The Siena Horse Race – Palio di Siena
The Siena horse race, Italy’s most celebrated horse race dates back to 1633. The Palio di Siena is not a typical race, the rules are few, the traditions are involved, the rituals are divine, and the fanaticism is nothing...
Vacationing in Italy 101
When you do what we do, everyone you know and their mothers ask you to help them with their trip to Italy. This is great, I love Italy and I want everyone to experience the real Italy, so I try my best to help my...
Bella vs. Brutta Figura: How Italians Judge You
In the United States, it can sometimes seem like we don’t care how we come off to others. Of course, this isn’t to say that nobody here in the good ol’ USA makes a good first impression, but its not uncommon to...
We Tried The Mannequin Challenge
If you haven’t heard of The Mannequin challenge, you probably weren’t very active on social media around the end of 2016. Much like the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Harlem Shake and every other internet trend,...
Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino Recipe
Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino, although has a very complicated looking name, is one of the most simple dishes of pasta you can possibly make. With very few ingredients, almost none of which need to be...
Amatriciana Recipe
Amatriciana sauce is a red pasta sauce, usually served with Bucatini or Spaghetti pasta that comes from the small town of Amatrice. Amatrice is in northern Lazio, not too far from Soriano or Norcia (two of our locations)...
Carbonara Recipe
If you’ve been on our Soriano tour, you might remember Carbonara from our Thursday night class. It’s a very rich spaghetti dish made with pancetta, eggs, and a whole lotta cheese :). I wouldn’t suggest it if...
What To Expect From Italy in August
As you might know, August is an off month for us, we don’t usually offer tours during August for a few reasons. Kids and Teachers are out of school and the idea of vacation is on everyone’s mind, lots of...
The Tuscan Connection to Groundhog Day & Punxsutawney Phil
Groundhog Day in Italy? Well, not really, but let’s say Punxsutawney Phil may just have a long lost ancestor in Tuscany. Every year, Phil gets taken out in a bug celebration for what we, in America...
Italian Christmas Cookies: Brutti ma Buoni
Total Time: 55 min Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 40 min Yield: 2 pounds of cookies Ingredients 1 pound sliced almonds, lightly toasted 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 7 large egg whites 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground...