Monthly Archives: October 2023

We are back in Tarras but not before a couple of nights with our son Richard, daughter in law, Holly and grandchildren Asher and Emme, as we did when we departed over 2 months ago. We have missed the remainder of the winter and lots of photos have been arriving of our tulips and blossom.

Honestly, we have had about 2 hours of rain on two days and two  impressive thunder and lightning storms, one during the night in the Dordoyne that lit up the night sky and the other while in the bus leaving Sorrento. Temperatures even in the UK didn’t ever go below 25 and we endured up to 43 in France for a week. Philip ended up doing all the driving and I know he was relieved to get on the bus in Italy and sit relaxed and look at the view. We hear lots of horrific stories about being misunderstood in a foreign country and an impatience with our limited language skills. This was definitely not the case. Service was absolutely great and we found friendly helpful hospitality staff everywhere that would go out of their way to give us the best experience and were tolerant of our bad French and Italian.

Since flying into Nice on the 13^th August we have loved immersing ourselves in the food and wine of the region, dining times (never dinner before 8), getting used to shops closed on Sundays and Monday mornings, challenging ourselves to be surprised, stop and find something new, enjoy the odd siesta. 

Like many people this was the first international travel we have done in 3 years. The affect of our restricted lives affected everyone worldwide, we all have a common sad story of the months in isolation and the years without income. The tourist and hospitality industries suffering so much. I felt pre Covid that tourist congestion in high profile sites needed to be addressed then. But, now it is extreme. Our recent travel over the past two months has taught me that I need to focus on what my tours are about and the experience I expect my guests to have. During the past two months we have been planning and plotting what will make a good tour, what regions will offer an unforgettable  experience and what type of pace do we want to go at. This can’t be a tick the box exercise, but needs to immerse travellers in feeling comfortable, a chance to make new friends within the group and involve everyone in a new and unforgettable ‘somewhere’ experience. Once during this tour my group was referred to as my family. Very cute and made us all laugh.

Most of my group caught a train from Chiusi back to Rome and their onward flight to NZ. Philip, Hannah and I returned to Onigo in the Treviso region to Daniele’s house to spend 3 days with him and his family. Lesley was the only one having a few extra days in Venice and in Treviso.

Daniele’s aim was to take Philip fishing – after a very early start and a fishing day mostly in the fog they caught one miserable 1 little fish and 4 squid. He did take us both truffle hunting though with the most gorgeous Lagotto dog called UFFA. Only 5 minutes walking from his home in a forested area where he can get 12- 15 truffle at a time. Plus, he had kept his favourite fish for a special dinner.

Sundays in Italy and France are closed and the church bells ring longer than usual. It is a family day where lunch together is high priority or in our case a visit to Bassano del Grappa – I hade been there twice before with my previous tour guide and remembered the long line of clipped Holm Oaks lining the  road entrance of the town in remembrance to the soldiers in the first world war. It is also famous for the production of Grappa and an aperitivo drink called Mozze Mozze – which we all had to taste . The famous reconstructed old wooden bridge across the Arno river was full of Italians out for the day. I think it was fortunate the shops were closed – they looked beautiful. However if you wanted to buy a new electric car, the piazza was full of car companies showing off their latest sustainable vehicles. Our drive took us past some of the many stunning Palladian villas in this region and a compulsory stop at one of my favourite towns called Asolo – many previous travellers would have enjoyed the best lunch on the hotel  deck – but, this time I was checking it out to stay in, and hopefully use Asolo as a base in the future to visit this beautiful area. 

While the fishermen were out fishing, Hannah and I caught the train to Venice – one of my favourite cities  and where my dear friend Cristina is a guide. I had to take Hannah to my favourite bar in the Dorsoduro for a prossecco, eat at Onigo in Campo San Barnaba, walk lots through the narrowest alleys and take a ride to the Lido on the Vaporetto. It feels so good to be back in Venice and by 5pm when we met up with Cristina and Lesley we finally got to sit down with a Spritz amongst the local families, the children playing on their scooters and more tired tourisit’s enjoying an hour or so with the favourite orange sprtiz. Although we actually had a ‘Select” chosen by Cristina who tells us this is the Venetian drink made of Campari, Aperol and Prosecco. 

Time with Crisitina is always too short, she is the ultimate passionate professional guide and even walking back to the station she stopped to show us a special walkway or tiny campo or a church. Venice was beautiful and calm in the early evening and we did a brisk walk to catch the train . Crisitina lives in the little village of Noale. We had dinner in a typical local trattoria where we had the best Gnocchi with fresh porcini mushrooms. The following morning I had my first visit to Treviso. It too has canals and was quietly beautiful as we walked through the shopping area under wide arches which must be so valuable in the winter. As Autumn looms, the wild mushroom stalls are popping up everywhere. I did manage to buy my favourite dried porcini to bring home, but would have loved to have cooked up a variety of these fresh beauties. The fishermen met us for lunch in the Prosecco producing town of Valdobbiadne and we enjoyed a couple of glasses of bottle fermented prosecco which is so delicious. Daniele and Philip had been high up the mountains behind Bassano visiting a farm making cheese. It was the last week before the cows were to walk down the hill for winter. How lucky we are to be able to spend time with locals. Christina and Daniele have taken us to places we would never dreamed of going. Even after our last family dinner with Marika, Deborah, Martina, Simone and Diego of truffle pasta we walked together to the local gelateria for an icecream. It’s been a special 3 days and I will certainly be including this area on a tour in 2024 . 

It is only the long haul flight between New Zealand and Europe that is left. The suitcases are heavy with the additional load of Pecorino cheese, Parmigiana Regiano, plus a couple of bottles of wine. The French and Italians can’t imagine being on a plane for so long ‘E Lontana‘ but we do it and challenge ourselves with driving, language and the sheer enormous amount of research you have to do before embarking on travel. 

But hey….my planning is well on for 2024 and hopefully in a week or so I can put up my proposed itineraries. We put the garden to bed in June and by the time we returned it was waking up. If you are not involved in winter activities then there is nothing better that a European summer xxxx

On day 3 we embarked on our first of two big days out, firstly to Siena then Umbria. I had a guide booked at 10.30 and our drive was over an 1 and a half especially when you take in buying the ticket for a bus to be able to drop you off and pick you up. Siena is a gem – famous for the Palio horse race held twice a year in the Piazza but small enough to walk around easily. Our guide was Ok, but again didn’t read his group well, gave far too much detailed information and dwelled too long in some areas – like information on the head and finger of Saint Caterina !!! 

It was a good day, the Duomo is a wonderful beautiful thing especially the interior and just to sit in the large Piazza is worth making time for. 

The previous day Alessandro and Hannah had gone to a local farmer who sold them 3 gigantic Bistecca Steaks  – these are famous in Tuscany and come from the white Chianini cattle. Alessandro has a traditional method for cooking everything and this was no exception. Cooked over hot embers from a fire that had been going for quite some time, the meat was sliced and rare – then served on lettuce with slices of parmigiana reggiano on top. Roasted potatoes and a salad of salsify from the garden  accompanied the delicious meat that had a wonderful barbecued edge. Not to be out done – the desert tonight was Apple and Ricotta with poached peaches.

The evenings are idyllic. Warm, calm and perfect for sitting around the outside dining table chatting or partaking in Italy’s favourite digestive  – a small glass of Grappa.  

Umbria sits beside Tuscany and infact within two hours we were in the heart of the Umbrian landscape with the hill towns of Assisi and Spello looking down at us. I had a planned visit to the Vineyard Castel Buono to taste their famous Sagrantino wines and visit the incredible sculptural winery called Carapace – which means turtle .The outside looks like the shell and the inside a unique detailed ceiling. All the winery work takes place down stairs. The harvest is on so it’s time to make wine which starts in stainless steel or terracotta before going into  barrels. The wine tasting by Giuseppe was generous and we floated off to Montefalco – supposedly to have lunch but the tasting also included not only the wine but, cheese, salami, prosciutto and bread. Linen is famous here and most of us managed to find something we liked.

Philip asked Alessandro if he could make our favourite Eggplant Parmigiana. I think he ate 3 servings which gives you an indication how good it was. Many wanted seconds and Alessandro certainly excelled himself  once again.

Using a bus company in Italy means after 7 days work you have to provide a free day where the bus cannot even be started. We chose it to be our day to Florence – since the bus expenses just go into the city is over 300 E.

Two delightful charming elderly taxi drivers drove 45 minutes to collect us at 6.45 am and transfer the 9 adventurers going to Florence to the Chiusi train station. We were in Florence by 9.30am. It was already bustling and by the time we met our walking guide an hour later by the Arno river, Florence had lines of tour groups everywhere – all with earphones and many looking pretty uninterested. I paid for “skip the queue” tickets to see Michelangelo’s ‘David’. I have been many times before and remember sitting down and walking around the sculpture, taking in the enormity of his most famous work. Now the gallery puts through 700 people an hour!! Even getting close was tough and you needed lots of time and patience. After emerging the queues seemed even longer and it would certainly be a long day of standing for some. We all loved our train travel and our trusty taxi drivers gave us a hug when we returned and deposited us back at the villa where Hannah and Judy had Aperol spritz’s lined up once again before flopping into the pool. 

Alessandro had been preparing wild boar ragu for a couple of days, after buying the meat from a local hunter. The flavour had developed over those days and Alessandro tossed through the lightest thinnest pasta that he had made during the afternoon. Platters of prosciutto and melon and a green salad were prepared for an antipasto. Our table outside under the grapevine had become our favourite place – every night was calm and balmy and we had to pinch ourselves that we had been so lucky.

Last day – how quickly did that happen? Our week had beautiful weather, we have learnt to like the quiet Tuscan countryside and quaint Medieval towns in preference to the popular crowded tourist cities. It was a popular choice when I made the decision to visit the 6^th century divine monastery of Saint Antimo and Montalcino, the home of the famous wine Brunello di Montalcino in the morning. Forfeiting a Brunello di Montalcino wine tasting but buying some instead, we returned for a long lunch at the villa followed by an enjoyable afternoon of swimming, reading and relaxing. It is such a heavenly beautiful place and taking advantage of the atmosphere was loved by everyone.

Alessandro provided a lesson in Risotto making as he cooked the best seafood risotto I have ever had. The stock was a work of art alone and the risotto included squid, prawns, mussels and baby octopus. There was nothing left in the pot tonight. Cream patisserie custard served in cups with strawberry wine sauce completed a week of stunning meals. Believe me we will all be watching the food intake for a while.

We all felt nurtured and spoilt with the attention and care Alessandro gave to his food. It was a lesson in simplicity but his professional skills showed in his fabulous loaf of bread he made each day, also the cakes for breakfast. However, Hannah did teach him how to poach a good egg !!! We all loved helping and being accepted in his kitchen. I need to thank my group for being the best and making the table setting, clean ups  and dishes “just happen “ .

Daniele took us wherever we wanted and it was no trouble to change times and places. He always managed to drop us off close to villages and was always there waiting on our return., probably with a bike ride in between. I wish I was doing as well with Italian as he is with his English. Lots more practice needed.

So I started with I don’t know where to start and for all of us we don’t want our week to end. But memories are made to be kept so you can dip into them at any time  and I am sure we will all be dipping into this memory forever.

 XXX

I’m not quite sure where to begin. Firstly, this is the first villa that I have rented for a group. It was sitting in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, had panoramic views from every window of the rolling hills, rows of iconic cypress trees, the famous Crete Senesi (rock formations), and the ochre-coloured ploughed landscape. The villa was surrounded by grape covered pergolas, providing perfect spots to sit quietly or enjoy dinner together, while a vast lawn stretched out in front of us which was divided by an infinity pool. Each of the eight bedrooms were spacious and exquisitely decorated, as was the simple yet elegant Italian living room with its soft pink and grey couches.

Secondly, the well equipped kitchen was bought to life by my dear friend Alessandro. He immersed us in the flavours of Tuscany, spoiling us daily with delights like crispy crusted bread, divine pasta and exceptional meals. I first met Alessandro 10 years ago when he cooked for me and a group of New Zealand girls at Palazzo Loredan in Venice. He cooks throughout Italy and in fact all over the world for families and groups.

Alessandro not only has remarkable culinary skills but he is funny and even gave us cooking lessons, sharing his famous panna cotta recipe and many more. Plus, he tolerated my group’s enthusiastic presence in his kitchen, although they were super good at cleaning up.

Choosing to stay in a villa in the countryside for a week was a new experience for me. Fortunately, I had my dear friend Daniele, who has been our bus company since 2013. He is always relaxed and incredibly helpful, and in his free time, he could be found out on his bike. Our rooms were impeccably serviced by a team of girls, making our stay even more enjoyable. The swimming pool was lovely and the hot tub was a relaxing retreat, even though we spent most of our days exploring.

Arriving on the first day, there were squeals of delight as everyone discovered their beautiful bedroom, each different and decorated to perfection. It wasn’t long before Hannah lined up Aperol spritz on the breakfast bar before we were treated to our first meal of salads, 7 hour roasted chicken, and the best  Tiramisu (wow this was so fabulous ), a perfect way to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.

As we began to immerse ourselves into the Tuscan lifestyle, our first morning was spent exploring the medieval village of San Quirico, followed by a visit to a local farm renowned for producing the region’s famous Pecorino cheese. Giuseppe, the charismatic farmer, provided us with a witty and humorous explanation of the cheese-making process, from the history to the sheep and everything in between. These farmers had travelled from Sardinia after the second world war with their sheep, and four brothers managed the farm, cheese production, shops, and tourist visits. It was fascinating to learn that their 1,000 sheep produced enough milk to make 20 kg of Pecorino cheese and 10 kg of ricotta every day, totaling over 20,000 kg of cheese a year. We had been watching the flocks of sheep roaming the nearby hills and were intrigued to discover that they were protected by six Maremmano dogs, who fiercely guarded them against wolves and boar. They are fiercely protective and barked incessantly as I walked along the road towards the flock of sheep one morning  and yet when I went to buy some cheese later in the week one came up for a pat. Giuseppe provided cheese, dried meats, bread and wine for our cheese tasting lunch and had very strict rules about what to eat first.

A walk up and down Montepulciano, along with a wine-buying spree, completed the end of our first day in Tuscany. It was back to the sanctuary of the villa and an inticing smell of fresh tomato fettuccine. With a starter of fennel and orange salad, roasted cauliflower and stuffed courgettes, ladleful’s of pasta and second serving of Tiramisu. Dinner was good!

One of my favourite garden visits has always been to La Foce, created by Antonio and Iris Origo, along with their garden designer Cecil Pisent. The Origo’s were responsible for transforming the landscape of Val d’Orcia, encouraging their farmers to establish profitable farms, which they eventually passed on. Iris, was a renowned writer and wrote the book ‘War in the Valley of d’Orcia,’ which is a compelling read. The garden, in typical English formal style, harmoniously blended with the landscape and Iris’s famed Cypress-lined winding road remains one of Italy’s most photographed scenes in Italy. Before visiting the garden, we made a stop at Bagno Vignoni, famous for its spas and hot springs. Later, we enjoyed lunch and a leisurely walk in the beautiful hilltop town of Pienza, famous for its Pecorino cheese and the summer Palace of Pope Pius II.

By the time we returned, Alessandro had the Pizza oven heating up with a stack of wood – the temperature had to get to 400 degrees celsius. What a fun night tasting each delicious pizza as it came out of the oven, until we couldn’t put another piece in our mouths. Wine from Montepulciano proved to be a perfect match. But the famous panna cotta was sublime and some even had seconds!