by Mara Solomon | Nov 1, 2017 | Blog, Food, Wine
Italy is the world’s largest wine producer by volume, so it’s no surprise that many consider a trip incomplete without a full wine experience. A trained sommelier, Emanuele Riva specializes in all varietals and aspects of wine service as well as the art of pairing...
by Mara Solomon | May 18, 2017 | Travel Advice
It’s question season here at Homebase Abroad. “Can we still find a house for this summer?” (Yes, except on the Amalfi Coast) “How do we get to Florence?” (We recommend by private car or train as parking a rental car is challenging), “How do we get on the water along...
by Mara Solomon | May 3, 2017 | Cities & Towns
Visiting a great city can sometimes feel like it comes with a lot of “shoulds.” Not the least is that you “should” actually find it a “great city” when maybe you won’t. When we work with guests on their plans for visiting Rome, we...
by Mara Solomon | Mar 4, 2017 | Food
We all have special skills. As my friends and family know, mine is dressing a salad just so, like the Italians. Now, it is easy to get into a disagreement about food in Italy. Even about dressing a salad. I was told, in no uncertain terms some years ago, to apply the...
by Mara Solomon | Mar 17, 2016 | Food
To appreciate the Pasticceria Gilli, one should take a trip through time. It’s 1733 Florence, during the reign of the last Medici, Gian Gastone. Italy and Europe is quite unstable. However, Florence is steadfast in commerce and a hub for social engagements. With that...
by Mara Solomon | Nov 17, 2015 | Food
When Jeff, our Italian personal chef, invites you for tea and cake at four you may arrive to find he has set out two fresh cakes and a big American-style mug of good coffee instead. ‘Non ce male’ as we say in Italian. Jeff is a favorite of ours, one of the...
by Mara Solomon | Jun 19, 2015 | Food, Seasons In Italy
Eat a feast of fall flavors this season in Italian gardens – round-hipped and deeply flavored zucca, mushrooms of a staggering variety sprouting according to weather, uve di fragile, sweet small grapes that hang like pendants hanging on pergola’s overhead, root...
by Mara Solomon | Jun 19, 2015 | Food, Wine
Getting close to the land is part and parcel of any introduction to the distinctive country ways of these mountains. At Homebase Abroad’s Villa San Lorenzo, this experience is magnified by the hospitality of your hosts– Stefano and Georgia. With them, you...
by Mara Solomon | Jun 19, 2015 | Cities & Towns, Food, Seasons In Italy
In our world, truffles are worth getting up early especially when you are walking with a local Italian and trained dogs in the damp early morning of Fall. Weather permitting, of course. This experience is set in the hills above Spoleto on a family-run organic farm. In...
by Mara Solomon | Dec 5, 2014 | Helpful Hints, Luxury Indulgences, Our Favorite Things, Travel Advice
Italians never sit down at an undressed table. For a snack and certainly for a special holiday feast, dressing the table is an essential part of preparing for a meal in true Italian style. A real meal in Italy is an evolution of tastes and colors reflected in the...
by Mara Solomon | Apr 15, 2014 | Food
What? A bad meal in Italy? Well, maybe impossible relative to a school cafeteria, but there is good, better, best when it comes to restaurants in Italy. When I am hungry and in a new place in Italy. I use these guidelines to find a new restaurant that most often...
by Mara Solomon | Mar 5, 2014 | Food, Italy Vacation Destinations
6 slices sirloin fillet (ask your butcher to make them 5mm thick) 6 very thin slices of lard (cured pork fat) salt & pepper 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 60 pine nuts 30 golden raisins 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 cup (225 grams) pecorino...
