January 2025: News from Elizabeth
Mini Umbria Guide, Grilled Cheese Recipe & Fun Links
Happy New Year!!
The holiday life continues here in Italy. So much so that I forgot to send out this newsletter yesterday. So far there has been not only Christmas, Chanukah and New Years, but it was also my birthday. January 6 is the Epiphany and life doesn’t even begin to get back to normal until the 7th.
I’m very much enjoying the lazy days, filled with long walks and drinks and dinners with friends. For my birthday, rather than do anything big, Domenico and I took a drive into the countryside and had a delicious lunch. There were truffles and heavy cream on my pasta which in my books is better than any kind of birthday cake.
I’ve also enjoyed not cooking for a few days, making meals out of leftovers. The lentils we forgot to eat on New Years Eve turned into yesterday’s soup and leftover caviar on potato chips with sour cream was dinner last night. (The pickled onions in the Martini count as a vegetable, right?) Tonight we’ll finish off the rest of the ossobuco (I use Marcella’s recipe in case you were wondering) and I might actually sneak a vegetable in. We are still in holiday eating mode here which means leftover whipped cream is in my morning coffee. How about you?
WHAT’S NEW
As you know we always announce new tours first to our paying subscribers of this newsletter. I usually announce the tours one by one, but next week’s newsletter will include details about 4 tours in the Fall: Puglia & Matera; Salento & Central Puglia; Western Sicily and Eastern Sicily. If you’re interested in traveling with Sophie or me to Italy next fall, make sure you are signed up to be the first to know. (all of our other fall tours are sold out)
If you are feeling like you’d like to come to Italy earlier, we have just a handful of spots left in the spring. I’ll be hosting a tour to Eastern Sicily at the beginning of May. We’ll be based in Ortigia (one of my favorite towns in Italy) and be taking day trips to visit farmers, wine makers and artisans in places like Etna, Noto and the Iblean hills. It’s a magical time of year to enjoy both our seaside hotel as well as the wild flower-covered countryside.
Sophie also has a few spots left on her tour to Puglia at the end of May. Since it’s basically summer you’ll definitely be able to take a dip in the sea from our gorgeous hotel in Monopoli. There will also be visits to cheese makers, fishing ports, pastry shops and much more.
It’s hard to believe but I’ve been busy planning our tours for 2026. Every year about this time I draw up our ideal schedule for the coming year. It’s always a challenge to fit in as many tours as possible. This year it’s a bit easier to fit in more tours, since Sophie and will be joined by our favorite guest hosts. Upcoming tours in 2026 will be hosted by many of our friends like Zoe Francois, Corre Larkin, Evan Kleiman, Rolando Beramendi, Jenny Rosentrach, Annie Fenn, Shereen Palvides, Meryl Feinstein and more.(if there is anyone you’d like to see host a tour, let us know in the comments) Remember: to hear about our new tours before we post them to our site, make sure you are signed up for the Premium paying version of this newsletter.
And you can always find our full schedule of tours here.
WHERE I’M GOING
We are headed to the spa in Saturnia which has become a January tradition. Since it’s one of the hottest natural thermal springs in Italy, winter is (in my opinion) the best time to go. The days are usually sunny but cold, which makes for perfect soaking. You can read all about it here, from last year’s post. But here are a few fun facts to keep in mind if you end up at an Italian spa:
-Cuisine: Although spas in the USA are usually about losing weight and offer ‘spa’ cuisine, that concept is not necessarily part of the Italian spa experience. I mean you can diet if you want to, but it’s not the reason people go. In fact I’ve never seen a more extravagant breakfast buffet than the one in Saturnia. And coffee always comes with a bit of chocolate.
-Attire: Everyone wears their robes all the time. The first time we came down to breakfast in our street clothes we felt SO over-dressed. Instead everyone was shuffling around in their fluffy white robe and flip flops. I love the fact that they pin your room number onto your robe. This way you know which one is yours when you get out of the thermal pool.
-Treatments: Although you’ll see a lot of small hotels in Italy bragging about having a spa, this most likely means they have a sauna or a room where you can book a massage. But at a serious spa like Saturnia the range of treatments can be overwhelming. The thing to keep in mind is that treatments are usually divided into 2 categories, with some of them leaning towards the medical and some towards the aesthetic. It’s very confusing, and I often find myself signing up for a mud treatment only to be told I have to visit the doctor first. I’ve learned over the years to just go with the flow. But in terms of medical benefits, there are certain treatments that are actually covered by Italian health insurance. I’m not sure I’m going to get reimbursed for my facial, but if I needed a hot mud treatment for my medically diagnosed achey hips, that might be.
WHERE I’VE BEEN
We’ve spent the last 2 weeks up in Umbria and are planning on spending as much time as possible here this winter. We’ve been taking day trips since I love going out to lunch this time of year when the days are so short. With this in mind I thought you’d enjoy a little mini guide with my 5 favorite places to eat in 5 of my favorite Umbrian towns in case you end up in this part of the world. I’ll be posting a more extensive guide to Umbria on the Via Rosa website, but for now:
5 Umbrian Trattoria in 5 Umbrian Towns
Spello/ La Cantina di Spello
Montefalco / Enoteca L’Alchimista
Bevagna / Antiche Sere
Todi/ Pane e Vino
Panicale / Masolino
WHAT I’M READING
As someone who owns multiple sets of dishes I'm thinking of paring down, knowing neither of my daughters are interested in them (sad but true.) What are your thoughts on dishes these days? I'd love to hear your stories since we are all of an age where we actually care about this stuff. Here is an article to spark the conversation.
Are you curious how all those coins that get thrown in the Trevi fountain are spent?
I agree that risotto is a state of mind.
I get at least 5 messages per week about people who want to talk to me about moving to Italy. This article lists 10 questions you should ask yourself before asking others for advice.
The Vasari corridor, which connects the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace, running over the Ponte Vecchio, is open again after 9 years.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
My Old Ass was such a enjoyable film with a totally unexpected story line.
I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to re-watch Schitt’s Creek. If anything, it’s even funnier now than it was 10 years ago.
Someone mentioned that they thought Die Hard was a Christmas movie. Really? I’m not sure it was a holiday movie, but we did enjoy the time travel back to the prime Bruce Willis era. Also: So many perms.
I’m finally binging on Dexter. What took me so long?
We loved Carry-On, even if it was kind of silly.
Black Doves left us with so many unanswered questions (the plot is full of holes) but it was good vacation watching. Keira Knightly was very much herself, and I love the fact that she is aging naturally. And I absolutely loved the male lead Ben Whishaw and all of the supporting cast.
Currently watching - and loving - Drops of God. Super weird, but very entertaining. In multiple languages so subtitles are a must.
WHAT I’M EATING
I’m not sure if it’s a real trend or just my own instagram feed skewing towards Grilled Panettone. You too? It’s basically a grilled cheese sandwich but you substitute leftover panettone for the bread. While I haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet, I’ve not only got several videos like this one and this one saved, but I also have an entire unopened panettone. So it’s in my future. In the meantime here is a ‘recipe’ in case you too are suffering from an abundance of panettone. It works especially well if it’s slightly stale/dry.
Grilled Panettone
2 half inch slices of panettone
Cheese of choice: I’d suggest a fontina or some other nutty mountain cheese
Butter
Put butter into a pan and let melt.
Cut the cheese into thin slices or grate.
Place one slice of bread in the pan with sizzling butter, and top with cheese and the other slice of bread.
Let cook until the cheese starts to melt and then flip.
Both sides should be nicely browned and the cheese melted and gooey. In other words: typical grilled cheese but make it panettone.
AND FINALLY….
Sophie is currently hiking up a volcano in Guatemala , but before she left she filmed this super cute video talking about what she does for a living.
Wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy New Year! I hope you can join us here in Italy but if not, I’ll be seeing you through the newsletter each month. Thank you for your support!
x,Elizabeth
Please host another late fall tour in Umbria in 2026, Elizabeth.
Yes to the Bay Leaf liqueur recipe! My husband and I made it for Christmas, and it's delicious. Had to get our Everclear from another state, but otherwise, simple to do and quite festive for the holidays (or anytime, for that matter).
When I saw the china article in the NY Times yesterday, I sent it to my sons, other family members, and friends. Thrilled that my older son and his wife were happy to have turquoise Wedgewood "Praze" china set from my grandmother, as well as silverware that goes so well with it. Now if my younger son will take the Limoges and Stieff silverware when I'm gone, I'll be happy. Hope they'll want the crystal at some point, too. I am at a loss to understand why younger folks don't seem to value special occasions as much as we older ones do--everything is so casual and laid back. Every night, we always sat at the table and had dinner together and talked with one another. The "good" china, silverware, and crystal were used for holidays and special family dinners. This is reflected in how people dress these days, too. Don't get me wrong, I like being relaxed, but I miss the days when people made more of an effort. I was a working mother, so I know how challenging it can be. Italians still seem to care about la bella figura. It's not just about how one looks, but how one lives his/her life as well.