Dining in Orvieto

Gourmet Getaways was off on another excusive tour this fall and brought fifteen eager travelers.  The tour began in Orvieto, which was our base for the next four days.  We visited such towns as Torgiano, Deruta, Montefalco and Norcia and included wine tasting, visiting the ceramic factories in Deruta, olive oil tasting and more! Our food and wine, while in Umbria, was beyond our expectations.  It began with a meal in Orvieto , Venusos, which is located in the piazza steps from the Duomo.  The chef uses all local and fresh ingredients.  Each of the three dishes were paired with local Umbrian wines, which only enhanced the experience.  We enjoyed every mouthful! Luca’s  philosophy is: “Life is too shore to drink bad wine.”   I highly recommend this trattoria in Orvieto.

Our other dining experience while in Orvieto was at the Champagneria, behind the Duomo. We enjoyed a twelve course tasting lasting three hours! We toasted another great night filled with wonderful food and champagne.   Velia and Gianluca were great hosts.  Velia is a fantastic chef![gallery columns="2"]

It was another wonderful ’food’ experience!

A Fabulous Jewelry Store in Orvieto!

While staying in Orvieto this October I asked my friend Velia DeAngelis (more about Velia later)  if she knew of a great jewelry store in Orvieto.  Si Si ( si means'yes' in Italian)she replied that her friend Monica Coscioni has a beautiful shop in Orvieto.  And 'si', ' si' ,  my daughter and I went the next morning.  You can only imagine what we accomplished there! We easily navigated through the streets and arrived on time at 10am in the morning.  We rang the bell and Monica greeted us at the door and welcomed us into her studio/store.  Much of her creations, and I mean creations, were on display.  It is best to have her explain her creations and show you how they can be worn.  She is quite clever and her jewelry is beyond beautiful.  You can even watch her as she creates her jewelry as her studio is part of her store.

Everyone in Orvieto knows Monica!  Lovely and creative woman.  I now have a favorite jewelry store in Italy.

Spazio Manassei Gioielli is located on Via Adolfo Cozza 11/13 in Orvieto Italy.  Visit her website and view all her creations. Let me know what you think!

  She is hoping to open a store in Rome near the Spanish Steps before the holidays.  On my next tour to Italy, this spring, which by the way is sold out, I am going to bring the ladies there so they can see her beautiful creation.  They, I know, will want to purchase  a creation or two!  I know I will add to my collection.  I have already recieved many compliments!

If you go to visit Monica in Orvieto please tell her that I sent you!  You will not be disappointed !

A Visit to La Champagneria Orvieto

During my tour of Umbria this October with my group of twelve people we visited my friend’s, Velia DeAngelis, Champagneria in Orvieto, located behind the Duomo in Piazza Marconi 2. This delightful champagne bar serves the most delicious appetizers and has a wonderful selection of champagnes.  We could have stayed here the entire evening!  We came a little on the early side because we had dinner reservations for later that evening but next time I will definitely skip the dinner.  No need for dinner when you can indulge in all the wonderful appetizers at this bar.  We had everything from roasted olives to stuffed foccaccia and more!  Velia DeAngelis is a fantastic chef!  She uses only the freshest of ingredients.  Two hours of pure indulgence!  As  we departed that evening, we all spied the fruit tart on the bar counter.  She happily sliced off a piece for each of us.  We all marveled at the buttery and tender crust and the savory fruit filling.  It was beyond compare!

It was a great way to start our busy week exploring Umbria, it’s food and especially it’s wines.

When I return to Orvieto, which I hope is soon, I am definitely returning to La Champagneria Orvieto.  I encourage you to go to this bar and tell them Gourmet Getaways sent you.  You will not be disappointed.[gallery columns="2"]

Mamma Agata's Famous Lemon Cake.

 

This fall I combined business with pleasure and took my family to Italy. Having been to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast last year I thought I would repeat some of those exceptional days again, however this time we would all take a cooking class with Mamma Agata in Ravello. We arrived in Sorrento on a Sunday and checked into our hotel. (More about that later!) Early Monday morning we left the hotel and arrived at Mamma Agata’s about 10:30AM. Before I begin telling you about the lesson, let me first describe this magical place perched high on the cliffs above Amalfi.

As the door to Mamma’s house opened and we walked down the steps we were greeted with a panoramic view of the Bay of Salerno, Italian music, and Chiara, Mamma Agata’s daughter and translator. The morning began with a tasting of Mamma Agata’s famous lemon cake. Every mouthful was bursting with the taste of lemons. After we introduced ourselves to the other members of the class we began our demonstration cooking class in a state-of-the-art kitchen overlooking Ravello. As we all watched, with notebooks in hand, we also tasted different cheeses, pickled pumpkin, and olives and sipped local wines.