The Spirit of A Place
Giuditta's blog
Giuditta's blog
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…
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“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…
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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.
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The Tuscany we all dream of 🙂 You’ve probably seen Val d’Orcia before. It’s the Tuscany of the collective imagination: rolling hills, cypress trees, that golden light. Val d’Orcia is…
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I’ve never found the missing piece of the black puppy… I fell in love with jigsaw puzzles a few weeks ago. It started with my oldest son. We were working…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
Listen and ReadJoin me as I travel across Italy, searching for the best experiences for my tours. I post a new story from an Italian maker every two weeks.
— Giuditta
