Claire Berger

Santo Pietro is a lovely, rambling villa that is home to Tuscan Women Cook Black Apron guests. Santo Pietro’s slogan: La tua Chiave perla Val D’Orcia. It means “Your key to the Val d’Orcia.” Santo Pietro Villa is in Pienza, the next village from Montefollonico. This feels very much like a private residence. It’s an old villa, with modern touches like updated bathrooms with rain head showers and large soaking Jacuzzi tubs. The villa features large bedroom suites with super luxurious bedding. Modern electronics like a TV, AC, and the internet have been installed, but the thick stone walls remind me that tech and medievalRead More →

Traveling alone definitely has its pros and cons. I am really enjoying doing what I want to do when I want to do it, taking no one else’s taste or energy level into consideration. I do miss sharing something delicious (“Taste this!”) or sharing a laugh at something ridiculous. Italy is such a romantic, picturesque country. I watch lovers kiss in the piazzas and I’ll admit it, my heart tugs a little. I head first to Mercato Albinelli, a great food hall filled with stalls of fresh produce, meats, fish, salamis and baked goods. I photograph everything from artfully arranged artichokes to sea scallops stillRead More →

I’m back…in ITALY! This is my month filled with great gastronomic adventures with Tuscan Women Cook. Two planes, three trains (one by mistake!) and one taxi and I’m in Modena with an opportunity to explore a new, delicious part of Italy. It’s a foodie mecca and home to the #1 chef in the world, Massimo Bottura. I’m looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep tonight and hitting the ground running tomorrow with a full day food tour of Modena and Bologna. After unpacking into my AirBnB flat, I collapsed for a short afternoon reposino. Refreshed, winning my personal jet lag competition, I taxied toRead More →