November 2024 News from Elizabeth
Tours, News + Pumpkin Lasagna
Last week we hosted our very first Florence tour and it was so much fun! It was a very special week, since it was designed by my friend Rolando who arranged all sorts of private visits with friends of his which are usually off limits. Normally I would not have considered bringing a group to Florence since the city is already so over-burdened with tourism. But Rolando convinced me that this would be a different kind of tour, which explored a side of the city that tourists often overlooked. He also believed that it would give us a chance to talk about and explore ways that everyone can be a better tourist in Italy. Or anywhere in the world, really, that is suffering under the burden of over tourism
During the last evening of our week, as we were sipping our coffee in a princess’s living room (it was that kind of week), we were talking about constructive ways that everyone can be a better tourist. Obviously sipping espresso in a 17th century palazzo is not an approach that I can recommend to everyone. But I did offer some simple things to think about next time you are booking a trip to Europe:
Stay in a hotel: The Airbnb system is gutting out cities all over Europe. Locals can no longer afford to live in the historic center, since companies are buying up apartments to rent out to tourists. This leads to the towns becoming de-facto Disneylands that cater only to tourists. This means that all the things you come to visit - where the locals go - no longer exist. When renting through Airbnb you are actively participating in the destruction of the very thing you are coming to visit.
Stay in one place: If you really want to get to know a place one night doesn’t even scratch the surface. “Doing” Florence or Rome in a day not only wastes your time, but also puts stress on the city. Instead think about spending at least 4 or 5 nights in one town, and make it your hub to explore not just that town, but the surrounding area.
Make your shopping count: Spending money in the local economy is definitely a good thing. So when you are buying gifts or souvenirs try to make sure they are at the very least made in Italy. There is no reason you have to take home a t-shirt that says ‘Rome’ if that shirt was made in China. Try to find local craftspeople or even better some sort of food gift. (Let me know if you’d like to see a future post with some suggestions?)
Tours: I’m all for hiring a local tour guide to make the most of your time. But one thing I am 100% against is signing up for a golf cart or three-wheeled truck tour. This new form of tourism places tourists into electric golf carts that roam through the otherwise quite back streets of both small and big cities and towns, making them seem like a ride at an amusement park. I know they are a comfortable way to see a lot in a short amount of time, but they are usually not owned by locals and are definitely making daily life worse for them.
I know everyone will have strong opinions about all this, so please do leave your comments below. I’d also love to hear any suggestions for approaches I left out.
WHO’S WHO
I’m starting a new section in the newsletter today to highlight some of the amazing people we collaborate and work with.
I first met Maria Grazia and her daughter Chiara in 2018 when I visited their magical hotel, Masseria Potenti. Originally from Puglia, Maria Grazia, Chiara and the rest of the Tommasino family had moved to Milan thirty years ago, but always hoped to return to Puglia. When they first saw Masseria Potenti their dream was to restore it as their private home, and as a place to be able to invite all the friends they had made in the north of Italy to discover their family’s southern roots. But the Masseria was massive, and the family soon realised, it was too much house for them to use themselves. And so they transformed it into a hotel, where they still live, but also receive guests. And the wonderful thing is that it still very much feels like you are staying at their home.
Life at Masseria Potenti revolves around the seasons and the food and wine that the estate produces. Cooking in Puglia is very much about vegetables, and it takes very little to turn them into an incredible meal. Maria Grazia though, has an incredible sense of both taste, style and drama that she brings with her into the kitchen. Even when using simple ingredients she transforms them into something uniquely beautiful without ever being too fussy. She has shared so many recipes with me over the years, including this vegetable tart, this stuffed bread and pasta with smashed tomatoes. She and her daughter Chiara turn every moment of life at the Masseria into a thing of beauty. We are very lucky to call them friends, but also so thrilled that we are working on a new tour that is based in this idyllic spot.
Our friend and colleague Dr. Annie Fenn will be hosting a week here next April. Each morning will begin with yoga and breakfast before heading out for culinary day trips to explore the food and traditions of Puglia. Throughout the week Annie will also be exploring what it means to cultivate a brain-healthy life. Maria Grazia will be leading a cooking class, and each day will end with dinners at the Masseria.
WHAT’S NEW
We’ve been slowly rolling out out tours for 2025 and are excited to be heading back to all the places we love next year. As you know we always announce new tours first through the Premium version of the newsletter and then if there are still spots left I share them on the website. You can find the full schedule here, but the tours that still have a few spots left in Spring 2025 are listed below:
Bari and Matera with Sophie March 9-15,2025
Palermo & Western Sicily with Sophie March 23-29, 2025
Eastern Sicily with Elizabeth May 4-10, 2025
Parma With Elizabeth May 25-31 2025
We’ll be announcing our fall schedule in the next few weeks so make sure you are signed up for the Premium Newsletter if you want to make sure to grab a spot.
WHAT I’M READING
I am still trying to wrap my head around the grate cheese heist. Mostly I want to know how one goes about re-selling all that hot cheese?
Even though I have long known about my friend Alice Feiring’s brush with a serial killer her recent recounting gave me chills.
Very much looking forward to watching Ralph Fiends and Stanley Tucci don their cardinal robes in this movie.
Next up on my Kindle: Kate Atkinson’s Death at the Sign of the Rook. Has anyone read her latest yet?
WHAT I’M EATING
It’s October 31 as I write this newsletter and Sophie asked me to make a Halloween dinner. I decided that anything with pumpkin in it is Halloween right? But frankly this would make a great vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Lasagna
Serves 4
Ingredients
10-20 sage leaves
400 grams pre-cooked dry lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped.
2 pounds sliced pumpkin (I used Violino, but you can also use butternut)
salt, pepper
2 cups grated parmigiano reggiano
For the bechamel
50 grams butter
50 grams flour
1/2 liter (2 cups) whole milk, heated
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (can be substituted by an extra cup of milk)
nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Peel the pumpkin and cut into very thin slices, about 1/4 inch. Lay on two baking sheets and toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in pre-heated oven until tender (about 25 minutes)
Make the bechamel: melt the butter in a pan and then add the flour. Stir and let it cook for about 3 minutes, but don’t let it brown. Slowly add the milk and broth, stirring, until it is all mixed in. Continue stirring until it is thickened, and add salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg to taste. Regular bechamel is rather thick. You want this to be a bit liquid since you are starting with dry noodles.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a small pan and cook half of the sage leaves until just crisp. Lay aside. Add the chopped onions to the same pan, season with salt and pepper and let soften over low heat, for about 8 minutes. Turn off heat.
Mix one cup of bechamel with the onion mixture.
To assemble
Use a pan measuring 13 x 9 inches.
Ladle some bechamel onto the bottom of the pan, using the back of the spoon to coat the bottom. You don’t need a lot, but just enough to cover it in a thin layer.
Next lay the dry noodles in one layer, then 1/3 of the pumpkin. Cover with a layer of bechamel, smoothing it with the back of the spoon. Next a layer of parmigiano.
Now repeat: noodles, the onion bechamel, pumpkin, the fried sage leaves.
Last layer: Noodles, bechamel, parmigiano and finally the uncooked sage leaves.
When ready to cook preheat oven to 180C/ 350F and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden.
Best if you let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
And finally….
Have a good week, and if you haven’t already done so (and if you are able to) I hope you take your right to vote seriously and make your voice heard. I did.
x, Elizabeth
Thanks for the tips about being a responsible tourist, especially avoiding Airbnb’s. One thing I dislike about staying in a hotel is having to rely on restaurant eating three meals a day. It would be great if you could recommend lodging options that have a kitchen(ette)?
Thank you for your fantastic tips about how to be a better tourist. I agree with them all, but with a caveat about Airbnbs.
I have long found that so many hotels in Europe are overpriced and poor value for money. This has only increased since I’ve had children, and now I need more bed rooms, and I need to be prepared to feed little humans at any time of day or night so I need a kitchen, and a washing machine for all of the laundry. Hotels have become impractical.
However, when looking for Airbnbs, it is possible to look carefully and with consideration to find ones that are locally, individually owned and not owned by a company. It’s not perfect, but this can help the local economy.