Hello!! Florence was one of my favorite cities when we went on our Italy adventure through AAA and Collette and the remainder of our time there was so wonderful. We visited a winery in the Chianti region that was directly behind a scenic twelfth century castle. We explored the winery, enjoyed an excellent cooking class, and got to try our dishes during a lunch with a wine tasting. It was the most lovely day that, unfortunately, came to a bit of a screeching halt when we arrived in Venice. More on that later but let’s discuss the cooking class!
Our cooking class was led by Stefano and he taught us how to make pasta and two different sauces. One option was vegetarian with delicious crisp veggies and the other was a bolognese. We started the class with pasta prep and we got the most fabulous tutorial as Stefano stretched, kneaded, and folded the dough with expert ease. After we watched him for a while, it was our turn to try and we each had a go at either stretching or cutting the dough. Stefano carefully watched our efforts, shared tips, and before we knew it we had a ton of fresh made pasta ready for our lunch.
The main prep for the sauces was already done by Stefano but he talked us through the process, the ingredients used, and his tried and true methods. By the time the class concluded we were all famished and ready to sip on wine and do a taste test. We were led to a gorgeous dining hall in the winery and ate like kings which was a blessing as we would learn later. Our dinner at the hotel in Venice was terrible so we were thankful for a good and filling lunch:
With our bellies full, it was time to get back on the bus and make our way to Venice. I was very excited to get there because it’s such a famous location but the getting there was the problem lol. After our bus dropped us off, we had to get on a water taxi to make it to our hotel. In theory, this was no problem. In practice, it was a panic attack worthy affair. My family was in the back of the line to board our water taxi and the dock was not stable whatsoever. It rocked and swayed as people boarded and departed their boats and it was terrifying. I wasn’t scared for me, but my mom doesn’t have the best balance and it was a recipe for disaster.
When it was our turn to get on the water taxi, that was nerve wracking too because the steps to get on them are small and very steep. Once we were safely into the taxi, I was treated to a full blown panic attack. I couldn’t stop shaking and crying because it was just scary and unexpected and I was genuinely worried something terrible would happen. That moving dock was really no joke! It was such a relief to be on solid ground once we were at the hotel and it took me a while to calm down. I had to rally, though, because we were having a group dinner. The company was delightful but the food at the Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal? Not so much:
The vegetarian meal at the hotel consisted of a sad salad, cold potato things, some type of falafel I think, and a veggie medley. I poked around at the salad for a bit, tasted the potatoes and said hard no, didn’t bother with the falafel, and had a few bites of the veggies. All of the food was lukewarm or downright cold, flavorless, and barely looked appetizing. Every single person on our tour had something bad to say about this meal and we all agreed that it was the worst of the trip, for sure. The food was so unappetizing that I didn’t even feel like trying the tiramisu and my one bite was lackluster AF. This was not a strong start in Venice, indeed, but the following day was much better!
We are nearing the end of my vacation blog recap with one more day in Venice and our final stop in Lake Como. Stay tuned and read all about it!
Do you have any holiday travel plans? Have you ever had a scary travel experience? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
