by Karen Herbst, The International Kitchen

It was one of my first visits to Italy. I had flown into Rome, and was met at the airport by Guiseppe, my agent in Tuscany, whom I was meeting for the first time. We got into his car and proceeded on to Florence.  I spent 10 minutes surreptitiously digging out the obviously unused seat belt (so much for "When in Rome…” as Italians seem to get highly insulted when you belt up). Of course, being an Italian male he was driving at breakneck speed the entire journey and I was sitting "white knuckle" the whole time. There was not much conversation as I prayed I would live to live to see the next day. 

We finally entered the city, and at one point Guiseppe was heading the wrong way down a one-way street, at about 60 miles an hour. I could not keep silent any longer and finally said, my voice shaking, "Excuse me, but aren't you going the wrong way down a one way street?"  He shrugged and answered, "One way street? Merely a suggestion, merely a suggestion!"

Well, let me make a suggestion to you. It will be easy: Imagine you have just woken up.  You are in a 15th century palazzo, once the private residence of a noble family, now a lovely four-star hotel in the country in the 14^th-century medieval town of Montaione. 

Or maybe you are in a small villa hotel, where meals are served on the terrace alongside the pool, with a direct view of the remaining towers of San Gimignano. 

Or perhaps you are at a charming agristurismo, a working farm open for tourism, nestled among hectares of vineyards and olive groves, where on a clear day you can see the town of Pienza in the distance, where The English Patient was filmed. 

Or you are at a five-star deluxe hotel in Abano, in the hills of the Veneto, a short trip to Venice, where you spend an evening on a private boat on the Grand Canal to view the spectacular fireworks display, the finale of Radentore, one of the most important local festivals. 

Or you are in Ravello, a haven for artists and writers, home to Gore Vidal, in a delightful hotel fashioned as a ship, directly on the sea south of Naples.

You rise out of bed and go to the window and there is the glorious view of the rolling hills of the vineyards and cypress trees of Tuscany, or perhaps the incredible luxuriant green of Umbria with its promise of truffles, or maybe the spectacular cliffs and sea of the Amalfi coast. You dress and go down for breakfast, where the smell of freshly baked breads awakens your taste buds. After breakfast you are off with the chef to the local market for the wonderfully colorful display of fresh seasonal items to be selected for today's menu.  Upon your return, you head to the kitchen where you and the chef start the preparation of today's lunch. For three hours you and your classmates chop, roll, knead, mix, cut, boil, sauté, bake grind, and mash what will be your meal. 

You sit down for your lunch, which is, of course, accompanied by a fine wine, perhaps a Chianti Classico, or a Brunello or a Soave, complete with animated conversation and always laughter! The rest of the afternoons are spent visiting perhaps a food artisan, such as a mozzarella or pecorino cheese maker, or a medieval city of historic significance, or an olive mill, or doing a wine tasting and degustation, and of course, some time to relax.

When you have returned from the afternoon excursion and have had some time to let the experience of the day soak in, although it is hard to believe, you are hungry once again!  It is time for dinner, which may be in a fine restaurant, or a trattoria, or sometimes as a guest in a private home. After your final grappa or digestivo, you head back to your hotel or agriuturismo to rest up for the next day.    
   
This is a typical day in the life of one of our culinary students. Sometimes there is also a trek, or a bike ride or a spa treatment. But whatever the region or program chosen, you come back armed with not only recipes, but also a newfound understanding of the country and its people, which can only be gleaned by sharing in their culture of food and wine. That is really what these vacations are about; connecting with the people and the personal experience that is to be remembered for a lifetime.