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SEE AND TASTE THE REAL ITALY IN TUSCANY

03.03.11

By Joanne Tucker

Have you ever wanted to experience real Italian life? Then come to San Diego native Marlane Miriello’s kitchen in Tuscany this spring where she hosts the stress-busting and delight-for-the-senses Il Campo Cucina.

At this hands-on cooking school in the heart of Tuscany, you’ll taste farm-to-table produce and artisanal wines and cheeses as well as learning to cook homestyle Tuscan dishes with a real Italian “mama.”

Seriously. This is not some put-on-your-white-coat cooking school. With Marlane as your guide, you help prepare delectable dishes with an Italian mama in her own kitchen. Then, you’ll sit down to dinner in mama’s Tuscan home and enjoy the company of students, instructors and friends as you dine on such culinary masterpieces as ginestrata (a classic egg soup), crespelle fiorentine (ricotta-and-Swiss chard crepes), semifreddo torrone (a desert made of zabaglione, whipped cream and nougat candy).

What Is Il Campo Cucina Really?

Il Campo Cucina is actually much more than Marlane or her cooking school. You see, Marlane’s “cucina” is located just three hours north of Rome in the walled medieval town of Radicondoli. With about 600+ residents, the villagers of this ancient castle town live peacefully and work together as a close-knit community.

As a student of Il Campo Cucina’s seasonal cooking school, you walk Radicondoli’s ancient cobble stone streets and sample chocolates in a quaint shop, but villagers warmly welcome you into their homes, gardens, vineyards and farms to learn heirloom recipes and centuries-old family trades.

Surrounded by olive groves, prolific vineyards, fields of produce and dark-green forests, Radicondoli’s villagers purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables at their community co-op, drink excellent local wines, and use hand-pressed olive oils, grains, meats and cheeses in their flavorful Tuscan dishes, Plus, the forests provide an array of mushrooms, herbs, and wildlife that are added to the villager’s stew pots.

In addition, Il Campo Cucina also offers tours of local wineries, hikes to farms in the Tuscany countryside, excursions to some of the most historic cities in Italy and visits to local festivals and country markets.

More about Marlane Miriello

A resident of San Diego’s Coronado enclave, author Marlane Miriello says she was prompted to create Il Camp Cucina after being immersed herself in the easy-going village lifestyle in Radicondoli.

So, she created Il Camp Cucina for culinary seekers “who want to experience Tuscan culture and customs while learning how to make authentic Italian pastas, sauces, breads, and handmade ravioli, gnocchi and pici in local cucinas (kitchens).”

As an author and cooking aficionado, Marlane makes each day a different hands-on experience. For instance, you may lunch with a local sheep herder to learn how to make cheese from fresh sheep’s milk or roll out homemade pasta in a villager’s kitchen.

Spring Classes at Il Campo Cucina

Serious cooks and slow food aficionados can take advantage of Il Campo Cucina’s spring classes, which includes an all-inclusive week of Italian cooking, wine tasting and sightseeing around Tuscany. The seven-day stay includes lodging in Radcondoli with meals and local wines provided, plus multi-course spreads at restaurants. The cooking school provides printed recipes and English interpreters.

Il Campo Cucina is offering a special discount of $500 off the regular price through March 31 for any spring 2011 week. Reserve any fall 2011 week and receive a $250 discount off the regular price.

For more information on the all-inclusive week, go to http://marlanemiriello.com/

Joanne Tucker is a freelance travel and dining writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif.

BATH STREET INN SANTA BARBARA FOR A SPRING GETAWAY!

03.01.11

Review by Sue Facter

It may not be the most glam spot in Santa Barbara, but Bath Street Inn is a comfortable alternative to expensive resorts. Plus, this charming small hotel offers the gracious hospitality of a European bed-and-breakfast inn and is especially well suited for a romantic weekend, girlfriend getaways, business trips and even sacred solitude.

Located close to the heart of old Santa Barbara, Bath Street Inn relaxes and renews the spirit with its aromas of bright bougainvillea, soothing palm and zesty citrus. Santa Barbara’s lively State Street is just a few blocks away with its plentiful restaurants, art galleries and boutiques.

This Victorian home oozes casual elegance and each of the 12 rooms is decorated differently and has mostly floral-inspired names such as Rose, Wisteria and Jacaranda. We stayed in the Partridge Room, which had one of the most comfortable beds we’ve ever encountered, as well as two entrances. As with many Victorian homes, this room holds a secret. Walk past the claw-foot tub and up a few small steps and you find yourself on a lovely private terrace overlooking the hills of Santa Barbara!

Innkeeper Marti makes certain sure each guest feels regal with her exemplary service in what feels like your very own parlor living room with fireplace and jazzy music. Every morning, Marti provides a three-course gourmet breakfast (home-made granola, peach-stuffed French toast, eggs Florentine), proper tea (and strong coffee) and home-baked goodies. Coffee, tea and lemonade are also available 24/7 in the living room as well as afternoon tea and an early evening wine-and-cheese hour.

Bath Street Inn, 1720 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, 805-682-9680, www.bathstreetinn.com.

Spring 2011 Events in Santa Barbara

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Santa Barbara as there are many events and festivals happening, culminating with the Summer Solstice Festival (see below).

Mar. 4-5: International Women’s Festival at Earl Warren Showgrounds.

Mar. 11-13: Commercial and amateur orchid growers from the U.S. and around the world will display thousands of their most impeccable orchids at the 66th annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show.

Mar. 11-12: The popular Shop Spree SB shopping festival is back, offering a weekend of savings, fashion events and entertainment for downtown shoppers and strollers.

Mar. 12: Princess Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. They jump! They sing! They turn into princes (though this is extremely rare). What better time than the day the clocks “spring forward” to celebrate the world’s many and varied frogs and amphibians? There are frog-inspired crafts, games and special animal appearances. All costumed princesses welcome – meet Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Plus, find out ow Amphibian Ark and zoos and aquariums around the world are working together to save amphibians.

Mar. 18-20: The 19th Annual Taste of Solvang features cuisine, locally grown foods, wines and live entertainment throughout the century-old Danish-American village. Weekend passports and individual tickets are now on sale at SolvangUSA.com.

Mar. 19 & 20: Santa Barbara Symphony presents Gilles Apap. Former concertmaster and French violinist Gilles Apap, a favorite of Santa Barbara audiences, returns for his first-ever performance of Khachaturian’s virtuosic Violin Concerto. With his unmatched facility in both classical and traditional folk music, Apap brings a unique sensibility to this 20th-century masterpiece, which draws on the rhythmic and melodic vitality of Armenian folk song.

Opening Mar. 24: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum presents The Spill’s Broad Reach. The 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara gave birth to the modern environmental movement. The activism inspired by the disaster quickly spread across the country and spawned landmark legislation, the first Earth Day, and the Environmental Studies program at UCSB. Featuring selections from Paul Lynch’s documentary short Birth of a Movement, and artifacts relating to the 1969 oil spill and resulting activism, the exhibit will capture Santa Barbara’s unique role in shaping the modern environmental movement.

Mar. 27: UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Ruth Reichl – A Spy in the House of Food at The Granada.

Apr. 10: Santa Barbara Kite Festival 11am-4pm on the West Campus Lawn at Santa Barbara City College.

Apr. 15-18: Taste your way through Santa Barbara wine country during the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival weekend.

Apr. 16-17: Celebrate Earth Day in its hometown at the 41st annual Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival at Alameda Park.

May 1: UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert at The Arlington Theatre.

May 14: 6th Annual Women’s Literary Festival celebrates readers and women writers with a day of interactive presentations and book signings at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort. The day-long event includes authors Lynne Cox, Lisa Fugard, Nora Gallagher, Harryette Mullen, Nina Revoyr, Rosa Martha Villareal and Diane Wilson.

May 14: Sea Festival and Harbor Swap MeeT at the Santa Barbara Harbor and Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.

May 28-30: The plaza of the Old Mission is transformed with 200 colorful street paintings created by 400 artists during the annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival.

Jun. 11: The Santa Barbara Zoo’s second annual Zoo Brew fundraiser features tastings from up to 20 breweries from throughout the region and beyond. Ticket price includes a commemorative four-ounce tasting glass, unlimited brew samples and special animal encounters.

Jun. 24-25: Summer Solstice Parade & Festival features more than 1,000 parading participants, extravagant floats, whimsical costumes and creatively choreographed dancing ensembles. From its beginnings as a small parade featuring street artists, the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration is now the premier Santa Barbara County arts event, drawing crowds of over 100,000 spectators from around the world.

For more information on Santa Barbara, visit www.santabarbaraCA.com.

Sue Facter is a luxury travel aficionado whose credits have appeared in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Woman’s Day Australia and pubs worldwide. Follow her on Twitter @TheFacter.

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