Buongiorno from the Amalfi Coast – where it’s been 65 to 70 degrees every day. And, after a delicious trip through Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, we are back to work and creating new recipes and cooking tours for 2023.

Leading a small group of buon gustai, food-lovers, Rino and I drove north starting from the Amalfi Coast. Within five fun hours, our landscape of lemons and sea had transformed into winding roads lined with towering cypress, silver olive trees and rolling vineyards whose branches were still fresh from the vintners’ cut. Grapes and wine scented the air while the warm Indian summer sun touched our shoulders like a gentle sweater keeping us warm.

We met our group in Florence and the food journey began. We relished in the City of Art and visited the Uffizi Museum and David at the Galleria dell'Accademia between Tuscan lunches at our favorite trattorias, enjoying the first truffles of the season shaved on tagliatelle. Plates of pappardelle and wild boar, grilled veal chops with cannellini beans slow-cooked with rosemary were served with local Chianti wine. It was a sweet and spirited ending as everyone dipped their cantucci, Tuscan biscotti, in Vin Santo, blessed wine. 

The Ponte Vecchio was brimming with shoppers. Piazza della Repubblica was filled with visitors while chestnuts were roasted on an open fire and doled out in paper cones. At 6 p.m., everyone filed into Caffè Gilli for an aperitivo, keeping tradition since 1733. Italians and foreigners alike ordered Prosecco and Aperol while tall waiters in long white French bistro aprons served cantucci and profiterole on shiny silver trays.

Later in the day, we tucked in at Signor Fabrizio’s Tuscan Traveler’s Dream,  We met our Cooking Vacations' guests, Teri and Kyle, along with their young son who is an aspiring chef. It was a full house including additional guests Gordon and Company from Canada.  Everyone tied on their aprons for hands-on cooking classes making ravioli nudi, naked dumplings (or Florentine spinach ravioli), Tuscan chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach and cantucci paired with Fabrizio’s Chianti wine and Vin Santo.         

Signor Fabrizio was pressing and bottling the l'olvio nuovo, new olive oil – vibrant green and peppery pungent. In Italy, it’s a tradition that farmers and neighbors exchange their first bottle of the season to see who has the best oil – a little competition between gents. Fabrizio explained the varieties of olives and the old-world way of pressing the fruit on cold stones, making it qualify as extra virgin first-cold-pressed. Everyone broke bread and drizzled the new oil in true Tuscan style. Remember, Tuscan bread is made without salt because deep-rooted Tuscans still respect the boycott on salt taxes that date back to the 15th century.

Desserts were stellar– each one outdoing the next – with pumpkin gelato, chestnut semifreddo, cantucci and roasted chestnuts on an open fire.

A few trips were made in and out of Florence because it is only a few minutes away – there was shopping and museums and a Brunello wine tasting. 

With our Florentine sommelier, we sipped and swirled at a new Tuscan wine bar where Super Tuscans – Brunello and Prima Pietra – are served by the glass. It’s a brilliant way for everyone to be able to try the prized precious Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello di Montalcino. Our sommelier explained the Super Tuscan’s history, rules and regulations that qualify the wine to be a Brunello – while pouring and serving delicious Tuscan cheese, salumi, bread and crostini. We also tasted Vin Santo and Grappa, a super Tuscan treat. The new Brunello wine tour and tasting will be offered in our Renaissance Florence and Fabrizio Tuscan Estate cooking programs for 2023 

After shopping at our favorite Florentine paper shop where local artisans make journals and postcards by hand, we enjoyed a creamy gelato at Gelateria La Carraia. Before we selected our scoops, the host suggested we taste over twelve different flavors. Choices were hard to make with offerings like mango, caramel with salted butter, cantuccino with cream of lemon, dark chocolate, chocolate and orange, melon, pistachio and peach. The creamy red onion gelato, a medieval recipe from Certaldo, was interesting and delicious, too. 

Florentines say alchemist Cosimo Ruggieri created the first gelato and called it fior di latte, made from the flower of the first cream during Catherine de’ Medici’s reign. Others argue Medici architect Bernardo Buontalenti created the first gelato alla crema, Florentine egg and cream gelato, in 1565, and called crema Buontalenti.    

We traveled to Certaldo one mezzagiornata, afternoon, and visited the home of Giovanni Boccaccio. Boccaccio was the famous 14th-century Italian writer and poet and the greatest European prose writer of his time. During the Renaissance, he penned The Decameron, a book consisting of 100 tales told by seven young women and three young men while sheltered in a secluded villa in Fiesole escaping the plague that was raging in Florence. His tales weave wit and lessons of life in a tapestry of beautiful prose. After visiting the museum dedicated to his life, we climbed to the rooftop terrace and experienced a 360° view of the red brick borgo and the verdant Valdelsa hills. Certaldo was a place of inspiration for Boccaccio with hidden courtyards, and views over infinite green plains.

During our visit to the Tuscan countryside, we couldn’t leave without ordering a Chianina beef, which by Florentine law must be at least 1 kilo and 300 grams, cooked on an open coal-fired grill and big enough to feed two or three guests. We trusted Signor Leonardo, sommelier and friend, who breeds the large white cattle on his grass-fed fields. The beauty of ordering a Chianina – you must share it with others because the cut is at least four fingers thick. 

Signor Leonardo recently opened an organic restaurant on the vineyard too. Prior to dinner, we toured the cantina and enjoyed a wine tasting with Tuscan focaccia, the new olive oil and a score of wines from white to red. We sipped and swirled, then dined on pumpkin soup, grilled Chianina with roasted rosemary potatoes, and Sangiovese wine. We loved the new restaurant so much that we returned a few times during our stay. Food-loving Leonardo agreed to offer cooking classes and farm experiences for kids in 2023. 

After soaking up everything Florentine, we drove to Bologna just a little over an hour north. And although we love all the Italian cities, Bologna is near and dear to our hearts – it’s a city steeped deep in tradition and filled with friendly food-loving Bolognese who welcome you like family. 

The dreamy Piazza Maggiore, the main square dazzles – it's like stepping into an old-fashioned storybook filled with ancient everything. The bell tower and surrounding medieval buildings emulate the colors of Christmas gingerbread houses and scintillate the square with a golden light. The piazza was built in the 13th -century and is still the center of everything. Through the ages, lawmakers announced new laws to the public from the square and vendors sold and bought goods throughout the 1800s. Its radiance is offset with a towering 16th-century statue and fountain of Neptune, who keeps watch over the square. It continues to be a lively piazza where aspiring musicians play Lucio Dalla songs (the famous Bolognese musician lived just a block away) while young mammas push baby carriages and students spill into the square.

Several medieval buildings enclose the piazza including the Palazzo D’Accursio, Palazzo del Podestà and the Basilica of San Petronio (construction for the church began in 1390 but the façade was never completed, leaving it with shiny pink marble on the bottom and unfinished bricks on the top). The church is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronio, and is built in Gothic style with three naves and 22 chapels with famous Italian paintings and sculptors dating from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Even though the church is still unfinished, its beauty remains.

This city of eternal beauty has three nicknames: la Citta Grasse, the fat city, la Dotta, the learned one (home to the first university dating back to 1088) and la Rossa, the red, referring to the red rooftops throughout the city. It’s a city of endless arches peppered with museums, theaters, trattorias, book shops, caffès and wine bars.

While in Bologna, we enjoyed another giro, round, of homemade tortelloni, tortellini, tagliatelle with Ragù alla Bolognese with Sangiovese wine. Desserts impressed with pumpkin sorbetto drizzled with aged-balsamic and creamy Zuppa Inglese.

In Bologna, mornings start with shopping along the Via Peschiera Vecchia at the medieval food hall where fifth-generation families carry on selling local wine, Parmigiano, artichokes, walnuts, truffles, and Prosciutto. Following our trip to the market, we tied on our aprons, then rolled and stuffed tortelloni with Chef Barbara. Lunch followed and included our creations from the cooking class with a toast of bubbly Lambrusco. 

In the afternoon, we joined our guide Signor Fabio who shared his food secrets to all things Bolognese as we visited the artisan cheese and pastry makers, wine enoteca and the oldest chocolate shop Majani. We learned the history and secret recipe of the original Ragù alla Bolognese and experienced a coveted visit to the location where it’s kept under lock and key. 

After all the eating and drinking of good wine, we climbed the Degli Asinelli (the higher tower) boasting 498 internal steps that lead to the top (97.02 metres) for a 360-degree view over red rooftops. The Garisenda (the shorter tower) is still a beauty, but not open to the public. The two towers were built in 1109 for military function and to symbolize power. During the Middle Ages, Bologna had approximately 120 towers showcasing its power and wealth. Families built towers to compete with one another – the higher the tower the more power a family had.

On Sunday, we drove from Bologna's city center to the countryside for the annual truffle festival. The village was lined with truffle traders and truffle hunting dogs (the Italians use dogs while the French use pigs), artisan cheese makers, chestnut vendors and wine producers who sampled and sold their wares. Sangiovese, Lambrusco and Pignoletto (the fizzy wines of Emilia Romagna) were flowing in the street while Parmigiano Reggiano, zuppa Imperiale, a minestrone, were given to everyone.

Although Christmas cookies are baked on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, some holiday confections are already on pastry shop shelves. Here are a few recipes to get you in the mood. Our Italian recipes are in metrics for best results. If you do not use metrics, you can convert with www.convert-me.com

The canestrelli are a traditional biscotti, perfect for the holidays and a perfect pair with caffe or tea. They're typical of Liguria and Piedmont, and like all biscotti, there are many recipe versions. This recipe is for Ligurian canestrelli, a light shortbread in the shape of a flower and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. The Piedmontese use hazelnut flour in their recipe. They’re easy to make and resemble a holiday wreath for the season.

Makes 100 cookies, the recipe can be cut in half

To prepare the canestrelli, start by boiling the eggs in a pan of water for 8 minutes. The yolks add firmness to the dough. Next, sift the flour, starch and confectioners’ sugar. Grate an organic unwaxed lemon zest, add the vanilla and the butter, then mix in a standing mixer with a loop. Once the eggs are hard-boiled, peel, cool, and use only the yolks. Break the yolk into pieces and pass it through a strainer to break it apart. Add the egg yolks to the bowl and mix lightly, next transfer the dough to a lightly floured work area and roll it into a loaf. Roll the dough once or twice to keep it soft with a smooth consistency. Flatten it slightly and wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Next, remove from the fridge, roll out the dough into a 1 cm thick disk and use the flower-shaped cookie cutters to shape the dough. Place cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 170° C for 18 minutes - keeping an eye on the canestrelli while baking to make sure they do not darken. Once baked, remove from oven, let cool on a wire rack, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes one drink

1 black tea Fior di Zagara from La Via del Tè (available online at La Via del te or at Eataly

3 shots Prosecco

1 shot Aperol

Prepare the black tea of Fior di Zagara from La Via del Te in natural water at 90° C for 4 minutes. Let cool. Fill a glass with ice, add the Prosecco, Aperol, and tea, then garnish with a slice of orange.

Meet Emiko Davies, food writer, photographer and author of The Florentine. Stroll through Florence’s diverse neighborhoods and discover the traditions and recipes of the City of Art.

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Lauren@Cooking-Vacations.com