Its been a busy Fall with several of tours just concluding. Thank you to so may special folks we shared Tuscany (and Bologna) with! Our time together was fantastico!! We are working on our Facebook pictures - so check out all the fun we had- on Ecco la Cucina FB page!
  

Gina will be teaching at ICE in NYC December 14th. She'll be conducting a Tuscan Holiday hands-on class. Gina will be in several cities this winter - if you're interested in having Gina teach a class for you, your friends or organization. Please call Mary for timing and info.

We are planning the 2 special tours next year - Sonoma and ThePalio along with our regional culinary tours in Italy. Info below...

We hope you are all enjoying the fruits (and vegetables!) of this wonderful Fall season - the market here is filled with  Cicoria, Lacinato Nero (black kale), Raddichio, Fennel. Beautiful and fresh - if you can't grow it, find it at your farmer's market.

Buon appetito! 

Gina and Mary 

It's called many things throughout Tuscany: Pan col Santi, Pan con Santi, Pan di Santi; but they all mean the same thing and that is

Bread of the Saints. A special walnut, raisin and black pepper bread made only during the fall for the feast of All Saints, or Tutti Santi, on November 1st, it can be a round loaf or a flat bread. 

The original feast day that gave birth to Halloween, which has taken Italy by storm in the past 5 years, All Saints Day is a national holiday with banks and stores closed all over Italy, followed by All Souls Day on November 2nd when Italians flood to the cemeteries to take flowers to the graves of their loved ones.

The Palio of Siena tour  

As mentioned in the last email - Finally! Gina will be leading a tour to attend THE PALIO in Siena next summer. Often spoken about as "the most exciting sporting event - ever", Gina has attended many races during her years of living in Siena and as a member of The Selva Contrada. She'll lead us through the "Days of the Palio" with the trial races, a contrada dinner and THE Palio race with balcony seats, sharing special insights and contrada/jockey strategy. We'll make a special week of it with a guided tour of the Selva museum and various contrade, special outings and food and wine!

Of course, the trip to Tuscany wouldn't be complete without

food and wine activities. Touring a winery or two and visiting hilltop towns in the area that perhaps you hadn't visited on your last trip to Tuscany are planned.

The dates are:

June 27 - July 4th. 

We are only taking a small group of 10, and only 4 spots remain. If you'd like to join us, all or email u! We'll be staying at the gorgeous Villa Cerbaia near Siena. For more details, call or email Mary! 972-342-8308 [email protected]