8 days, 7 nights, Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 2016. Led by Sicily specialist Marcello Baglioni. Highlights: In Syracuse, food market, cooking lesson in restaurant/Neapolis Archaeological Park/Baroque town of Noto/tasting session and lunch at olive farm/in Ragusa, participate in cooking-demonstration dinner/in Scicli, herb farm/in Modica, chocolate making, tasting/Taormina/Mt. Etna walk with vulcanologist. £2,495 (near $3,585) ppdo. Single supp., £325 ($467).
I took the “Grand European River Cruise – Black Sea to Rhine River Valley,” plus a pre-cruise option in Transylvania, with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/514-1845; www.vantagetravel.com). I flew from Miami, Florida, to Bucharest, Romania, on Oct. 22, 2015, boarded the ship on Oct. 27 and returned from Frankfurt, Germany, to Miami on Nov. 21, the day the cruise ended.
Satillieu, Ardèche, France (May 2002) — I felt heavenly as I ate the buttery croissant slathered with butter and strawberry jam. My late wife, Flory, and I were enjoying our petit dejeuner (breakfast) in the lovely, 2-star Hôtel Restaurant Chaléat-Sapet, on Place de la Faurie in Satillieu, France.
After the croissant had melted in my mouth, I tackled the sections of baguette, making sure to decorate them with more butter and jam. Where else would I get a breakfast with the crispiest and freshest bread but in France?
French bread
7-day, 6-night “enthusiast”-level bike tour (average, 22 miles per day), Oct. 23-29 & Nov. 18-24, 2016. Highlights: From Santiago, ride west into Casablanca Valley/wine tastings/horse-handling demonstration/asado (barbecue-style) lunch/beach resort of Santo Domingo/interactive cooking demo with chef Pilar Rodriguez/colonial Santa Cruz/wine-making region of Apalta Valley. $7,495 ppdo, including bike and helmet. Single supp., $1,000. Butterfield & Robinson (70 Bond St., 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, M5B 1X3, Canada; in No.
8 days, 7 nights with cook and TV host Maggie Beer on Kangaroo Island, off South AUSTRALIA, Aug. 20-27, 2016. Based at lodge, visit farms and have chef-prepared dinners. Highlights: At sheep dairy, hands-on ricotta making/oak-barrel-wine tasting/lunch with family who coordinates farmers’ market/at Flinders Chase National Park, Remarkable Rocks/tea at Island Beehive/abalone farm. AUD7,700-AUD14,700 (near $5,455-$10,415) ppdo. Single, from AUD13,300 ($9,423). Southern Ocean Lodge (Kangaroo Island, South Australia; phone +61 2 9918 4355, http://southernoceanlodge.com.au).
I have subscribed to ITN for many years but have never written in about my travels. However, I thought my November 2014 tour to South America was a wonderful trip worth knowing about.
Visitors to Florence can take a 3-hour cooking class on how to make traditional Italian pizza and gelato ice cream. The lesson, from Italian chefs, includes all the necessary ingredients and tools and ends with pizza and gelato paired with wine.
€39 (near $42) per person for up to 12 people, maximum. Book with ItalyXP at http://italyxp.com/en/florence (click on “Pizza and Gelato Cooking Class”).
For my husband, Guy, and me, Colombia was one of the last places in South America we had not yet visited, but we had been seeing positive news about the country.
