to get through her therapy more easily.
They shared a week of celebrating not only the big 5-0, sisterhood, friendship and love but life!
What about you? Do you have a group of women friends you'd love to celebrate friendship, love and life with in Italy?
Making Bread in Italy With the Man I Love
Pat and Mervyn are enjoying a boat trip out of port of Camogli on Italian Riviera
In 2004 I was the guide for Pat and Mervyn for the Riviera part of their Riviera and Tuscany cooking, wine and walking tour. A delightful couple, Pat came from Texas and Mervyn from England where they had met. They were engaged and making regular Texas-England trips across the Atlantic . Pat told me that with Mervyn she finally knew what having a real partner in life felt like.
One sunny morning we were all in a restaurant set in the terraced hills of olive trees above Rapallo for a cooking lesson with Fausto. They cooked a long list of mouthwatering local dishes like pesto made of handfuls of basil from the garden, rack of lamb stuffed with a large amounts of garden fresh sage and rosemary and wrapped up with bacon.
But it was making simple bread together at the kitchen counter and looking out the window at the gardens outside that caused Pat to exclaim, “Here I am in a restaurant in Italy , on a sunny day, looking out at olive trees, lemon trees and roses and making bread with the man I love. What else could I want in life?”
Yes, indeed. At that moment, I felt teary and thought, “YES! This is why I'm in this business, helping people share heartfelt experiences in beautiful Italy with those they love.” Pat said, “I'm going to write about this in my journal so I'll always remember it.” I said nothing and did the same.
What about you? Do you have a special man or woman in your life you'd love to share moments like these in Italy?
Celebrating Their Anniversary with Her Parents in Italy
Larry, Rheta, Salvatore and Carol enjoying their creations
of their cooking lesson with Chef Paolo
Larry and Carol wanted to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in
Italy in an extra special way, a custom designed cooking and wine tour.
Larry contacted me after his father-in-law, Salvatore told him Mama
Margaret was the one to call about cooking holidays in Italy. Salvatore and
Rheta, Carol's parents, were going to Italy with Larry and Carol to
celebrate their big anniversary.
We custom designed a 10 day tour in Piedmont and the Riviera just for the
four of them with a great guide to accompany and pamper them. They stayed
in the best hotels, a lovely four star villa hotel in a Barolo wine town in
Piedmont and a four star hotel with gardens and beach right on the sea in
Camogli.
They enjoyed cooking lessons in Piedmont on classic Piedmont dishes from
spinach flan with fonduta sauce to hazelnut and chocolate cake with
zabaglione. They visited Barolo and Barbaresco wineries big and small to
drink the wines right where they were made. With a variety of chefs, they
cooked Riviera dishes from linguine al pesto to fish with white wine, herbs
and tomatoes.
They explored Barolo wine towns on hills crowned with
medieval castles by car. They took boats along the beautiful Portofino and
5 Terre coasts of fishing and resort towns with seafronts of colourful
vertical stripes made by the narrow buildings. They had a ball!
I caught up with them on the Riviera for a day. I could see right away how
close they were to each other. They talked, joked and laughed a lot in a
down to earth, affectionate way, especially Salvatore. With a big smile,
Larry told me years ago how easily he'd become part of Carol's Italian family.
Salvatore and Rheta were both 80, teased each other affectionately and
held hands. They'd been married 57 years. What's your secret, I asked.
Rheta smiled, We're best friends. We have discussions but we never fight."
"What's your secret? " I asked 45 year old Carol. The same as mum and dad", she smiled.
At the end of the day when the rest of the group was still talking to Chef
Paolo, I said to Carol, "It's wonderful you're all enjoying each other's
company so much on a family trip to celebrate your anniversary." She turned
to me with a more serious look, "Yes, we thought it was a great opportunity
to travel with mum and dad. After all, they're 80 and we don't know how
much longer they'll be around, do we?" A sobering thought.
What about you? Have you been meaning to travel with family members,
especially those who are getting on in years? Do it now!
"We loved the tour so much, we want to do it again!"
wine visit in Piedmont with the Walkers (on right) in 2000
In fall 2000 Michael and Janet gathered a group of three couples and
travelled with me on our eight day, Cooking, Wine and Walking Extravaganza
tour in Piedmont's Barolo Wine Country, 5 Terre & Portovenere and Tuscany's
Brunello Wine Country.
In Piedmont they walked down through vineyards in gentle series of hills,
some topped with towns and medieval castles, to an abbey where monks began
making wine in 1162, now a private wine museum owned by a winery
family...and tasted the wonderful Barolo wines with one of the owners. They
stepped back in time staying in the Hotel Real Castello, former home of
King Carlo Alberto in the 1840s. They enjoy eating delectable dishes like
risotto al Barolo and making the thin tajarin pasta with fun loving Chef
Ester at her restaurant in the Barbaresco vineyards.
On the Riviera in Portovenere they dined on grilled scampi and
strawberries with balsamic vinegar on the terrace of the Grand Hotel
overlooking the Bay of Poets. They walked all the pathways clinging to the
hills on the sea of the 5 Terre and congratulated themselves with glasses
of fresh white Vermentino wine.
In Tuscany they loved cooking with the very hospitable, charming Chef
Roberto in his restaurant kitchen up in the mountains where he specializes
in mushroom dishes....mushroom hunters bring fresh porcini to his back door
in the fall! They learned all about Brunello and tasted different
producers' wines with the manager of the wine shop in the medieval fortress
in Montalcino.
Since they live in Vancouver, we had at least one reunion. Six months
later they were still showing pictures and reminiscing about what wonderful
people they'd met, what beautiful experiences they'd shared.
Over the next four years, every now and then, Janet would say to me,"Michael loved that tour so much, he'd like to do it all over again."
Happy pasta cooks in Piedmont cooking lesson in Barbaresco wine country with the Walkers in 2004
In 2004 Janet and Michael gathered a second group of friends, three
couples and one widow, and took the same tour again. I said to them, "What
are your favourite experiences you'd like to repeat? What about adding some
new experiences for you?" We tweaked the itinerary a little.
The second group of seven friends had such a good time eating, drinking,
laughing, talking and exploring together on their Piedmont, Riviera and
Tuscany tour, that they travelled with us again the next year to Le Marche
and Rome.
This year the three couples are travelling together to Vancouver Island
closer to home.
Next year they're planning to go with us to Sicily.
She Wowed the Love of Her Life:
A Surprise Cooking Tour in Sicily For His Big Birthday
from left to right: Tom, (Ron's best friend), restaurant owner Angelo, guide Maurizio,
Donna (Tom's wife), Janett and birthday boy, Ron
Janett of New York City wanted to give the love of her life, Ron the surprise of his life to celebrate his 60 th birthday. In 2000 she loved and had lots of fun on a Mama Margaret & Friends cooking and wine tour in Italy's Barolo wine country. Ron, a food importer and former owner of an Italian restaurant, would love a Sicily cooking tour with Mama Margaret.
Janett asked Ron, "Would it be OK if I gave you a trip for your birthday?" Of course, it was! "Would it be OK if I didn't tell you where you were going, if I just gave you the list of things to pack?" Sure, he was happy to play along!
In May she contacted “Mama” Margaret Cowan and booked their Cooking, Wine and Volcano tour in the Mount Etna area and the island of Stromboli in Sicily for October. A tour with three cooking lessons with chefs in their kitchens, delectable seafood and mountain cuisine, scenic walks around the exotic volcanic foothills of Mount Etna and Stromboli--both with active volcanoes, good Sicilian wines, a historical tour and shopping in Taormina and a mud bath in a natural outdoor pool by the sea on the island of Vulcano.
Ron's best friend, Tom and his wife, Donna were able to join them in Sicily for this special celebration of love, friendship and big birthday. Even though they see Ron about three times a week, they managed to keep the Sicily tour a secret from him for over four months.
Ron took the list of what to pack to his office. "A flashlight, a wind breaker, a bathing suit.", he said, "where do you think I'm going?" Some guessed the Amazon River.
On the phone with Mama Margaret, Janett chortled, "We're going to Rome first. He'll think we're going to Florence and Venice as well. He'll never guess we're going to Sicily!!"
When Janett and Ron got to the Rome airport, Ron saw Tom and Donna sitting in the waiting area for their flight to Catania in Sicily. "What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
They burst out laughing, "We're going with you on the tour in Sicily!" Ron stood there glued to the spot, mouth open, unable to speak for a minute or two. He couldn't believe how the three of them had kept this secret from him!
In Sicily Janett, Ron, Donna and Tom laughed all week long at the goofy antics of their guide, Maurizio who had them singing and dancing to “New York, New York” on the first day, at comical situations with chefs in the kitchens in cooking lessons, and at their own jokes and foibles.
They ate delicious food of fresh local ingredients like Sarde Abeccafico (sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts and capers) or pasta with pistachio nut sauce. In beautiful, famous Taormina, they explored the Greek theatre with panoramas of Mount Etna and the sea. At sunset time on the island of Stromboli, they walked in the foot hills of the rumbling volcano up to a restaurant set above the sea, watched the sky turn orange and pink over the clear blue water and when darkness fell, they marveled at the volcano throwing its fire like fireworks into the sky.
At the gala seafood dinner on the last night, everyone made toasts. Janett made a toast to the love of her life, Ron. He thanked her for such a fabulous birthday surprise and hugged her. She started crying and we all had tears in our eyes. Ron said, “I've never seen Janett cry before.”
As Ron wrote later, “A magical experience, one you have to live because it is impossible to describe.” Especially if you share it with the love of your life.
What about you? Do you have a big birthday or wedding anniversary or wonderful friendships to celebrate? Why not gather your friends and/or family together for a cooking and wine tour with us in Italy? Your time with us in Italy is too short, but your memories last forever.
Tales From the Hearts of Our Tour Chefs, Winery Owners & Other Italian Friends
How a Banana Led to a Long Friendship in the Aeolian Islands in Sicily:
Chef Bartolo & Calogero
Chef Bartolo of Lipari and B & B owner, Calogero of neighbouring island of Stromboli, both 60 something, look like two rather unlikely friends. Calogero is a charming, easy going extrovert with a booming laugh and big smile. Bartolo is quieter, more serious and more emotional man with his own charm.
On our Sicily cooking tour, our cooking lesson with Bartolo in a B & B kitchen was his first ever, so he was feeling stressed. "I'm used to doing 80 plates in three hours all by myself!" he cried. Soon he calmed down...only to get stirred up by Calogero, the B & B owner.
The first time Calogero entered the kitchen and made some loud, friendly remarks, Bartolo yelled, "Get him out of here! I can't work with him here! Calogero left. The next time he came back into the kitchen, Bartolo yelled, "Get out of here! He shut the kitchen door in Calogero's face. The third time Calogero came back in, Bartolo yelled, "Get him out of here. He's breaking my *****!" so I took Calogero's arm and we walked a few steps to the lobby of his B & B.
Then it hit me. "How long have you two known each other? Are you two friends? I asked Calogero. He laughed, "Yes!"
How had they met? One of my favourite questions!
Twenty years ago Calogero was shopping in a supermarket on the nearby island of Lipari. He saw a man (Bartolo) put some milk, pasta etc in his shopping cart. Then he saw the man put a banana in his pants pocket. How odd! A curious soul, he followed the man to the check-out.
The man unloaded his groceries and paid the cashier. Then he pulled the banana out of his pocket, handed the banana to the cashier and smiled, "This is a present for you!"
Calogero had to laugh. What a character! He struck up a conversation with the man and they had a coffee in a nearby coffee bar. Their friendship began. When Calogero had a restaurant in his B & B in Stromboli, Bartolo was his chef.
A Man Who Believes in Himself and His Wines:
Winery Owner Elio Altare of Piedmont's Barolo wine country
In September 2005 I had the privilege of visiting the Elio Altare winery in the Barolo wine country with Megan and Tom, some American tour clients on their Barolo wine tour. We had a delightful visit with Elena, Elio Altare's daughter, sitting around their table in their tasting room with big windows overlooking vineyards and hills and talking not only about their wonderful wines, but about life in general.
Elena told us a story about her father that inspired me. Her grandfather and her father disagreed totally. Her grandfather liked using the large traditional barrels for aging wine and her father believed the smaller barrels would age the wines better. They couldn't resolve their differences, so her father, Elio went out on his own and made wines using smaller barrels. Her grandfather was so angry about him going against his wishes, that he disinherited her father of the part of the family lands that would go to him.
Years later Elio Altare bought those lands back and now is one of the leading wine producers and mentors in the Barolo region. He gives his knowledge freely to other wine producers and encourages them to share their information and experiences on making Barolo, so everyone's wines will be of ever higher quality and they will all prosper.
This story inspires me because Elio Altare stood up for what he believed in and made sacrifices for his beliefs. He did whatever he had to do to get to his goal--owning his part of the family lands.
Mama Margaret & Friends Cooking Tours
