For my 35th birthday, my Mom took me on an amazing adventure to Italy - cooking school at Torre del Tartufo.
Friday Arrival in Florence
Arne and Bogey said goodbye on Thursday morning. Mom and I flew out Thursday afternoon, and after a connection in Frankfurt, arrived in Florence.
Our first outing for the trip was to climb to the top of the Duomo Dome for a view of all of Florence. We stayed to watch the sunset and it was totally worth climbing the 463 steps.
We then got the first of our gelatos before wandering around and eventually finding a dinner place in the Plaza Republica. We had arrived in Italy - the land of good food and wine.
Saturday Exploration of Florence
I was lucky that Mom made reservations to the Uffizi and Accademia. We wandered down to the river and took an early look at the Ponte Vecchio before exploring the Uffizi.
After a quick bite of food we went to see David. It was great to see the big sculpture.
After David, we wandered through town and the central market before exploring the Santa Maria Novella.
We had an awesome local dinner at a place described in one of Mom's guidebooks.
And then on the way back to the hotel, we got our third gelato of the night, before visiting a lovely art showing on the way back to the hotel.
Sunday More Florence and Travel to Torre del Tartufo
Sunday started off slower, but after a wonderful breakfast, we headed out to see the Medici Chapels and then the Boboli Gardens in behind the Pitti Place.
Then we headed over to the train station for an hour ride to Arezzo. A cab took us up a very intense gravel hill to the absolutely delightful property of Torre del Tartufo.
Our first night, we had a great 4 course meal prepared by the previous weeks students. After every meal, dozens of liquors were put out for us to try. Cream Lemoncello was Mom's favorite.
Monday: First Day of Cooking
We spent the morning relaxing. After days of being on the go, it was nice to just hang out at the beautiful site before class. For the first 3 days of class, the core group of Mom & Me, Peg & Dana, Mimi & Annie, were joined by newlyweds Dion and Amanda, and Joe and Julie.
The cooking was very hands on. I worked with Amanda on the pasta course, which was this wonderful eggplant spaghetti dish. After working on our courses we all made pizza dough for the Tuesday pizza lunch.
After cooking, we sat down for a lovely 4 course meal. The first course Mom made, and it was this lovely artichoke salad in a parmesan cup. Then it was our pasta course, followed by rolled chicken, and finally a tiramisu for dessert. It was a great first meal made by us!
Tuesday: Car Rental, Arezzo, and more Cooking
Tuesday morning we took a cab into Arezzo and rented a car. We got the cutest little Fiat Panda. Then with Mimi and Annie, we explored Arezzo and all the amazing art frescos of Piero della Francesca on the walls of the churches.
Once back at Torre, we made pizza with our dough.
After lunch, we had a five hour class where I made a pork dish with Julie, cleaned mushrooms with Pam and then the 3 of us worked on the wild boar stew.
After this, everyone made squash ravioli from scratch! Our four course meal was stuffed tomatoes, squash ravioli, the pork dish I helped make, and then a pound cake with homemade gelato for dessert.
Wednesday: Group Outing Day
We woke up to rain on the day of our group outing, but this did not keep us from having an amazing day exploring the region. First, we visited a cheese farm, called Casa Pallino and got a demo on how pecorino is made.
Everyone loved the cheese and we bought some to take home. Then we headed to a wool shop, where I got a lovely hat, made from Casentino Wool.
Our next stop was the Castello di Porcano, where the lady of the castle gave us a tour and lunch in the tower.
After the castle, we stopped by a ceramic factory, and then headed to an old renaissance home called Villa La Ripa for a wine tasting. The vintner charmed the whole group with his sangiovese wines.
Thursday: Angahri and Cooking
In the morning we drove to Angahri and a little place outside of town called Ravagni, where Francesco showed us how to make olive oil and we did a tasting. Everyone loved the basil olive oil.
We then headed into Angahri and enjoyed exploring the old town and the Busatti linen factory.
Then it was time to cook. I worked with Pam and Annie, and we made desserts, a grandma's cake, chocolate pudding, cookies, pie, and a main course of chicken with fennel.
Mom made the most amazing eggplant parmesan, although it did take a long time to create.
Our meal was the eggplant dish, Pasta Fazoli, the turkey dish, and then chocolate pudding cake for dessert.
Friday: Day Off Visit to Siena
Friday was our day off, so Mom and I headed out of our little region to Siena. Neither of us had ever seen the city. It was a long drive (and a horror trying to find parking) but it was worth it once we made it there.
The cathedral was a wonderful cacophony of art and we were in the season where the inlayed floors were all visible. Amazing.
We both climbed up to the ramparts for a view of the area.
Then it was off to the central square for a lovely lunch.
The drive was worth it for the lovely little city.
Saturday: Cortona and Cooking
Mom and I got up early and headed out to Cortona, a lovely old town.
In Cortona, before we left we got some great cheese to bring home.
Then it was time for our final cooking adventure, with the final six cooks.
The kitchen busted as we cooked up all sorts of yummy things and learned how to debone a fish!
The final four course meal was a pastry and truffle starter, then a pasta with swordfish or octopus, then a trout (that Mom deboned!), and finally a deep fried chestnut crepe.
It was a wonderful final meal
and a great last night in Tuscany.
Sunday: The Long Trip Home
It was fall back morning, so we slept in an extra hour then drove up to the Florence Airport for our connection to Munich and the flight home.
It was a great trip and now I have many amazing recipes to cook for everyone now that I am back!
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