Italy through the five senses: new travel and culinary experience

Two California based companies have put together their “philosophies” to create a unique experience for the family that will immerse you in the sunny,colored atmosphere of the Italian traditional life, making you “taste” the best of it.

 

Co-founded by Tina Fanelli Moraccini and Lilian Palmieri, Piccolo Chef is an innovative school committed to teaching parents and their kids how to cook and eat in a fun and healthy way. By using seasonal fruit and vegetables and local products, children learn about the history of foods and the different world cultures.

 

Led by Laura Bianconcini, Exclusively Italian is a one of a kind tour operator, committed to promote a new way of traveling Italy. Far from making of you one of the million tourists that every year visit the country, Exclusively Italian creates customized itineraries for individuals, couples, families and small groups designed on your interests and needs, to create a unique and authentic Italian experience.

 

Together, they just launched the first educational and fun culinary vacation for families. Next June, they will take you to a one week tour through Italy countryside and beautiful cities, following natural rhythms, observing habits and cultures, and learning the pleasure of making your own food.

 

“Our strongest expertise is designing tour packages based around different themes for organizations or individuals operating in specific fields or with specific interests” explains Laura Bianconcini. “In order to create the best and most rewarding trip we devote our biggest investment to the research onsite relying on a solid network of suppliers with whom we cooperate, selecting the best locations, arranging the most peculiar activities and establishing new relations with local experts. I travel to Italy every other month to meet owners, drivers, tour guides, directors of museums, chefs. Together we get the inspiration and new ideas to propose, and this is the most enriching part of my job. The people are always the key factor for success. That’s why I have embraced to partner with Piccolo Chef for this trip: because together we were able to develop something really special.”

 

Enjoy the familiar atmosphere of the agriturismo then; you will be awakened by the aroma of homemade pies and fresh products. Start the day with a guided walk of local vineyards and olive groves; the owner himself will tell you about the harvest and the making of organic wines. Watch your kids having their first cooking class; what’s better than having your meal made by them? Visit a traditional mill; learn of life in Italy before the industrial era and experience the magic of making your own bread and pizza. Visit a farm and let your children get familiar with the animals, guided by a special educator; a real experience is worth a way more than a book.

 

And then visit the beautiful Perugia; after entering the Perugina chocolate factory, a Master Chef Chocolatier will teach you how to make chocolate in the capital of Baci. Discover the beautiful contrade of Siena, kissed by the Tuscan sun; a contradaiolo will guide you through the places of the traditional Palio, and will host you in one of their medieval palaces, for a lunch in an ancient atmosphere, while quaint Cortona, set of Under the Tuscan Sun, will make you discover the most important Etruscan museum through an interactive path, to learn about this ancient Italian civilization that left so much richness in our history.

 

“At Piccolo Chef” says Piccolo Chef Event Coordinator in Orange County Elisabetta Bilardi, “we believe that sophisticated yet simple recipes based on high-quality, real food will keep children and teens engaged and will teach them a life skill they will take with them forever; all this while building the self-confidence that comes with making delicious family meals. With us they will discover the Italian culture, and they will learn the history of foods and recipes as well as proper table manners and etiquette. We will work as a team to make amazing new dishes, and we will bring the family together in a way that many of us have forgotten in the haste and stress of our do-it-all schedules.
The kitchen is where the hearth and the heart are… It is where we talk about our days, remember our past, dream of our future and share time with the people we cherish…now even in Italy! That is Piccolo Chef!”

 

Walk in the countryside and along the most beautiful buildings; learn about traditions, habits, and foods. Observe, smell, taste and savor them. Forget thefast paced life and let the sunny days of June lead you through a unique experience in Italy.

This just sounds like a dream vacation, doesn’t it? Discover more then, by visiting www.piccolochef.com and www.exclusivelyitalian.com, or by calling(619) 564-4798.