Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in Italy:

Italian Cooking with Mama Margaret
. . . cook, eat, laugh, explore with local people in Italy

In these frenetic times, what really counts in your life? On Mama Margaret tours, you go back to slower, gentler times of long ago. You have time to talk, laugh and share experiences with family and friends. A chance to eat wonderful, real Italian food made from fresh local ingredients. To immerse yourself in the beauty and peace of the countryside. Also a great way to celebrate that special anniversary, which many do.

Through your cooking lessons and visits, you will get to meet and know a long list of local Italian characters on a one to one basis - chefs, wine makers, winery owners, food producers, owners of historic hotels and many more. People you would not normally have the opportunity to meet when travelling in Italy. As you dine with a balsamic vinegar producer or taste wine in a family’s wine cellar with the head of the family you will be made to feel like a real insider. Your week in places tourists never go will make you feel like an Italian.

You join an intimate tour group, all of whom have a common love of good food and wine . . . and Italy of course! Everyone has lots in common right from the start and in such a small group you get to know each other quickly and easily. You will very quickly be laughing together as you travel with new found friends.

Mama Margaret together with her good Italian friends, Elio, Raffaella, Marcello and Lara are small tour operators specialising in food and wine adventures in Italy. Being small and personal means you get high quality, one to one service from people who really know and care. The team members are experts with big hearts who bend over backwards to take care of you making your stay in Italy a dream come true . . . at the end of their stay some people cry when they have to leave.

In your small cooking tour group of between two to eight people, you will bask in all kinds of personal attention from Elio, Elio's guides, Marcello, Raffaella and Lara and her guides. The whole team enjoys kidding around, telling silly stories, and laughing at little things . . . and they love good Italian food and wines too. You'll have lots of fun!

Unlike many other tours, with Mama Margaret you cook at different restaurants and homes with a variety of different chefs. In this way you learn a variety of techniques, meet lots of people, experience a variety of kitchens, big and small, and enjoy dining in a wide choice of good places. Cooking lessons are mostly hands-on with some demonstrations so you watch the expert . . . then try yourself!

You will stay in historic hotels in pretty little Italian towns. Relax, enjoy the peace and quiet and the country views provided by such high quality, picturesque accommodation. When not relaxing in your hotel, cooking or on a visit you might enjoy taking a stroll around the town town to shop or hanging out in the piazza and watching life go by.

For those who enjoy walking, and want to, many tours provide the opportunity for you to enjoy walks down through vineyards or along scenic country roads and paths - usually of about an hour to an hour and a half's duration. Great for peace and tranquility . . . and it helps control the weight!

Mama Margaret and her team are flexible in catering to your needs and interests. If you want to walk or shop more or less, just tell them and they can change the plan of the day for you. If you don’t feel like cooking, just hang out in the kitchen with a glass of wine, or explore on your own and dine with everyone later. You are being looked after by knowledgeable, flexible experts who listen to what you want and can translate it into a fabulous, fun filled, Italian experience.

	Mama Margaret & Friends    . . . cooking, wine and walking tours of Italy

	Cooking & Wine Lovers' Adventure in Tuscany's Brunello Wine Country - 6 nights

COOKING TOUR AT A GLANCE : BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Join Mama Margaret and Friends on a six-night culinary and sybaritic indulgences tour of Tuscany. Spend your days indulging in spa treatments, falling in love with the cooking of Toscana and getting to know the locals secrets of indulgence. After cooking lessons with local chefs and gentle strolls through the Tuscan countryside, you'll come away from this special part of the world feeling relaxed and recharged in mind, body and soul.

Settle into a lovely, 15th century, four star villa about two kilometers outside Montepulciano. The villa is set among pretty gardens, olive trees and a lovely swimming pool with splendid views over hills of vineyards and farms. Each morning you'll be greeted with golden sunshine rising over vineyards and hills outside your window.

Our Italy is all about experiencing for yourself the sweet life through a myriad of social encounters with fun, stimulating local people.

During the week, you'll enjoy three cooking lessons from a Mama Margaret and Friends favorite local chefs. You'll meet a warm farm mother and father, a charming restaurant owner/chef and an artisan olive oil producer.

You'll make mouthwatering local specialties like grilled eggplant, fresh tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and melt-in-your-mouth chestnut linguini drenched in a rich and creamy ricotta cheese. Superb local wines like the famous Brunello or Vino Nobile, both top reds, can accompany each course and, as you languidly savor each unique flavor, you'll never want to leave this feast for the senses.

Soothe your body, along with your mind, spending two mornings during your week pampering yourself at the nearby Terme di Montepulciano spa. From massages to mud baths and eastern treatments such as ayurvedic healing, you'll leave the spa each lunchtime feeling cleansed, centered and utterly refreshed.

Spa treatments are optional. You may also like to spend the morning relaxing at your villa or shopping in nearby Montepulciano.

Mama Margaret and Friends will help you explore the towns in Southern Tuscany, each with its own distinct character. In the medieval town of Pienza, stroll around the beautiful Renaissance main piazza, savor an espresso with the locals before drinking in the architectural heritage of the town.

Near Pienza, on a scenic ridge, Sandra and her husband Ulysses, will welcome you to their family-run farm located amid a backdrop of golden, sun-drenched vineyards covering rolling hillsides, grassy meadows and forests. Together, you'll cook a hearty, country style, four-course meal in their convivial farmhouse kitchen, and using pecorino cheese made on the farm, along with meats, herbs from their garden and succulent, flavorful vegetables.

The secret that sets Italian food apart is using the best of ingredients found nearest to your kitchen. South of Montalcino, you'll visit charming Alberto's organic farm, where he makes olive oil using the traditional granite wheel. Everything you've ever wanted to know about olives you'll learn, from when they're planted and harvested, to how they're turned into the sublime olive oil that Tuscany is so famous for.

Discover how passionate Alberto is about his organic farm full of exotic plants and trees; he will eagerly show you around. He is a fabulous cook too, and you'll assist him in preparing a mouthwateringly delicious meal, which you'll sit down to enjoy in his olive oil production room.

In a tiny mountain hamlet you'll cook beside the charming, hospitable, passionate Chef Roberto in his restaurant where gourmets drive for miles to eat. After your outstanding dining experience, you'll understand why.

If you take our special olive harvest tour from October 24-30, you're in for a treat as you witness the olive harvest on your villa's property, pick a few olives with the workers if you wish, and go to the olive oil mill to see how they make olive oil from the olives you picked. Every year with delight, Italians anticipate the new, fruity flavored oil. This year you can join them in celebrating and savoring the new, young olive oil.

In the pristine hill town of Montefollonico, visit a wine cellar in a 14 th century palazzo with panoramic views of the countryside below. Knowledgeable owner Vittorio Innocenti will guide you through the cellars and serve you his fine wines, Rosso di Montepulciano, Vino Nobile and Vin Santo.

In Montalcino, stroll through its narrow network of streets before stopping to taste the world-famous Brunello wine at a medieval fortress, now converted into an enoteca . Shop at the many wine, honey and gastronomy stores, before finding an outdoor café that suits your fancy.

After your week discovering Mama Margaret and Friends' well researched “Best of Tuscany”, you'll leave Italy with relaxed and happy memories of the beautiful countryside and its towns. What will stand out the most will be the relationships you form shopping for ceramics in a small shop or cooking side by side with people who share their love for food, wine and the inside track for the best Italy has to offer with you.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

A Taste of Cooking & Brunello Wines in Tuscany - 3 nights

COOKING TOUR AT A GLANCE : BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Join Mama Margaret and Friends on a four night culinary and sybaritic indulgences tour of Tuscany. Spend a day indulging in a spa treatment, falling in love with the cooking of Toscana and getting to know the locals secrets of indulgence. After cooking lessons with local chefs and gentle strolls through the Tuscan countryside, you'll come away from this special part of the world feeling relaxed and recharged in mind, body and soul.

Settle into a lovely, 15th century, four star villa about two kilometers outside Montepulciano. The villa is set among pretty gardens, olive trees and a lovely swimming pool with splendid views over hills of vineyards and farms. Each morning you'll be greeted with golden sunshine rising over vineyards and hills outside your window.

Spend an afternoon reading and relaxing poolside, under the Tuscan sun. For indoor relaxation, there's the solitude of meditation within the cool walls of a chapel, or simply indulge in good food and wine in the villa's restaurant.

Our Italy is all about experiencing for yourself the sweet life through a myriad of social encounters with fun, stimulating local people.

During your four days, you'll enjoy two cooking lessons from a Mama Margaret and Friends favorite local chefs. You'll meet a charming restaurant owner/chef and an artisan olive oil producer.

You'll make mouthwatering local specialties like grilled eggplant, fresh tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and melt-in-your-mouth chestnut linguini drenched in a rich and creamy ricotta cheese. Superb local wines like the famous Brunello or Vino Nobile, both top reds, can accompany each course and, as you languidly savor each unique flavor, you'll never want to leave this feast for the senses.

Soothe your body, along with your mind, spending one morning during your four days pampering yourself at the nearby Terme di Montepulciano spa. From massages to mud baths and eastern treatments such as ayurvedic healing, you'll leave the spa each lunchtime feeling cleansed, centered and utterly refreshed.

Spa treatment is optional. You may also like to spend the morning relaxing at your villa or shopping in nearby Montepulciano.

Mama Margaret and Friends will help you explore the towns in Southern Tuscany, each with its own distinct character. In the medieval town of Pienza, stroll around the beautiful Renaissance main piazza, savor an espresso with the locals before drinking in the architectural heritage of the town.

The secret that sets Italian food apart is using the best of ingredients found nearest to your kitchen. South of Montalcino, you'll visit charming Alberto's organic farm, where he makes olive oil using the traditional granite wheel. Everything you've ever wanted to know about olives you'll learn, from when they're planted and harvested, to how they're turned into the sublime olive oil that Tuscany is so famous for.

Discover how passionate Alberto is about his organic farm full of exotic plants and trees; he will eagerly show you around. He is a fabulous cook too, and you'll assist him in preparing a mouthwateringly delicious meal, which you'll sit down to enjoy in his olive oil production room.

In a tiny mountain hamlet you'll cook beside the charming, hospitable, passionate Chef Roberto in his restaurant where gourmets drive for miles to eat. After your outstanding dining experience, you'll understand why.

If you take our special olive harvest tour from October 24-30, you're in for a treat as you witness the olive harvest on your villa's property, pick a few olives with the workers if you wish, and go to the olive oil mill to see how they make olive oil from the olives you picked. Every year with delight, Italians anticipate the new, fruity flavored oil. This year you can join them in celebrating and savoring the new, young olive oil.

In Montalcino, shop at the many wine, honey and gastronomy stores, before finding an outdoor café that suits your fancy.

After your four days of discovering Mama Margaret and Friends' well researched “Best of Tuscany”, you'll leave Italy with relaxed and happy memories of the beautiful countryside and its towns. What will stand out the most will be the relationships you form shopping for ceramics in a small shop or cooking side by side with people who share their love for food, wine and the inside track for the best Italy has to offer with you.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

Cooking, Wine and Walking Extravaganza Tour: Piedmont's Barolo Wine Country, Cinque Terre and Tuscany's Brunello Wine Country

This cooking, wine and walking extravaganza will take you through three famous and distinctive food and wine regions: Piedmont, the Italian Riviera and Southern Tuscany.

Embarking on a culinary adventure with Mama Margaret and Friends for eight nights, you’ll experience the sensuous, local Italy that up until now you thought had long since disappeared. You’ll encounter fascinating, memorable folk at every turn, bringing a colorful palette of human experience to the table as well as great wines.

Some of Italy’s most talked about and coveted reds are just waiting for wine lovers like you to taste and discover them. Wines like Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont and Brunello and Vino Nobile in Tuscany, all top red wines in Italy. This tour is perfect for red wine lovers who want to experience both Barolo and Brunello right where they're made!

Side by side with you, locally and nationally famous chefs will teach you their secrets in cooking lessons. Local farmers and wine producers, all passionate about what they produce, will tour you around their properties and wine cellars.

In Piedmont, you’ll explore the renowned Barolo wine region including a stop at the Ratti family winery. Here, one of the owners, Massimo (also an author, producer and local celebrity) will regale you with stories of the region and take you on a private tour of his cellars dating back to 1162.

On their farm on an isolated ridge, the wonderfully hospitable Giovanni and Francesca will welcome you. Join them around their oversized wooden kitchen table for a feast of cheese, salami, fruit, vegetables, beef, wild boar and pork - all produced with love and care on their farm.

Your next stop with Mama Margaret and Friends will be Portovenere on the Italian Riviera where you’ll stay in a pretty, three star hotel that boasts a dramatic view of the Mediterranean right in front of you and is steps away from the colorful port and castle.

From Portovenere you’ll explore the food and culture of the Cinque Terre, five villages that hug the dramatic cliffs of the eastern Riviera coastline. Each town has a distinctive personality, and all are connected by a pathway high above the sea so you can explore them on foot.

The nature is a feast for the senses as you walk or hike the Cinque Terre pathways with wild flowers and vineyards to your side or under the canopies of peaceful olive groves. Catch the scent of pine trees and cactuses, and gaze at expansive views out to the horizon and along the coast that take your breath away.

In Riomaggiore, browse the quaint shops along the sloping streets and see local people starting their morning. In Manarola, observe the multicolored houses that hang precariously over the port as you walk by the sea and visit a good ceramic shop.

Corniglia, set high on a plateau, has no port attached to it, and so retains an unspoiled charm in its picturesque town square and 14th century church.

In Vernazza, walk past the pink slate-roofed houses before lounging in a restaurant on the piazza by the sea for your midday meal of linguine with pesto and local seafood.

Reaching the third leg of your tour, the sun drenched Tuscan countryside awaits. Here you’ll learn to prepare sumptuous local dishes from homemade tagliatelle with freshly gathered porcini mushrooms to decadent chocolate mousse, amid a backdrop of rolling hills, medieval castles and the Appenines.

In the countryside south of Montalcino, you’ll visit Mama’s friend Alberto, a joyful, charming man at his organic farm chock full of exotic plants and trees. Here he harvests his olives and still makes olive oil the artisan way using the traditional granite wheel. He’s a fabulous cook too! Learn to make traditional Tuscan dishes in his small, friendly farm kitchen.

In a small mountain hamlet about 40 minutes from Montalcino, you will enjoy cooking school in yet another atmosphere. Creative, effervescent Chef Roberto will welcome you into his restaurant kitchen to cook beside him.

His flair for creating traditional Tuscan recipes with a modern twist means you’ll prepare delectable presentations like porcini mushroom soup, local pici pasta with ragu, ribollita, slices of grilled beef with arugula, and pears stuffed with lemon custard and drizzled with chocolate sauce. People drive for miles to eat at this restaurant, famed for his deep dark chocolate volcano mousse that spews out molten magma of liquid chocolate.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

	Wine Lovers' Delights In Piedmont's Barolo Wine Country

Mama Margaret and Friends invites you on an unforgettable exploration of sights, tastes and smells and very welcoming, local people in this wine adventure in Italy’s Piedmont region. In the north west of Italy, Piedmont is synonymous with exquisite countryside, beautiful hill towns, outstanding cuisine and, of course, some of the best red wines in Italy, including the celebrated Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

You’ll also discover a region filled with marvelous people that you will have the pleasure of spending time with. The Piemontese wine makers and winery owners are a warm and very hospitable lot and take the time to relax with you around tables in their tasting rooms as you look out over their vineyards. While you drink their wines together, you'll all share tales about your families and your lives in spirited conversations.

On your wine explorations, you'll visit a wide variety of Barolo and Barbaresco wineries, many family run, from small wineries tucked away off the beaten path to medium size producers in towns, from traditional to modern style wine makers, from famous to not yet famous. You'll talk, drink and laugh with a cast of wonderful local wine men and women, from exuberant to more reserved, from young to older, all eager share their passion for their wines with you.

You'll discover a wide range of wines and grapes in this wine lovers' heaven: at the top level, Barolo and Barbaresco, both of Nebbiolo grapes, that rank with Tuscany's Brunello wine, in the middle level, excellent reds like Barbera and Nebbiolo of grapes of the same names, and at every day meals, winemakers say they drink the young, fruity Dolcetto of grapes of the same name.

You'll also receive warm welcomes from owners of trattorias and restaurants where you'll revel in Piedmontese specialties, accompanied by fine wines, of course.

In her restaurant just outside the town of Barbaresco, surrounded by rolling green vineyards, lively chef Ester will bring you typical local dishes like roasted pepper rolls filled with tuna and capers and topped with a tangy parsley sauce, or sliced beef simmered with herbs, vegetables and wine and topped with fresh basil sauce. If you have a sweet tooth, indulge your sugar cravings with a semi-freddo of hazelnut torrone candy, or a devilishly chocolaty hazelnut cake with Moscato wine zabaglione.

With its gently rolling hills covered with vineyards, fields and forests, the peace and tranquility of the countryside will soothe and revitalize you. You reluctantly depart for Turin or for Alba's train station and leave your new Piedmont friends behind, taking with you heartfelt memories of all the laughter, sensual experiences, beauty, food and wine you shared together.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

A Taste of Barolo Wine Country Cooking

Mama Margaret and Friends invites you on an unforgettable exploration of sights, tastes and smells and truly welcoming local people in this cooking and wine adventure in Italy’s Piedmont region. In the north west of Italy, Piedmont is synonymous with exquisite countryside, beautiful hill towns and, of course, wine. Here, wine lovers will encounter some of the best red wines in Italy, including the celebrated Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

You’ll also discover a region filled with marvelous people that you will have the pleasure of spending time with. The Piemontese are a kindly lot, full of quiet fire and love.

You will gather with local chefs to learn authentic Piemonte secrets from their farmhouse kitchens, trattorias and restaurants. If you have a sweet tooth, indulge your sugar cravings with a semi-freddo of hazelnut torrone candy, or a devilishly chocolaty hazelnut cake with Moscato wine zabaglione.

Your first cooking lesson is in the big kitchen at the Hotel Real Castello in the town of Verduno, your base for the week. Once the summer home of Italian King Carlo Alberto in the 1840s, Real Castello transports you to another era with peaceful, country style rooms, quiet gardens and magnificent views of the countryside and Italian Alps in the distance.

In the Castello’s kitchen, you’ll learn to make typical Piemonte dishes like onion tart, risotto with Barolo, guinea hen with rosemary and desserts such as bunet, a cocoa pudding with crushed amaretti biscuits cooked in caramelized moulds.

In the evening, you’ll eat your creations in the frescoed dining room. In summer, the dining room’s large shutters stay open to let the smell of fresh daisies and geraniums waft inside.

Since you’re in the Barolo and Barbaresco wine country, visit the region’s most esteemed wineries, some small and intimate, others large and famous. At the Ratti family winery, gregarious, humorous owner Massimo (also an author, wine producer and local celebrity) will regale you with stories of wine making in the old days, fascinating information on the soils, grapes and more and will take you on a private tour of the cellars dating back to 1162.

In lush, high green hills blanketed with nut trees and forests, in a little town you’ll step into a tantalizing bakery famous for its chocolate cakes. Here, with the well known artisan baker, you’ll discover his secrets to make sachertorte, chocolate truffles and hazelnut cake.
Also in the high lands, you’ll visit an artisan cheese maker on his quaint farm, a man passionate about his organic sheep and cow cheeses. You’ll meet the sheep, visit his cheese making room and sample his cheeses in a divine picnic.

With its gently rolling hills covered with vineyards, fields and forests, the peace and tranquility of the countryside will soothe and revitalize you. Mama Margaret’s food and wine adventure gives you a chance to rediscover simple pleasures of good food, good wine and beautiful surroundings so famously celebrated in rural Italy.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

Cooking & Wine Adventure In Piedmont's Barolo Wine Country

Mama Margaret and Friends invites you on an unforgettable exploration of sights, tastes and smells and truly welcoming local people in this cooking and wine adventure in Italy’s Piedmont region. In the north west of Italy, Piedmont is synonymous with exquisite countryside, beautiful hill towns and, of course, wine. Here, wine lovers will encounter some of the best red wines in Italy, including the celebrated Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

You’ll also discover a region filled with marvelous people that you will have the pleasure of spending time with. The Piemontese are a kindly lot, full of quiet fire and love.

You will gather with local chefs to learn authentic Piemonte secrets from their farmhouse kitchens, trattorias and restaurants. In her restaurant just outside the town of Barbaresco, surrounded by rolling green vineyards, lively chef Ester will teach you to make dishes like a potato omelet with tuna and parsley, or sliced beef simmered with herbs, vegetables and wine and topped with fresh basil sauce. If you have a sweet tooth, indulge your sugar cravings with a semi-freddo of hazelnut torrone candy, or a devilishly chocolaty hazelnut cake with Moscato wine zabaglione.

Another cooking lesson is in the big kitchen at the Hotel Real Castello in the town of Verduno, your base for the week. Once the summer home of Italian King Carlo Alberto in the 1840s, Real Castello transports you to another era with peaceful, country style rooms, quiet gardens and magnificent views of the countryside and Italian Alps in the distance.

In the Castello’s kitchen, you’ll learn to make typical Piemonte dishes like onion tart, risotto with Barolo, guinea hen with rosemary and desserts such as bunet, a cocoa pudding with crushed amaretti biscuits cooked in caramelized moulds.

In the evening, you’ll eat your creations in the frescoed dining room. In summer, the dining room’s large shutters stay open to let the smell of fresh daisies and geraniums waft inside.

Since you’re in the Barolo and Barbaresco wine country, visit the region’s most esteemed wineries, some small and intimate, others large and famous. At the Ratti family winery, gregarious, humorous owner Massimo (also an author, wine producer and local celebrity) will regale you with stories of wine making in the old days, fascinating information on the soils, grapes and more and will take you on a private tour of the cellars dating back to 1162.

In lush, high green hills blanketed with nut trees and forests, in a little town you’ll step into a tantalizing bakery famous for its chocolate cakes. Here, with the well known artisan baker, you’ll discover his secrets to make sachertorte, chocolate truffles and hazelnut cake.
Also in the high lands, you’ll visit an artisan cheese maker on his quaint farm, a man passionate about his organic sheep and cow cheeses. You’ll meet the sheep, visit his cheese making room and sample his cheeses in a divine picnic.

With its gently rolling hills covered with vineyards, fields and forests, the peace and tranquility of the countryside will soothe and revitalize you. Mama Margaret’s food and wine adventure gives you a chance to rediscover simple pleasures of good food, good wine and beautiful surroundings so famously celebrated in rural Italy.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

	Food Lovers Adventure in Italy's Gastronomic Paradise Emilia-Romagna - 5 nights

Join Mama Margaret and Friends on a culinary exploration of Emilia-Romagna, renowned as one of the world’s most famous gourmet regions and home of Italian staples like tortellini, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese.

This food aficionado adventure will leave you feeling like a Bolognese, as you immerse yourself in the exciting array of artisan-crafted ingredients, authentic local cuisine and culture with local Italians, rarely experienced by the average traveler to Italy.

The balsamic vinegar visit will fascinate you as you see and learn how they age the vinegar in ever smaller barrels, each of a different kind of wood. You learn the difference of how they make the real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and how the industrial factories make the cheaper balsamic vinegar. Of course, you taste the 12 and 25-year-old balsamic vinegars that feel like liquid velvet in your throat and mouth.

While in bustling Bologna, in some months you’ll stay close to the main town square surrounded by ancient palazzos, churches and buildings richly steeped in history. Your Mama Margaret friends, Marcello and Raffaella, will teach you to navigate the local Bolognese market filled with an astonishing range of regional produce, meats, hams and cheeses.

Winter tour accommodations are based in Bologna. In other seasons rural Italy beckons. Mama Margaret's friend, Marcello will take you to your country base, a charming, Italian family run hotel shining with character in the hill town of Riolo Terme. Each morning, you’ll open your sun-drenched shutters to a spectacular vista of rolling vineyards that sweep the Romagna countryside.

In a large, bright country kitchen in a nearby restaurant, you'll cook with a local chef selected by Marcello and Raffaella for his ebullient manner and expertise in cooking with fresh herbs, typical in traditional Romagnola cooking. In his restaurant kitchen, you’ll learn the secret of making the perfect handmade pasta for hearty dishes such as stuffed tortellini in rich meat broth, garganelli pasta with peppery arugula and salty prosciutto that will make you ache for every last morsel.

Italian cuisine is all about using the best fresh ingredients, so each day you’ll incorporate meats, cheeses, olive oil and vegetables all grown and produced in the area surrounding you. After putting up your apron, you’ll gather around the dining table to enjoy your sumptuous meal - along with a bottle of locally made Lambrusco or Sangiovese and invigorating good conversation.

Additional visits to smaller cities like Ravenna, Faenza and small hill town of Dozza will allow you to explore the art, craft and architecture unique to this region.

Whether you embark on your Italian food lovers' adventure in winter or summer, each season brings its own unique activities. The fall means bianchetto truffle season, so if you visit in these months, you’ll go truffle hunting with special dogs trained to sniff these rare delicacies out from among the roots of oak and ilex trees. You hunt truffles with a fun loving truffle hunter like Marcello's friend, Franco.

Once the dogs have uncovered the bounties, discover how to pair them with mouthwateringly rich pastas for a flavor that is simply sublime. Embrace these unforgettable hours, spending quality time together.

Your mind will be buzzing after a busy week of fresh air and good food encounters with a knowledgeable cast of true experts. Mama Margaret and Friends' gastronomic tour of Emilia-Romagna in Italy will have taught you the art of savoring regional delicacies, how they’re crafted and will recharge your mind, body and soul.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

Taste of Cooking In Emilia-Romagna Tour - 3 nights

Join Mama Margaret and Friends on a culinary exploration of Emilia-Romagna, renowned as one of the world’s most famous gourmet regions and home of Italian staples like tortellini, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese.

This food aficionado adventure will leave you feeling like a Bolognese, as you immerse yourself in the exciting array of artisan-crafted ingredients, authentic local cuisine and culture with local Italians, rarely experienced by the average traveler to Italy.

The balsamic vinegar visit will fascinate you as you see and learn how they age the vinegar in ever smaller barrels, each of a different kind of wood. You learn the difference of how they make the real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and how the industrial factories make the cheaper balsamic vinegar. Of course, you taste the 12 and 25-year-old balsamic vinegars that feel like liquid velvet in your throat and mouth.

While in bustling Bologna, in some months you’ll stay close to the main town square surrounded by ancient palazzos, churches and buildings richly steeped in history. Your Mama Margaret friends, Marcello and Raffaella, will teach you to navigate the local Bolognese market filled with an astonishing range of regional produce, meats, hams and cheeses.

Winter tour accommodations are based in Bologna. In other seasons rural Italy beckons. Mama Margaret's friend, Marcello will take you to your country base, a charming, Italian family run hotel shining with character in the hill town of Riolo Terme. Each morning, you’ll open your sun-drenched shutters to a spectacular vista of rolling vineyards that sweep the Romagna countryside.

In a large, bright country kitchen in a nearby restaurant, you'll cook with a local chef selected by Marcello and Raffaella for his ebullient manner and expertise in cooking with fresh herbs, typical in traditional Romagnola cooking. In his restaurant kitchen, you’ll learn the secret of making the perfect handmade pasta for hearty dishes such as stuffed tortellini in rich meat broth, garganelli pasta with peppery arugula and salty prosciutto that will make you ache for every last morsel.

Italian cuisine is all about using the best fresh ingredients, so each day you’ll incorporate meats, cheeses, olive oil and vegetables all grown and produced in the area surrounding you. After putting up your apron, you’ll gather around the dining table to enjoy your sumptuous meal - along with a bottle of locally made Lambrusco or Sangiovese and invigorating good conversation.

Additional visits to smaller cities like Brisighella, Castel del Rio and small hill town of Dozza will allow you to explore the art, food and architecture unique to this region.

Whether you embark on your Italian food lovers' adventure in winter or summer, each season brings its own unique activities. The fall means bianchetto truffle season, so if you visit in these months, you’ll go truffle hunting with special dogs trained to sniff these rare delicacies out from among the roots of oak and ilex trees. You hunt truffles with a fun loving truffle hunter like Marcello's friend, Franco.

Once the dogs have uncovered the bounties, discover how to pair them with mouthwateringly rich pastas for a flavor that is simply sublime. Embrace these unforgettable hours, spending quality time together.

Your mind will be buzzing after a busy four days of fresh air, good food encounters with a knowledgeable cast of true experts. Mama Margaret and Friends' gastronomic tour of Emilia-Romagna in Italy will have taught you the art of savoring regional delicacies, how they’re crafted and will recharge your mind, body and soul.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

	Food & Wine Lovers' Adventure In Umbria's Hill Towns - 6 days

In Umbria, the Green Heart of central Italy, Mama Margaret and Friends invite you to embark on a food lovers’ adventure amid lush green mountains, vineyards decorated with winding country roads, and puzzle-box beautiful hill towns.

Your base will be an agriturismo country house owned and run by a very hospitable local couple and set in rolling olive groves overlooking the town of Bevagna. With spectacular valley views greeting you each morning, you’ll start the day in peace and tranquility, before leaving to explore the surrounding countryside and its abundance.
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As well as its verdant valleys, Umbria is also renowned for its culinary delights including olive oil, hams, salami, mushrooms, truffles and game birds as well as its fine wines like red Sagrantino and white wine from Orvieto. Using this local produce, you'll learn how to prepare delicious traditional Umbrian meals under the watchful and helpful guidance of three restaurant chefs and an accomplished and loving home cook.

Since Umbria is well known for its truffles, you’ll visit a family in the mountains, where the truffle hunter father will take you on a hunt in the forest and show you how dogs are used to sniff out these rare delicacies from among tree roots. Of course, you’ll be rewarded for this exertion with lunch at the farm – including truffles, of course.

That evening, you’ll stop in Spoleto where chef Eros will teach you to prepare dishes such as bruschette with Norcia salami, pasta with Norcia sausage, roast lamb with arugula, trout with truffle cream and veal with Sagrantino wine.

Besides cooking classes on farms and homesteads, spend your time exploring local hill towns. Assisi, founded by St Francis, sits on a hill rising out of a flat landscape marked by a distinctive medieval castle. The town’s churches and quaint streets are perfect for ambling through on a lazy afternoon, and don’t miss Basilica di San Francesco with its magnificent Giotto frescoes covering it from floor to ceiling.

In the town of Montefalco, visit the Arnaldo Caprai winery and taste Sagrantino wine, considered to be one of the best red wines in Italy. After tasting this and other local wines, amble through the town to admire the Renaissance architecture and art including Gozzoli’s sweeping frescoes.

The medieval hill town of Trevi is known as the olive capital of Umbria, and any food lover’s adventure through these parts wouldn’t be complete without a stop here. In Trevi, set on top of hills of olive groves, visit an olive mill and learn how olives are grown and how olive oil is produced.

You’ll also visit Norcia, famed for its accomplished pork butchers, where you’ll pick up luscious salami, sausage and ham to use for preparing your meal the following day.

Umbria’s capital, Perugia, is one of the best-preserved examples of a medieval hill town of its size. Walking through the historic center, you’ll see examples of ancient Roman and Etruscan monuments and enjoy shopping or sitting at a cafe watching local life go by on the main boulevard. Perugia is perhaps best known for its chocolate, so stock up on chocolate trays set in jewel-like boxes, or baci (literally “kisses”) - drops of chocolate wrapped in silver foil containing romantic sentiments printed on a strip of paper inside.

In the heart of Umbria, Mama Margaret and Friends will lead you on an adventure that will have you living as a local in the romantic, rural Italy that up until now you thought was long gone.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

Culinary Delights In Umbria, The Green Heart Of Italy - 4 days

In Umbria, the Green Heart of central Italy, Mama Margaret and Friends invite you to embark on a food lovers’ adventure amid lush green mountains, vineyards decorated with winding country roads, and puzzle-box beautiful hill towns.

Your base will be an agriturismo country house owned and run by a very hospitable local couple and set in rolling olive groves overlooking the town of Bevagna. With spectacular valley views greeting you each morning, you’ll start the day in peace and tranquility, before leaving to explore the surrounding countryside and its abundance.

As well as its verdant valleys, Umbria is also renowned for its culinary delights including olive oil, hams, salami, mushrooms, truffles and game birds as well as fine wines like red Sagrantino and white wine of Orvieto. Using this local produce, you'll learn how to prepare delicious traditional Umbrian meals under the watchful and helpful guidance of two restaurant chefs.

Since Umbria is well known for its truffles, you’ll visit a family in the mountains, where the truffle hunter father will take you on a hunt in the forest and show you how dogs are used to sniff out these rare delicacies from among tree roots. Of course, you’ll be rewarded for this exertion with lunch at the farm – including truffles, of course.

That evening, you’ll stop in Spoleto where chef Eros will teach you to prepare dishes such as bruschette with Norcia salami, pasta with Norcia sausage, roast lamb with arugula, trout with truffle cream and veal with Sagrantino wine.

In the town of Montefalco, visit the Arnaldo Caprai winery and taste Sagrantino wine, considered to be one of the best red wines in Italy. After tasting this and other local wines, amble through the town to admire the Renaissance architecture and art including Gozzoli’s sweeping frescoes.

The medieval hill town of Trevi is known as the olive capital of Umbria, and any food lover’s adventure through these parts wouldn’t be complete without a stop here. In Trevi, set on top of hills of olive groves, visit an olive mill and learn how olives are grown and how olive oil is produced.

Umbria’s capital, Perugia, is one of the best-preserved examples of a medieval hill town of its size. Walking through the historic center, you’ll see examples of ancient Roman and Etruscan monuments and enjoy shopping or sitting at a cafe watching local life go by on the main boulevard. Perugia is perhaps best known for its chocolate, so stock up on chocolate trays set in jewel-like boxes, or baci (literally “kisses”) - drops of chocolate wrapped in silver foil containing romantic sentiments printed on a strip of paper inside.

In the heart of Umbria, Mama Margaret and Friends will lead you on an adventure that will have you living as a local in the romantic, rural Italy that up until now you thought was long gone.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

Cooking, Wine, Volcanoes & Walking In Sicily: Mount Etna & Stromboli

Explore northeast Sicily in a feast for your senses from your two bases on a lovely winery estate near Linguaglossa, a little town in the foot hills of Mount Etna, and the exotic volcanic island of Stromboli. Spanning six nights, this cooking, wine and volcanoes adventure led by Mama Margaret and Friends will take you to meet welcoming, fun loving Sicilian people. They’re passionate about sharing their culture and lives with you. With charming and knowledgeable local guides, you’ll discover breathtaking natural beauty, ancient architecture and authentic regional wine and cuisine.

For three nights you’ll stay in the foot hills of Mount Etna on the Scilio family’s beautiful, 55 acre winery estate. The 150 year old, lovingly restored manor house has eight rooms. Each morning after a peaceful sleep in the country, you’ll awake to magnificent views of their vineyards all around you with Mount Etna as your backdrop.

The little untouristed town, Linguaglossa (population 5,000), with its buildings of volcanic stone, is a short drive away. Here you’ll learn about life under the volcano in chats with local people, visit a typical café to sample Sicilian pastries and get a real taste of life in a small Sicilian town.

You’ll explore the beautiful town of Taormina which sits high on a hillside overlooking the sea with the brooding presence of Mount Etna in the distance. A long time mecca for artists, actors and other famous travelers, Taormina inspired them with its spectacular views and history. Stroll and marvel at vast panoramas of snow-capped Mount Etna, historic houses and colorful gardens clinging to the hillside and the azure sea far along the coast. Discover fascinating layers of history at the amazing Greek theatre built in the 3rd century B.C. and admire well preserved 14th and 15th century palazzos on narrow winding streets.

The immaculate public gardens, full of hibiscus, bird of paradise, bougainvillea, give you some of the best sea and Mount Etna views in town.

The main and side streets will tempt you with their alluring bakeries full of Sicilian treats like almond, orange or pistachio cookies, cakes, cannoli and marzipan. You’ll also find a wealth of high quality clothing. For souvenirs, shop for ceramics, glass beads, lava articles and coral necklaces.

Cooking classes will take you to a variety of exotic locations, including a family on their farm near Linguaglossa, a family run restaurant in a tastefully renovated country house in the foothills of Mount Etna and a delightful, down to earth restaurant on the island of Stromboli.

You’ll learn the secrets of local cuisine from three talented cooks and chefs, all eager to share their passion for food, wine and cooking. As you enjoy lively, often humorous banter in the kitchens, make mouthwatering dishes such as stuffed mussels, roasted calamari, penne stromobolana with black olives and grilled eggplant with mint and olive oil.

If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll satisfy your craving as you tuck into decadent desserts like semifreddo with pistachio or Sicilian cannoli at the end of your meals.

On one of the days, you can choose to take an easy or moderate hike up the foothills of Mount Etna, depending on your desire and ability. Following black volcanic sand paths and craters punctuated with green and gold trees overlooking the blue sea, this experience is a close encounter with a truly unique natural landscape.

For two nights you’ll stay on the volcanic island of Stromboli, formed when an active volcano emerged from the sea. The island’s natural scenery is truly remarkable—you have to see it to believe it. At no time is this truer than at night, as you watch the volcano hurling its fireworks exploding into the dark sky. By day your senses will feel overwhelmed as you gaze at the black, brown and green mountainside, dotted with profusions of wild flowers. The brilliant white houses are reminiscent of North Africa.

On Stromboli, your fun-loving, attentive Sicilian guide will accompany you through the main town’s narrow, winding streets lined with long walls of whitewashed buildings with inner courtyards and walled gardens. Share a glass of cool wine and laughter with your guide and fellow travelers outside in a piazza at night under the stars.

Stromboli’s seafood is a big attraction. Here, cook and enjoy dishes such as fresh fish grilled or baked with herbs, seafood risotto and anchovies dipped in breadcrumbs.

In a setting of dramatic volcanoes, stunning coastal hillsides and blue seas surrounding you, few places on earth are as startlingly beautiful as the landscape in northeastern Sicily. With Mama Margaret and Friends, you’ll feel immersed in local life, culture and cuisine so you feel what it’s like to be a true Sicilian.

For further information and the itinerary see the Mama Margaret web site - click here

MAMA MARGARET'S INTRODUCTION

Mama Margaret

I'm Margaret Cowan, also known as "Mama Margaret".

Since 1995 when we ran our first cooking, wine and walking tour in Piedmont, I've owned my cooking tour company, "Mama Margaret & Friends Cooking Adventures in Italy".

I work with local Italian cooking tour partners who are now my friends: Elio and his guides in Piedmont for our Piedmont, Riviera and Tuscany tours, Marcello and Raffaella in Bologna for our Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Le Marche tours and Lara and her team in Linguaglossa near Mount Etna for our Sicily tours.

I just love creating new Italy travel adventures for food lovers. I love seeing clients on our tours so happy, slowing down to an Italian "joy of life" pace, laughing and getting immersed in Italian life with our cast of fun loving local characters and having the time of their lives with friends or family they really care about.

Italy Cooking School Tour Guide Writer

From 1995 to 2001, I wrote an ever bigger guide to cooking school tours and classes in Italy. The 2001 version, "Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy" weighed in at 300+ pages. Too fat!

My guide got praised in American Airlines inflight magazine, the Wine Spectator, La Cucina Italiana and Gambero Rosso, both well known Italian food and travel magazines, and magazines and newspapers all over North America. Gourmet Italy travellers all over the world bought it off my web site.

In 2002 I put the book's information on our site and created a database and search engine on our site to sell about 100 Italy cooking school tours.

In 2005 we pared our search engine tour choices down to our most popular tours and retired the search engine. We listed a brief summary of our tours on Tour List by Region.
Italy Travel Expert and Cooking Tour Inspector

I've been travelling to Italy since 1972, lived in Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast for three years, speak Italian and now go to Italy twice a year, so I can give you first hand advice so you enjoy your trip to the max in my "second country".

During my guide book days, I visited about 40 cooking school holiday programs in Italy from north to south, so I know lots about this delicious style of experiencing Italy and can advise you well.

I was also a client on three week long cooking tours in Tuscany and Sicily and have led our own Italy cooking and wine tours in Piedmont, Riviera, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Sicily with my Italian friends. I understand what different styles of holidays are like from a participant's point of view.

Many Lives, Many Loves

Born in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada, I live here in an apartment overlooking the sea. I graduated from the University of B.C. with a B.Comm. and a Master of Adult Education. I taught English as a Second Language to adults for 11 years so I know what a good class looks like.

Some of my favourite life experiences? Selling sweaters outdoors in Florence's San Lorenzo market, travelling by dog sled in the Arctic to dine and sleep in an igloo for a January night, riding a camel and camping in the Sahara for 3 nights in Tunisia, special times with certain men, and teaching all kinds of subjects in job training programs I ran for immigrant women so they got jobs in Canada.

At home in Vancouver I love walking by the sea, hiking, sharing heart-to-hearts with good friends, giving my friends surprises, writing and telling all too true, poignant but funny stories, dancing, public speaking, going to movies and plays that reveal lives different from mine in heartfelt or humorous ways, going to the beach, new adventures in new places, meditating, and reading biographies of feisty people, love stories, personal growth and business development books.

HEATHER SNEDDEN'S INTRODUCTION

Who is Heather Snedden?

Heather Snedden

Ciao! I'm Mama Margaret's assistant. I handle some tour sales for Mama Margaret and look after all the cooking tour details for our clients and all the paper work that goes along with it. I'm responsible for the web site updates, and any computer work that needs to be done. I take care of the business when Mama Margaret travels and do anything else Mama Margaret dreams up.

I have a Bachelor of Business Economics from Brock University. My past jobs were in sales, marketing, and I even dabbled in the music industry as a band manager. I learned at an early age that I am good at promoting what I'm passionate about and I love to travel.

I've traveled all across the United States. One of my favorite U.S. cities is Las Vegas. I travel there at least once every two years. I've seen all the Cirque de Soleil shows (exept Zumanity and the new Beatles show) so the one I can recommend is Mystere.

I've travelled in Canada, Italy and Egypt. My personal mandate is to travel outside of BC at least once a year. I have written a personal destinations list in order of where I want to travel to the most. My next big trip is to Peru. The trip will include the Galapagos Islands and a hike to see Machu Picchu. I took a month long tour of Italy in 2005 and I can't wait to go back.

I enjoy helping fellow travellers to plan and organize their cooking tours to Italy!