Italian bucket list, CHECK

Schedule your bucket list item NOW.

We all have dreams and things we would like to accomplish before our time is up. I know I have a mental list and I had my parents compile theirs. Just like any work “to do” list, bucket lists are important. It’s important to be able to check pleasurable things off. Whether getting your masters, taking a dance class or traveling to and exotic place. I’ve been fortunate to travel to Italy for pleasure and for work in the past, but Italy was calling when my friend and I wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our 50^th birthdays. We were supposed to go in May of 2020 the same year her daughter, my goddaughter graduated from High School (Congrats Michaela). But we all know what happened in March of 2020. COVID was raging and everything shut down. Italy was heavily impacted.

I’m happy to say that after over 3 years of talking about it, May of 2022 we made the journey.

For me, the one bucket list item I wanted to accomplish was to take a cooking class in Italy. Tuscany specifically. The pre-COVID plan was to spend a week in a rental in Tuscany and another week touring. But schedules, timelines and plans changed and so we adapted. Tuscany was going to see us for only 2 days. So we made the most of it and found an agritourism hotel. It was a hotel/vineyard/farm who produced organic wine and grew and made their own organic olive oil.

I mean if we were going to find nirvana somewhere – it was going to be here.

I was perusing the farms website after I booked it and discovered they offered cooking classes. I was determined to fit this in. I contacted the farm and they got back to me with the price and length of the class. “Please reserve a spot for 3 people I wrote, grazie!” I was going to surprise my friends with it. The farm was amazing, and I already want to return, one night was definitely not enough.

Set up in the hills of Tuscany outside of San Gimingano there is a long, narrow, one lane road up to the farms main house. Olive trees and vineyards on either side for as far as the eye could see. The rolling hills of Tuscany did not disappoint. We felt like we were in a picture book. I’ve never seen so many roses in full bloom all at once.

We settled in and went to the infinity pool overlooking the most picturesque scenery. The water was cool and the temperature was in the 90’s. Locals said they were having August weather. The next day we were to have our 3-hour cooking class.

Two other people from Wisconnsin where in our class so in total there were 5 of us along with Chef Etta. She showed us how to make homemade pasta along with a sauce, lemon and almond biscotti, eggplant parmesan and sautéed pork loin in red wine. We each took turns preparing, taking photos and making sure nothing burned. You had the chance to ask the chef any. We tasted the farms olive oil and wine along with some local cheese.

At the end of our class, we all sat down to our meal which was served by the chef. Some other guests and the staff enjoyed our cooking as well, especially the biscotti. I have not duplicated this meal yet, i plan on making it for my nephew. Everything in Italy just tastes better.

Fun Fact: The potatoes wherever we had them tasted salty, I asked the chef and she said it’s all because of the soil. The potatoes tasted salty and yet there was no salt added…. amazing.

So get out there, have a Woment with your friends and check something big or small off your bucket list.