Sperlonga captured my heart more than three decades ago when we first started spending the month of June here each year. Some of Sperlonga’s appeal is intangible, it occupies your senses in ways you can’t even describe. Yet, so much of what there is to love in this amazing coastal hill town is easy to quantify….
Trips
Flavor of Italy Food Trips: from Sicily’s diverse Arab and Greek influenced cuisine to the Marche’s unique dishes like ‘brodetto anconetano’ and ‘olive ascolane’, we showcase Italy’s finest culinary traditions in the most charming spots. We offer culinary programs throughout Italy and are continually exploring new locations.
Customers have the choice of day and weekend trips, or one of our longer 7-10 day options.
You can choose a self-guided trip or one led by Flavor of Italy.
We combine food tours and cooking classes with sightseeing to ensure that you will fully experience the cities or towns you are visiting. The food tours and cooking classes vary based on the region of Italy you choose. At the end of your trip, you'll have a deeper knowledge not only of Italian culture and cuisine in general, but you'll have also had a taste of the different regions of Italy and the culinary and cultural aspects that distinguish them.
The Tornesi Brunello Winery
About fifteen years ago we first visited the Tornesi winery on a Brunello wine buying trip. Since then we’ve been back every year. The owner, Maurizio Tornesi, has become a friend, and we’ve watched his winery grow and transform…always for the better. On our visit last week we joined the family for lunch in their home….
Eating in Contigliano, northern Lazio
Contigliano is Maurizio’s hometown. He was actually born in nearby Terni but every single relative on his mother’s side was born in Contigliano. And more than that: they were all born in the same family home, in the same iron frame bed, that I have kept and moved to our present home north of Rome….
Oysters at Nick’s Cove, Tomales Bay – Marshall CA
Oysters aside, the drive up to Marshall is enthralling; a stark and beautiful coastline with a back drop of mountains and blue skies. You occasionally pass through charming, yet humble towns that appear to have been untouched for decades: a small white clapboard church with its steeple reaching up to the sky, a general store,…
Positano’s Casa Cosenza
We’ve stayed in just about every room at the Casa Cosenza over the past thirty-plus years, each one with a breathtaking view of the spectacular Positano. Maurizio first brought me here when we were still fidanzati; I was here on vacation and spoke no Italian at the time. The whole weekend I was intoxicated: head…
Maryland crab cakes at Timbuktu
I took Maurizio and Annie to buy take-out crab cakes at this unlikely crab cake venue on Dorsey Road in Hanover, Maryland: an out of the way, side of the highway restaurant and take-out joint. A place, if I were hungry and looking for a place to eat, I would not drive into. The name…
Handcrafted Wine Bottle Stoppers
Outside of San Francisco’s ferry building I often find more artisanal creations of interest than within. Yesterday, my only day in town on this visit, I ran across some beautiful woodworked items ranging from vases to bowls to cutting boards to wine bottle stoppers. I enjoy taking a bottle of wine to a dinner at…
Calvi, Umbria – the Festa di San Pancrazio
Calvi in Umbria lies just barely north of the Lazio region, along the Via Flaminia. If you happen by the area it’s well worth making a stop to take a look at this medieval borgo. From the hill town you can look down upon the rolling Umbrian countryside, as pictured above. The town’s major festival,…
Saturday outdoor market in Sperlonga
Saturday morning is the big outdoor market day in Sperlonga. One of my favorite vendors has an assortment of olives cured by his family owned azienda agricola, including local Gaeta olives. He also prepares whole red peppers in an agrodolce bath. Most of the peppers go by the wayside as the process is lengthy and…
Day Trip to Lake Bolsena for a fish lunch
Last weekend we were at Lake Bolsena, an under two hours drive from us. We were there with friends: and others who vacation at the lake regularly; sailing, canoeing, swimming. Fish is my favorite food and it’s a pleasure to occasionally indulge in lake fish. The best that Lake Bolsena has to offer is coregone,…
Marinated anchovies with spacca sassi, Portonovo, Monte Conero, Le Marche
We spend time in Portonovo every year, usually for brief weekend trips of a few days. Some of our closest friends live there and an additional benefit is the spectacular beauty of the area: the lush mountains of the Monte Conero spill dramatically into the Adriatic Sea. The beach is covered with white stones and…
Pizzaiolo Restaurant, Oakland, California
Last week’s International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference started off with optional Saturday tours; always one of the best parts of the annual conference. It gives you the chance to explore a part of the host city’s food culture in depth, this year San Francisco’s. I lead the “Alice Waters Edible Schoolyard &…