Recipe for Picarones from Peru
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Recipes, Peru
To whet your appetite for our newest tour, Exploring Andean Cuisine in Peru & Bolivia, we are featuring a classic Peruvian dessert: picarones. These fried treats may look like a donut (or an onion ring!) but they have a unique flavor this is all their own due to the inclusion of pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato (or all three). Picarones have an obvious relationship with the classic Spanish buñuelos, but… Read
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5 Best Museums in Rome
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, Italy
Whether you're planning a winter getaway to Rome or a summer vacation, you undoubtedly know that there are a plethora of monuments, archeological sites, and museums in the Eternal City. How do you prioritize if you have a limited amount of time? We're highlighting our top five museums in Rome to help you out. Whether you are able to hit them all or only make the highlights, you'll be glad… Read
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Recipe for Chocolate Soufflé from our French Foodie Getaway in Tours
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, France
Our French Foodie Getaway culinary vacation in Tours, France, is fast becoming a favorite. This short stay in one of Europe's most charming and picturesque cities includes a market visit with cooking class, a guided wine and cheese tasting, a walking tour of the city center, and an optional day touring the famous Loire Valley chateaux. Our culinary travelers who recently returned from their stay in Tours raved about the… Read
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Reviewing a Vacation in Bellagio on Lake Como
Filed Under Destination Features, Interviews, Travel Tips, Italy
One of the benefits of having a culinary traveler who is also a journalist is getting wonderful feedback when they return from our culinary vacations. Writer David Sharos shared his experiences of our cooking vacation at Don Alfonso 1890 some years ago, and now he is back with his take on a tour of Bellagio and Lake Como. My last trip to Italy was back in 2019 when my wife… Read
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Recipe for Creamy Curried Carrot Soup
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What to do when you find yourself with several pounds of carrots? One great thing about getting a CSA (community supported agriculture) box of produce every week is the element of surprise. it's fun to be forced to try new things, and a CSA box can mean a new array of vegetables and therefore a new mix of recipes. But sometimes, it just means so much of one good thing.… Read
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Greek Recipe for Fried Feta in Filo
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Recipes, Greece
We have a ton of clients visiting Chefs Katerina and Dora during our Greek Cooking Odyssey this month. Poros Island is a beautiful destination, and home to our best-selling Greek cooking vacation. And of course, being in Greece it is also home to amazing Greek dishes! From the fresh fish to the savory stews, the plethora of fresh produce to the tangy cheeses and yogurts, Greek food is one of… Read
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Recipe for Sicilian Sardines "a Beccafico"
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Italy
Sicily is one of our most popular destinations, and it's no wonder when you consider the amazing and diverse gastronomy that you will find on the island. The coastal areas obviously will give you more fish and seafood dishes, including a lot of different preparations of one of the Mediterranean's prized fish: the sardine. In the US sardines are found in tins, and not exactly considered a gourmet food. But… Read
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Travel Trends for 2023
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We don't have a crystal ball, but we do keep our finger on the pulse of travel nation, and we've been noticing some expected travel trends for 2023 that we'd like to share. Some of these are based on our decades of experience in travel, including following rough travel periods like post-9/11 and during the 2006 recession. Others are based on what we're hearing from travel colleagues: other tour operators,… Read
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What to See in Naples: Top Three Sites to See
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, Italy
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are among our top destinations, and frequently our travelers ask if they should also take time to visit Naples. Our answer is always a resounding yes. The sprawling southern metropolis is unlike other parts of Italy. Whether you visit it for a day or a week, you will see a completely unique Italy full of culture, history, food, and friendly people. I'm not saying there… Read
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Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan)
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Italy
What is "parimgiana?" You will see this word on recipes and menus in Italy, but what exactly is it? In a nutshell, it means it is a dish made with a tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or a similar substitute). When you see "alla" incuded in the name of an Italian dish, it generally means "in the style of." Some classic examples, besides melanzane alla parimgiana, are pasta alla norma,… Read
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