As Gourmet Living readers are aware, I am not a huge fan of desserts. I prefer texture, crunch and a touch of tart to the traditional creamy and sugar-infested choices often found on most restaurant menus. During a recent trip to Ossana, Italy: ...
Italy
C’era Una Volta in Montepulciano
C'era Una Volta translates into "Once Upon a Time," which seems an appropriate way to wrap up our fabulous visit to southern Tuscany. C'era is pronounced "Chair-Ah," if you don't speak English with a pronounced Queens (New York barrio) or southern accent. Our home base in ...
Trequanda, Monticchiello & Montefollonica: A Glutton in Tuscany
I realize that gluttony is not something to gloat over, but it is certainly difficult to resist. I am pleased to report that Dante only considers gluttony to be a Circle 3 punishment offense in The Inferno. Nevertheless, it is nothing to be proud of even though ...
Pienza, San Quirico and La Foce: Meanderings through Southern Tuscany
We arrived back in Greenwich yesterday afternoon from a most wonderful 3 weeks in Italy. Frankly, I was far too busy to blog given the hectic pace of our travels (even I was surprised to find we had logged some 2,600 miles). When I find a few minutes, I will try ...
Bagno Vignoni, Ristorante Anna and Brunello Montalcino
Early fall is a great time to see Tuscany. The weather is coolish and, in our case, quite sunny. We missed the wine pressing, but not the olives. In fact, 2016 olive oil is now available in some boutiques, although most serious producers wait over a month or so to ...
Starda: An Unexpected Tuscan Treasure
One of our most important planning resources for our trip to Tuscany was Little Roads Europe: Tuscany, Italy Small-town Itineraries for the Foodie Traveler. It was there that we discovered an entry for Osteria Starda which is located in one of the more remote areas of ...
Traveling Hopefully: Ferrara to Montepulciano
It is Halloween in Montepulciano as I write this travelogue (sounds better than a monologue). I plan to cover much ground but will introduce the occasional emoji to let you know that you should have another shot of caffeine or something stronger before moving forward. We left ...
Ferrara: A Renaissance Jewel in Italy
We arrived at Malpensa airport on the morning of October 20, picked up our rental and set sail for Ferrara with a brief stop in Parma for lunch. The rainy season arrives at the end of September in Italy and the weather near the Po river tends to be somewhat foggy and overcast. ...
Comacchio and the Po River Delta
While I will miss the last few days of the love-fest between the "basket of deplorables" and armchair liberals, I am faced with quite a difficult decision in choosing my antipasto. I am at Pericles Restaurant in Porto Garibaldi, just south of the Po River delta in Italy. ...
Dining Well in Ferrara, Italy
In the heart of Emilia Romagna in Italy, it is difficult to find poorly prepared food. Ferrara is no exception and there are many fine restaurants where you can get excellent food at a reasonable price. The risk is over-indulging - a problem I faced frequently with little ...
Campari Toast to Il Pellicano
In the early 70s, we had the good fortune to spend several lovely weekends at Il Pellicano, a luxury resort two hours north of Rome near Porto Ercole on the Tuscan coast. At that time, the hotel was owned by society couple Michael and Patricia Graham, who had purchased the ...
Massimo Bottura Delivers at Osteria Francescana
In June of 2015, my husband and I had the privilege of dining at Osteria Francescana in Modena. We were visiting our grower and bottler of Gourmet Living's barrel-aged balsamic vinegar in Modena and couldn't resist visiting this acclaimed restaurant. My husband ...
