Olive Garden cooking school in Tuscany?
Updated 02/2014 Olive Garden is one of those places that really sets my blood to boil. Every time I hear the word ‘Hospitaliano’ I begin to cringe and twitch. When I hear them say ‘When you’re here,...
We Came, We Harvested, We Made Olive Oil!
In November 2011, Culture Discovery Vacations brought a group of guests to a small traditional cold press olive mill. They harvested olives in Umbria, brought them to the mill, and operated the mill, making their own olive oil...
Italian Food You Won’t Find in Italy
As we learned with Alfredo Sauce in the “Who is Alfredo Sauce, and Why do Americans Keep Asking About Him? ”, that which you believe to be Italian, very often is not. Since we do culinary vacations in Italy, you can imagine how...
You Want to Feed the Meal I Prepared… TO YOUR DOG?
On day one of every cooking vacation we offer, there is a little talk with all of the newly arriving guests. We go over the things that they can expect, and should not expect. We discus the plans for the days ahead,...
Man Dies: Caught Cold in Stomach
Traveling to Italy, some visitors notice various oddities about Italian culture that seem to defy explanation. Some are rooted in the socio-political history of the country, some are rooted in religious tradition, and...
Who is Alfredo Sauce, and why do Americans keep asking about him?
If you go to Italy looking for Alredo Sauce, you will find yourself quite frustrated. Read on to learn why.
Bruschetta – The Truth and a Unique Recipe
It’s not really what you think it is… In the states, when you hear the word ‘Bruschetta’, you think about toasted Italian bread with a tomato spread. But to think that way would be like thinking the word...
The FAMILY feeling of our vacations explained
Our future guests often ask me what our tours are going to be like, and I try to explain the feeling of ‘family’, and how it is so different than anything else out there. Oddly, it is a difficult thing to explain, especially...
A little more Olive Gardening Laughter…
Face it, I’m back in the states for a few months, so I just don’t have much material for the blog these days. I mean, when I am in Italy, I could write several posts a day, but I am sitting here in Florida, what...
How do they get the flavor out of the food in the states?
I’ve been back in Los Angeles for a week now, and last night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner for the first time since I got back. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us, it is always a tragedy. The...