News from Elizabeth: January 2026
Traditions, Links and a Ricotta Carrot Tart
Two things happened this past month that got me thinking, once again, about the impact of tourism on Italy. The first was that Italy’s cuisine was added to the UNESCO list of “intangible cultural heritage.” In fact, Italy is the first country ever to be recognized for its cuisine in its entirety, rather than for a single dish or tradition. While most people were applauding the recognition, others are calling it a ridiculous, even dangerous, move. I think the reaction should fall somewhere in between.
On the one hand, it’s validating to have certain aspects of what makes Italian cuisine so special recognized: the sense of community that surrounds it, the preservation of traditions, and things like sustainability, biodiversity, etc. And in addition, the recognition that cuisine is an integral part of Italian culture, which is obviously what I’m all about. So far, so good.
The naysayers also have some valid points, which include the connection between an “Italian” cuisine (which doesn’t really exist due to the regionality of Italy) and a right-wing nationalist agenda, as well as the added attention this recognition will bring to an already strained landscape trying to cope with the effects of overtourism. Will the centers of cities like Florence, Venice, and Rome turn into Disneyland-like locations filled with “food experiences” tailor-made to appeal to tourists? That’s already happened. Will the specificity of Italian regional cuisines be wiped out by this recognition? That, too, has already started to happen, due to far too many factors to go into here.
But at the end of the day, I do believe the pros outweigh the cons. I’m happy whenever anyone talks about culture and food in the same sentence. And if we want to make sure to preserve the traditions that still exist before they disappear forever, we have to do the work ourselves. I also don’t think that international recognition always leads to the disappearance of traditional foodways.
A case in point is the famous pasta called filindeu, made in Sardinia. When I first wrote about this pasta in my book Eating My Way Through Italy, there were literally only five women who knew how to make this exquisite pasta, and I managed to track down one of them. Shortly after I visited, Jamie Oliver visited and made a video. Soon, more and more people were heading to the small town of Nuoro trying to track down someone who could demonstrate the technique. This led enterprising younger Sardinians to learn more about this pasta and to develop businesses that could work with visitors, cooking classes and restaurants, to share its secrets. Today, years later, now that we are leading tours in Sardinia, we are happy to work with local chefs to pass on this technique, which is no longer in danger of dying out.
The other item that made the news is that the city of Rome is now charging an entrance fee to visit the Trevi Fountain. I don’t even know how to begin to unpack this news, except maybe to cry. The city I grew up in is so far removed from the city of today that I find myself hovering on the border between tears and anger. The irony, that the city is being ruined by tourism and that I make my living from tourism, is not lost on me. But there has to be a better solution than charging a fee to visit a public monument. At the moment, Rome is being turned into one big amusement park, complete with little rides to get around (golf carts, etc.) and no housing left for locals.
While a possible solution lies in big-picture politics and national economic decisions, there is something you can actually do in the meantime. But you’re not going to like it. Avoid coming to Rome. And while you’re at it, don’t visit Florence or Venice either. If you must, come in January or February. But really, I would say just stay away and explore other regions. Might I suggest Torino? Genoa? Bologna? Not to mention every little town in each and every one of the 20 regions that make up Italy. And while you’re there? Track down a plate of locally made pasta. There is no reason anyone in the world has to come to Italy to wait in line to visit the Trevi Fountain.
WHAT’S NEW
We’ve announced all of our tours for 2026, and even though they are almost all sold out, it does make sense to add your name to a waitlist in case there is a tour you have your heart set on. The way it works is that when we announce a tour, you have to pay a nonrefundable deposit to sign up. The balance is due four months prior to the tour start date, so that is the moment when a sold-out tour may have some spots open up. If you see a tour that says SOLD OUT, that means we already have a really long waitlist. If the tour says WAITLIST, this means you’ve got a chance!
Although Sophie and I have a bit of vacation travel planned during our off time in January and February, we are still busy planning for the upcoming tours in 2026 and even finalizing some of our plans for 2027. I’ll be heading back to Piedmont in February to put the final touches on our newest tour to Torino and the Langhe. I’ll be visiting a cheesemaker, a flour mill, and a grappa distillery, as well as staying in two fancy hotels. I know, it’s hard work, but I’ll do my best to work through the grind.
One of the other things I’m busy doing is adding to our roster of guest hosts. In 2026, we are happy to be collaborating with a great group of food-focused folks, including Meryl Feinstein, Zoë François, Evan Kleiman, Corre Larkin, Shereen Pavlides, Erin O’Brien, Jenny Rosentrach, and Shauna Niequist. Is there someone you’d like to travel with to Italy? We are actively searching for guest hosts, so if you can suggest anyone, we’d love to hear from you. They don’t have to be Italy experts, but they do have to be passionate about food. Think of someone fun that you follow who you’d like to spend a week with, learning all about Italian food. If anyone comes to mind, leave a comment below.
Feeling a bit left out since all the tours are sold out? Remember, the best way to jump on one of our tours is to make sure you are signed up for the paying version of this newsletter.
WHAT I’M READING
I very much enjoyed the newest Dan Brown, The Secret of Secrets, which, more than anything, made me want to visit Prague. It was a bit bizarre reading it alongside watching Pluribus (which I also loved!) since both tackle the concept of shared consciousness. Has this discussion always been around, or is it only now becoming trendy?
In case you haven’t heard, Rome got a brand-new subway stop, which also happens to be a museum. It’s supposed to be gorgeous, and I’ve been meaning to go see it, but…oops. In case you haven’t heard, Rome’s newest subway stop isn’t really working. That downfall was fast, even by Rome standards. Evidently they forgot to account for rain.
You all know I am a big proponent of using food as a way to discover local culture, and cooking with locals is a big part of that. This article spotlights several of Via Rosa’s colleagues who help visitors learn the ins and outs of pizza, pasta, and much more.
How did I never know about Lemon Pigs?
I didn’t realize I was part of one of the last peer groups to grow up with what is known as “America’s television heritage.” This means that when I was growing up, many black-and-white shows from the 1950s were still in syndication. And I’ve been watching TV ever since. This very personal list, 10 Old Television Series That Every Kid Needs to Watch, brought back so many memories. Since it is so personal, what shows would you add to the list? Leave your answers in the comments below.
WHAT I’M EATING
One of the perks of documenting everything I do and eat online is that I simply have to look at my phone to see what I made for holidays past when I’m searching for inspiration. We are mostly creatures of habit and tend to do the same things and eat the same dishes on the 24th and 25th year after year. And for the last few years, we’ve begun a new habit of celebrating New Year’s up in Umbria with our good friends.
This year, however, we changed things up a bit and stayed in Rome to celebrate with our neighbors here, who live just across the piazza. As per their tradition, they made a massive bowl of Salat Olivier and had oodles of caviar, salmon, and other Russian goodies. I was tasked with bringing some sort of “main course,” which had to be kind of light but filling, suitable for buffet-style eating, and delicious at room temperature.
My torta rustica to the rescue. With a store-bought crust in hand, it’s my go-to solution for all of those situations and more. But I realized that I mostly make it in the summer, with zucchini or tomatoes, or in the spring with asparagus. I had absolutely no winter backup plan.
After much hemming and hawing (radicchio? too bitter. Mushrooms? too brown), I settled on carrots. Although I would have loved to find a big bunch of multicolored carrots, the ordinary orange ones worked just fine.
AND FINALLY…..
I’ve been writing a version of this newsletter for the past 15 years, and I’m not giving it up anytime soon. But over time, Via Rosa has grown into its own thing, and my colleagues there (meaning my daughters Emma and Sophie) have been gently nudging me toward creating a separate newsletter just for Via Rosa. They’re right, and I agree. The challenge has been figuring out what that newsletter should actually be.
The question we kept coming back to was this: what would a Via Rosa newsletter offer that’s different from this one? The answer turned out to be hiding in plain sight. We’ve been quietly adding a huge amount of new content to the Via Rosa website, including guides, blog posts, and resources that don’t always get the attention they deserve. There’s a lot there, and it’s exactly the kind of material that’s useful whether you’re planning your next trip to Italy or just your next Italian dinner party at home.
We also realized that many of our guest hosts share wonderful recipes and food-related content they discovered while hosting a Via Rosa trips and we wanted a place to highlight and share that work as well.
So we’ve decided to launch a new Via Rosa newsletter focused specifically on sharing this kind of content. Don’t worry, it will only come out once a month, so it won’t clog your inbox. The first issue will arrive in your mailbox next week, and I really look forward to hearing what you think.
Wishing you all the best for 2026! What new projects do you have on the horizon?
x, Elizabeth
You're indefatigable and always interesting!
Happy New Year Elizabeth and family. I always enjoy your newsletter. I think it is my favourite! I love the combination of Roman experiences as well as Umbrian. FYI I hope to become an Italian resident sometime this year.
I have a suggestion for a guest host: Emiko Davies. Her Japanese heritage and love of all things Italian make her another very interesting person. I hope to attend her cooking school in the near future.