Your Hosts

Michael and Paola

The founders of Culture Discovery split their time between Italy and The United States. Michael is a Los Angeles native, and Paola is a native of Soriano, our home base in Italy. Their story reads like a popular romantic novel about life in Tuscany. They travel back and forth very frequently, so at least one of them is generally in Italy at almost any given time between late spring and autumn. During the summer months (when the kids are out of school in the states), you will find the whole family there if you come on one of our Soriano vacations. Even their thirteen year old son, Andrei, is an aspiring sommelier who will always be happy to uncork a bottle for you :-).

Paola's cooking and teaching is truly epic. She was raised in Italy, helping her mom (Eddarella) in the kitchen. She grew up producing some of the most amazing feasts for what seemed to be everyone in town. She brought that knowledge to the U.S. when she married Michael, and spent years not only further developing her art, but learning to supplement with products available outside of Italy. she is the person behind all of our recipes, and while she rarely teaches classes anymore, she orchestrates all of our lessons and trains everyone that works in our kitchens.

Michael shields his eyes when he sees the kitchen, which keeps their marriage running smoothly. Don't ask him a thing about a recipe, but if you want the perfect espresso or wine choice, he's your guy. Always with a big smile, Michael will sit down and chat with you for hours and hours... telling you countless stories about the many unique (and often perplexing) experiences he has had over two and a half decades living part-time in Italy; through the eyes of a guy from, like... y'know... "The Valley" in L.A.

They both pop in and out of our different locations at different times, but are based out of Soriano, living at the villa where we do the cooking during the bulk of our season... And if there is an alumni week going on, you can be sure to find them there!

Rocky

You will quickly pick up on the fact that we are all connected outside of "business". Rocky is a great person to start with to convey this! Like Michael, Rocky grew up in Los Angeles... in fact, just a few blocks from Michael. They never knew one another, but they had a very close mutual fiend most of their lives. That friend visited Michael and Paola in Soriano in early 2011, and brought Rocky with. He joined in on one of our week-long cooking vacations in Soriano, and felt an instant connection.

Three months later, tragedy struck when their mutual friend passed away. Michael and Paola flew out to California for the funeral, and saw Rocky again. The following day, Rocky and Michael had lunch and talked about the fact that he just couldn't shake the connection he felt with Italy. He was looking for a change in life, and Michael offered for him to come help out during the autumn season. He did, and nobody has looked back since.

Rocky instantly fit in. He began to study Italian with a passion, fully integrate into this new lifestyle, and immediately became a key member of our extended family.

Ian and Peta

It has been said that we are a motley crew of Internationals. Well, until Ian and Peta joined the family, we were really all Italians and Americans. But they make it true, being that they are Australian. Their story is truly compelling. Living back home in Australia, Ian and Peta wanted to give their children (Hamish and Dane) an international experience and a more unique education. They wanted them to have the experience of attending school in Italy, learning the language and culture, and experiencing a different way of life. So they literally threw caution into the wind and moved to Italy.

Fate would have it that they wound up in Soriano, our home base. After they had been there a while they met Michael and Paola, and a friendship grew. Over time, they began to help out from time to time, and before we all knew it, they were helping with excursions and hosting guests with us.

Carla

Carla is Paola's sister. Like Paola, she grew up tugging at Mamma Eddarerlla's sleeves in the kitchen while soaking up all the family knowledge. Carla is in charge of teaching our Soriano cooking classes, and handles all of the food-related logistics. She is a fantastic cook. In fact, she rivals Paola in the kitchen. If she is teaching one of your classes, you will never stop laughing as you fall in love with her charm. More importantly, she has a way of teaching that you will adore... even if it includes her chasing you around the kitchen with a rolling pin!

Sergio

Sergio is Paola's brother, and has lived all his life in Soriano. Before we were doing what we do, he was driving large tour buses all over Europe for a major tour company. He loved what we were doing, so when we had need for a full-time driver, Sergio stepped up and filled the role. He is our primary driver for our Soriano and Norcia weeks, as well as our location manager throughout Italy who deals with the logistics that assure all our excursions go flawlessly.

Pierina

Pierina is Sergio's fiance. She is originally from the town of Vignanello -- Soriano's sworn enemy since the middle ages. We have learned to forgive her so long as she continues to bow to Soriano's superiority. She is the classic Italian woman in the kitchen... She may not have her own cooking show on TV, but if she were to meet Giada de Laurentiis in the kitchen, she would shove her out of the way, snicker, and show her how things are done in the real world. Pierina teaches some of our cooking classes and assists with Carla in others.

Rita

Rita has been such a close friend to Paola's family, that all the kids think of her as their aunt. There is one thing you must accept: Make no mistake of it: Rita is the boss. Those that forget this simple rule (both staff and guests) do so at their own peril. She is our kitchen assistant, and also helps with the prep and cleaning of our village homes, prep for all of our classes, and breakdown after class. She is always there, like a tornado, working like crazy. Rita has been with us since the very beginning, so while she may not be a chef, and she may not be able to teach a class... if Rita tells Carla or Paola that the oven temperature is off, they better listen... Or Else! (And no, you can not take Rita home with you!)

Spartaco

The Italian Mel Gibson.... and yes, Spartaco really is his name, so when you meet him, remember to utter these words: MY NAME IS SPARTACUS! A Soriano native and long time family friend, Spartaco is our primary guide for our excursions, and hosts some of our vacations outside of Soriano. Ladies, be prepared. You will be charmed and fall in love. His accent will grab you, those little mistakes in English will make you smile... and whatever you do, make sure he does his Tony Soprano impersonation!

He has a difficult time remembering all of those foreign names, so when he meets you, be prepared to be given a new Italian name. We have to admit that it drives us a little crazy, because the rest of us get to know you by your given names, and suddenly we find ourselves having to learn your new names every week.

And More...

This is the crew at "Home Base" in Soriano. For those coming on our Norcia Vacations, you will meet some of us, as we hop around quite a bit. But the rest of the people that make the Norcia trips happen are equally amazing. From Danielle who puts it all together for us, to Flavio, the Michelein rated chef that teaches the classes. Each is with us because they are wonderful people with amazing stories.

Similarly, our Sicily vacations are run by people that have a "beyond business" connection with us! They are hosted by Ivano and Betta, a wonderful couple that we know from Soriano. Betta's entire family is from Soriano. Paola and Betta were close friends growing up. She and Ivan opened the beautiful "Nido del Pellegrino", which is our home base in Sicily, and have spent a great deal of time with us learning how we do things. Of course, don't be surprised if you see Michael, Paola, Rocky, Ian, Peta and / or Spartaco in Sicily, because it is such a magnificent place that we are all clamoring to host the weeks we do there!

All People that TRULY care...

We are a really tight-knit operation of friends and family, and since we have very small groups, everyone becomes very fast friends. It is a truly remarkable experience!