Hello Mariët
On holiday alone for the first time after the death of my partner. With a Volkswagen camper bus to Italy.
Because I have a thing for “culinary” and appreciate Italian food, because of its simplicity and taste, I decided to cook in Italy.
I’m not Jamie Oliver, so a self-organized tour with culinary highlights through Italy was not an option (who knows, maybe next year?). On the internet you can find a number of organizations that offer culinary courses in Italy. None could convince me. Too expensive, too perfectionist, too stilted, etc. I am a “simple soul” myself and don’t want to make life more difficult than it is.
That’s how I met you and the website invited you to get in touch. I was late to register (2 weeks before the start date) but there was still room.
What a week. Full of surprises and special moments. Not a moment of boredom because of Mariët’s loose approach. The (apparent?) ease with which she quickly organizes something else in the event of an unexpected setback (an appointment at a cheese farm was canceled at the last minute) (1/2 hour later you are at a co-operative olive press) is striking. She is therefore not a “tour guide” but an enthusiast who wanted us to enjoy what she herself has enjoyed for a long time. Namely an authentic piece of Italy with a different pace of life and full of surprises.
I have been to Italy before (especially the north), but have now experienced that the true Italy only begins below Florence.
In addition to what you would expect from a cooking course, the cook was so enthusiastic that he took us to a wholesaler and involved his grandmother to let us prepare some “bread products” and sweets.
Furthermore, that week there was a walking tour that I did not participate in because I was on vacation, right! Did some shopping that day, spent hours on a terrace talking about important and trivial matters and letting time do its thing: pass by.
Certainly not unpleasant in this environment.
I thought the second day, when we attended a concert and dinner in the courtyard of a castle, would already be the highlight of the week. But no, even more surprising things followed. A super enthusiastic cook / teacher. A boat trip around the former holiday resort of Pope X (four or five popes ago), which is located on an island in the middle of Lake Bolsena. Visit to a winery with 120 hectares of vineyard. In the evening, eat together at Mariët’s beautiful garden in the middle of Bolsena. Or eat by the water with a view of a red ball (the sun) sinking in the lake.
Mariët and cook Janos thank you. You have a big heart. Are wonderfully uncomplicated and inventive. The right ingredients to fill in an unforgettable week for me. And, oh yes, I certainly learned a thing or two about cooking
“Warning”:
Do you want a holiday with a tight schedule in which everything is determined exactly in advance and you can’t stand it when a day doesn’t go exactly as planned?
“Then this is not the travel organization you should go for”.
However, if you like surprises, are not afraid of changes and would like to have a holiday organized by a few interesting people who have two feet on Italian soil:
Feel free to book, you won’t regret it.
Greetings from a satisfied guest,