Cooking in Tuscany

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Mom took Dr. Dad to sunny Italy this past September where we spent ten days with chef Umberto Menghi at Villa Delia in Tuscany learning the secrets of Tuscan cooking.  We also did some prodigious eating, and made a serious dent in the total volume of wine on hand in Italy.

Our mornings were spent cooking followed by an exquisite lunch at the. Villa or at one of the excellent near-by restaurants, castles, or vineyards.   Afternoons took us to Pisa, Sienna, Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, and. Florence for sightseeing and shopping expeditions.  Returning to Villa Delia at 5 or 6 PM gave us a chance to rest until cocktails at 8:30 followed by dinner from 9 'till midnight. Then to bed, and up again by 7:30 for another day.

We were so exhausted at the end of ten days, that we decided to get a little R & R on the Amalfi Coast at Positano, where we were fortunate to find a lovely hotel - Covo dei  Saraceni - overlooking the ocean.  We spent five days here doing a day trip to Pompeii and experiencing the local sights.  We were able to do another in-depth comparison of the local wines with those of Tuscany.

Our last five days were spent at Castello Dell'Oscano near Perugia in Umbria.  We did more day trips and got in a little shopping for the Majolica pottery for which the region is famous.  We were befriended by the wine-steward at the Castello, who seemed anxious to help us in our quest to become truly knowledgeable about the wines of the region.

At last, however, we were forced to face the realities of putting the garden to bed at home and prepare for the fast approaching winter - so we boarded the plane and returned to Northern Wisconsin - talk about culture shock!

You will all be happy to know that despite my concerns, we did not experience DT's or any other withdrawal symptoms on the way home.

Ciao

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