Join me in Italy, October 8 to 16th, 2016

This year in response to the many students who have expressed an interest in a culinary tour of Italy, I am partnering with Pro-Travel International and their amazing agent Merlene Lynch for a culinary tour of Central Italy and Rome. 
This is a fully escorted tour, I will join you everyday for our activities, acting as guide, and as interpreter, and our travel agent will be along to help with logistics. 
October 8th travel from US to Rome, arriving on October 9th.   The tour is limited to 16 participants, making it a small, intimate group, giving us flexibility to go to small towns, and have unique experiences.
Upon arrival in Rome, our travel agent will meet you and a private bus will transfer us to Todi, a beautiful, small hill town in Umbria and stay for 5 nights at the Hotel Bramante. Lunch upon arrival and rest time.  Dinner together at the hotel.

Our first full day, we will have a cooking class at the hotel with their renown chef, and lunch.  After a brief rest, we will head to Assisi, the home of St. Francis, the patron saint of Italy for a private tour, and dinner on your own.

Day two we will head to Pienza to a working farm, and watch as pecorino cheese is being made, and then enjoy lunch at the farm.  Pienza is the home of the best Pecorino in Italy.

After lunch a short trip to Montepulciano, and a walk about before returning to Todi and dinner at the Michelin starred restaurant Casa Vissani.  

Day 3 takes us to Citta' di Castello in northern Umbria for a truffle hunt, visit to the truffle museum and then a truffle lunch.  October is truffle season, so we are in for a treat.  We will return to Todi, dinner will be on your own. 

Day 4 we will travel to the capital of Perugia, and participate in a hands on chocolate class at Perugina, directed by their master chocolatier. 

After the class we will head to Spello (my adopted hometown) and have a wine and olive oil tasting and lunch at Enoteca Properzio, one of the top 3 wine bars in Italy, owned by my family, the Angelini's. Wine and olive oils are available for shipment home.

On our return to Todi, we will stop in Deruta for a ceramics demonstration and time to shop for ceramics. Dinner on your own.

Day 5 we will check out of our hotel in Todi and head to Rome.  On our way into Rome we will stop at Eataly, a 4 story food emporium for lunch on your own (there are 18 restaurants in the store) and time to shop for goodies to take home.

We will arrive at our hotel, and in the afternoon be taken to a pizza class.  Dinner will be your very own creation.  

Day 6, after an early breakfast, we will be transferred to the Vatican for a private morning tour of the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The rest of the day will be at your leisure to explore the eternal city. 

 Day 7, Check out and transfer to the airport. 

Our travel agent will be happy to arrange before and after tour extensions for you. 
Since space is limited, a non-refundable deposit will be required by February 12, 2016.
COST IS FOR THE LAND PORTION ONLY:  Merlene will be happy to arrange airfare.

• The Per Person, Double Occupancy cost:  3395 Euro  (Equivalent to approximately $3678 in U.S. dollars as of exchange rate on 04JAN2016)
• Per Person, Single Occupancy cost:  3730 Euro (Equivalent to approximately $4041 in U.S. dollars as of the exchange rate on 04JAN2016)
• Please note:  The charge to your credit card will be in U.S. dollars to equal the active Euro exchange rate on the date that your payments process. 

• February12 , 2016:  Deposit deadline for NON-REFUNDABLE Deposit of 1290 Euro (Equivalent to approximately $1398 in U.S. dollars as of the exchange rate on 04JAN2016) 
  WE STRONGLY ADVISE TRIP INSURANCE
   
  Please e-mail me diane@dianephillips.com for more information, and for a booking form.  

Deruta, Maioliche Nulli, and Lunch at Il Chicco Di Grano

Most of us have seen the traditional rooster pitcher from Italy.  These ceramics are call majolica and although many towns are famous for their majolica, Deruta is the big daddy.  Elizabeth Minchilli wrote a fabulous book about Deruta, and although it's currently not in print, she blogs about her favorite places here.

Five years ago, Dr. C. and I stopped at Maioliche Nulli to buy some ceramics from Deruta. Rolando and Goffredo hand throw and hand paint each piece that they make, many are numbered pieces. None of their designs are stamped, or machine painted.  This is a shop where the artisan (Rolando) greets you at the door, and then invites you down to his workshop.  My friend Char has been visiting from Cincinnati, and Rolando tutored her in making a bowl on the potters wheel.

I couldn't believe Char had never done this before, as Rolando said, un'artista!  Nice job!  After we'd made our purchases and arranged to send them back to the states we were asked if we were going for lunch in Deruta.  We asked where he would recommend, and Rolando said, he would accompany us. 

We followed him to a country inn, and we had an amazing lunch at Il Chicco di Grano.

Pasta filled with ricotta and pear with a pork sauce

Farro salad, pecorino fresco, arugula, pancetta and olio

Beef with smoked scamorzza cheese and roasted potatoes

Macedonia di frutta

Biscotti with Vin Santo

A family appeared to be having a celebration while we were there, we were the only Americans in the house.  Our waiter Tito took really good care of us, and it was a delight to meet Carla the chef.  Born in Rome, but living in Assisi, her food is exquisite.  

Carla on the left

The restaurant is part of an old country house that has been converted into  agriturisimo apartments.  You can stay here, and eat well, or you can stop by as we did.  The grounds are lovely, and I could picture the family that was having lunch there staying there to celebrate an anniversary, or special event.  

After that awesome morning and afternoon, we toddled off to Spello to sit on the terrace, until the rains sent us inside.  

Grazie to Rolando and Goffredo Nulli, at  Maioliche Nulli, and to Tito and Carla at Il Chicco di Grano for a lovely day in Deruta.  

Majolica

Look in any guide book and you will see a rooster pitcher that has been made in Deruta the ceramics capital of Italy.  A small town outside Perugia, here in Umbria, the clay in Deruta has been made into vessels since ancient times. For many years during the 15th and 16th century, the plates that were made in Deruta had the likeness of beautiful women gracing them.  Today you can go to Deruta, and if you are on a huge bus tour, you will be taken to places that just sell stamped pottery, meaning that it is poured into molds, baked and then painted by machine. The true artisans in Deruta are clearly annoyed that the ceramics in Deruta are represented by the stamped and machine made articles that you find in discount shops, since the artisans will hand throw, and hand paint each piece that they sell.

 Today at the enoteca I had lunch with these gentlemen.  L to R, Carlo Angelini, Luca owner of Majoliche Fanny, Roberto and a friend from Todi.  Luca's shop is just up the street from Enoteca Properzio, and since I hadn't been before, I thought it was time to explore.  The store is amazing, and Luca said that he has another showroom in Deruta that is twice as large.  The typical Deruta style is represented, but his artisans are allowed to follow their hearts, and design what they feel.  I love that!  

Typical Deruta Style

These are sets of dinnerware; the landscape dishes come with different scenes of Umbria and Tuscany on each plate.  Editors note, when I looked at the top shelf I said, "red is a hard color to fire" Luca said, oh, no we do it well.  Yeah, they do!

My photos don't do these justice, but they are exquisite.

 

They do tables which are amazing, too!

Wouldn't this look nice on my patio?

These are quite different from the brilliant colors on the other plates

I like the mix and match aspect of this

These almost look like Quimper

Gorgeous sun flowers, who wouldn't want to eat dinner off of these plates?

Love these serving platters

And my favorite, the Poppy dishes!

My day at school got better today, at least I could follow along, and felt a bit more with it.  But, I was late getting back to the enoteca because of this traffic jam. 

I have no idea what the next days will bring, but that is part of the adventure.  Wishing you a buona sera  from Umbria. 
If you are interested in Majolica, Luca's store is Majoliche Fanny di Pimpinelli, e-mail:  fanny.deruta@alice.it They are located on Corso Cavour in Spello, or in Piazza dei Consoli in Deruta.