Destinations

12 Aug WHO WAS AUGUSTUS AND WHY IS AUGUST CALLED AUGUST?

Posted at 04:57h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

Image of the Ara Pacis (above) by Rabax63, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Since 1582 our daily lives have been regulated by the Gregorian calendar, a solar dating system that counts our lives in days, months and years. The origin of this calendar goes back much further than this, to ancient Roman times, when society operated under a ten month system. Some months such as marzo were named after gods, while others were simply numbers.

August was originally known as sextilla, the sixth. But in 8BCE the emperor Augustus renamed the month after himself. As you do!!

So who was Augustus and what is his story?

Augustus was a noble Roman, born Gaius Octavian, and adoSpted by his great uncle, Julius Caesar. As a result he changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar.

Adoption of heirs was common among upper class families in ancient Rome. Romans were very concerned about succession and family legacy and if there was no male heir, it was a common practice to adopt young male family members so that the family name, assets and status could survive.

Julius Caesar intended his adopted son to inherit the leadership but fate intervened. Acting in response to Caesar’s autocratic approach and penchant for radical change, and indeed fearful that he would appoint himself king of Rome, a dissident group of senators carried out the now notorious assassination of their leader, scuttling Gaius’ chances of inheriting the leadership role. In response Gaius joined forces with Mark Antony to fight and defeat Caesar’s assassins in a bloody civil war.

The senate accepted that Rome would thrive under the leadership of Augustus as a single ruler. He was given the title Augustus, meaning the venerable one. His appointment was consecrated by the auguri , a religious group of mystics whose role was to observe and interpret the signs (usually the behaviour of birds) to determine the approval of the gods for any proposed action. This meant that not only was he emperor, but he was also the head priest, and a god.

In English august means a respected, impressive, magnificent, honourable, exalted type of person. So what was so impressive about the emperor Augustus?

Statue of Augustus from the Villa of Livia near Rome
Image by Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0 and found on Wikimedia Commons

Augustus was first and foremost an astute politician. He had clearly observed and learned from the downfall of his adoptive father Julius Caesar and set out to promote improvement of the status quo without forcing radical change.

His program of improving existing systems of civic government and management resulted in marked improvements to the daily lives of Romans.

He introduced the concept of vigili with the Vigiles Urbani, literally the Watchmen of the City. They were the first urban police and fire fighting forces, and interestingly their name lives on in the vigili urbani, the town police, and the vigili del fuoco, the firefighters in Italy today.

He established the cursus publicus, Rome’s first postal and official transportation service, which conveyed messages, officials and tax revenue between the provinces and Rome. The system involved teams of animals, wagons and drivers moving along routes that connected the various parts of the empire, requisitioning facilities from local communities as they went.

As a clever politician Augustus was also aware of the power politics underlying the gladiatorial games. Under Julius Caesar’s rule, the spending on gladiatorial games had become exorbitant as the elite vied with each other to sponsor more and more extravagant events in order to win prestige and political power. Augustus stepped in to curb this excess, placing limits on both private and public spending and tying the games to the state sponsored imperial religious cult, which of course further strengthened public recognition of the his own position.

Augustus was also interested in the fine arts, and state sponsored artists, writers and philosophers joined the ranks of those surrounding him. He appointed an advisor called Clinio Mecenate whose role was to introduce the best of these people into this circle; and we can thank Mecenate for ‘discovering’ the likes of Horace and Virgil! On top of his interest in the arts, he also completed a massive programme of civic works including the Ara Pacis, the Temple fo Caesar, the Forum of Augustus and the Baths of Agrippa.

Although Augustus was a politician rather than an active fighter, the Roman Empire doubled during his reign. Whether you regard him as the first of the ‘strong men’ or as a model for subsequent politicians, there’s no doubting his achievements. ‘I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble,’ he said. Under Augustus, Rome saw the end of a republic and the beginning of an empire, the end of internal warring and the onset of a long period of social stability and peace, known as the pax romana.

Fireworks for the Festa del Redentore Venezia

14 Jul FESTA DEL REDENTORE – A FESTIVAL OF THANKSGIVING

Posted at 01:31h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

Fireworks and celebrations in the street, a thanksgiving mass and a flotilla of Venetian barges – no, this is not a celebration of Italy’s win in the 2021 Euro Cup this past week but something more ancient and arguably even more important.

This weekend Venetians will celebrate the Festa del Redentore, the Feast of the Redeemer, an annual event that gives thanks to the Madonna for the city’s redemption from the plague of 1575-1577.

This major plague decimated the population of Venice, with an estimated death toll of around 55,000 people, about a third of the city’s population. The brilliant Venetian painter Tiziano (Titian) was just one of those who died. Desperate for an end to his people’s suffering, Doge Alvise I Mocenigo promised the Madonna that he would build a church as an offering and make an annual thanksgiving if she would rid the city of the disease.

The doge’s prayer was answered and the city delivered from the plague. The Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio was promptly commissioned to build Il Redentore as a votive offering on the island of Giudecca across the lagoon from the main island. Every year since, on the third weekend of July, Venice has honoured the doge’s promise, with Venetians and visitors alike gathering to celebrate the end of the pestilence.

Main image (above) by Marco Chilese on Unsplash

The Chiesa del Redentore on Giudecca
Image by Luukas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Those who have spent time in Venice may be familiar with the vaporetto stop called Zattere, where you board the vaporetto that will take you across to Giudecca. Zattere literally means ‘pontoon’ and it refers to the pontoon bridge that was set up for the grateful inhabitants to walk across from the main island to visit Il Redentore. The bridge is erected every year and its official opening signals the beginning of the festival, which goes on to celebrate the city’s deliverance with a huge fireworks display, a regatta of traditional boats along the Giudecca canal and a holy mass at Il Redentore.

Venetians have maintained this important annual festival for over 400 years with a single exception: ironically the event was cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid19 epidemic. We join with all Italians in welcoming the return of the Festa del Redentore this year in anticipation of a brighter future in the months to come.

The pontoon bridge linking Zattere and Giudecca
Image byAisano, CC BY-SA 4.0 and found on Wikimedia Commons

08 Dec COPING IN THE YEAR OF COVID

Posted at 00:28h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

2020 has been a devastating year for so many of us, and while the pandemic has completely knocked our business over, Luca and I are so fortunate that our friends and family have all remained safe and well. And particularly so when so many of our family, friends and colleagues live in Italy where the pandemic has been so much worse.

While our tours have been suspended in 2020, Luca and I have turned our attention to a new initiative, that we hope will go some way towards easing your ‘homesickness’ for all things Italian, as well as supporting some of the Italian artisan producers who are missing us as much as we are missing them.

Over many years of taking travellers to Italy we’ve built close relationships with local people who produce specialised products including oils and vinegars, distinctive Venetian glass jewellery, handmade olive oil cosmetics and beautifully patterned tableware and linens.

And so we have launched Origine Italiana, a small online boutique dedicated to beautiful things, all 100% made-in-Italy! We’ve started with a small but gorgeous range of Italian gifts and homewares: Florentine table cloths and tea towels, Venetian glass jewellery and a line of cosmetics for men and women, made in Tuscany.

If you’re still looking for Christmas gifts or would like to treat yourself, head across to our online store to browse the collection!

Shop Now!

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12 Oct PALAZZO SCHIFANOIA – A RENAISSANCE TREASURE IN FERRARA

Posted at 02:24h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

Article by Emanuela Mari.

After well over two years of renovations, the Great Hall of the Months in Ferrara’s Palazzo Schifanoia, one of the most extravagant and fascinating residences of the Italian Renaissance, has reopened to the public gaze. Borso d’Este commissioned a group of local artists to complete the celebrated fresco cycle that decorates its walls in 1469. The careful restoration, complemented by the new and much-improved lighting, has given it new life.

Borso d’Este was an illustrious member of Ferrara’s Este family, which ruled over the city for around 400 years from the 13th Century. He was very fond of sumptuous and magnificent displays of grandeur, which he used to great success to impress his subjects as well as neighbouring States. He wasn’t alone in this type of exercise: it was common in most Renaissance courts, where culture and shows of magnificence were often used as a political tool.

The fresco cycle of the months on the walls of Palazzo Schifanoia’s Great Hall is a result of these attitudes. The whole palace itself is a celebration of leisure and frivolous diversion as the name of the palace suggests — Schifanoia derives from the court’s use of the palace to avoid boredom (schifar la noia). It was also used to entertain and house foreign dignitaries and important guests.

The artwork is an enormous calendar that represents and glorifies the good acts and positive outcomes of Borso d’Este’s government. These are set out month-by-month and are depicted as being influenced and protected by the classical divinities and the stars according to the medieval astrological tradition.

The fresco portrays a loggia in the foreground with various scenes playing out behind it. The columns of the loggia frame the months, and each frame is divided horizontally into three sections. The top section portrays one of the classical divinities (on a triumphal float surrounded by followers and proteges). The middle is an astrological representation, with the sign of the Zodiac, surrounded by the three patrons of that month according to an Arabic reading of astrology and magic. The bottom section depicts scenes of Borso d’Este surrounded by his court, busy with the activities of government and court life, such as hunting with falcons.

Detail from the month of March by Francesco del Cossa – The Triumph of Minerva
Image by Sailko / CC BY-SA and found on Wikimedia Commons

The details of the frescos are so intricate and astounding that the meaning of some, especially in the middle section, are today shrouded in mystery. The fresco cycle, with its sophisticated and complex iconographic language, was conceived by the great Pellegrino Prisciani, Borso d’Este’s court intellectual. He was an important and influential figure in the cultural scene of the Ferrara court, an all-round humanist, well-versed in many disciplines, including astrology.

As for the artists and their work, they were a very talented group that created one of the most extraordinary works of art of the Renaissance. There is one artist in particular whose talent stands out from the rest. Francesco Del Cossa’s superior technique and exceptional artistic style make his contribution to the hall’s Eastern wall the most impressive. His work has survived the test of time much better than that of his colleagues.

Francesco Del Cossa is one of the most noteworthy, yet forgotten artists of the 15th Century. We know very little about his formative years. What we do know is that he worked between Ferrara and Bologna and that he was sought-after and much respected by his contemporaries and peers, including Michelangelo. So much so, that his work inspired an important school of followers.

As a final note, a warning to the prospective visitor. Unfortunately, not all of the fresco cycle has survived intact. If Del Cossa’s work on the Eastern wall (the months of March, April and May) is still in exceptional shape, and that of various masters (June to September) on the Northern wall is well maintained, the same cannot be said about much of the rest, where only faint traces of the old decorations remain. This is in part due to the ravages of time and partly because the fresco was painted over and forgotten for centuries.

In 1598, when the Este could not provide a direct line of succession, the Pope, who had granted the Este feudal rights to Ferrara, expelled them from the city and annexed it to the Papal States. Palazzo Schifanoia like the majority of the more than 50 leisure residences interspersed throughout the territory, fell into decay.

The Este’s expulsion brought to an end an era of fervid artistic activity and arguably the most prosperous period in Ferrara’s history. Their court was considered one of the most refined and progressive in all of Europe. They left the city of Ferrara a fantastic blueprint to their Ideal City they had cultivated for centuries, echoes of which are still evident today. The fresco cycle of the months in Palazzo Schifanoia is a magnificent example of this.

We visit Ferrara on our Undiscovered Riches – Discovering Emila Romagna tour, next scheduled for September 2021 and Emanuela will take us on a guided visit to the Palazzo Schifanoia.

Thank you to Emanuela Mari, local tour guide from Ferrara for contributing this article.

Emanuela fell in love with her city from a very early age — its art, history and culture were so intriguing that she decided to turn it into a career. She first completed a humanities degree (Lettere Moderne) at the University of Ferrara. She then undertook additional studies to become a licensed tour guide for the province.

She’s been working as a tour guide for more than twenty years and loves introducing her clients to Ferrara and its treasures. She speaks Italian, French and English fluently.

If you’re thinking of visiting Ferrara once this pandemic is over, you should definitely book a guided tour of Palazzo Schifanoia with her! You can contact her via her Facebook page, or of course, through us.

Detail from the month of April by Francesco del Cossa
Image by Sailko / CC BY-SA and found on Wikimedia Commons

Detail from the month of March by Francesco del Cossa
Image by Sailko / CC BY-SA and found on Wikimedia Commons

14 Aug HOW TO EAT PARMIGIANO REGGIANO – LET ME COUNT THE WAYS!

Posted at 02:26h in Destinations, Food and Wine by Italian Tours

Sitting at the Trattoria Corrieri in Parma we are presented with a plate piled high with golden, crumbling wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a knife and fork. This is how they do it in Parma. At Luca’s mother’s house we spoon great clouds of the golden cheese onto our pasta. At our friend Theo’s place, we drizzle the best balsamic vinegar over hunks of Parmigiano and eat it with pears. Luca simmers Parmigiano rinds in his winter broth.

Parmigiano is perhaps the best known, the best loved and the most versatile of Italian cheeses. Italians have been making it since the thirteenth century, mainly in the region that takes in Bologna, Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena.

As part of our Unexpected Riches – Discovering Emilia Romagna tour we travel up into the lower part of the Apennine Mountains above Bologna to visit a caseificio or cheese maker. This is a cooperative of milk producers who raise the original Bruna Alpina cows, the breed that has traditionally produced the milk used for Parmigiano in this area. While other producers have switched to the more productive Friesian style cow, the milk the Bruna Alpina produces has a unique nutty taste and a much higher content of cream.

The cooperative aims to compete with larger companies on the basis of the quality of their cheese. As a group they can combine their technologies and reduce production costs to make this type of process financially viable. They are passionate about their cattle and the quality of the type of cheese produced in the mountain. They belong to a new group called the Consortium of Mountain Producers that is promoting traditional food production.

We make a day trip of this, heading out of Bologna early so that we’re at the caseificio in time to see the cheese being made. If we’re lucky we can see the Bruna Alpina cattle grazing in fields along the way. And of course, the highlight of all this for many people is a tasting of this very special cheese.

Above is a short clip from our visit to Caseificio Pieve Roffeno last year, showing the cheesemakers shaping the soft cheese into what will become a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s just one step in a very long process that has been done like this for centuries and strictly regulated by the Italian Parmigiano Consortium for many years.

We’re planning to run our Unexpected Riches – Discovering Emilia Romagna tour again in mid-2021. Please get in touch for more details.

13 Nov THE MANY FACES OF LAKE MAGGIORE

Posted at 00:43h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

Secluded gardens, a magnificent waterfall, a monastery built into the cliff face – Lake Maggiore offers a lot more than the average day-tripper from Milan can see.

All the Italian lakes have beautiful private gardens on their shores. But just outside the town of Intra is a little known garden with links to Australian history. The Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto were established by Captain Neil Boyd McEacharn, the son of a former Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Malcom Donald McEacharn and Maryanne Watson, daughter of Australian mining millionaire John Boyd Watson. A passionate Italophile, McEacharn spent the decade between 1931 and 1940 establishing this garden at his lakeside villa. Visitors wandering the garden’s seven kilometres of paths can enjoy 20000 plant varieties, and 300 different types of McEacharn’s greatest passion, his dahlias.

Not only are there secluded gardens around the lake, but following the Toce River up the Val Formazza to its source, one finds oneself in an area populated by a group of Italians whose elders still speak a dialect similar to High German, the language of the original settlers. At the top of the valley is the Cascata del Toce, the second largest waterfall in Europe. This waterfall is one of the most spectacular in the Alps, with a stunning freefall jet of water cascading to the rocks below.

Perched on a rocky ridge on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore is the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso. Since the 1300s the monastery has been inhabited by members of the Dominican order but is today inhabited by a group of Benedictine oblates. Visitors must maintain silence but are welcome to walk the lovely balconies that overlook the lake and take in the very special atmosphere of the place.

There are other more famous tourist destinations on the lake, most notably the Borromean Islands, Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori, with their justly famous gardens, buildings and vistas. From the Renaissance period they have all been owned and inhabited by members of the Borromean family. The most spectacular of these is Isola Bella, built in 1632 as a wedding present by Charles III for his wife Isabella, and containing Baroque gardens, grottoes and even white peacocks.

We stay on Lake Maggiore as part of our 14-day Milan and the Best of the Italian Lakes tour in May-June 2020 and on our 8-day Lakes Discovery tour in September 2020.

06 Jan FIVE REASONS TO VISIT PUGLIA

Posted at 01:10h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

Avoid the crowds and enjoy the slow life

Although Puglia is starting to attract crowds, particularly to big name destinations like Lecce and Alberobello, it’s still relatively easy to avoid the type of crowds that plague cities like Rome and Florence. Locals still live the traditional slow life: shops close at lunchtime, people go home for lunch, there’s time for a siesta – all a fabulous excuse for you to relax and absorb the slower-paced atmosphere.

The history

Puglia’s position in the heel of the Italian boot, close to modern-day Albania and Greece, has contributed to a rich cultural legacy. Over hundreds of years diverse groups of people settled on land traditionally inhabited by the local Messapian tribes: Spartans, Greeks and Romans in ancient times, followed during the middle ages by a series of Bourbons, Angevins, Normans and Saracens. Their influence is evident in the unique culture of the Puglian people today and in the artifacts on show in the museums of Lecce and the MARTA in Taranto.

Delicious food and wine

Pugliese gastronomy – some of the best food you’ll find anywhere in Italy! The region is traditionally agricultural and the land continues to provide outstanding fresh, high quality produce. Puglia is particularly famous for olives and olive oil, cherries, eggless pasta, burrata and other cheeses, almonds, tomatoes, lemons, wheat bread and of course the fresh seafood. The local cuisine reflects this bounty. Until about ten years ago Puglia exported the bulk of its grapes and wine; however these days Puglia is focusing on boutique wines and producing exceptional varieties like Primitivo, Negroamaro, Bombino Bianco and Susumaniello.

Towns like nowhere else

Apart from the big name towns that have plenty of publicity, Puglia has a host of small lesser known towns that can absorb the interested traveler for hours on end. We can recommend charming small towns like Martina Franca and Locorotondo in the Valle d’Itria or Vieste and Trani along the coast. The Pugliese are extremely proud of their towns and maintain their flower boxes and streetscapes in picture perfect condition.

Blue waters of the Gargano Peninsula in Puglia

A stunning blue coastline

Puglia is surrounded on three sides by the Ionian, the Taranto and the Adriatic Seas. The coastal landscapes differ but are invariably stunning: limestone cliffs and stacks and pebble beaches along the Gargano Peninsula, white sandy beaches on the western coast, the spectacular rocky coastline in the east and everywhere a startling blue sea.

Maybe 2018 is the year you should get to know this wonderful corner of southern Italy!

We run regular tours to Puglia each year.
Contact us today to book your place!

24 Nov AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO MILAN

Posted at 04:35h in Destinations, Travel Tips by Italian Tours

What’s not to love about Milan? Milan’s Expo in 2015 really put the city on the tourist map, not only as a convenient transport hub but as a destination in its own right, offering culture, food and fashion.

We’re lucky enough to visit Milan fairly regularly as it’s the first base on our Milan and the Italian Lakes tour (31 May – 13 June 2018 – read the itinerary here) and we’ve got to know the city fairly well over the years.

So where do you start in Milan? Most visitors head straight for the Duomo and the Galleria in the centre of Milan, a great place to start your tour of the city and undeniably the area with the biggest wow factor.

You need to buy tickets for the Duomo. Smart travellers will pre-book tickets that allow them to skip the queue and get through security that much faster. You can buy a combined ticket for the Duomo, the roof walk (which we think is an unmissable experience) and the Museo del Duomo, which provides an excellent history of the building. Visit the official website for ticket sales here.

From the Duomo, wander through the Galleria by all means, but look upwards and avoid the expensive tourist shops that proliferate here. If you are keen to shop in Milan, Philippa recommends the Brera area for boutique shopping; for big brand names and high-street chains explore the Corso that extends behind the Duomo; for more budget shopping, try the Corso Buenos Aires area.

You may want to see Da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Last Supper, which has been beautifully restored. Tickets sell out fast and there is very little chance of simply turning up on the day and gaining admission. Make sure you book well in advance. The official site publishes the date when tickets will go on sale for a specific month so it’s worth keeping an eye on the site to ensure you don’t miss the booking window.

While you’re in the area don’t miss Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church that is attached to the refectory where the Last Supper is housed. Luca is a particular fan of the Bramante designed cupola sitting atop this gothic church. To get there take the number 16 tram from Piazza Cordusio or take a cab.

But Milan offers much, much more than the big three attractions. Here is a list of some of our favourites:

For art lovers visit the Pinacoteca di Brera, a treasure house of Italian art and more. Don’t miss Mantegna’s Dead Christ and the Three Mourners, as well as works by Bellini, Piero della Francesca, Tintoretto and Caravaggio.

Less than a kilometre from the Brera, is the smaller and charmingly eclectic Museo Poldi Pezzoli. This was once a private family house and collection and contains a fascinating assortment of artworks including a beautiful Botticelli, exquisite porcelain and a stunning display of armour.

Classical music buffs should jump at the chance to attend a performance at the Teatro alla Scala. There are performances of ballet, opera and classical music almost all year round, except for August. You need to buy tickets well in advance and be sure to book on the official La Scala website to avoid the ticket scalpers.

Want some more wonderful churches? Our favourites are Sant Eustorgio to see the Cappella Portinari, the most exquisite Renaissance chapel remaining in Milan; Sant’Ambrogio, which is one of the oldest churches in the city and an excellent example of medieval architecture; San Maurizio which has a complete and spectacular Renaissance fresco cycle that covers every surface in the church.

Sore feet? After all this activity, wind down with an aperitivo in the Navigli area, where a collection of great bars and restaurants line one of the old canals that were once used as transport arteries in Milan. It’s picturesque, trendy and lively – a wonderful way to finish the day.

Where to stay:

We love the Hotel Gran Duca di York, a lovely 3 star hotel tucked away on a quiet street just a three-minute walk from the Piazza del Duomo.

Where to eat:

For food lovers, a visit to Peck is a must. Part upmarket grocer, part cafe and restaurant, it’s worth a visit simply to take in the sumptuous displays of fruit and vegetables, meats, cheeses, pastries, chocolates and more.

For an authentic meal in the centre of town, try Trattoria Milanese (Via Santa Marta, 11), where you can try local specialities like Risotto alla Milanese (flavoured with saffron) and the Cotolleta alla Milanese, essentially a giant veal schnitzel.

You can visit Milan with Italian Tours as part of our delightful Milan and the Italian Lakes tour from the 31 May – 13 June 2018! You’ll also stay in the wonderful medieval town of Bergamo and visit Lakes Como, Maggiore and Orta on this 14-day tour.

07 Oct TEN YEARS OF ITALIAN MEMORIES

Posted at 06:20h in Destinations by Italian Tours

This year Luca and I are celebrating ten years of Italian Tours. Like so many people do, we’re asking ourselves where on earth that time has gone.

We ran our very first tour in September 2007. Luca was teaching Italian language at a Sydney college. He always tells his students that the only way to become truly fluent is to spend time in Italy practising the language with the locals. When a group of his students got together and asked him if he could organise a tour to Italy that combined sightseeing with opportunities to practise the language, the idea for Italian Tours was born. A group of eight people joined us for a two-week tour and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the past ten years we’ve accumulated a host of travellers’ tales, some hilarious, some very special experiences shared with our guests…. and some just crazy!

Lots of our stories revolve around lost property and yes, the occasional lost guest! Fortunately, we are good retrievers. In Puglia recently we were exploring an olive oil estate with some of the oldest trees in Italy when our bus driver realised he’d dropped his keys somewhere on the estate. While our guests were tasting the very special olive oils in the courtyard, they were blithely unaware that Luca was missing in action as he and the bus driver frantically scoured the area for the keys so we could get to our next destination. The olive oil fairy had obviously been at work: they discovered the keys near the base of the oldest tree on the estate, a close to 3,000 year-old tree that continues to produce olive oil to this day.

On another occasion, we were exploring the beautiful hill town of Montepulciano. We dropped our guests at the top of the steep hill so that they could wander down through the enchanting small streets and meet us at the bottom. Imagine our reaction when one of our guests stopped us en route to say that her husband had disappeared. After an anxious search, we discovered our independently-minded guest – he’d joined another group and was happily sitting in a cantina enjoying their wine tasting!

Unsurprisingly many of our fondest memories revolve around food and the generosity of the restaurant owners and staff we’ve met over the years. On one trip we contacted a small restaurant that was normally closed on the day we were passing through. Not only did they readily agree to open up for our group of twelve diners, but they also brought in a local signora who specialised in regional cooking. We were staggered – but delighted – when they presented us with a six-course degustation menu based on the local specialty, the meat and cheese from the Italian water buffalo species: bresaola di bufala, mozzarella di bufala, pappardelle with ragu of bufala, bufala steak and more.

Many of our clients, especially the women but sometimes even the men, have enjoyed some fantastic shopping over the years. As a regular and dedicated Italian shopper, I’ve a number of favourite shops that I loves sharing with our guests: a specialty shoe shop in Milan that makes ballerina flats in every colour under the sun, a scarf stall in the leather market in Florence where the owner not only sells the scarves but teaches new ways to tie them, and a handbag shop in Parma that sells extraordinarily beautiful items. One guest bought six handbags for his daughters, daughters-in-law, secretary and other lucky women friends.

Even we make discoveries while we’re on tour. One day in a little hill town in Tuscany we were exploring a tiny medieval church. The local lady who was the custodian of the church walked us through and then paused in front of a side altar and pulled out a drawer. Resting serenely inside was the remains of a local saint, obviously loved and revered by his flock.

Perhaps our most enduring memory though was an evening we spent in an agriturismo in Arezzo. Our group was having dinner in the agriturismo’s medieval chapel, now used as a dining hall. Inspired by this magical location, one of our guests was moved to recite a lovely piece about St Francis of Assisi, whose basilica we had visited that day. It was a very special moment for us all.

We love the places we find to visit and often return there ourselves, so our friends and family we not surprised that two years later we returned to the same agriturismo for our wedding!

We also love the work we do. We know how fortunate we are to travel to the places we love, to make new friends with our guests, and to be able to share our knowledge and love of Italy with them. We have six more tours running in spring and autumn of 2018 and look forward to sharing them with you.

25 Jul 5 REASONS TO VISIT TURIN

Posted at 09:04h in Destinations, Food and Wine by Italian Tours

Turin was the first capital of a united Italy in the nineteenth century and it has the feel of an important city, regal in its nature and set out to impress. The Roman town was founded in 28BC and although it became an important centre in the empire, it was never as important as Aosta up the road. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Turin was forgotten and existed as a large agricultural borough. It wasn’t until 1563 when Duke Emanuele Filiberto chose it as his capital that it was really put on the map.

Turin doesn’t have the same crowds of tourists as Rome, Florence and Milan, and that’s what makes it a great city to visit if you want to get off the beaten track!

1. The urban architecture
The ruling Savoy family wanted a capital city that was fit for their Duchy and in the 1700s, court architect Filippo Juvarra’s vision was turned into an urban environment to rival the more established European capitals. The Renaissance had already finished, so the period of refurbishment coincided with the Mannerist and Baroque period, which the town made its own — Turin is known as the baroque capital of Northern Italy. Think elegant piazze, splendid palaces and lovely churches.

The historic centre is very pleasant to wander around, well ordered and on a manageable scale. Don’t miss Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama on Piazza Castello and make sure you sit for an aperitivo at one of the cafes on the elegant Piazza San Carlo

2. The Mole Antonelliana and the Cinema Museum
The Mole Antonelliana is one of the enduring symbols of Turin, an oddly shaped building that was conceived as a synagogue, taken over by the Savoys as a museum of the Risorgimento and today houses the fascinating museum of cinema.

Most people know that Italians have a history and a fascination with cinema, but not many know that it all started here in Turin. It was here that the country’s first studios were set up and where the first feature length movie was produced in 1914.

If you’re a cinema buff, the museum is a must-see, if you’re not, the building itself is still worth a visit. The roof has the best vantage point of the city and on a clear day the views out towards the Alps are breathtaking.

3. The Lingotto
At the beginning of the 1900s, Fiat, Italy’s largest automotive industry, was growing and it needed a new plant. In 1916, in an area that was still farmland, they opened the Lingotto. It was considered innovative and modern and had the whole world watching. After more than 60 years of operation the plant was closed in the 1980s and the famous architect Renzo Piano was invited to convert the factory into a multipurpose centre. It’s possible to see the famous roof-top test track (as featured in the original 1969 version of The Italian Job) and the Giovanni and Marella Agnelli Art Gallery, which houses the couple’s exquisite private collection, with works by Canaletto, Tiepolo, Canova, Manet, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso and Modigliani.

Finally, the Lingotto is the home to the flagship Eataly store – the chain of upmarket providores that has taken Italy, and the world by storm. Which brings me to reason #4 …

4. The food
Food is especially important in Piedmont and the capital Turin will have foodies at its mercy. The people of Turin love their food and many follow the philosophy of the Slow Food Movement which has its headquarters just outside in the small town of Bra. The number of quality restaurants in the city and the enormous Porta Palazzo food markets are further evidence of the city’s love of food. It’s well worth spending a morning wandering through the markets and marvelling at the fresh produce — piles of aubergines, ripe tomatoes and porcini mushrooms, meat, fish, cheeses, herbs and spices and much more!

Lastly, we need to mention the Torinese obsession with both chocolate and coffee, which they have combined masterfully in the classic local drink Il Bicerin – a delicious, layered concoction of chocolate, coffee and hot milk, not to be shaken – or stirred! Try it at the historical Il Bicerin cafe where it was invented and where they have been making it since 1763.

5. The Egyptian museum
Most people haven’t heard of it, but the Museo Egizio is the second largest collection of Egyptian archaeology, anthropology and artefacts in the world, only surpassed by the museum in Cairo. It was re-opened after an extensive renovation in 2015, and now displays the collection in chronological order, from the 4th century BC to the 3rd century AD. There are numerous highlights in the collection including a spectacular tomb from 3500BC and an extensive Papyrus collection. If you’re an Egyptophile, it’s a must see and even if you’re only mildly interested in Egypt, it’s still a fascinating and well curated collection.

We adore Turin and have included it as our first base in our Tastes Tour of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta. Contact us today!