Elizabeth's Newsletter from Italy - September 2018

september 2018 newsletter

In the last few months I've been interviewed a lot about Italy. While I always blab on about this country, whenever I have a new book, the questions come more often. Since Eating My Way Through Italy covers a lot of territory, from north to south, many of the journalists ask me about the differences between different regions. On the surface this can seem an obvious (and kind of boring?) question to be asking. It's kind of like asking "What's the difference between Florida and Seattle?""What's the difference between St. Louis and New York?" Where does that kind of vague question really get you?

But since I'm in the business of tourism I took that question as a chance to talk about the changes that the various regions have gone through in the last 20 years, especially in terms of welcoming (or not) tourism. I've spoken in the past about the intense overload cities like Venice, Rome and Florence are experiencing. But when it comes to lesser trafficked regions like Puglia and Umbria, the answers to these questions get more complicated.

For example, in the last 15 years Puglia has seen huge development, with some of the most exciting and beautiful hotels opening in that region. Instead, in Umbria, it's been about zero. There is currently no truly 5-star hotel in Umbria. The level of hospitality is, for whatever reason, a lot lower. One of the reasons is that Puglia has seen a lot more entrepreneurship. Umbrians just seem not to care as much.

During the last six weeks I've spent in Umbria, here at our house, I've had a lot of time to think about this. While it would be easy to complain about lack of luxurious hotels or passable restaurants, there is another side to the story. It is precisely due of this lack of development that Umbria, for the most part, has remained pristine. The same Umbrians are doing the same things as they have for centuries. And that makes it a pretty great place to visit.

And while some Umbrian industries are now suffering for lack of investment in tourism or public relations (take Deruta where they make ceramics for example) there are definite signs of improvement and change. Especially when it comes to food. The most exciting thing that I've been able to explore in the last month is that a new, younger generation is looking to this pristine landscape and deciding to build on their agricultural and cultural heritage to create something new and vibrant. Organic farms, cheese makers, beer brewers and bean growers are literally digging in to come up with new ideas that they can not only export and use to make a living, but also harness as a way to attract visitors for a completely sustainable form of tourism that is as far a cry from the crowded streets of Rome, Venice and Florence as you can get.

what's new

With all this running around Umbria I've managed to add a bunch of new entries to the Umbria section of my app Eat Italy. Especially places in Perugia. (download for iTunes and Android)

Speaking of Umbria….I've just added an extra 2 'Week in Umbria' tours to our schedule for next year. I've added a week in June and a week in September, in addition to the weeks in October and May. One of the reasons I added more weeks was because the original weeks were almost full! Also? There is a big article coming out about my Week in Umbria Tours (stay tuned….) and I wanted to be prepared!! And frankly, after spending the last 6 weeks here in Umbria this summer I decided I wanted my life to contain as much Umbria as possible in the future. Can you blame me? (send an email for more info)

We still have a few spots left on our Week in Rome tours in March and November, 2019. We've also been tweaking these tours too, to include more time at our local market in Monti, as well as a trip to my favorite ceramic shop in Rome (yes, I am a ceramic enabler). I've also posted the dates for 2020 just in case you are super organized and plan ahead about this kind of stuff. ( send us an email for details)

One of the easiest ways to get a 'taste' of our tours is to follow Sophie and me on Instagram. We both use our Stories as a way to share what we're doing, especially when we are on a tour. For instance we have two private tours from September 25 to October 6 in Umbria. These specially crafted tours that last an entire week. Make sure you tag along virtually!

Sophie is back in Rome after spending August in Puglia. In between stints at the butcher and the mozzarella maker, she was putting the final touches on our Week in Puglia tours for 2019. She found a great bus company that will be taking us around (this is one of the most difficult things to organize!) and also did the 'hard' research of finding restaurants in Lecce and Matera for our dinners. Although the 2019 Week in Puglia Tours are completely booked, I've posted the dates for 2020. (send an email for details)

If you can't join us for an entire week, no worries. We also have lots of fun half day tours and workshops in Rome, if you happen to be visiting. Just send an email with your dates and we'll let you know what's available.

what I'm cooking

Since I've got a basket full of plums sitting on the counter, this recipe, from Domenica Marchetti via Leite's Culinaria, is up next.

I've been making versions of this eggplant recipe non stop. This one is with tomatoes, but I've also been topping it with spoonfuls of fresh burrata and herb salad.(see the photo above)

And since the weather has turned cooler these last 2 weeks, soup has been showing up more regularly.

what I'm reading

I can say with absolute certainty that the year I signed up for a typing course (rather than home-ec) in middle school was the most important course I ever took. Not only did it teach me a skill that enabled me to be a writer, it taught me that I was able to learn any skill if I put my mind to it.

Just in case you were wondering, I get this 'egg' question all the time.

Why no one really wants to cook. But here's why one blogger thinks you should.

I know I'm late to the game, but while everyone else is seeing the movie, I'm loving reading Crazy Rich Asians.

and finally....

Thanks Culinary Backstreets for featuring me and my latest book Eating My Way Through Italy as your Book Club choice this month!!

Thanks Hallmark Channel USA for sharing my recipe for Orecchiette with Spring Pesto from Eating My Way Through Italy

And last but very far from least….I have a new cover for my next book! You can read all about it here, and although it's not out until March 2019, you can already preorder your copy here. But for now I'll just leave you with the cover, which is appropriate. I took this photograph exactly a year ago. on September 1, 2017. And today, while I write this letter to you, I'm sitting right here, at this table, under the pergola, enjoying the last days of summer.I hope you are too!

x,e