Be Prepareed for Easter in Rome.

Are you headed to Rome for Easter?  I hope you have your itinerary planned as it is a very busy time of the year to be in Rome.  It can be very exciting despite the crowds!

By the time Holy Week begins there should be a new Pope in place.  If you are in Rome during this time enjoy the excitement when the new Pope is selected.

Sunday March 24 is Palm Sunday and Passion of the Lord.  This is the start of the Holy Week with a mass at St. Peter’s Square in the morning.  This mass is a very long mass and can last about three hours. In Italy the Easter tradition of palm is replaced with olive tree branches.

Holy Thursday is celebrated with two masses in Rome.  This first is at St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning and the second mass is at St. John Lateran in the evening.  Both masses can last more than two hours.

On Good Friday there is another mass at St. Peters in the evening with the Stations of the Cross.  Later in the evening about 9:15pm there is the Way of the Cross, where the Pope traces the Stations of the Cross from the Coliseum to Palatine Hill.

Easter Vigil on Saturday begins at 9pm at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Easter Sunday Mass is celebrated in St. Peter’s Square at about 10:15am.

Tip:   Tickets are necessary so I hope you have planned ahead to get yours.

For more information go to this site:  http://www.papalaudience.org/papal-mass

Enjoy and write me when you return!

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Order you copy of Mamma Agata’s cookbook and pasta!

I know that I have been writing about my fall tour and my favorite restaurant in Rome, so now I am going to write about my favorite Italian subject and that is:  Mamma Agata’s cooking program in Ravello.

The other day I received, by mail, my first and best Christmas present.  I noticed the package was sent to: Gourmet Getaways.  I could not imagine who was sending me a package.  I didn’t order anything.  Quickly I got out the scissors and managed to get through layers and layers of packaging tape.  Before my eyes were four packages of Mamma Agata’s pasta and a few other prized treats from Italy along with a thank you note from Chiara.

Well, I could not resist making pasta for dinner.  Each package is sealed with the logo and a recipe on the back.  How clever!  Now you can get first hand recipes from Italy!

My husband and I had a wonderful delicious pasta dinner.  It was  so good he had a second portion.  The texture of this pasta is best described by a smooth surface but a definite al dente center!

Suggestion:  cook according to directions but watch is slowly as you do not want to over cook this pasta!  It must have an al-dente center!  That’s what makes it truly Italian.

For those of you that want to book a cooking class please send me an email and we will work together to get you schedules for the best cooking class in Italy.  An experience not to be missed!

Those that cannot go I highly recommend you purchase her cookbook.  You will think you are in Italy and after looking at these pictures you will want to give me a call and book that flight to Italy and register for her class.

If you have not purchased your cookbook you can do so by contacting Mamma Agata at

http://Mammaagata.com/shopping-mamma-agata-cookbook.aspx.

HINT:  Best to order the book directly through Mamma Agata’s website so that you can get a signed copy!

If you enter Gourmet Getaways in the dedication portion of the order she will know that I recommended you!  Also she will personally send you a signed copy of the cookbook.

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Ostia Antica – an easy visit from Rome

About 30 minutes from Rome lies Ostia Antica!  During our stay in Rome I arranged for a morning tour of this ancient site.  It was a clear day with mild temperatures so it was perfect day to tour this ancient park.  We met our guide at the hotel and drove 30 minutes to Ostia Antica.  I highly recommend having a guide so that they can tell you about the history of this ancient port.

Ostica Antica was an ancient port for Rome located right  on the mouth of the Tiber River.  It was founded in the 4^th BC by rich businessmen, merchants, sailors and slaves.  There are many parts to this ancient ruin including: Decumanus Maximus ( the main city street), the Forum, the theatre, Capitolium, an elaborate bath complex,  which still contain beautiful mosaics.  These are just a few mentioned features of this ancient park.

The entire park is quite extensive and can take you up to three hours to explore so wear comfortable shoes!  The entrance fee is 4 euros, and accessible by subway from Rome.  Well worth the visit to see how the people of Rome lived many years ago!  Rome’s answer to Pompeii – only older!

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Dining in Orvieto

Gourmet Getaways was off on another excusive tour this fall and brought fifteen eager travelers.  The tour began in Orvieto, which was our base for the next four days.  We visited such towns as Torgiano, Deruta, Montefalco and Norcia and included wine tasting, visiting the ceramic factories in Deruta, olive oil tasting and more!

Our food and wine, while in Umbria, was beyond our expectations.  It began with a meal in Orvieto , Venusos, which is located in the piazza steps from the Duomo.  The chef uses all local and fresh ingredients.  Each of the three dishes were paired with local Umbrian wines, which only enhanced the experience.  We enjoyed every mouthful! Luca’s  philosophy is: “Life is too shore to drink bad wine.”   I highly recommend this trattoria in Orvieto.

Our other dining experience while in Orvieto was at the Champagneria, behind the Duomo. We enjoyed a twelve course tasting lasting three hours! We toasted another great night filled with wonderful food and champagne.   Velia and Gianluca were great hosts.  Velia is a fantastic chef!

It was another wonderful ’food’ experience!

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A Fabulous Jewelry Store in Orvieto!

While staying in Orvieto this October I asked my friend Velia DeAngelis (more about Velia later)  if she knew of a great jewelry store in Orvieto.  Si Si ( si means’yes’ in Italian)she replied that her friend Monica Coscioni has a beautiful shop in Orvieto.  And ‘si’, ‘ si’ ,  my daughter and I went the next morning.  You can only imagine what we accomplished there!

We easily navigated through the streets and arrived on time at 10am in the morning.  We rang the bell and Monica greeted us at the door and welcomed us into her studio/store.  Much of her creations, and I mean creations, were on display.  It is best to have her explain her creations and show you how they can be worn.  She is quite clever and her jewelry is beyond beautiful.  You can even watch her as she creates her jewelry as her studio is part of her store.

Everyone in Orvieto knows Monica!  Lovely and creative woman.  I now have a favorite jewelry store in Italy.

Spazio Manassei Gioielli is located on Via Adolfo Cozza 11/13 in Orvieto Italy.  Visit her website and view all her creations. Let me know what you think!

  She is hoping to open a store in Rome near the Spanish Steps before the holidays.  On my next tour to Italy, this spring, which by the way is sold out, I am going to bring the ladies there so they can see her beautiful creation.  They, I know, will want to purchase  a creation or two!  I know I will add to my collection.  I have already recieved many compliments!

If you go to visit Monica in Orvieto please tell her that I sent you!  You will not be disappointed !

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A Visit to La Champagneria Orvieto

During my tour of Umbria this October with my group of twelve people we visited my friend’s, Velia DeAngelis, Champagneria in Orvieto, located behind the Duomo in Piazza Marconi 2.

This delightful champagne bar serves the most delicious appetizers and has a wonderful selection of champagnes.  We could have stayed here the entire evening!  We came a little on the early side because we had dinner reservations for later that evening but next time I will definitely skip the dinner.  No need for dinner when you can indulge in all the wonderful appetizers at this bar.  We had everything from roasted olives to stuffed foccaccia and more!  Velia DeAngelis is a fantastic chef!  She uses only the freshest of ingredients.  Two hours of pure indulgence!  As  we departed that evening, we all spied the fruit tart on the bar counter.  She happily sliced off a piece for each of us.  We all marveled at the buttery and tender crust and the savory fruit filling.  It was beyond compare!

It was a great way to start our busy week exploring Umbria, it’s food and especially it’s wines.

When I return to Orvieto, which I hope is soon, I am definitely returning to La Champagneria Orvieto.  I encourage you to go to this bar and tell them Gourmet Getaways sent you.  You will not be disappointed.

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Mamma Agata’s Famous Lemon Cake.

 

Mamma's famous lemon cake!

This fall I combined business with pleasure and took my family to Italy. Having been to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast last year I thought I would repeat some of those exceptional days again, however this time we would all take a cooking class with Mamma Agata in Ravello. We arrived in Sorrento on a Sunday and checked into our hotel. (More about that later!) Early Monday morning we left the hotel and arrived at Mamma Agata’s about 10:30AM. Before I begin telling you about the lesson, let me first describe this magical place perched high on the cliffs above Amalfi.

As the door to Mamma’s house opened and we walked down the steps we were greeted with a panoramic view of the Bay of Salerno, Italian music, and Chiara, Mamma Agata’s daughter and translator.
The morning began with a tasting of Mamma Agata’s famous lemon cake. Every mouthful was bursting with the taste of lemons. After we introduced ourselves to the other members of the class we began our demonstration cooking class in a state-of-the-art kitchen overlooking Ravello. As we all watched, with notebooks in hand, we also tasted different cheeses, pickled pumpkin, and olives and sipped local wines.

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