Oh ribollita... how I love thee. 

The first time I ever had this amazing veggie stew was during the fall while I was nannying for an Italian family. The mom made the most incredible batch and topped it with bright green olive oil. It was pure heaven.

Ribollita in Italian means "re-boiled." This soup is traditionally made with leftover veggies! All the scraps left over at the end of the week or already cooked veggies, hence the name. It definitely tastes better with fresh but you do you ;) 

This soup is super easy and gives you LOTS of leftovers.  And trust me, you're going to want the leftovers...

​Pistacchio or cioccolato gelato? Vino rosso or bianco? Gnocchi or pizza? While there's no wrong answer (because, YUM!), it can be tricky choosing between two great options! 

We have a similar conundrum when it comes to our Wanderful Retreats. How do you choose between an amazing week in a villa tucked in the hills of Southern Tuscany, or an equally amazing week in the historic center of bustling Lucca?! 

While we can't pick for you (or why pick between the two, you could do both weeks ;)), we can help guide you in selecting the Wanderful Retreat week that fits you best! ​

Cos'è questo? What is this?
1. It's delicious. 
2. It's easy to make. 
3. It became my obsession during our honeymoon in Southern Italy this summer! My husband and I first ventured to Naples for pizza (of course) and then to Capri. After Capri, we flew to Sicily and headed to our agriturismo out in the countryside.

By recommendation of our host, we tried the farmhouse antipasti spread which included this saucy, savory and sweetly stewed dish called Caponata. I have NEVER encountered it before and I certainly didn't want this time to the best the last! For the rest of our time in Sicily, besides hunting down the best cannoli and granita we could find every day, I was on the hunt for more of this dish! 

As soon as we got home to Los Angeles, we tracked down some recipes to try and recreate it. We've gotten *very* close to what we tasted in Sicily and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. 

Ciao amici! Long time no blog post ;) 

2022 was certainly an unforgettable summer. In addition to having two WONDERFUL group retreats in both Castiglion Fiorentino and Lucca, my now husband and I got married in Castiglion Fiorentino two days after I wrapped up the Lucca Retreat! It was a whirlwind but an absolutely magical whirlwind. 

I'll be writing more in-depth journal posts about each individual retreat but I just wanted to put together a little highlight post of some of my favorite moments from possibly my favorite summer in Italy since the very first one in 2009. 

Read on for more! 

You know that photo we use on our landing page of our website? Well, it's one of our biggest secrets. 

It looks like we took it in the rolling hills of Tuscany but the truth is that we actually snapped this photo in a friend's backyard... in Southern California! Miles and miles from Italy, but full of all the warmth and vibes of our beloved 2nd home. 

While we find ourselves in month 8 of sheltering at home, and over a year without stepping foot in Italy, we're looking for ways to bring bits of Italia into our home as a comfort and to keep the withdrawals at bay.