A winter stay in Valpolicella would be incomplete without a few visits in the local restaurants. There is a lot to choose from! Even if the AirBnB house we rented is located in a small village there is a variety of places that serve a high-quality food. Italy is famous for its food and sometimes you might get lost is a variety of names. You might wonder what is the difference between ‘osteria‘, ‘trattoria‘ and ‘restaurant’ thus here is a simple explanation. Osteria The least formal of all places that offer you food in Italy. It sometimes is run by a family and offers you a place at the common table, shared with other guests. The food is always fresh, prepared from the local ingredients and often there is no menu: the owner of a waiter tells you what is served today and you choose from it. It serves wines, often produced by the owners (‘produzione propria‘), brought to the table is carafe rather than a bottle. Recently there is a new trend to make the osterie more attractive by using a modern design or hosting ‘aperitivo‘ in late afternoons. The one I visited here, in Negrar, was called Osteria del Bugiardo and it was fabulous! Trattoria Less formal than a restaurant more formal then osteria. It always serves local food but the main focus is on wines. The food is always simple, the choice is limited and the customers are in major part locals. It has been always an important place for the meetings of the residents and a common space for exchanging the ideas and gossips. Restaurant Obviously, there is a huge variety of the formality here. There are exclusive restaurants that serve a high quality, expensive food but there are also those less expensive and well connected with the area. It is true especially in Italy where many people visit a restaurant with their families, friends and colleagues. It is worth checking with the locals which restaurant is good but if you can’t do it just pass the restaurant in the evening (20:00-21:00) and judge it out of the number of cars parked in front of it. If the restaurant is not in the city centre, next to the famous touristic spots, this strategy works just fine. Especially in the countryside: good restaurants are always full of locals! Bar or pasticceria Pssst! I know that there’s a lot of people who love sweets thus I would strongly encourage you to visit bar or pasticceria in the morning. The best place to start a day in Italy is the one that bakes their sweets in situ, in their backyard. Fresh, warm sweet brioche in the morning will lift your spirit!  

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I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard about Valpolicella at least once in your lifetime. It is the name of a zone full of gentle hills near Verona and it gave a name to the Valpolicella wine that people appreciate around the world. I am not a wine expert but since I lived in Italy I tasted a variety of white and red wines. I participated in a wine tasting before and I am probably an average wine fan: love it with whole my heart. When we left the Dolomites, we decided to expand our holiday and stay for a little bit longer in Italy. Verona and Valpolicella seemed to be just perfect. Last week, we participated in two wine tasting and here is my review, so you could pick up your own way. Valpolicella Valpolicella Classico is made from five grape varieties: Rondinella, Corvina, Corvinione, Oseleta and Molinara. For an amateur, it is pretty hard to distinguish the grapes seen on the grapevines but to the experts, this is a piece of cake. The location of Valpolicella is stunning and just perfect for wine cultivation. From the top of the hills on a sunny day, you can see the Adriatic Sea. The quality of the soil is outstanding as it is of a volcanic origin. Local microclimate brings a fresh breeze from the sea and from the nearby lake Garda. The cantina here is well ventilated which makes the drying process of grapes possible. Out of the variety of grapes grown in Valpolicella a series of red wines are produced: Valpolicella Classico, famous Amarone, sweet Recioto and Ripasso. Wine Tasting in Cantina Fratelli Vogadori Although we all prefer white wines, we could not miss the opportunity of wine tasting in Valpolicella. In a sunny afternoon, we started our tasting in a cantina called Fratelli Vogadori. We entered the building, crossed a cellar following the arrows and were seated at the table with five bottles or red wine. One of the owners was our guide. We got a list of wines that we should taste, bread with olive oil and a spittoon. One after another, the red wine filled our glasses and through the story told by one of the owners we did our best to taste vanilla, cherry, chocolate, and tobacco. Cherry was the easiest to spot. One of the wines we tasted was especially wonderful: it smelled fresh and fruity and after we tasted it, our mouths were full of vanilla. An amazing experience that involved not only our senses of taste and smell but also our memories. Our guide explained that what we sense in a wine depends on our personal experience and memories. We bought a few bottles of wine there and went back home completely satisfied. But this was not over. Next day we went to a different place and the wine tasting there was a totally different one. Wine Tasting in Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde After the first wine tasting in Valpolicella we expected a similar thing but we were completely wrong. This time, we got caught by the owners full of passion, joy and proud. We booked a wine tasting combined with lunch and arrived at noon, in a very hot day. The old buildings and well-ventilated garden welcomed us with desired fresh breeze. Ilaria and Nicola, a couple who owns the place, took us directly for a guided tour around their property. We started from a huge room dedicated to grapes drying process. All grapes, collected manually, are stored for at least 100 days from November to mid-February, depending on the weather and harvest. The room was empty but watching the wooden boxes we could imagine how hard it is to keep them safe from mold until they are ready for a fermentation process. Ilaria explained that each variety of grapes used in Valpolicella wine gives a different taste. Rondinella tastes like plums, Corvina and Corvinone like cherries, Molinara like green pepper, and Oseleta like mulberries. From the drying room, we went down to the cellar, where the smell of mold was overwhelming. Old wooden barrels and modern metal ones were laying there, working hard to produce the excellent wine. Ilaria, a charming woman who laughed a lot, explained the whole process of wine making, including all difficulties, obstacles, and unexpected events. Then, Nicola came and are told us a story of the family. His family has been making wine for the last three hundred years! The expertise in the matter is the air they breathe from the moment they were born. Fascinating. We finally got seated under the white umbrella in a tranquil green garden. The silence was only intermittent by the sound of cicada and gently running water. What a relaxing place! Nicola brought us the local cheese and sausages and the feast began. The taste of wines along with the local specialities was amazing but the final was mind blowing. To fully enjoy the last wine, Nicola brought a block of dark chocolate. It is impossible to describe how incredible it tasted. The whole experience was just fantastic! It took us more than three hours and we had to run before Ilaria showed us the grounds, which was a shame. The owners told us that we could stay with them until the evening and I think that next time I will dedicate the whole day to stay in this marvellous place. Which wine tasting to choose? These two wine tasting experiences were picked up randomly. I had no previous contact with any of these places nor asked for suggestions to any of my friends. Obviously, each of these places has their own way of showing the excellency of the Valpolicella wines. It is up to you, what you prefer. I’d say that I should probably go back to Santa Maria Valverde because of the whole experience. I think that I tasted not only the wine there but most of all, what this region and the family business is all about. I deeply appreciate the...

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I love Emilia – Romagna and I consider this region my second home. I was very happy to go there again and spend a week on visiting a variety of places related to its food and wine. Settimana di Buon Vivere – a week of good living is an annual event organized to promote Emilia – Romagna. Indeed, I think that Emilia – Romagna is the best place to learning the Italian kitchen. I had an opportunity to meet the local wine producers, cooks, restaurant owners and managers focused on the promotion of the local excellence. Here is my short review of best places to eat and drink in Emilia – Romagna, places I can recommend you to visit and taste high-quality Italian food. Pizza Gourmet – Col Basilico Nel Cuore, Forli I was sceptical when we were told we got invited to a place where gourmet pizza is served. After all, pizza is not about gourmet nor elegant cuisine at all. Col Basilico Nel Cuore was, however, a perfect place to learn that food is not only about eating but also about the mood and the people you are with. I was lucky to sit at the table with one of the co-owners. A charming man, Fabio, was eager to share the secrets of double leavening and the top quality of pasta used for the pizza. This was a good start of learning about food but later that evening I got known that Fabio not only likes poetry but his favourite author is Wisława Szymborska – a Nobel Prize winner from Poland. This was a blast! The conversation about her lasted for hours. Fabio asked me to read aloud her poems in Polish and he was listening to it as if it was pure magic. He read a few poems in Italian and we were discussing the quality of the translation. I told him a few anecdotes about the private life of Szymborska from a book I have recently read. Every fifteen minutes the new kind of pizza was brought and we tried at least five different kinds. Fabio was explaining me all about wines, both sparkling and white ones. I had an impression that the poetry was all over the place. The food was excellent! I normally have some problems with digesting a traditional pizza, but the one leavened twice was so good for my stomach! I normally find it difficult to appreciate luxury or elegant places but this pizzeria I can recommend with no hesitation. Especially if you like poetry! Wine of the highest quality – Tenuta Carbognano, Gemmano The winery we visited the other day was a totally different place. Ornella e Marco – the owners of Tenuta Carbognano – hosted us like their own relatives. Their hospitality was deeply touching. Our visit started with a long walk around their modest vineyard. They are the owners of only 3 hectares and they have started their wine adventure about 10 years ago. All of the information I got from Ornella destroyed the myths I had in my head. I thought that wine business is only for the people who inherit not only the ground and the company but also the secret knowledge. The ancient families where the knowledge and skills are passed from one generation to another. Ornella told their story of starting with sommelier course and their previous bar business as years of preparation to get their hands dirty in grapes. Walking around their vineyards was a pure pleasure. Gentle hills, autumn warmth, well-kept lines of grapes and interesting stories were wonderful. Ornella told me that the major part of the grape harvest is done manually and also the plants’ treatment throughout the year. As their vineyard is modest their business is focused on a small quantity of the best wine called superiore. Even though their business is young their wine won a few local and national competitions. The best part of our stay on their farm, where you can rent a room too, was their attitude towards their vineyard and the guests. Ornella was laughing every five minutes and her smile was a proof that if you do business with joy and engagement it brings you not only good money but most of all fulfilment and happiness. I had a wonderful stay there, a delicious lunch and obviously excellent wine. Cooking classes – Al Vecchio Convento, Portico di Romagna I had a few cooking classes in my life. In fact, I run my own cooking classes in Ferrara, thus, I didn’t expect anything outstanding out of our visit in Vecchio Convento in Portico di Romagna. This was, however, one of the best events of the whole week of Buon Vivere. First of all, the town Portico di Romagna was charming. It was very small and located on a hill which always makes the tiny little streets even more delightful. There was a beautiful old bridge and also a few elements of modern art by the local artist Il Castello Errante. Further, we got a fantastic cooking class by Massimiliano, who happens to be an experienced and professional cook. Through working on a dough, precise instruction on technique, stories from his professional life up to creating hundreds of ravioli, the whole lesson was really nice. I felt I was learning new things and gaining new skills. Brilliant! I love to eat afterwards food I prepared, but this time the pleasure was magnified by the setting of the lunch. The old building where the cooking classes took place has a beautiful garden with lush green vegetation and relaxing view. Massimiliano opened a few bottles of excellent wines just perfect to accompany our handmade ravioli.     This was not the end, though. We spent the afternoon in the nearby forest hunting for truffles. A weird looking dog was our guide and we even found a few small truffles. The best part, however, was a walk with stunning views over the gentle hills and fields. This was a very relaxing time and...

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Visiting Sardinia and going beyond trendy beaches of Costa Smeralda was a challenge. And last two weeks spent on this amazing island was a hard proof that this is the current circumstance. After traveling around the world, this was a surprise. Sardinia is located not further than one hour flight from Rome, Nice and Barcelona! It almost sounds like a center of Europe only it is not. We all seems to have believed that the world is a global village, but this is true only for selected spots. Bangkok, Paris, Abu Dabi, Tokyo, New York and San Francisco might be quite closely connected, but there are hundreds and thousands of small towns that are much less so. And Sardinia is one of the places located close to the European most vibrant cities while in fact it is light years back. To tell you my story from Sardinia I decided to share with you my diary. I was writing it every day and I think it captured pretty much the atmosphere of the Sardinian little town: Fluminimaggiore. Thus, the posts published in episodes will be much less like a ‘Travel Tip’ sort, and much more like a narrative. It should be read slowly, preferably with your morning coffee. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my stay in Sardinia. Where it all started It all started about thirty years ago. My friend Cesare came to this island for the first time. And he has been keeping back ever since. Once, when we had a dinner in Ferrara he asked me if I would like to join him next time in Sardinia and since he was telling amazing things about it, I thought: well, what the heck! Why not?! Few months later, here I was: sitting in front of an old house and dying out of the warmth. August in Sardegna is hot. The warmth of this place reminds me the oven opened after baking a cake. It forces you to change your habits sooner than you can consciously decide to do so: it puts you in the bed sooner than you expected and later than you normally do. You first go to bed in the early afternoon, joining all Sardinians in their daily siesta. And then, you stay up until very late to enjoy the freshness of the evening. First what strikes a tourist who comes to Sardegna in August is dry terrain, mountains covered with short trees and bushes, and a smell of warm grass, rosemary and hundreds of other aromatic herbs mixed together. When I was crossing few mountain ranges driving from Cagliari to Fluminimaggiore, the landscape reminded me a mix of Sicily and northern Spain. A very dry and unforgiving terrain. Right after arrival, we met the owner of the place: a friendly woman called Maria Efisia. Her second name was especially eccentric for my ear but totally normal in Sardinia. Saint Eifiso is a well-known saint in these parts of Italy. Maria Efisia welcomed us like her relatives and brought directly to the apartment I rented for 2 weeks. When I entered the apartment in the late evening the only thing I was dreaming about was falling asleep. Funny thing, though, happened. After the owner left I discovered there was no water in the bathroom nor kitchen. I was so unbelievably tired, I decided to wait until the next morning to share this issue with her. And so, I slept until the late morning next day, with short brakes caused by a barking dogs, cars driving next to my window and a neighbor upstairs who woke up at 6:00 am. Next morning did not cause any change in water supply. There was still none in the tap. Although it might have been a serious problem in a warm climate I felt a holiday mood which meant nothing could drive me mad. Before I went out to meet the owner I had a careful look at the tap outside the door. Just in case. The water was there and in abundance! Alleluia! It’s just someone turned the main tap off. As I later discovered it was the owner: she made it out of routine and was terribly sorry for the whole day. With water everything looked quite different and a shower turned me into happy and curious tourists. The Winds and the Stars The best time of the day is late evening. Light breeze from the sea cools the town down. The location of Sardinia makes the heat of full summer bearable. Four winds clash here: the island is blown by the Scirocco from the south and by the Mistral from the northwest; Libeccio from the southwest and finally Levant from the east. The circulation of the air makes the heat of the day a nice memory while in the evening you need to wear long sleeve shirt. The winds have shaped this land for thousands of years and you can trace its activity in every corner. All trees of the coastal area is tough because of their neverending fight against these winds. Yesterday, after a wonderful dinner eaten at the central square, we went to the seaside. The moon became very thick and the night was pitch black. Due to the scarcity of artificial illumination, the area of Fluminimaggiore is perfect for night shots. We left nothing to a pure luck and thus we went to a particular location to make sure it is as dark as it gets. Capo Pecora – Cape of the Goat – is a thin, rocky peninsula reaching far into the sea. Sitting there and watching the stars in a light breeze was magnificent. The Milky Way was hanging just above our heads. The longer we sit there, the more stars we saw. Pitch black night, shooting stars, moderate swoosh created by the waves and a smell of warm earth and herbs turned this small piece of land into a contemplative room. I swear I could see the earth moving when I was watching the stars above. Read the...

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I’ve just got back from Sardinia where I spent more than two weeks. There is a lot of stories to tell and hundreds of pictures to share but I can tell you one sure thing: a variety of landscapes and attractions in Sardinia is amazing! It is a wonderful beach destination and all sand & sea fans will find themselves in a paradise. Even within beach business you will find an extreme variety. From white sand and pristine water, through stones and rocks up to the beaches surrounded by high peaks with monuments on top of them. Further, if you are a fan of industrial historical sites you will find yourself in Sardinia like a fish in the water. A widespread mining industry that collapsed more than 50 years ago left here its marks. Sardinia is also a wonderful playground for long and short trekkings with spectacular views. Sardinia means also culture and tradition and what I found delightful the sort of tradition still kept alive by the locals. Through the folklore groups, music bands, and religious feasts’ celebration the culture in Sardinia is easy to trace. I was lucky to participating in one of the biggest feasts in Sardinia organized August 15th and devoted to Virgin Mary. And above all Sardinia surprised me to be just a perfect site to watch the stars. I simply cannot wait to tell you all that happened in last two weeks and sharing interesting stories. If you have ever dreamed about visiting Sardinia, reading these posts is a great way to start. Stay tuned! Click here to read the first episode.  

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Holiday with a blogger is my recent idea. It is pretty simple: through a website of the project  ‘I love Ferrara’ you can book a week stay in Ferrara with me. I traveled a lot in last 10 years and I think this is the perfect time to share my experience with others. Twice a year – in September and in May – you can enjoy Italy at its best. Interested in details? Click here for the full story. The idea of such holiday offered by a blogger was so enthusiastically received that I’m sharing here a great news! It’s not only Ferrara you can visit this way. Jessica – editor of Epicure and Culture – invites you to join her on a journey to Amalfi Coast. Read her story and visit her website! Amalfi Coast You know those tours where you ride around on giant tourist buses, snapping photos of guidebook-listed sights and viewing your destination as if it were an animal at the zoo? This is not one of those tours. In partnership with G Adventures, a leader in the experiential and sustainable tourism industry, Epicure & Culture Magazine has launched Epicure & Culture Tours, with their first excursion being to Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Epicure & Culture editor Jessica Festa understands that not all travelers like to journey on their own or without support — and might not feel qualified to make arrangements for a trip to a foreign country — but may still want an immersive cultural experience that can’t be found in a guidebook. After working with G Adventures and going on one of their tours herself, she fell in love with their sustainable philosophy, dedication to changing the lives of local communities and focus on authentic adventures. It was this that inspired her to partner with the company to combine their 24+ years of experience with her desire to provide Epicure & Culture readers and travelers the opportunity to experience their destination from a new point of view. Moreover, she wanted to provide experiences like having a private guide and driver, traveling in a small group (average of 12) and renting a private Tuscan farmhouse at an affordable rate. “I want people to see there is more to travel than just checking off attractions in a guidebook or hopping on a tour bus to cram seeing an entire city into a few hours,” Festa explains. “I want to make it easy for people to book a tour that allows them to live like a local and truly immerse themselves in a new culture for a transformative travel experience.” Tailor made For the Amalfi Coast tour — taking place from September 26 to October 3, 2015 — travelers stay with a family in a 16th century former monastery agriturismo (farm stay) just outside of Furore, Italy. Immersed in a lush world of lemon trees, olive groves and vineyards you’ll experience local culinary culture by picking your own produce from the garden and helping your hosts prepare the meals. You’ll probably notice how healthy the locals of the Amalfi Coast look, and while much of this is due to the diet and wine (a superfood!) it’s also thanks for the beautiful landscapes and hiking opportunities. Trekking is a major component of the tour, with some highlights being the Valle dei Mulini complete with waterfall views and scenic picnic, Mount Tre Calli where you’ll see the Mediterranean from above and the Walk of the Gods, just as visually indulgent as the name suggests. You’ll also eat pizza in the very city it was invented (Naples), explore the ruins of Pompeii, enjoy water scenery as you sail from Positano to Amalfi by boat, roam around beautiful coastal towns littered with historic churches, beaches, markets, weathered stucco architecture and colorful hillsides stacked with houses. For those wanting to travel in a sustainable manner, the Local Living On Italy’s Amalfi Coast Tour operates with responsible tourism in mind. Along with working with Planeterra to reduce any negative impact from tourism and have a positive affect on the local economy, the tour employs local guides and operators, uses responsible family-run accommodations, works with small local entrepreneurs and offers advice to travelers on how to travel more responsibly, for example, using refillable water bottles and cotton tote bags. Book now for their 2015 departure, as spots are filling up fast. You won’t want to miss this culturally-immersive experience like no other! Tour must be booked by February 2, 2015. You can ask questions or book by emailing Jessica Festa at editorial (at) epicureandculture (dot) com and telling her the number of people you’ll be traveling with. Disclosure: all pictures were provided by Jessica and are used on a license Creative Commons. I was not offered any compensation for this blog post; we are friends with Jessica and fully support each other to make the idea of ‘Holiday with a blogger’ widely known. Pictures source: http://tinyurl.com/ncd6xkw http://tinyurl.com/qjc4msr http://tinyurl.com/nhf9mtn http://tinyurl.com/k8hqxel Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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I had a fabulous time at Cantina TerraCruda! Seriously! Even though I was tasting wines at 9:30 a.m. and felt dizzy after 8th glass! OK, let’s start from the beginning: I asked my hosts from Marche Holiday about a good local winery and they told me about TerraCruda in Fratterosa. And they were right about this choice, by all means! Location Fratterosa is beautiful! A very small village, in the middle of vineyards and gentle hills  seems a perfect place for any business. The view from hills takes your breath away. In May vegetation is lush and the green is so fresh that its saturation is hard to believe. Landscape around this place is a dream of every tourist who visits Italy. Obviously, only people you will meet here are the locals and Italians spending their holiday in Marche which makes it even more beautiful. And definitely authentic. Not only wines After a while of contemplating the surrounding I entered the building of a tasting room. What struck me from the first moment was an outstanding interior design. The building is a recently constructed structure with two glass walls at each end which makes the tasting experience overwhelming. A nice young lady welcomed me with a wide smile and a fascinating story to tell. The company TerraCruda is a family business which is nothing special in the area. However, their main focus has been and still is furniture design. Seriously. They design, produce and sell furnitures. Luxury ones. Very pretty. Apart their love to modern furnitures they were owners of a 10 ha vinery and were producing wine at small scale. About 10 years ago they bought another 10 ha of land and planted it with traditional and new varieties of grapes. At the same time they were upgrading the production process and as a result they produce and sell excellent wine today. Wines In oder to stand out of crowd TerraCruda focused their effort on quality. It was explained to me that to get an outstanding quality they do all work manually and they wash grapes more carefully than others. This is the reason why their rose wine is so exquisite – they keep it with peel much longer than others, and the wine is not spoiled because of clearness of the grapes used. Recently, their wines won few important awards and the brand has started to be widely recognized. White, red, rose, spumante and visciola are produced in the winery. A very special local history is related to the last one: visciola. Its particular sweet cherry taste derives from keeping it with cherries for a while. And – as they say – famous duke Federico from Urbino liked it very much. I tasted it and I must say it is delicious. A variety of wines is impressive here: each kind has few types depending on age and production process. You have youngest and most basic wines that are suitable for everyday meals, up to high class, well structured ones. Tasting This was my first wine tasting ever. At first I felt intimidated with the knowledge of a sommelier. Fortunately, she was nice and patient with me and she explained me everything in few simple steps. I must say, that wines tasted one after another are very different. I knew I should spill it away after every glass tasted but…I didn’t. I thought that if I’m not driving that day than it is quite OK if I sip some of them. Perhaps this is a reason why I arrived at the point when I could not process any information shared by sommelier. Full saturation with knowledge shared. So at the end I bought a large box of wines I tasted and started my way back home. It looks like I need more practice if I want to do it regularly… Events TerraCruda is an example of not only a marvelous family business and being visionary about combining few strands under one brand. They are also excellent in terms of sustaining ties with local community and modern events organization. All cutlery used in their tasting room comes from a local producer of terracotta Daniele Giombi. His pots, amphorae and plates are just a perfect final touch of this exquisite interior design. Just after my visit in vineyard they were organizing an ‘open day’ to the local people so they could taste and appreciate their wines. A concert and few other attractions were in a programme so during my stay in a tasting room all employers were running around fixing last minute stuff. What I would love to participate one day is their Cene in vigna. Dinner in a vineyard under the stars in a warm and gentle air should be fun! I hope to come back to Cantina TerreCrude one day and participate it one day! Disclosure: I was provided with a discount when I bought few bottles of wine in Cantina for which I am truly grateful. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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The gentle hills of Chianti are widely known and appreciated. It is much less so in case of Marche – a region that is just around the corner. These two regions have much in common but being little neglected makes Marche so much more intriguing! This gallery here shows only a small piece of this majestic landscape but hopefully it is enough to make you wonder. For me Marche hills were a nice change after living in the middle of Emilia – Romagna lowland. In Marche wherever you go there is a hill or a mountain. There are no straight roads either! Curves, ups and downs make it such a fabulous place for every photographer. Hills of Marche create many layers which is perfect to practice depth of field (DOF) at your photos. Hilly and mountainous landscape makes also cities and towns fascinating. Urbino – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is an excellent example of  a picturesque town with tiny little streets, endless stairs and small squares. And what I appreciated the most: there are no hordes of foreign tourists. You may eventually meet an Italian family that spends their holiday here but that’s pretty much it! So, visit Marche before the world finds out how awesome it is!  This marvelous landscape is a perfect place for a truffle hunt! Read my story here. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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Marche – one of the smallest Italian regions – is splendid! I neglected it somehow while I was living in Italy. And I deeply regret it!  Therefore, I was very happy to plan this trip and discover Marche. Slowly. With no rush. And with wonderful hosts from Marche Holiday: Giorgia and Laura. They were telling me all local stories and the things that the are most proud of. We were eating truffles, enjoying the sun and watching a fabulous landscape from every place we went. I can tell you this: Marche is beautiful and worth visiting by all means! Three highlights here as an introduction to the rest of my story: landscape, Urbino, and food&wine. Landscape Are you familiar with the famous Chianti hills? Well, Tuscany is right around the corner and some hilly areas of Marche are pretty similar but I think Marche is more interesting. It has a very mild and sweet coastline. Pesaro, for example, is a good place to appreciate the beach, the sun and awesome colors of the Adriatic Sea. Further west you will find the hills covered with olive groves, vineyards, fields and forests. Finally, the hills become mountains with spectacular canyons, rivers and passes. Marche has it all! And it is all gathered in a relatively small space which also make Marche friendly and easily reachable. Urbino It overwhelms me every time: an ancient history ready to be touched at every corner. Urbino – a UNESCO world heritage site – is a perfect example. I will tell you the story of Palazzo Ducale and show some fabulous photos from this city but for now I can tell you that Urbino is amazingly beautiful. It is captivating and seducing with its colors and history. Food and wine Naturally, Italy means good food and wine, which is especially true in Marche. Acqualagna – where I was staying at – is famous for the truffles. Many of the dishes I ate were prepared of truffles in a variety of ways. I also had an opportunity to hunt for truffles with the dog, which I find one of the best activity I have ever had while traveling! Moreover, truffle dishes were always accompanied by excellent wines: the ones from in.PU.t or the one tasted in cantina Terra Cruda. Truffles, cheese, wine and olive oil are the basic tastes of Marche. So, one after another I will show you what Marche is all about. I will take you with me for a truffle hunt and a guided tour in Palazzo Ducale of Urbino. I will show you some breathtaking scenery and will present you some wonderful locals. Here is Episode #2: Living Like A Local! And episode #3: A photo gallery Gentle Hills of Marche, and episode #4: Cooking Lesson. Disclosure: my travel to Marche was possible thanks to a kind invitation of a local company Marche Holiday. All activities and my stay in Acqualagna were organized by them for which I am grateful.  

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Meet Catherine – a wonderful travel blogger and a huge fan of Italy. We met at the last Tbex conference in Dublin and since then we are following one another activities. Naturally the stories focused on Italy are most interesting and the one of Catherine is totally awesome! I would say she experienced Italy with all her senses and her hands get very dirty along. This sort of first hand experience is really priceless. Read her story, follow her blog and enjoy her passion towards this amazing country! Hands-on in Emilia-Romagna One of the aspects of travel that I enjoy the most is the opportunity to step out of a normal routine and try new activities, especially those that introduce you to the people and the culture. At home, I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen and there’s little time for crafts. So I was excited by the chance to delve into some cooking and creative activities while visiting the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Working side-by-side with wonderful people who take much pride in their traditions, I was delighted to take part in these hands-on experiences. Making fresh pasta, of course – this is Italy! Michele and Laura, owners of Pasta Fresca Laura in Santarcangelo, were kind to welcome us into the kitchen of their shop for a lively crash course in making pasta. The quarters were tight, generally used by just the two skilled professionals. It was very warm and humid in the kitchen, partly a result of the weather but also, we were told, for the optimal climate for pasta making. I put on an apron provided by Laura and set to work. Michele got me started with a flour volcano filled with water, mixing the dough by hand on the table. As you can see in the photo, I needed a little extra hands-on guidance in the proper way to combine them and then remove the excess from my hands. Under the guidance of Michele and Laura, my three companions and I made several kinds of pasta, including noodles (tagliatelle), ravioli-like tortelli, and cappelletti with close-to-professional results. They were patient as they demonstrated techniques, encouraging when mistakes were made, and enthusiastic with praise at every accomplishment. I can still hear Michele saying, “Brava, Catherine, Brava!” Later that evening, we sampled our handiwork at nearby Collina dei Poeti Winery where our pasta and accompanying sauces were prepared by a professional chef and paired with their wonderful wines. Bread making Among his many talents, Matteo Cameli of Al Vecchio Convento in Portico di Romagna is an excellent bread-maker and chef. Before we began our bread making, he got the outside wood-burning oven super hot with the fire. Working as a team, my companions and I diligently followed every instruction as we rolled our bundles of dough into loaves of country bread. As we went along, Matteo explained the process, including techniques for each step; information about the ingredients; the restaurant’s devotion to local sourcing and its benefits; and bread-making traditions. When the loaves were ready, Matteo cleaned out the ashes before we put the loaves into the hot oven. And below we have the finished product! We were really proud to have our delicious bread served that evening in the restaurant. Truffle hunting Emilia-Romagna is known for its truffles, both black and white. The extremely valuable white truffles are found in October which is when the village of Sant’Agata Feltria (note from editor: not that far from a place I visited recently: Brisighella) celebrates its annual truffle festival. But in June, we were happy to be on a hunt for black truffles in Portico di Romagna. Matteo and his dogs, Rex and Otto, did all the work, and it was fascinating to watch. I eagerly followed after the dogs as they sniffed about the tree trunks and was excited when they signaled that they had found the treasure. Holding the truffles in my hands, I enjoyed feeling their textures and smelling the earthy garlic-like scent. On the following morning, it was a treat to taste those delectable truffles as they were shaved onto our scrambled eggs. Harvesting grapes I’ve spent a bit of time in the vineyards of Northern California, but never tried my hand at picking grapes – something I’ve seen from a distance and envisioned to be hard physical work. Indeed, the work is physical, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to get hands-on experience. I now really appreciate how much hard work goes into harvesting grapes by hand — a job that also requires knowledge, skill, and time. A big benefit of hand-picking the grapes is that the picker can identify grapes that aren’t ripe or have any defect, resulting in a better quality wine. Alessandro Giunchi, one of the owners of the family-run Alta Vita Winery, instructed us in some harvesting basics as we began our work down the rows of Sangiovese grapes. My hands became sticky with the juice of the deep blue grapes that I’d picked, evidence of the truly hands-on experience. We also watched “our” grapes being de- stemmed, toured the storage room, and then topped off the day with wine tasting. It’s nice to think that someone will be drinking wine made from the grapes that I picked with my own hands. Be assured, I picked only the finest. Weaving My hands-on experiences weren’t all about food. Guiliana is a skilled weaver in Portico di Romagna who works on a loom in the old traditions of weaving. There is a beauty in selecting the colors and textures to be used. Red is my favorite color and I accompanied that with a neutral beige – initially not knowing exactly what I’d be creating. It wasn’t until the lesson was nearly complete that I looked upon what I had done so far, and decided that it would make quite a nice necklace. I think that I tested Guiliana’s patience with my fumbling, but we both persevered, and I left her shop with a sense of satisfaction as well as a heightened admiration for the skills and art involved in this creative endeavor. Unfortunately, my necklace was accidentally left behind in Italy. Perhaps I’ll have a chance to...

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