I left Tuscany for Oregon — and now home is in between. Join me as I search for experiences for my tours: a story from an Italian maker every two weeks.
Hello everyone, and welcome. I'll be heading to Basilicata this April, partly scouting new places, partly running the Spring tour, and I wanted a space to share what I find…
“You need a place, if only for the pleasure of leaving it. A place means not being alone —knowing that in the people, in the plants, in the earth, there…
Giuditta visited Matera for the first time on a research trip for the upcoming Basilicata tour. As an Italian seeing this town for the first time, she was honestly speechless.
You’ve probably seen Val d’Orcia before. The Tuscany we all dream of 🙂 It’s the Tuscany of the collective imagination: rolling hills, cypress trees, that golden light. Val d’Orcia is…
I fell in love with jigsaw puzzles a few weeks ago. I’ve never found the missing piece of the black puppy… It started with my oldest son. We were working…
What I cook for Christmas matters a lot to me. Not because I’m religious, and not because I feel the need to stick to a specific tradition, but because I…
One of the parts of my work that excites me the most is meeting farmers and makers, the people who keep Italy’s oldest traditions alive in their own way. Their…
Giuditta just got back from a research trip to Basilicata for a tour she's organizing with her friend Adele. First impressions, mood, and the feeling of a region that is…
A few years ago, I went with my husband and kids to the Greek island of Andros. I wanted a place that was brand new to me, somewhere I could…
The most meaningful moments on a tour are never planned. During the last tour in Val d'Orcia, an unscripted moment after lunch at Pamela's changed how Giuditta thinks about what…
A new adventure in the world of truffle hunting — this time in a tartufaia (truffle orchard) in the beautiful Val d'Orcia, a very different experience from hunting in wild…
Come along as Giuditta researches a new itinerary in the Val d'Orcia region south of Siena — walking through green rolling hills, exploring ancient villages, and meeting the people who…
Truffle hunting in Chianti with Becky and Adele — watch Daniele and his dogs dig truffles from the earth beneath the oak trees, then enjoy them at the farmhouse with…
Hello there! I recently got back from 3 beautiful weeks in the Tuscan countryside and I’ve decided to share with you all the things that I did so you can…
And the quick history of this dish. When I moved to the United States seven years ago, I went through a phase of cooking Tuscan recipes. All the time. I…
And a hidden story behind it. In this episode I share: The one food that I don’t miss from Tuscan cuisine (…it’s bread!) A legend that might trace back its…
How landscape shapes identity — meet Diego Finocchi, who at 24 took out a mortgage to buy a vineyard in Radda in Chianti and built one of Chianti's most celebrated…
If you prefer reading, instead of listening, scroll down: I married my husband twice. The first time, we eloped on a sandy beach in Hawaii. The second time was a…
Giuditta's personal guide to Greve in Chianti — the triangular piazza, Macelleria Falorni's cheese cellar, the winding road from Antella, and why this small town designated as città slow is…
The mulberry tree and the caper bush — two plants that evoke Tuscany and home for Giuditta, filled with memories of her grandmother, childhood summers, and the Chianti countryside.
Meet Valentina Gadotti — political science graduate turned goat cheese maker in the Chianti hills. Her journey from academia to Podere le Fornaci, and what she learned by listening to…
Meet my favorite guide in Florence, Agata Chrzanowska! PhD, Art Historian and professional guide. In this episode I’ll be sharing how her love for Renaissance Art brought her from Poland…
In this episode I’ll be sharing why Italians don’t tip and some personal mistakes I made as an Italian living in the US around tipping. Links: My favorite seafood restaurant…
How Giuditta went from hating truffles as a teenager to understanding that they are one of the pillars of Tuscan conviviality — from a parking lot sagra to hunting with…
In this episode, I will share the story of how a forgotten Michelangelo crucifix was discovered and explore what this experience can teach us about the power of outsiders in…
This episode is about how the world stopped spinning for a few moments while I stared at the frescoes in the Hall of the Five Hundred in Florence. Links: Into…
