Even a Life of Five Star Hotels Can Be Exhausting

Hands on Cooking with David Tanis

It’s not a complaint, however after a grueling pace combined with blistering temperatures across Sicily, Puglia and Milano, it’s good to be home! A friend and I visited the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily to learn the refined art of Sicilian cooking with David Tanis http://davidtanis.com/.

Always eager to explore new areas, I added Puglia site inspections to my schedule – the southern most location in Italy which is advertised as the hottest destination in Italy…it literally was the hottest; as per my custom, I move hotels every two days. The blistering temperatures and an effort to view as many charming hill towns and villages clinging to cliffs over the sparkling seas, blended with wine and copious amounts of food served at lunch and dinner make for an exhausting Journey! Abbondanza is an understatement!

But again, I survived and will be sharing my tales of delicious olive oil tasting, meeting a shepherd practicing the dying art of cheese making, boutique vineyards, towns and villages with winding cobblestone streets, in the coming weeks.

Traditional ricotta production by Filippo Privitera

I again flew Emirates Air, which really takes the sting out of long distance flying! They fly JFK to Milano, thus my impetus to add Milano to my itinerary. Many people don’t think of this as a destination city, however I would disagree. Arriving on Emirates is the only way to arrive!

A stay in Milano is enhanced by a few days at Villa d’Este on Lake Como!

Best table for Lunch at Villa d’ Este

Olive oil Tasting at Masseria Brancati

Va bene!

Va bene – a good day when you are served by three charming Italian men!