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  • Experience the Best of Italy

    Experience the Best of Italy,  for each region it's own perfect reason to visit! 

    People travel to Italy for the food alone, but sometimes it's worth rolling up your sleeves and engage in hands-on activity to further appreciate what is behind the country’s celebrated cuisine. Swide has 10 Italian food and wine experiences that will simultaneously conjure up and satisfy your appetite

     

    Mozzarella Making in Sorrento

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy mozzarella making

    Italian upbringing or not, it is safe to say that mozzarella is a household name. Nearly everyone has enjoyed this cheese atop a pizza, fried, or inside a sandwich. But where does it come from and how is it made? Buffalo mozzarella from Campania holds D.O.P. status and Caseificio Michelangelo, the oldest cheese making factory on the Sorrentine peninsula, offers a tour whereby you watch the mozzarella maestros prepare mozzarella from scratch, transforming whole milk into the soft, silky formaggio that we all know and love. Then, take a stab at the process yourself before tasting several of the Caseificio’s products alongside a light lunch.

    Olive Oil Press Tour and Tasting

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy olive oil press

    Even for those of us who appreciate extra virgin olive oil, do we really know what makes a particular olive oil special? Or why one might have a hint of citrusy tang while others leave a spicy aftertaste? Le Baccanti’s Olive Oil Press Tour teaches you all about the creation of this divine liquid then discover how to discern quality and different characteristics through a guided tasting. If you have never sampled a viscous, just-pressed, cloudy green olive oil, your taste buds are in for a shock…in the best way possible of course.

    Etna Wine School

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy wine school etna

    Mount Etna, Sicily’s first D.O.C., produces wine from grapes grown on the foot of this active volcano, which many consider to be among the finest in Italy. Etna wines are admired by connoisseurs and novices alike, and provide an ideal example of terroir for anyone looking to further grasp and understand the concept. Etna Wine School’s director Benjamin Spencer wears several hats as a classically trained winemaker, sommelier and journalist. He conducts all of the courses himself, which range from single two-to-three hour sessions to longer, multi-day master classes that include vineyard excursions.

    Balsamic Vinegar in Modena

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy balsamic vinagre

    Many think of mass-produced balsamic vinaigrette when they hear “balsamic vinegar,” but the two condiments could not be more different. Traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena in Emilia-Romagna holds D.O.P. status and is made from a reduction of Trebbiano and Lambrusco grape juice that is aged for a minimum of 12 years in barrels made from different types of wood. True balsamic vinegar from Modena is heaven, especially when topping a piece of Parmesan cheese. One of the most famous producers, Acetai Pedroni, has been in practice since 1862, and the family offers tours of their facilities.

    My Italians at Vino Roma

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy vino roma

    Sommelier Hande Leimer will prove to you that Italian wine is not as intimidating as it seems. Her My Italians wine course at Vino Roma offers an incredible, thorough overview of Italian wines and this is perfect for anyone looking to learn the basics. Sample six wines (three red, three white) during the two-hour tasting and receive an overview of Italy’s climate, geography, and all the factors that go into making Italian wine so special. After the tasting, you’ll find yourself applying Ms. Leimer’s, “If it grows together, it goes together” philosophy to all walks of life.

    Pasta Making in Bologna

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy pasta making bologna

    Experience a newfound appreciation for the hard work and effort that go into the art of pasta making by learning how to prepare it from scratch at La Scuola Vecchia Bolognese. The four-hour beginner class lets you learn how to make the pasta yourself, then the school’s founder Alessandra Spisni prepares the fruit of your labor for lunch. You also get to bring some of the uncooked pasta home with you. Be warned: you will feel pain in your back and arms as if you had just visited the gym. Swide has more things to do while in Bologna here.

    Carpigiani Gelato Museum and Course

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy gelato museum

    The Carpigiani kingdom sits outside of Bologna and here you’ll find the only museum in the world dedicated solely to the crave-worthy Italian frozen wonder that is gelato. Enjoy a crash gelato making course in the onsite shop then take a tour of the museum to see all sorts of gelato artifacts such as boxes, a cone making machine and refrigeration devices as you learn about its history. Read more about the history of Carpigiani.

    Guido Gobino Chocolate Factory

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy gobino chocolate

    For confectionary enthusiasts, the mere mention of Turin does not bring to mind “the shroud” or “host city of the 2006 Olympics.” Instead, they think of chocolate. Piedmont and its capital Turin in particular are famous for chocolate, with Guido Gobino being among the most popular. There are shops in various Italian cities but a visit to the Guido Gobino factory lets you see these artisanal chocolatiers during all aspects of the bean-to-bar chocolate creation process.

    Pizza-Making in Naples

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    Travelers usually have one item on their mind when they visit Naples: Neapolitan pizza and Context Travel’s Pizza Making workshop lets you bring a travel memory to your home kitchen. Part walking tour/part pizza making class, stroll through the city center for an overview of the history of pizza as you taste some Neapolitan street food, then work with a pizzaiolo to make a pizza of your own as you learn the secrets of getting the dough just right, adhering to the pizza’s prestigious D.O.P. status. Discover the best pizzerie in Naples.

    Vendemmia

    Top 10 best food experiences in Italy vendemmia

     

    The Italian word for wine harvest. There’s nothing quite like this time of year and the sense of joy and conviviality associated with this annual festivity. The outposts of Movimento Turismo del Vino (MTV) in all the regions organize “catine aperte” or open cantinas where anyone may drop by and partake in the tradition.

  • Hulp gezocht voor druivenoogst in Piëmont

    Hulp gezocht tijdens de druivenoogst in Piëmont

    Wie dacht nu nog even deel te nemen aan de Nebbiolo-oogst kan er naast grijpen. Niet alleen omdat het compleet verboden is om zonder arbeidsovereenkomst zo’n ervaring mee te maken, maar omdat de Nebbiolo-oogst gewoon al binnen is. Vroeger dan verwacht, aangezien de druif ook een pak vroeger plukrijp was.

    Wie even een paar vrienden uitnodigt om een paar rijtjes druiven binnen te halen, riskeert een boete van maar liefst 19.500 €. Dat mocht Battista Battaglino ervaren, een gepensioneerde die met de hulp van een paar vrienden een kleine hoeveelheid aan Barbera en Nebbiolo wilde binnenhalen.

    Iedereen was super enthousiast tot de politieagenten en de inspectiediensten van werkgelegenheid hen omringden. Voor elke vriend die een handje toestak werd 3.900 € boete aangerekend en de gepensioneerde mocht ook evenveel neertellen voor zichzelf. De vrienden die opgetrommeld werden om hulp te bieden, hebben in plaats van hulp dus bijgedragen aan een boete van formaat. De burgemeester van Castellinaldo, waar de feiten zich voltrokken, laat het er niet bij. Hij wil tegen november voor iedereen die een stukje wijngaard heeft duidelijke regels stellen. Misschien valt er voor Battaglino dan toch nog iets te onderhandelen…

  • Oogst in Piëmont

    Er is de laatste dagen een opperbeste, gezellige drukte in Piëmont, de oogst van de hazelnoten is al een poosje bezig en de druivenpluk is vorige week reeds van start gegaan. De oogst is dit jaar vroeger begonnen vergeleken met andere jaargangen door de aanhoudende warmte. Tijdens de “Fiera di Castagnole” werden de eerste quota’s gegeven, zo’n 410 € per 100 kilo hazelnoten. De kwaliteit is opperbest, maar de beschikbare hoeveelheid is naar beneden gegaan.

    ’s Morgens vanaf 6.30 is het al een komen en gaan van tractoren, volgeladen met de typische druivenboxen, gevolgd door de druivenplukkers (meestal personeel van coöperatieven) rechtstreeks naar de wijngaard. De ganse dag wordt het beste van de Moscato-druiven en alle andere witte variëteiten geplukt. Over een tweetal weken is het de beurt aan de Nebbiolo.

    Druiven van het type Chardonnay en Pinot die op dit moment geplukt worden, hebben een zeer goede kwaliteit, een medium suikergehalte, én gehele afwezigheid van botrytis (grauwe schimmel), ze zijn dus meteen goed qua consistentie. Overigens zijn ze vooral “vol”, de suikergradatie is goed maar niet overdreven. Ondanks de extreme hitte mag men toch stellen dat de planten niet de “stress” hadden die bij een vergelijkbare hitte in 2003 van tel was.

    Overigens, dit jaar opnieuw zijn er heel wat kwaliteitscontroles aan de gang: Consorzio Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe en Dogliani, samen met Vignaioli Piemontesi, Unione Produttori Vini Albesi en nog drie andere partijen (Coldiretti, Unione Agricoltori, Cia) en extra hulp van de Monagri Service van de Universiteit van Turijn. Het resultaat van hun werk wordt gecoördineerd door het onderzoekscentrum van Enocontro. Er wordt dus alles aan gedaan om maximaal te gaan voor het beste wat “terroir” kan bieden. Wie de oogst van zeer dichtbij wil meemaken en van de plukkers een A tot Z handleiding wil krijgen, neemt contact op met Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken..

Your Piedmont Expert

Karina Imschoot

Why is she your best choice for Top Quality Time Holidays?

She visited Piedmont in 2006, fell in love with the region, spent holidays 4 times a year in Piedmont and finally has settled her home in Piedmont in  2012.

She lived in both places:  first Cherasco, then Barbaresco but returned to Cherasco.

With her knowledge,  with the fact that she came in as a tourist as well and lived all experiences as a tourist,  she is a perfect match for your quality time in Piedmont