Together with caviar, white truffle is often referred to as a delicious treat but way too complex to satisfy. We wanted to dispel this myth directly on the field ….. read more on our experience.

The harvest of white truffles takes place in fall in different regions of Italy. The most renowned areas for the quality of white truffles are: Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and, last but not least, Piedmont.

In November we decided to test on the field a new idea of activity to offer customers of our Luxury Italy Tours: the complete process of selection and tasting of white truffle. Discover Your Italy already offers in its Luxury Italy Vacations truffle hunting activities which are greatly appreciated by our customers, but the new original idea is to guide travelers through the various steps of the process following the harvest of white truffles (selection of truffles, negotiation with the truffle hunter, and … at the end the tasting) . We selected a small village on the border between Umbria and Tuscany, famous for the quality of its white truffles, for testing this new crazy idea. The result was fantastic: a unique and exciting gourmet experience to suggest to anyone interested in trying something genuinely unique and true. We have summarized below in 3 easy steps the essence of this Italy Culinary Tour.

STEP 1 - CHOOSE THE WHITE TRUFFLE

Visit the local association of truffle hunters and select the best white truffles. The criteria to be followed are: perfume (no secret here, follow what your nose suggests), size (calculate about 5 grams  = 0,18 oz. per person for a very rich dish flavored with white truffle), price (price is related to weigh but keep in mind that the price per gram of bigger white truffles is usually higher).

STEP 2 - BUY THE WHITE TRUFFLE

Once you identify the white truffle of your choice, ask the truffle hunters to weigh it (for 4 people we have bought a truffle weighing 26 grams = 0,9 oz.) and calculate the price (we spent EUR 60). We have not negotiated the price, but you can always try! The truffle hunters are simple and nice people, and if you cannot get a discount, you’ll definitely have a very good time with them!

STEP 3 - TASTE THE WHITE TRUFFLE

The experience cannot be said complete if you have not tasted the white truffle purchased. We decided to follow the philosophy of “zero km” and proceed to the white truffle tasting with typical local dishes directly in a slow food restaurant in the area. Here, the friendly chef has cleaned the white truffle (there are different schools of thought on how best to clean the white truffle, we have relied on his experience) and then served us some good noodles made from spelt flour and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil from the new 2011 harvest. We shaved ourselves the white truffle on the noodles and the result was … … .. indescribably divine … .. you should definitely try it too!

Browse exclusive Luxury Italy Private Journeys and Luxury Italy WineTours that will take you to Umbria: the heart of Italy!

Hidden Villages & Hills of Medieval Italy

The Heart of Italy

Are you interested in a great Luxury Italy Vacation? Contact us for more details.

A poetic shaper of Italian and world architecture, his spatial compositions are fluid, magical, and alive. And his is an exceptional case—there is no other type of architecture so closely tied to a single name. It’s the case of Andrea Palladio.

I’m on my way to Vicenza. Instead of the nameless, monotonous highway, I decide to take a smaller road that passes through the countryside. The undulating landscape is carpeted with multihued fields that, when bathed by the rays of the sun, take on subtle nuances of color. Suddenly, my eye is caught by a stretch of land on the horizon that seems more pronounced. I turn the car toward it and approach little by little until the picture becomes clearer. The line suspended at the horizon is underpinned by a magnificent complex of arches, verandas, and columns above which rises the graceful slopes of a dome. Then I see the pediment, the statues, the staircase…. It’s an extraordinary spectacle. Not only am I captivated by the sheer massiveness and grandeur of the structure, I am enchanted and seduced by the synthesis of the perspectives and wonderful harmony of the dimensions. I haven’t got the shadow of a doubt: it’s a villa designed by Andrea Palladio. His architecture changed first the face of Europe, then crossed the Atlantic and defined American architecture. Perhaps one could say that his work was the first real export labeled “Made in Italy.”

In terms of his importance in the history and development of western architecture, Palladio really has no equal, not even in Bramante or Michelangelo. The White House in Washington, the Queen’s House in Greenwich, many fine structures in London—there are an infinite number of residential buildings in the world that are inspired by the Italian genius of Andrea Palladio. And perhaps the most interesting aspect of this great artist today, particularly this year when so many events are planned for the 500th anniversary of his birth, lies precisely in the modernity and the relevance of his thought and his work.

How is it possible that the son of Pietro della Gondola, a simple miller, went on to become the most famous architect of the last five centuries? It so happened that when he was thirty years old, Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, a humble stone mason from Padua, met the aristocratic writer and amateur architect Giangiorgio Trissino who, recognizing the young man’s potential, became his patron. It was also Trissino who gave Andrea the name of Palladio and who took him to Rome, where Andrea was able to admire the imperial monuments and study the construction techniques and spatial relationships of the impressive classic buildings that he loved. His destiny also included meeting his great contemporaries: Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante.

Commissioned by some of the most powerful families in the Veneto region—art lovers who were eager to invest the wealth they’d accumulated through their trades in the East—Palladio began to build a series of delightful country homes. His task was to combine the aesthetic requirements of his aristocratic patrons with the functionality they needed for their agricultural enterprises. And thus was born a new type of architecture—that wonderful center of living and business that is the modern agricultural villa. It was in this original image and style that the Villa Emo, Villa Badoer, Villa Barbaro, Villa Foscari, Villa Corner, Villa Capra, and many others were constructed, each named for the family who owned it.

But Palladio’s work was not limited to villas; he also built mansions, churches, theatres, and public buildings. For him, form and function did not necessarily go hand in hand; each type of building was represented by a layout meant to be interpreted freely, rather than a model meant merely to be copied. Hence the immense, bright rooms designed for religious rites inside San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice and, outside, the play on space that recalls the iridescent domes and the narrow bell tower of the Basilica of San Marco, silhouetted in the distance.

And hence, in Vicenza, the Teatro Olimpico, the Basilica, and the Loggia del Capitano, where the ancient classic was not a mere model but rather a borrowed and refined ideal. Rich with subtle shades of color, the horizontal and vertical elements of these buildings form the base of their great conceptual clarity.

And hence once more the urban buildings whose size and materials, rather than create a showy display of wealth and power, transmit the sense of a universal space in their open, extended structures and the distinct play of light and shade on the slender columns and recessed arches of the main façade. From street level the buildings on either side, with their first-floor base lines running along the horizon, can appear as two separate buildings or just one splendid structure creating a “building” out of the very street—the facades become the walls and the sky the ceiling.

And if Palladian facades seem like paintings hung in an urban gallery, the villas seem like well-placed ornaments hung on the branches of the landscape. The defined architectural form of a Palladian structure becomes an integral part of the boundless space of nature, creating a harmonious and perfectly balanced relationship—from the monumental entrance to the simple rustic shapes and the grace with which the side buildings unfold like wings into the natural space, their lines extending to the parks and gardens beyond and connecting the architecture to the hills and surrounding woods.

The villas, like most Palladian buildings, are often painted by alternating slight gradations of the same color or by matching the tones of the natural stone and the intensity of the light—devices specifically used so as not to bore the eye with chromatic monotony. And this is to say nothing of the frescoes inside. The partnership of Palladio and the painter Paolo Veronese resulted in architectural and pictorial elements that mutually support and complement one another. An association between an architect and a painter was never so harmonious and fruitful.

There are dozens and dozens of monuments and Palladian villas scattered throughout the Veneto region, a truly immense wealth of art. Most of the villas are open to the public, some are hotels, and others are prestigious wineries. The extraordinary thing is that as you approach one, you see yet another in the near distance. There are at least thirty-nine works in Vicenza and the surrounding area alone. These buildings, as well as the entire historic center of the city, also shaped by the genius of Palladio, left a definitive mark on the architecture of the 1500s and of the subsequent centuries, and still dictate the rules of urban planning in most European countries and worldwide—so much so that in 1994 Vicenza was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Simply reading about the architecture of Palladio is to gain an imperfect knowledge. One must see his work in person to truly appreciate its marvels—the sumptuous building complexes, the grandeur of the imposing buildings, the harmony of scale, the synthesis of perspective and symmetry, the elements that reach into and shape space, and those that retreat into themselves to form recesses dappled with fantastic shadows. Only then can one grasp the magnitude and originality of this extraordinary artist and experience the feelings that inspired the history of world architecture.

Matriciana or Amatriciana, that is the question. A principal dish of the Roman kitchen, it occupies one of the top positions among Italian culinary specialties. But among the “scholars” on the subject there is some disagreement about the plate’s true origin.

Bucatini alla Matriciana is one of the oldest dishes of the Italian tradition (possibly dating back to the Roman Empire), and it appears that it’s even on the waiting list for certification as a typical product of Italy—along the lines of the Neapolitan Pizza and Abbacchio (Roman-style lamb). Or, perhaps better, just like Guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl that is not smoked and is sweeter and more tender than pancetta) and Pecorino Romano (sheep’s milk cheese; the Romano variety is saltier and firmer than Pecorino Sardo and Pecorino Toscano), two of the main ingredients of this famous recipe.

The origin of this renowned pasta, however, is the stuff of legends, and the very name is still the subject of numerous discussions and interpretations.

The players on each side of the debate (Matriciana vs. Amatriciana) advance theories that call into play obscure Latin terms, special herbs, particular customs, and ancient cooking vessels—but the fact remains that the true origin is unknown.

The most famous debate on the subject pits the supporters of Roman Matriciana origin against the supporters of Amatriciana origin, named for the town of Amatrice. Oddly enough, Amatrice was once located in the province of Aquila in the region of Abruzzo, but is today located in the province of Rieti in Lazio (the region of central Italy where Rome is located).

It is said, in fact, that shepherds from the area bordering Abruzzo grazed their flocks in the Roman countryside and devised the recipe by combining the only ingredients they had on hand—namely pecorino cheese, pasta, and guanciale. When winter came, the shepherds made their way to Rome to take refuge from the harsh mountain climate, and subsequently introduced the dish. The Romans then adopted the recipe and added the tomato.

Tradition also has it that there was no love lost between the Romans and the Amatricians, a fact that greatly contributed to an ongoing dispute rather than to a peaceful and definitive explanation.

In reality, there is a considerable difference between the two recipes—the Matriciana includes both tomatoes and onions, while the Amatriciana has neither. It should also be noted that the Amatriciana was originally prepared with spaghetti, while the “Romanization” of the dish saw the pasta replaced with bucatini, a type of long hollow pasta whose very form has made it notoriously “dangerous” to suck into one’s mouth.

Nevertheless, suffice it to say that the inhabitants of the small mountain town of Amatrice still argue energetically that the Amatriciana gave birth to the more sophisticated version prepared in the capital, and thus have erected a sign at the entrance to the town that commemorates it as the “City of Spaghetti.” To further validate its claim, the town celebrates the Festival of Spaghetti all’Amatriciana every year at the end of August. In recent years, revelers at the festival have consumed an average of 3000 pounds of spaghetti and tomatoes, 1100 pounds of guanciale, and 800 pounds of pecorino cheese.

This year marked the event’s 42nd incarnation. For the occasion, and in an unusual move, the Italian Post Office issued a stamp dedicated to the Amatriciana Festival—perhaps with an eye toward settling the dispute once and for all?

But the chefs in Rome aren’t yet ready to concede the point and still proudly lay claim to the origin of the dish, arguing that Matriciana was born in a Roman restaurant called, in fact, The Matriciano. And not to be outdone by their rivals, Rome and its neighboring towns hold yearly festivals of their own at which the Bucatini alla Matriciana is the first dish on the menu.

Even as the debate rages on, new variations on the official recipe continue to flourish: there are those who suggest the addition of vinegar, those who use garlic instead of onions, others who substitute red wine for the white wine, and still others who add a dash of cream and ginger—perhaps one day they’ll also propose a Matriciana with parmesan instead of pecorino?

Despite all the creativity the dish inspires, there is still just one real recipe for Bucatini alla Matriciana: onions, tomatoes, white wine, pecorino romano, perfectly cubed and barely browned guanciale (not bacon!), and bucatini.

We must also remember that some historians of Italian cuisine call Bucatini alla Matriciana the “whistling dish” because if you suck the sauce-covered bucatini into your mouth with too much enthusiasm, the hole in the pasta emits a distinct whistle—not very elegant, but definitely entertaining.

Whether you whistle or no, keep an eye on your ties, shirts, and blouses because bucatini is unforgiving!

The Recipe

BUCATINI alla MATRICIANA

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):

1 lb. (500 g) bucatini pasta

2 lbs. (1 kg) peeled ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

¾ lb. (300 g) guanciale or pancetta, diced into 1/2-inch cubes*

2 cups pecorino cheese, freshly grated

1 hot pepper, whole or seeded and shredded

extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION:

Heat some oil in a skillet and add the diced guanciale. Stir and cook until lightly browned. Add half of the hot pepper and let cook with the meat for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let the sauce simmer until it reaches a creamy, homogenous consistency. In a large pot, bring the pasta water to a boil, add salt, and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta when it is still slightly al dente. Take the sauce off the fire and turn the pasta directly into the skillet. Add the grated pecorino and stir it all together. Pour onto a serving plate and serve immediately.

*Guanciale is salt-cured pork jowl and is the traditional meat used in amatriciana sauce. If you cannot find it, pancetta can be used instead. Bacon does not make a good substitute because it is smoked and contains sugar.

Not much has changed since the Rome of Caesar’s time until today: two millennia later, the Eternal City still reflects its ancient past. For tourists, it’s a journey back in time.

The harmonious mix of past and present, austere and elegant, has imbued the city with a distinctive aura. Even when it’s dark, streams of people and cars illuminate its corners and thoroughfares. The heart of Rome pulses continuously night and day, throbbing between the pubs, restaurants, discos, and cultural enclaves of every stripe that engage and enthrall millions of Romans and visitors alike.

The lights of Rome are never extinguished, and never will be, because time has made the city itself eternal.

Divided in two by the Tiber River, Rome is a deep universe of shapes and colors, styles and characters, but the face of its distant past remains unmistakable. Of millenarian origin, the city has kept intact all the features of its glorious past, a past dominated by the immensely powerful emperors who ruled over it through the centuries, and who finally dubbed it Caput Mundi: the Capital of the Empire, the capital of the ancient world. From Ireland to Africa to the Middle East, Rome was the major point of reference for the entire Mediterranean Sea basin.

More than two thousand years have passed since Octavian Augustus gave rise to the Imperial Age in 27 BC—a long period of peace, prosperity, and cultural vitality. But modern Rome has erased nothing from its past. It lives daily among the ancient symbols and fascinating historical accounts that give the city its undisputed starring role in history. You can sense its majesty just by strolling along the avenues. At times you may feel quite small in the shadow of those solemn monuments, especially when you find yourself in the middle of the historical center, in the heart of the ancient “Urbe,” or downtown.

The Imperial Age—an age of magnificence, civil growth, and territorial expansion toward the conquest of the world—contributed significantly to the transformation of Rome and to the growth of its original nucleus. It was an age of greatness and wealth. Every emperor in his turn molded the city to his own preferences and image, marbled and snow-white, like the buildings and winding stairways of the center.

Just consider for a moment the theatres and amphitheatres and their particular architecture. Consider especially the Colosseum, the most important among Roman buildings. It gives one the shivers to imagine it packed with people ready to watch the fierce and bloody battles between fighters and wild beasts. The gladiator was not always a hero, as many believe—he was often a slave or a man sentenced to death or even an adversary of the emperor. In any case, he was a man in his last fight, a man forced by power and “destiny” to face lions and hungry beasts against which he rarely stood a chance.

Bloody games aside, however, the fact remains that Imperial Rome gave birth to a new civilization. Houses grew in number and became a reflection of social stratification, as each level of society had a corresponding style of housing and living. Thus the rich patricians (of noble origin) could afford luxurious homes in the city, composed of various rooms, each dedicated to a specific use and often adorned with statues, columns, and even frescoes. And thanks to their connection to the waterworks, the houses didn’t lack for comfort: they were fitted out with toilets and thermal systems. The patricians also usually owned huge country villas surrounded by blossoming gardens where they could enjoy their summer vacations.

The rich plebeians (of common origin), on the other hand, had to content themselves with narrow rented apartments inside an “insula,” a sort of common building. These were humble dwellings, and barely livable—as only houses without plumbing can be.

Despite the splendor of the Roman aqueducts, running water was not a prerogative for everyone, though it did become so over time. Certainly the emperors had plenty of it: lounging comfortably in the gardens of their villas, amid myriad flowers and lush plants, they loved nothing more than to admire the spouting jets of the many fountains around them. They were equally dedicated to water games and the thermal spa treatments that helped them regain the energy needed to face the troubles that constantly menaced them. Romans loved to immerse themselves in tubs of this precious water, and took advantage of the situation to meet and talk about politics or business in an informal setting.

Official meetings, however, were only held in the Forum, the throbbing center of the Urbe and the ancestor of the traditional Italian piazza. As the site of both solemn functions and markets, the Forum was the center of judicial and economic activity, as well as simply a place to go for the pleasure of meeting and chatting with others. The forum complex is still visible today from the Via Sacra; one of its main extant symbols is the Foro Boario, which was once used as a livestock market.

It’s easy to see that the nuanced shades of the Roman palette are truly infinite. Every road, some that still carry their ancient names (like Via Appia Antica and Via Traiana), displays a different hue. Central streets are still paved with “sampietrini,” small cubes of porphyry laid side by side. They may not be ideal for ladies’ heels, but they are a source of real pride for the Romans.

Comfortable shoes, then, are obligatory for a visit to Rome—there’s a lot of walking to do! Lazier visitors, on the other hand, might choose to tour the picturesque streets and suggestive alleys of the Eternal City from the comfort of one of the many horse-drawn carriages. Whether you’re gazing upwards or keeping your head down, this city will astound you step after step! And if you choose the right hour of the day—when the bricks of the houses turn honey-gold in the sunlight and flocks of pigeons come home to nest on the red tiled roofs—Rome, in all its splendor, can seem like a truly magical place.

Since decades Pompeii and Capri have been preferred destinations for descerning travellers visiting Italy. We have been exploring them with the aim to discover new and unknown attractions.

Pompeii is one of the biggest and most interesting archeological sites in the world. Visiting Pompeii is an amazing opportunity to walk through a city of the Roman Empire and  discover how life was organized in that period. Today, we offer to our customers the unique possibility to combine the classical tour of Pompeii with the exclusive visits to two Roman domus (houses) which most travellers miss because very often even local guides are not aware of it.

The first domus is the one of the House of the Chaste Lovers , named after a painting representing the innocent kiss of two lovers. The guided visit allows visitors to assist live to the work of the archeologists busy in making new discoveries inside the house itself. It is a unique chance to share the magic of discovery together with experts.

The second visit is to the House of Iulius Polibius which has been perfectly restored and equipped with multimedia facilities aiming to recreate a “living” house moments before the volcano eruption. 3D images of Iulius Polibius (the owner of the house) and his daughter will explain visitors what has happened to them at the time of the catastrophe. Both visits have a very high educational value as well as, in the case of the House of Iulius Polibius, a strong emotional impact related to the feeling of involvement in the sad destiny of that Roman family.

The island of Capri has been one of the preferred holiday destination of the most refined international visitors for decades attracted by its beauties, perfumes and relaxed atmosphere. Nowadays, a walk through the Piazzetta and the neighbouring alleys of Marina Grande is an amazing opportunity to admire the beautiful shop windows of the most famous fashion boutique. Walking up and down the scenic Via Krupp connecting Marina Grande to Marina Piccola is a unique experience due to the breathtaking view of the sea and the island’s cliffs.

The island offers also opportunities to have a more relaxed experience by travelling in the inner part of the island to Anacapri . This is the second biggest village of the island where the Grotta Azzurra and the Lighthouse are located. Anacapri is also home of a very special place: Villa San Michele . This was in ancient tim e an imperial roman villa with a stunning view of Capri, the Sorrento Peninsula and the Bay of Naples. At the end of the 19th century the villa was renovated and enriched by the Swedish cosmopolitan humanist Axel Munthe. The visit to Villa San Michele and its garden is one of the most amazing, relaxing experiences of closeness to the sun, the wind and the sound of the sea one may have in life.

In order to make your travelling experience unforgettable, we suggest to combine the stay in Capri with the reading of the novel “The Story of San Michele” where Axel Munthe describes the genesis of the villa (interestingly and surprisingly the book was one of the most read bestsellers of the 20th century).

Would you like to have the opportunity of visiting the breathtaking Pompeii Archeological Site ?

Are you intrigued by  the charming atmosphere of Capri ?

Our Luxury Italy Tours will take you there!

“The Best of Italy”

“Essence of Italy”

“Italian World Heritage Sites”

“Via Appia: from Rome to Naples on the trail of the ancient Romans”

“Most beautiful Towns and Villages of Italy”

“Hidden Jewels of Italy - Southern Route”

The great attraction to all things Italian has shown a significant growth trend in recent years. What lies behind the phenomenon?

Ever since the release of “La Dolce Vita” by the inimitable Federico Fellini, it seems that Italy and the Italian lifestyle have been synonymous with style and pleasure. That image has been forged by the glamorous fashion of prestigious designers, luxurious sports cars equipped with high-end amenities, magnificent jewelry—everything, of course, signed and tagged “Made in Italy.”

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Often garnished with creative toppings, the famous pizza of Naples is the most loved by Italians and the most diffused in the world. But for the Neapolitans themselves, “real” pizza is a rite—an ancient tradition that the master pizza-makers guard and hand down generation after generation. (more…)

Over in just a few hours, the disaster that buried a city and its inhabitants under the ashes of Vesuvius has preserved priceless treasures, still intact to this day. On the evening of that August 24, one might have asked what tomorrow would bring—but by dawn, the end had already come.

On February 5th in the year 62 AD, the entire Vesuvian region was devastated by a violent earthquake that nearly destroyed the city of Herculaneum and toppled many buildings in Pompeii. That earthquake was a mere omen of the fatal tragedy that befell Pompeii seventeen years later when, unable to diffuse its roiling energy through a crack in the earth’s crust, Vesuvius burst its dam and began to erupt.

It was August 24, 79 AD.

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“Now the gondola docked; marble steps led into the magnificent, gaily illuminated house of Senator Bragadino …; masked figures flitted up and down the stairs; some paused, curious …. He stepped into the room, where a serious game of cards was in progress. When Casanova entered, everyone murmured his name, like terrified prey, because they had recognized him by the flash of his eyes behind the mask” (from “The Return of Casanova” by Arthur Schnitzler).

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Medieval paths lead to the places most loved by St. Francis: the Sanctuary of La Verna, the holiest mountain in the world, and the Basilica of Assisi, one of the oldest gothic buildings in Italy and a sublime expression of the creative genius of Giotto.

The first time I saw Assisi I was in the valley below. It’s an ancient valley in Umbria, the “green heart of Italy,” where golden wheat fields and green woodlands are interspersed by irregular islands of wildflowers, where the reds, blues, yellows, and purples of the petals and the multicolored wings of butterflies flutter beneath a gleaming sky.

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