Elizabeth's July 2018 Newsletter
july 2018 newsletter
Well, that was fun!! My book tour ended on June 7 and I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding things I ever did. Exhausting for sure. But incredibly fun. Since a lot of you asked how these things get planned out, I thought I’d answer. I actually planned this entirely by myself. Although my publisher was incredibly supportive, I was the one who crafted every day of the tour. And the planing is the hard part. The thing is, I always want to do WAY more than I really have time for. But this time around, once I settled on the cities I could fit in, the rest fell into place pretty easily. It was great to have the opportunity to present at the Eataly’s in NYC, Boston and LA. Once I had those dates down, then the rest (restaurant visits, bookstore, and talks) just kind of fell into place. I also made sure to plan some down time as well, and get a chance to visit with old friends along the way.
The best part of the tour was seeing so many people I only knew virtually. It was so great getting to put faces to the names that pop up on social media. Thank you all for turning out in droves and making every event completely sold out. You have no idea how gratifying it is to see a room full of loving and supporting friends. Grazie!!!
Now that that’s over I’m completely dedicating myself to summer. We don’t have any adventurous vacations planned, and so I’m looking forward to just lazing around the pool up in Umbria. Also, since this summer I’m not busy testing my own recipes, I’m looking forward to diving into some of the great new cookbooks that have come out this year. What are you up to as things heat up?
what's new
The biggest news is that my app, EAT ITALY has been completely redesigned and so is not only updated for the latest version of the iPhone operating system, but it is finally available for Android as welll! I’ve also updated the content, and have checked all the contact information and updated that as well. New features include better mapping functions as well as new ways to save your favorite places and share them with friends.
The best news is that this update allows me to keep on adding new cities and regions. As you may (or may not?) know, EAT ITALY is a free app. Once you download it, you can buy Rome, Venice and Florence for a small price. But the rest of the cities are COMPLETELY FREE!! Milan, Puglia, Torino and Umbria are still there and I’ll be adding all the regions and great things I discovered while working on the two books. While includes Naples which has just launched.
Over the next two months I’ll also be adding Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Sardinia and Emilia Romagna. Which, if you’ve already downloaded Eat Italy, will magically appear.
NOTE: If you already have Eat Italy on your phone, please make sure you update it to the most recent version.
(And just in case you're wondering, no I do not do all the software parts myself For this I rely on my colleagues at NFN Labs in India. I highly recommend them!)
Sophie and I are gearing up for our fall Week in Italy Tours. Although it seems a long way off (November 11-17, 2018) we are really excited about our Week in Rome. As always we will be based in my neighborhood of Monti, where everyone gets their own darling apartment. Although we've now been doing this tour for a few years, we are always tweaking it to make it even better. As always we will visit some of our favorite food artisans in Trastevere and the Campo dei Fiori neighborhood; have lunch and a private tour at the American Academy of Rome as well as dinners and drinks at my private cooking space in my home. One new addition will be a day trip south of Rome to explore the Papal gardens in Castel Gandolfo, eat wild strawberries at Lake Nemi and pig out on porchetta in Ariccia. If you'd like to join us (and I hope you do!) just send me an email since we have a few spots left. (Also, FYI Norwegian and Air Italy have great rates that time of year).
Sophie and I are very excited about the Week in Italy tours for 2019. Sophie was down in Puglia last week, finalizing several of the things we’ll be doing there in May and October. And in the next two months I’ve got a whole list of places and people to visit to add to our Umbria tours in May and October 2019. (You can follow both Sophie and me on instagram to get a taste). If you’d like to join us in Rome, Umbria or Puglia in 2019, you can see the dates here. And believe it or not, the tours are filling up fast! So send me an email if you are interested.
videos
OMG I was on the Hallmark Channel! I bet you didn’t even realize that was a thing? Well, it is, and I was. I even managed to match the scenery with my flowered shirt.
My videos are back!! After being distracted by writing books and stuff during the last year or so, I’m back to making videos. I actually am playing catch up, since I shot a lot of footage during the last 2 years while researching the books. Here is my latest, on my search to find out about one of the rarest pastas in Italy, Su Fliindeu. And please make sure you're signed up to my Channel on YouTube so you can get notices when I post a new one.
what I'm reading
Now that I”m NOT writing two books at the same time I have a LOT more time (and enthusiasm) to read novels. In the last few months I’ve read, and loved:
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You by Celest Ng (I preferred Little Fires by far)
A LIttle Life by Hanya Yanagihai is amazing. Difficult and disturbing, but amazing.
Loved my friend Ann Mah’s recent book The Lost Vintage.
I just started Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and am loving it.
Beauty, Style, Decay: this article pretty much sums up what can be so heartbreakingly beautiful about Italy.
This interview with Ashley Merriman about the Spotted Pig left me dumbfounded. So. Tone. Deaf.
One of our favorite cheese makers in Puglia is featured in this article.
So proud to call Ann Mah a friend. Please read this important story that tells an often ignored chapter of #metoo
Also? I”m currently packing up 2 years worth of New Yorkers to take to the pool in Umbria.
and finally....
The Daily Beast excerpted my Naples Chapter from Eating My Way Through Italy here.
And Salon excerpted part of my Umbrian Truffle Chapter here.
Thank you Budget Travel for the nice write up!
Thank you Coral for coming to my presentation in San Francisco and writing about it here.
Before I sign off and head to the pool, can I ask you one small favor? If you have bought either of my recent books, or else use my app Eat Italy, reviews are very welcome and help me to generate sales. So if you have a minute......
Here is the link to leave a review of Eating My Way Through Italy on Amazon.
Here is the link to leave a review of Eating Rome on Amazon.
Here is the link to leave a review of EAT ITALY app on iTunes
Here is the link to leave a review of EAT ITALY app for Android.
grazie!!
x,Elizabeth
Divided geographically, Eating My Way Through Italy looks at all the different aspects of Italian food culture. Whether it’s pizza in Naples, deep fried calamari in Venice, anchovies in Amalfi, an elegant dinner in Milan, gathering and cooking capers on Pantelleria, or hunting for truffles in Umbria each chapter includes, not just anecdotes, personal stories and practical advice, but also recipes that explore the cultural and historical references that make these subjects timeless.
Eating Rome, based on Elizabeth's blog and is her homage to the city that feeds her, literally and figuratively. Her story is a personal, quirky and deliciously entertaining look at some of the city's monuments to food culture. Join her as she takes you on a stroll through her favorite open air markets; stop by the best gelato shops; order plates full of carbonara and finish the day with a brilliant red Negroni. C Illustrated with Minchilli's beautiful full-color photos and enriched with her favorite recipes for Roman classics like vignarola, carciofi alla romana and carbonara.