Bella Giornata Tours

01/02/2024

It's crab season!!!

I spent last weekend in rainy, foggy Astoria, Oregon, and had such a good time. The couple of photos that look like black and white photos... were not. It was just so foggy; the bridge appeared to go nowhere. It was very eerie.

After visiting the maritime museum, I have new knowledge and respect for bar pilots. Oh my goodness, what a tough, specialized, and important job that is! They help ships navigate the treacherous stretch of water where the Pacific Ocean meets the Columbia River. And they've been doing it since 1846!

Astoria was also the home of the original Bumblebee salmon cannery. Pier 39 still pays homage to the cannery and its importance to the area. And luckily Olebob's is also at Pier 39, and there you can buy freshly cooked crab to take home.

It's a lot of work and mess to crack that crab. But the rewards are sweet and delicious. There's nothing quite like Dungeness 🦀. I didn't take photos because I didn't want to touch my phone while I was dealing with crab-cracking! We didn't do anything fancy with it. I made garlic toasts and we then piled them high with crab meat and shredded cheese and put them under the broiler. We put some in lettuce wraps. And a lot of it... we just dipped in melted butter and washed down with good white wine. Sigh. So good.

30/12/2023

As usual, good things come out of yellow pots. Braised osso bucco, using the last of last year's garden tomatoes. Polenta is almost ready, just need to add the cheese and butter.

23/12/2023

I've been taking a long pause from IG. But I have so many things to share with you!

I'll break the pause by posting a photo of my lovely wine tasting tonight . Wines from the Canary Islands! It's a place near and dear to my heart, and a place I will finally be returning to in April of next year. What a coinciding! Thanks Eli and Vanessa... so nice to see you again.

04/11/2023

The beautiful palaces of Sintra.

Leaving Lisbon, we made a nice long pitstop at Sintra, on the way to Porto. It's a fairy tale town filled with elaborate palaces, both in town and in the surrounding hills.

A tuk-tuk took us about, saving our legs from all those hills. We encountered quite a heavy rainstorm, but it brought us a beautiful rainbow!

01/11/2023

Lisbon street art...

Could it be?! No, I checked... no Banksy's in Lisbon. But, charming nonetheless, right?

As in many cities, all over Lisbon, I came across street art. Some of it is better or more interesting, at least than others. I enjoy searching it out, seeing what people are up to. I did love the first one though!

31/10/2023

Strolling the colorful streets of Lisbon...

I was so impressed with the buildings covered in beautiful tiles. Though the weather could have been better, the colorful buildings balanced out the gray skies.

I also found endless rows of tinned fish! Sardines, salmon, octopus, squid, mackerel, tuna, mussels...endless seafood preserved in olive oil or tomato sauce, in beautiful little tins. Yes, I purchased quite a few and can't wait to try them all.

Also, endless rows of wine😁 make me want to jump for joy. And yes, some of those were purchased as well.

Lots of steps, lots of miles, happily strolling along.

28/10/2023

What I ate in Lisbon. A lot, obviously.

I sampled a lot of bacalhau or dried salt cod, which is soaked and reconstituted into lots of dishes here. It's what Italians call baccalà. Here, it's often served with a raw egg yolk, which gets tossed and mixed into the shredded, cooked cod along with potatoes. This dish was hit and miss for me, done with too much egg yolk on the left side of the first photo, but with the perfect amount in the 7th photo. It's all a matter of opinion, I suppose.

The other bacalhau dish I sampled more than once were bolinhos de bacalhau. They are lovely fritters or croquettes that are basically the shredded, cooked salt cod again mixed with potatoes, formed into croquettes, breaded and deep fried. Crunchy on the outside, fishy and somewhat creamy inside; I love them.

The two little beauties in the second photo were called empanadas on the menu but were way cuter than the half-moon pies I was expecting. They were filled with a meat mixture and were delicious.

You'll notice a couple of things have been eaten twice, such as the famous pasteis de nata. (Actually, it may have been eaten 3 times.) I was comparing, and taste-testing... you know, like one does with gelato in Italy. Crunchy and flaky on the outside, filled with smooth, eggy custard; they absolutely make me swoon.

Okay, the prosciutto sandwich with melted cheese thing... just so you know, I only ate half of one, not that whole stack! It was a delicious mid-afternoon snack, just a little pick-me-up 😋.

My favorite thing, though, was the last item; a crunchy bread topped with confit cherry tomatoes, tinned Sardines and some arugula with a dollop of aioli; definitely something I will try to replicate at home!

24/10/2023

One of my fave spots in Rome for a delicious glass of wine and a yummy snack. I had a beautiful glass of Vino Nobile and the tastiest little foccacia with mortadella. Crispy and drizzled with olive oil, so good!

Up next...Portugal!

About to head out on a true vacation! I know many of you think my life is a vacation, but it is not. I love my Bella Giornata Tours, and I love making people happy. But it takes work and time to make them happen "seamlessly".

Heading to Lisbon shortly, having done the least amount of research ever before visiting a new place. I think I'm just going to let this one...happen. Stay tuned!

21/10/2023

Hello Florence!

The tour is winding down, but not before a stop in Firenze for a couple of nights. Because of our wine tasting lunch and other fun stops yesterday, we didn't arrive to Florence until the late afternoon.

First thing the next morning, we met up with our officially licensed guide and she whisked my clients off on a walking tour of the city, including a visit to see the statue of David, as was their request.

We finished the walking tour at one of my favorite little sandwich shops where we all had porchetta panini, topped with house-pickled red onions and salsa verde. They were so delicious that I didn't even think to photograph them! I just ate it up🙄😋.

And then, Really Important Decisions needed to be made. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy! Which flavor of gelato to have? 🤔 (I ended up picking pistachio and fresh fig... two separate flavors.)

The last shot is the window of one of my favorite pastry/candy/chocolate/coffee spots. Halloween comes to Italy. 🎃

20/10/2023

Yesterday, we transitioned from our countryside agriturismo to Florence... with lots of fun stops along the way!

We started the day in the area of Pienza, one of my personal favorites. Beautiful views, endless cheese and honey, delicious wines; what's not to love?

For lunch, we visited an old castle for a wine tasting paired with all kinds of delicious things. That pasta! And yes, some wine, okay... lots of wine may have been purchased. 😁

We also stopped in beautiful Siena for a stroll, something that was necessary after all that food and wine😅.

Final destination... Florence. More coming on that....

19/10/2023

Cooking Lesson Day!

We made soooo many different types of pasta today! We spent two very fun nights at an agriturismo in the countryside of Umbria. While there, we participated in a cooking lesson. We made tagliatelle, stuffed "caramelle" (adorable pasta "candies", stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture), pici, and spaghetti alla"chitarra".

Sauces were a delicious amatriciana, another with zucchini and mint, and another with tomato sauce and garlic. Tiramisu for dessert.

Lots of laughter, wine, pleasant conversations, music...a good time was had by all!

18/10/2023

The other day, my group took a deep dive into Etruscan history...

We started the morning clambering through an Etruscan necropolis and being amazed by not only the deep tombs they dug but also the deep roads. All in the company of an officially licensed guide, of course (who has a mind like an encyclopedia... which dates me, because who uses an encyclopedia anymore? 🙄).

We also visited a couple of towns that have a deep Etruscan history, not to mention picturesque charm.

Afterward, the clients took a dip in outdoor thermal baths, which for their privacy, are not pictured.

And we finished our day with another fantastic dinner! We all agreed the starter was amazing, especially the stuffed, baked zucchini flowers. And some of us ate liver patè for the first time! Those pickled onions... so good.
Tortelli stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, and mint, braised beef cheeks on a bed of mashed potatoes and dense nearly flour-less dark chocolate cake for dessert. And that 🍷!

16/10/2023

Yesterday was one of those days that required being able to choose way more than the allowed ten photos.

Having left behind the hustle and bustle of Rome, we were so grateful to sightsee Ostia Antica with very few people in sight. (With an officially licensed guide, of course.) We were even able to belly up to an ancient wine bar!

Then came a most delicious lunch, and a stroll atop the medieval walls of a charming and tiny hilltop village. We had a view out to the sun-shiny sea from way up there.

Next, we ambled our way through a crazy, modern sculpture garden. It was a riot of color and wild imagery having to do with tarot cards. Crazy stuff!

And finally, an arrival to our lodging for the night where we were served a most delicious and comforting dinner.

What can I say...Che Bella Giornata!

14/10/2023

It's been a bit of a food marathon...

Oh.my.goodness. I'm so full.
My second tour has begun, and once again, I have THE best clients! Do you know why? I think I've said it before. Kindness begets kindness. And when 99% of your business comes from referrals... each new great client comes from a previous great client. I'm so grateful and lucky.

Anyway, we've been eating our way through Rome. BUT, there has also been sightseeing involved. First-time visitors need to tick the boxes. Coliseum, Vatican Museums, St. Peter's, Trevi Fountain, etc. And I'm happy to oblige. These are must-see items. But come back again, people... because there's so much more within Rome and the countryside surrounding it.

In the meantime, tomorrow, we leave Rome and head out on the road-less-traveled. Excited for the next adventures! Looking forward to introducing my clients to some great people, great places, and more great food.

Stay tuned!

11/10/2023

All good things must come to an end...sniff.

This tour ended in Venice, so here are a few final shots. More charming canals, a visit with a mask-maker to try our hand at the craft, and a romantic gondola ride with a singing gondolier (no, I didn't tag along).

With both our guide and mask maker, we talked a lot about Carnavale and saw some beautiful costumes and masks, of course. Also, another mosaic photo from inside the Basilica, which I loved.

And then it really was time to say goodbye, as I sent the clients off to the airport in their private water taxi.

Another fun tour in the books✅️
Great clients, great fun!
A few days off... and then... here we go again!

08/10/2023

Making our way from Florence to Venice...via Bologna!

Rather than take a train, we went by private driver. This way, we could make a nice long stop in Bologna for a yummy food tour. It's become a favorite city of mine and really deserves several nights' stay.

We start by trying all kinds of delicious coffee concoctions. They're more like desserts than coffee and beautifully presented.

Next, we try our hand at making tortellini... with varying results😁. So we leave it to the professionals to provide us with a comforting bowl of tortellini in broth.

We stroll the local market and learn about all the wonderful food products that come from this region. And we finish with a fun "picnic" lunch!

I would love for a future tour to spend a significant amount of time in this area. There are so many beautiful food products to learn about...and eat!

02/10/2023

I'm always so pleased when my clients allow an extra day to take in the countryside around Rome. Yes, first-time visitors, in particular, need to see the iconic sights like the Coliseum and Vatican Museums. But there's so much more, hidden away in the countryside.

We spent the morning visiting this amazing monastery built into the side of a mountain. It's simply filled to the brim with amazing frescoes. St. Benedict was a hermit here and lived for 3 years in a cave (pictured...scroll through).

We had the luxury of a private driver, so we were also able to dine at one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. They brought us an amuse bouche, which looked exactly like a tiny heirloom tomato. But inside, there was panzanella!! What magic is this?! I wish I'd taken a photo after I cut it open.

And, um...yes, that is a slow-cooked lamb shank. And yes, I ate the whole thing. ☺️🙄😋🫢

01/10/2023

I started off my trip posting on Instagram every day, and then.... my clients arrived. After spending the day with these lovely folks and then putting out fires on my other UNescorted tours that are going on, at the end of the day...I want to sleep.

So what have we been up to?
*Going to the Trevi Fountain
*Stopping in at lots of churches😇
*Touring my favorite food market
*Peeking in doorways 🫣
*And having lots of delicious food. Best lemon tart ever! A tris of bruschette and always, always an espresso.

More photos coming!

27/09/2023

Today, I put about another hundred miles in as I worked on planning a new walking route for my upcoming tour (which starts tomorrow!).

It's still quite warm in Rome, and so many buildings are still covered in these beautiful vines; I couldn't stop taking photos of them. I did not bring enough "summer" clothes😰. Some shopping may be in order. 😁

Oh, and I found this amazing car to match the Vespa I found yesterday!

By end of day, I just wanted a good glass of wine and a hearty snack for dinner. And I found it! A beautiful and delicious pinsa with gorgonzola and speck, along with a nice glass of Caprai Sagrantino. Ahhh!

A domani!

☀️

26/09/2023

Back in Rome....

Oh my goodness, I think I've walked a hundred miles in the last two days... which is why I deserved to be fortified with some yummy food.

Pictured; last night's appetizer dinner. I was planning on going light and just ordering the vegetarian appetizer plate, but... there were also olive ascolane on the menu... but you could only have them as part of a little mixed fried appetizer. So what was I supposed to do? NOT have olive ascolane? Why that would just be silly, so I had to order the whole little fried appetizer. And though I had been wishing the whole basket was just olive ascolane, I gotta say... the baby arancine, panelle, and fried zucchini flowers were All Pretty Darned Good. And the torta salata on the appetizer plate was excellent. (I have to work on that recipe when I get home. )

Then after dinner came breakfast. Mmmmm cornetti. Then after breakfast came lunch. 🙄 Those ravioli look simple, but they were filled with ricotta, porcini mushrooms, and pine nuts!😋 And then came more coffee (and even more that wasn't pictured) because, well, I'm jetlagged.

Should I trade in my sleek black scooter for a....PINK one?! Eek!

And then some of the pretty sights of Rome as I was taking it all in. And finally, a fun department store window where they were featuring, what else, but Pokémon. Gotta catch'em all! (I know you're singing the song right now. )

24/09/2023

....and she's off!

It's that time again... time for fall tours to begin! I'm so excited to be on my way to Italy once again, ready to greet clients for upcoming tours.

I've got a lot going on in the coming two months. Stay tuned for food, wine, sights....fun! Andiamo!

21/08/2023

Thank you, AniChe Cellars! We had a fun wine tasting today. Enjoyed the wines, the food, the company.

Back home enjoying a bottle and looking forward to our next visit.

We've decided that the word "rumpus" needs to come back into our vocabulary.

10/08/2023

Eating from my garden....yes!

Finally, tomatoes are really ripening daily. This beauty is from the heirloom tomato bush. Additionally, soon, I'll have enough Early Girls to do a batch in the canner.

Last night's dinner was kind of a deconstructed, fresher version of eggplant parmesan. I deep-fried panko-breaded slices of eggplant, topped them with gorgeous slices of peeled heirloom tomatoes and fresh buffalo milk mozzarella... and fresh basil (also from the garden), of course! Plus, a nice drizzle of good evoo.

It was a wonderful mixture of crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth, sweet and savory, fresh and fried. There were lots of hidden flavors as well. The eggplant was very lightly floured in highly seasoned flour, then a quick dip in egg beaten with a touch of Dijon mustard, and finally, the Japanese panko breadcrumbs were mixed with grated parmesan. So, it's not really a classically Italian prepared dish at all, but oh, so tasty!

06/08/2023

Spent a day exploring my own territory today!

A couple of wine tastings and a cheese visit; what could be better? Thanks to for organizing! And thanks to for today's tasty treats!

These are the kinds of visits I do more often in Italy with my clients. It was nice to take a day to explore what Oregon has to offer!

03/08/2023

Another ode to small businesses...

I purchased these two bags (and maybe a few other things🙄) on separate trips to Sicily. has quite a few shops in Sicily, so not super small, but still artisanal and independently owned.

Fabrics are designed and screen printed in Sicily, and every time I go, they've come up with something new and beautiful. The colors are so vibrant; I love them.

Next time.... jellyfish!

03/08/2023

Don't you love finding a little special something to bring home from your journey?

Being a small business myself, I try to support other small businesses, not only with my purchases but also in my choice of colleagues to work with.

On my last trip, I came across a little shop and picked up these adorable earrings. The shop was owned by a mother-daughter duo, and it was the daughter who produced these earrings. I get compliments every time I wear them! Grazie Silvana!

16/07/2023

Finalmente! Finally, I'm beginning to get a bit of a harvest from my tiny garden.

I've been roasting everything in sight. Yes, the days are hot, but at least I'm only turning the oven on for a short period.

The other night, I sautéed a bit of pancetta with a smashed garlic clove and a pinch of red pepper flake. Then I slid a tray full of roasted veg into the pan, and tossed it all up with cooked pasta, a bit of the pasta water, grated parmesan and a shower of fresh herbs. So tasty! So simple! So quick! Not saucy, but full of flavor.

Also the other day, I had a hummus epiphany after reading a recipe for 5-minute hummus in the New York Times cooking section. I've always liked my hummus... but not loved it. Now I love it! I knew it was so simple, but somehow I was missing the boat. You can barely see the hummus on my plate which is surrounded by more roasted veg, olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, etc. What a tasty dinner that was!

Oh, and here's another epiphany... roasted green beans. Why have I never roasted those before? They're delicious!


(well, almost)

28/06/2023

Mmmm....pizza.

That doughy disc with delectable toppings seen in a 2,000-year-old painting is not a pizza, experts insist. But can we get one delivered anyway?

12/06/2023

I love tennis... and Campari!
(Though not at the same time.)

Now that I'm home for the summer, working on unescorted tours, and getting ready for the fall season, I'm trying to get back into my tennis game. I have a lot of pasta to work off from the spring tour season. 😋🙄 Obviously, my public court could use a little work, but I do love my heart-shaped divot.

I also love my "new" vintage Campari glasses, a wonderful gift from . I had some fresh-squeezed orange juice on hand, the perfect companion to Campari. Oh no, my glass is almost empty🫢😁.

❤️tennis

22/05/2023

All good things must come to an end.

Our last stop on the tour was Palermo, a place that has become one of my favorites. It's a true melting pot of so many different cultural influences. And those influences are very evident in its architecture, people, food, language... everything!

It's hard to stop taking pictures inside the Royal Palace. When you enter the church in picture #9, you can't figure out where to look first. There's so much to see! And that last photo, the one of the giant fountain.. oh, the stories it has to tell!☺️🤫😇

It's been an amazing three weeks with amazing clients. We've seen so much, learned so much, eaten soooo much. We've met amazing people; some new acquaintances and some old friends. We've visited places and sights we were planning on seeing, but we also got some fun surprises along the way. I love a good surprise, don't you?

My goal on a tour is to give you what you want, but also to give you what you didn't know was there. I want you to learn something new, take comfort in something old, and maybe even step out of your comfort zone a bit to experience something that will make a forever memory.

Who's ready to go?