How to Choose a Cooking Holiday Where You Meet Italians and Don’t Feel Like a To

Posted by Margaret on: 2005-08-23 23:22:23

Find out who your guide or tour director is. A locally born or long term resident in Italy with a vast knowledge of the area, people, food, wine and customs, who can answer all your questions from politics to education? Or has he lived in Italy only a few months and just learned enough information for a sightseeing tour of churches, piazzas, museums or famous sites where you don’t meet local people? If your tour guide lives outside Italy, does she take you on exclusive visits with lots of good, local Italian food and wine friends for great conversations so you meet a long list of local characters?

Find out who your chef or cooking teacher is. A local resident? If the chef lives outside Italy, does he or she have local friends and connections so you meet Italians? Or will your teacher talk about her or his restaurant in America, Canada, Australia or England?

Study the tour itinerary and check to see if local people conduct food or wine tastings, if you spend an afternoon at someone’s home, if local people, like Italian winery owners, join you for meals or snacks.

If in any doubt, and this is important to you, just ask the cooking tour operator, “How many local Italian people will I meet during my cooking week and who are they?”

How to Enjoy All the Wonderful Italian Food and Go Home Weighing The Same

Some Italian cooking tour companies are building optional walks and hikes into itineraries. Some schedule free time so you can go cycling, swimming in the pool or jogging too. Hike up and down the paths in Cinque Terre and then cook and eat totally without guilt! Stroll through vineyards in the Piedmont hills and then get on the scale at home and find you weigh the same!

Mama Margaret

Italy Cooking Tours
http://www.ItalyCookingTours.com
Tel: 1-800-557-0370 within North America or (604) 681-4074
Fax: (604) 681-4909