What a cooking school!!

Only those participating to the weeks scheduled at Fié allo Sciliar (Alto Adige), will have the exclusive chance and the unforgettable pleasure to meet the world known chef Luis Agostini and his beautiful and modern school, "Condito", in Bolzano, where he will receive our guests as a perfect host as well as the only one, among the famous chefs, who shares his recipes wih everyone willing to learn his secrets...

The Condito school kitchen

Two of the four half-day cooking lessons will be given in the original kitchen of the XIVth century Maso Grottner, an exclusive ancient building recently restored and opened only for special clients.

The Grottner entrance hall

The Grottner new kitchen

The Grottner old patio

The Grottner XIV century kitchen

The Grottner first luxury suite

The Grottner second luxury suite

Roman lifestyle

The weeks in Rome: what an original and exclusive way of living in the most beautiful city in the world. Guests will stay in super-selected Roman apartments and houses, located in superb buildings in spectacular areas of the Eternal City and giving the perfect chance to experience the real Roman Lifestyle.

A house in Rome, Via Margutta (see videoclip)

These are only few images of the apartments selected by Tasteof.it and its exclusive partner specialized in luxury typical Roman aprtments.

Roman thermae

thermae entrance

This is only one of the several fantastic locations that Tasteof.it has selected for its Clients and that you can find into the Tasteof.it Vademecum book.

The Hammam is a pleasure of our civilization since ever: beginning in the ancient world of the Hellenic-Roman period under the name of thermae, it is born out of a need to enjoy leisure and social exchange. It is a luxuriuos place where one comes to cleanse the body through a series of treatments while purifying the soul and relaxing the mind. Step out of the frantic pace of your everyday, busy life, and step into a place of serenity in the hearth of Rome.

tepidarium

Let the scent of incense and the sound of flowing water transport you to a time and place when life is uncomplicated and the childhood pleasures of dreaming and losing yourself in your thoughts come easily and effortlessly. Inside the Thermae you will find multiple rooms; in each, from the coldest to the hottest, there will be attendants pampering you and washing you and taking care of your every need. You will begin in the changing room (apodyterium), then, with just a towel on, you will proceed to the warm bath (tepidarium 36°) where steam, the faint sound of water and pale light provide a dreamlike atmosphere. You will lie down on a warm marble bench following your shower and a massage of Moroccan olive soap alternating with a hot water wash will open your pores, relax your body and cleanse you. From the tepidarium, you will be transported to the hot baths (calidarium 45°- 100% humidity) where you will experience a real “steam bath”; here heat improves circulation, and aids in calming the mind to help you sleep, hot steam hydrates the lungs, which help fight against the common cold, flu and rheumatic pains.

frigidarium

The sweating removes toxins and excess water in the body. Following the hot baths, you will experience a brisk and vigorous body scrub with the traditional Hammam glove and finally you will enter the cold bath (frigidarium 28°), which acts as a skin and muscle toner.

fountain

Al dente ...

Bucatini Amatriciana
Serving: 4

• 100 g pancetta, diced
• Extravergin olive oil, for brushing
  
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 fresh chilli, seeded and chopped
  
• 500 g tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
  
• 350 g bucatini pasta
• 40 g pecorino cheese, freshly grated
  
• salt

Brush a flameproof casserole with oil, add the pancetta and cook over a low heat until the fat runs. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and chilli, season with salt, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Cook the bucatini in a large pan of salted,boiling water until al dente, then drain and toss with the sauce in a warm serving dish adding the pecorino cheese.

Jump ... jump

Roman Saltimbocca

Serving: 4

• 100 g prosciutto slices, halved
  
• 500 g veal escalopes
  
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
  
• 50 g butter
  
• 100 ml dry withe wine
  
• salt

Saltimbocca means "jump into the mouth".
Place a half-slice of prosciutto on each escalope, put a sage leaf on top and fasten with a cocktail stick. Melt the butter in a fying pan and cook the veal over a high heat on both sides until golden brown. Season with salt, pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated, then remove the cocktail sticks and serve.

An Alpine flavour

Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of between 37.5% and 60% alcohol by volume of italian origin. Literally "grape stalk", most grappa is made by distilling pomace, grape residue (mainly the skins, but also stems and seeds) left over from winemaking after pressing. It was originally made to prevent waste by using leftovers at the end of the wine season. It quickly became commercialised, mass-produced, and sold worldwide. Some grappa, known as prima uva, is made with the whole grapes. The flavour of grappa, like that of wine, depends on the type and quality of the grape used as well as the specifics of the distillation process.

Grappa was originally made in the northern Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, and some contend that this is the origin of the name, rather than from the Latin graspa.

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a "digestivo" or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose was to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Most grappa is clear, indicating that it is an un-aged distillate, though some may retain very faint pigments from their original fruit pomace. Lately, aged grappas have become more common, and these take on a yellow, or red-brown hue from the barrels in which they are stored.

A mediterranean recipe

Pasta alla Norma

Serving:4

• 350 g spaghetti
• 2 Aubergines (eggplant)
• 4-5 ripe tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• fresh basil
• seasoned ricotta or pecorino cheese (for grating)
• extravergin olive oil

Once sliced, the aubergines are to be sprinkled with coarse salt, placed under a weight and left for the juices to run out. Sautè the chopped onion, the crushed garlic ad a few basil leaves in 4-5 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Toss in the tomatoes, roughly chopped, with a pinch of salt and reduce it all gently (15-20 minutes). Rinse the aubergine, dab dry and brown with olive oil in a frying pan. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, drain al dente and stir into the tomato souce, dredging with grated seasoned ricotta cheese. Add the aubergine, diced finely, a couple of sliced basil leaves and another liberal sprinkling of cheese.

The Ice man

Ötzi the Iceman (pronounced [oetsi]), and Similaun Man are modern names of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC (53 centuries ago). The mummy was found in 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Oetzal Alpes, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Italy and Austria. The nickname comes from Ötztal (Ötz valley), the region in which he was discovered. He is Europe's oldest natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans. The body and his belongings are displayed in the Regional museum in Bolzano.


Ötzi was found by two German tourists on 19 September 1991. The body was at first thought to be a modern corpse, like several others which had been recently found in the region. Lying on its front and frozen in ice below the torso, it was crudely removed from the glacier by the Austrian authorities using a small jackhammer (which punctured the hip of the body) and ice-axes using non-archaeological methods. In addition, before the body was removed from the ice, people were allowed to see it, and some took portions of the clothing and tools as souvenirs. The body was then taken to a morgue in Innsbruck, where its true age was subsequently ascertained.

By current estimates, at the time of his death Ötzi was approximately 1.65 metres (5 ft 5 in) tall, weighed about 50 kilograms (110 lb/7.9 st) and was about 45 years of age. When his body was found, it weighed 38 kilograms (84 lb/6.0 st). Because the body was covered in ice shortly after his death, it only partially deteriorated. Analysis of pollen and dust grains and the isotopic composition of his tooth enamel indicate that he spent his childhood near the present village ofFeldthurns (Velturno), north of Bolzano, but later went to live in valleys about 50 kilometres further north.
Ötzi had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. Using X-rays, it was determined that the Iceman may have had arthritis in these joints. It has been speculated that they may be related to acupuncture.
Ötzi's clothes were sophisticated. He wore a cloak made of woven grass and a coat, a belt, a pair of leggings, a loincloth and shoes, all made of leather of different skins. He also wore a bearskin cap with a leather chin strap. The shoes were waterproof and wide, seemingly designed for walking across the snow; they were constructed using bearskin for the soles, deer hide for the top panels, and a netting made of tree bark. Soft grass went around the foot and in the shoe and functioned like modern socks. The coat, belt, leggings, and loincloth were constructed of vertical strips of leather sewn together with sinew. His belt had a pouch sewn to it that contained a cache of useful items: a scraper, drill, flint flake, bone awl, and a dried fungus to be used as tinder.
Ther items found with the Iceman were a copper axe with a yew handle, a flint knife with an ash handle, a quiver of 14 arrows with viburnum and dogwood shafts. Two of the arrows, which were broken, were tipped with flint and hadfletching (stabilizing vents), while the other 12 were unfinished and untipped. The arrows were found in a quiver with what is presumed to be a bow string, a tool of some sort, and some antler which might have been used for making arrow points. There was also an unfinished yew longbow that was 1.82 metres (72 in) long.
In addition, among Ötzi's possessions were berries, two birch bark baskets, and two species of polypore mushrooms with leather strings through them. One of these, the birch fungus, is known to have antibacterial properties, and was likely used for medicinal purposes. The other was a type of tinder fungus, included with part of what appeared to be a complex firestarting kit. The kit featured pieces of over a dozen different plants, in addition to flint and pyrite for creating sparks.

You will visit the Oetzi museum during the Fiè allo Sciliar cooking course.

An universal appeal

Tasteof.it offers guided tours in places that are off the beaten truck. Tours will be led by art historians from the Cultural Association Iterarte Roma.

Iterarte started its cultural and social activities about 20 years ago, now playing a leading role in Roman cultural tourism.

Iterarte always loved choosing places that are normally closed to public, like Roman aristocratic palaces or ancient hidden sites. It usually prefers offering tours to small groups of participants, to experience the beauty and spirit of Rome, the eternal city.


The experience and the knowledge of extremely qualified art historians, the passion for the city, together with being Roman native, will allow guests an unforgettable stay in Rome. Everyone visiting Rome must admit that the city has a universal appeal. Who has not heard about Colosseum, the Ancient Roman Empire, the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo? Coming to a city like this, has a lot to do with remembering things that visitors have always known, more than it does with discovering things for the first time. Iterarte art historians, during the tours, will be able to refer to things that are part of a common cultural heritage that we all share. At the same time Iterarte will lead the guests of Tasteof.it to compare the Rome they always had in their imagination and their expectation with the reality of things that we will discover together. With this special approach everyone will have the lucky chance to a discover and create a “personal” Rome. As Romans, Iterarte art historians will make guests feeling welcome and comfortable in Rome, simply because the same cultural background belong to you as it belongs to us. Iterarte and Taste of. it will offer several scheduled tours, with a turnover based on seasons, but, upon request we can design a wide variety of walks and visits for people with special interests.

If you find nothing here to suit your needs, if you have a specialized request for visiting sites that lie outside the common places then please, we invite you to let us know.

What else?

This is one of the "tastiest" moments of the Roman week. On Tuesday evening  we all meet at an incredible place to enjoy a light dinner with an exceptional variety of cheeses, "salumi", wines, breads, olive oils, and many other Italian local specialties. Limata is one of the most famous "formaggeria e salumeria in Rome.

Limata has been founded in 1950 and always searched for high level quality standards, personally and directly selecting producers from all regions of Italy of any kind. This is why you will have the rare opportunity to try special matchings of cheeses with sweet mustards, of delicious dried cherry tomatoes with daily produced "burrata" and many more...  

Some other examples of rare combinations: Castelmagno d'Alpeggio, even "mature", together with white water mellon sauce, the Vedeseta of the Val Taleggio with the green tomatoes chutney , the extremely rare Bagoss di Bagolino of the Val Caffaro "married" to the red onions chutney.

Why not try the salame from Felino e il "doppio cucito" from Varzi, the deer's and roe's "mocette", accompanied by delightful wines and followed by a selection of chocolats and sweet specialties

What else?

Relatives and friends

Special programs, single customized guided tours and walks are available for companions of participants to the courses. Relatives and friends can apply to any of the scheduled weeks of Tasteof.it calendar WITHOUT attending the cooking courses (nor included lunches).
They will join the party in any of the social cultural and culinary activities, such as tours, excursions, walks, tasting, lunches and dinners.

Please see below for a variety of activities in any location.

In Rome
Guided tours to monuments, museums, archaeological, artistic and historical sites; photographic tours; personal shopping; kids activities; baby sitting and babies activities


In Fié allo Sciliar
Special reduced cards for the Kastelruth Golf Club; Guided tours to Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone, to ancient abbeys, medieval castles and interesting museums; hiking and naturalistic walks to the Siusi Highland, the Sciliar Massif Natural Park and Val Gardena.

In Salina
Guided tours to some of the splendid gems of the Aeolian Islands; visits to museums, hiking up to the volcanoes peaks, boat tours and scuba diving.


The mission of Tasteof.it is to provide everything in order to make the weeks in Italy a unique experience, an unforgettable stay for both participants and their companions.
So please let us know about any special request to create the most suitable program for you.

It is also possible to anticipate or to extend the duration of your stay. Please let us know any of your needs and we will do our best to arrange accommodation and organize a customized program of activities of any kind.