Happy Spring! April Newsletter from Elizabeth

april 2017 newsletter

Not to state the obvious, but one of the reasons that I’ve made a career out of eating is because I like to eat. I hope that is abundantly obvious, and that the love I show documenting, through words and photographs, seemingly every bit I put in my mouth, comes through loud and clear. But there is another side to my passion for what I do. I am drawn more often than not to the point where culture and food intersect. It’s not for nothing that my dissertation topic was Renaissance gardens where a lot of eating, and growing, of food went on. And I forever find myself in the rooms and spaces where food happens, whether it is lunch in a palace in Rome or dinner in ground floor apartment in the old part of Bari. Place matters.

I’ve been thinking about all of this more than usual lately, about how talking about food is a way to help preserve cultural traditions that are so much more than that. And that these cultural traditions can never, and should never, be looked at in isolation. Everything is connected.

All this to help explain why I’ve been in such a horrendous, enormous hissy fit about the new lighting campaign in Rome. If you haven’t heard, the city of Rome is currently replacing the sodium lighting throughout the city with LED. And before you comment, yes, I do understand that LED lighting is better for the environment and saves energy, etc. The problem is that they could have chosen any shade of LED lighting they wanted. But instead of preserving the warm glow that has bathed Rome in romantic light for the last century or so, we are now under the harsh glare of blastingly strong blue lights which make everything, and everybody, look horrendous. It has changed the very fabric of the city I love. Light in Rome is, to me, as important as preserving as the arches of the Colosseum or the statues on the Trevi Fountain. Thankfully I’m not just some lone crazy lady complaining on my own. A lot of other people have noticed too. Both the New York Times as well as the Telegraph have written about it (and quoted my ravings). And it looks like complaining may be working. As of yesterday they are at least replacing the glass in the turn of the century lamps they had mangled during the installation of the new bulbs.

I do realize I'm on the far end of the spectrum (no pun intended) about the quality of lighting. And that this is definitely a first world kind of problem I'm raving about. But when it come to a city like Rome, something as fragile as the lighting can have a huge affect. What do you think? Am I over reacting? Or is this something you care about as well?

what's new

This is the part of the newsletter where I usually blab on about our own tours. But I’d like to take a moment to give some shout outs to some of my other friends and colleagues who lead tours. These are the folks I turn to when I’m not available or else it’s just a topic or region I don’t cover.

Judy is located in Tuscany and does cooking classes and tours there, as well as week long tours in Sicily.
Agnese is my go to girl guide for anything ancient in Rome.
Anthony is such a scholar he doesn’t even have a website. That also makes him an excellent guide. You may know his excellent book the Families who Made Rome. His email
Jennifer is in Umbria and leads delicious cooking classes and food tours.
Peggy is the grand dame of luxurious week long tours, not only in Italy, but in exotic places like India and Morocco.
Evan just finished a Week in Rome tour with us and we’ll be doing another in the future, for sure. But in the mean time, if you are in Los Angeles Evan is available for private classes and dinners and often teaches public classes too.

Now back to our tours. We still have 3 spots left on our November Week in Rome trip. And while our Umbria Week in October 2017 is completely full, I’ve posted the dates for our 2018 schedule here. You can send me an email to find out more

I realize not everyone can come for a full week. That’s why we have day tours, both in and out of Rome, as well as cooking classes. We're about to head into our busy season, but both Sophie and I still have days available. You can visit Sophie's site directly here.

travel

We made a lightening fast trip to New York last month. Just six short days. It was my dad’s 80th birthday, so it was mostly family time. We did (as always) manage to eat very well, and do more museums that I had hoped. Here’s the details.

I also made an even faster trip up to Milan for the Corriere della Sera Cucina Blog Awards. It was fun being with friends and colleagues and I was happy to be included in such a talented group of people , receiving a special mention. Dinner that evening was a private affair, orchestrated by Honey & Co, who came all the way from London. (It was amazing, so go there if you are in London).But if you're in Milan and looking for my favorite spots, Eat Milan is available through my app Eat Italy. Also, thanks to Principe di Savoia for the lovely night's rest.

The last week of March we had a week with the most darling couple. They booked a week-long, private tour with us and we lead them on a custom tour of Rome and surroundings. One of the most special days we had was North of Rome to visit some of the gardens and villas that dot the countryside.

We also spent a day in Florence and after reading my blog from the beginning to the end, Brent and Judy decided they wanted to visit two of my favorite places, rather than just head to the Duomo or Uffizi. We spent a glorious hour at Bartolozzi where Judy was actually able to come away with an 18th century reliquary. (It's that kind of place) And then it was off to Sbigoli where Judy bought special olive oil tasting sets. Me? I couldn't resist and ordered serving platters and bowls for our cooking classes and dinners we host at Monti Kitchen. Lunch was at Sostanza, where, in addition to a huge steak and butter chicken, we had the tortino di carciofi . Then, a very quick visit to Farmacia Santa Maria Novella before heading back to Rome.

what I'm reading

Why Typography matters.

In Italy Sunday mass turns into Happy Hour.

There are SO many new books that have either just come out or are available for pre-order. And if you're wondering why you should pre-order a book online: the number of pre-orders a book gets online actually convinces real brick and mortar book stores to carry the book. (so do your part!)

Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s Renegade Life, by Emily Kaiser Thelin
Dinner Changing the Game, by Melissa Clark
Autentico, by Rolando Beramendi (yes, the Rolando who is always showing up on my blog)
Back Pocket Pasta , by Colu Henry,
Aquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany’s Secret Silver Coast, by Emiko Davies
I Heart Rome, by Maria Pasquale
The New Paris by Lindsey Tramulta
The Book of Greens by Jenn Louis
Salt, Fat, Acid Heat by Samin Nostrat

What are you reading lately? I need some good fiction recommendations. Please. Thank you.

video

My most important video last month was a total fiasco. I attempted a facebook live video of the talk between Evan Kleiman and Fabrizia Lanza which I organized at American University of Rome. I failed. I really don’t know what happened. I guess I should have practiced, but for whatever reason it just went puff! Sorry. Will try to do better next time. (By the way, the talk went really well and I hope to be organizing more events like these in the future)

If you follow me on Snapchat, I've got some news: I'm not there anymore. I loved it, I really did. It was easy, fun and provided an immediate way to share my day. I left it for 2 reasons. The first is that once Instagram Stories came along, my following on Snapchat just flatlined. Also? I was starting to get some weird and very disturbing video messages on Snapchat (Eew!!!). So for now, if you'd like to follow along, see my Instagram Stories. (they are the round circles with faces that appear at the top of your Instagram feed).

This is what getting caught in a volcano eruption looks like

Remember that guy on the BBC whose kids interrupted him? This is how a mum would have handled things.

Rome is wilder than you think.

and finally....

I've just spent the last two days up at our house in Umbria picking wild asparagus. So my mind is definitely on spring vegetables. Kale is ok, but if I don't see it for another year I'm fine with that. On to peas, artichokes and, of course, asparagus.

My most recent discovery is this Spring Minestrone recipe, which I've been making with variations for the last few weeks. I"m also planning on making this egg-filled spinach and ricotta tart from Rachel for Easter.

Here are some of my other favorite things to make this time of year:
Carciofi alla Romana
Raw Artichoke Salad
Asparagus & Mushroom Lasagna
Asparagus and Eggs
Asparagus Salad
Artichoke, Fave and Pea Pasta

x,Elizabeth

Eating Rome, is my homage to the city that feeds me, literally and figuratively. My story is a personal, quirky and (I hope!) deliciously entertaining look at some of the city's monuments to food culture. Join me as webstroll through my favorite open air markets; stop by the best gelato shops; order plates full of carbonara and finish the day with a brilliant red Negroni. Illustrated with my photos and enriched with my favorite recipes for Roman classics l Eating Rome is the book that you want if you are planning your first trip to Rome or if you have been to Rome a dozen times. And even if you just want to spend a few hours armchair traveling. (click on the cover of the book to buy)

Italy is one of the great tourist destinations in the world. Renaissance palaces, Rome’s Colosseum and Michelangelo’s David draw millions of visitors a year . But tourism has its price, and finding authentic restaurants, bakeries and gelaterie is a challenge . With my EAT ITALY app in your pocket you’ll be sure that every morsel of food you put in your mouth while you’re in ITALY is the best. Available at iTunes for the iPhone or iPad. (click on the icon to the right to buy)