Calabria with Rosetta

9-Day Culinary Tour with Cooking Classes
September 25-October 3, 2010     SOLD OUT!

Join me, a native Calabrian and expert guide to the region’s culinary riches, as we travel off the beaten path to the toe of Italy’s boot. You’ll begin in the mountains of La Sila, at a quaint family hotel, where you’ll hunt in nearby woods for the famed porcini mushrooms and enjoy sumptuous mushroom dishes for dinner. Prepare an evening meal in the kitchens of a restored farmhouse on the Ionian coast. In the wine country of Cirò enjoy a cooking demo at one of Calabria’s best estates, with an olive oil mill and garden. Then it’s on to the dazzling west coast, to a cliff side hotel in Cetraro with its own organic farm, for another class. Finally, head south to a 5-star resort at Tropea, where you’ll attend a cooking class at a working farm.

This 9-day trip features:

• Stays at four locations: a family hotel in the mountains, a farmhouse in the countryside, a cliff side hotel, and a 5-star resort nestled in a grove of eucalyptus and olive trees
• Four cooking classes featuring the best of local products, some picked from the property’s farm
• All meals, including dinners at some of the region’s best restaurants
• A mushroom hunt with a mycologist guide and picnic lunch
• Guided tours of colorful local produce and fish markets
• Excursions to top producers of olive oil, cheese, and wines, and local factories.

My friend and fellow Italian, Vanessa Della Pasqua of Global Epicurean, will join us on this tour. She will help you with bookings and travel details. We will pick you up and drop you off at Lamezia Terme International Airport, accessible by a 1-hour flight from Rome. Vanessa and I have a deep knowledge of Italy, and we will make sure you are comfortable and relaxed on this pleasurable gustatory trip.

About Calabria and its Cuisine

Scenic Calabria, the toe of the Italian boot, is a mountainous region washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea to the east. Separated from the rest of Italy by its geography, Calabrians focus their cuisine on the simple pleasures of the garden, the pig and the sea.

The garden. Calabria is the largest Italian producer of wild dried porcini mushrooms, foraged in the Sila mountain range. Twenty-five percent of Italy’s olive oil is produced here, and three regions of Calabria produce the extra virgin olive oil awarded the prestigious DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) seal. Calabrian cooks use olive oil not only to sauté, fry, and dress salads, but to preserve mushrooms, tomatoes and fish at their peak flavor. Calabria’s signature seasoning, the peperoncino, or hot pepper, is a key ingredient in its cooking. Verdant coastal groves produce abundant citrus crops, including citron and bergamot, whose oil is prized in perfumes. The region’s hot, dry peninsula nourishes acres of figs that become an ingredient in many of the region’s sweets.

Twelve of Calabria’s wines have been awarded prized DOC status. Some of the finest red wines come from Cirò.

The sea. The longest coastline in Italy has not only breathtaking white sand beaches and picturesque towns, but a significant fish industry. Tuna and swordfish are the most prized catches, while anchovies and sardines are abundant. Try sardella, a spicy fish condiment spread on crostini made with baby anchovies and red peppers. It is also called “Calabrian caviar.”

The pig. Famous for its pork sausages and salumi, four cured meats boast DOP certification: capocollo (cured pork shoulder), pancetta (cured pork belly), salsiccia (sausage) and soppressata (dry cured salami). Calabrian cooks use pork as the centerpiece of many dishes, including braciole di maiale, stuffed pork rolls braised in fresh tomato sauce. Not to miss is Calabria’s famous spreadable hot sausage, ‘nduja di Spilinga.