We’ve been dreaming (and we’re sure you have too) of exploring a little bit further afield and ticking off our travel bucket list. Our wanderlust has us incredibly excited to get back out into the world and return to travel in 2021! With the new year approaching, it’s time for us all to be looking…
Flavours Blog
Italian food, lifestyle and culture blog - by the Flavours Holidays team.
Italian Chocolate Cake Recipe (Torta Nera Emiliana)
A traditional Italian chocolate cake, the torta nera emiliana is a moist chocolate cake encased within a buttery shortcrust shell. If you’re looking for new dessert ideas, this Italian chocolate cake is sure to please!
An Interview with Jenny Eclair: On Painting, Art Courses and Turning 60
Stand-up comic and author, Jenny Eclair, is best known for her television appearances on Grumpy Old Women and Loose Women. She was the first woman to win the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1995, and her most recent book, Older and Wider – A Survivor’s Guide to the Menopause, is a Sunday Times…
How to Make Arancini – Sicilian Food Recipes
These tasty rice-balls can be stuffed with mozzarella, ragu sauce or peas and are coated with breadcrumbs. You can taste Arancini while strolling along beautiful Sicilian streets, since they are often sold as traditional street food.
17 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Italy
It’s no surprise that we love Italy! In fact, our team are all Italy experts and love its food, history, culture and lifestyle. So it’s obvious that we talk about Italy all the time, and we’re guessing that you have some interest in Italy too. We have to admit that we thought we knew quite…
Letitia Clark’s Italian Cookbook – Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories (Sardinian Food)
Originally from Devon, Letitia Clark is a chef, illustrator and author who has pursued her love of food throughout her career. She trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine, before working in many London restaurants. After 10 years in London, she relocated to sunny Sardinia to write, draw and cook full-time. Our founder, Lorne,…
Travelling Safely to Tuscany and Bologna in 2020 #ReturnToTravel
Our Managing Director, Julie, recently visited Tuscany and Bologna to prepare for our holidays to Italy resuming in autumn (but she still had time to catch the sunshine and see some sights while she was there!) I caught up with her on her return to chat about her return to travel. We discussed what made…
COVID Travel Insurance: Making Sure You’re Covered – Video Interview with StaySure Founder Ryan Howsam
Over the last few months, we conducted surveys and held a number of focus groups to gauge peoples’ thoughts regarding future travel. We wanted to ensure that we were doing everything we could to make planning a holiday comfortable and fun again. One of the main conversations we had was around the future of travel…
Chocolate Salami Recipe (Salame al Cioccolato)
Incredibly indulgent, the strangely named Chocolate Salami is a quick and easy dessert that works perfectly with your after-dinner coffee! The creamy, rich chocolate and the crunchy biscuits will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
Returning to our Favourite Restaurant – Il Veliero in Syracuse, Sicily
Il Veliero is one of our favourite places in Italy, although there are many, is Sicily. With its azure seas, stunning ancient ruins, and brilliant weather, we are already dreaming about being in Sicily again! As we look forward to our holidays to Sicily resuming in September, we have been speaking to our team and…
Top 10 Famous Italian Artists and Painters
Italy has been the epicentre of European art for centuries, with Italian artists contributing a massive amount of work to our cultural history. If you were to ask someone to name a famous artist or a famous painting, it’s highly likely that one of the names on this list would be the first to spring…
Shallot and Pecorino Cheese Soup Recipe (Zuppa di Cipolle al Pecorino)
Indulge yourself with a hearty bowl of shallot and pecorino cheese soup. A perfect mixture of sweet shallots, salty parma ham and creamy cheese, you won’t find a soup quite as satisfying as this!
7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Italy
Italy is packed with beautiful scenery, from the coastal beauties of Amalfi to the heights of the Dolomites, and intriguing streets which make for some incredible photographic opportunities! To help you narrow down your list of ‘must-photograph’ locations, we’ve put together a list of the 7 most Insta-worthy places in Italy. Read on to discover…
Interview with the Man in Seat 61 – Travelling to Italy by Train
As we return to travel, it is to be expected that our habits and preferences will change as the world opens back up! For some, slowing down in 2020 will carry on and the journey itself will be our opportunity to appreciate our surroundings as we look forward to holidaying in Italy again. “It’s not…
Parmigiana di Melanzane Recipe
With its sumptuous layers of creamy aubergine, oozing cheese and rich tomato sauce, parmigiana di melanzane is the ultimate comfort food. It’s incredibly simple to make and super versatile – you can serve it as the main affair or as a side dish. Either way, it’ll become a firm favourite with your family and any dinner guests you have!
The Flavours Online Cooking Classes Experience
There is very little I love more than eating Italian food, and I’m sure you feel much the same! Italian cuisine is definitely one of the best-loved in the world, but how often do you cook an Italian feast for yourself? Many Italian meals are deceptively simple and worth the effort for the delicious rewards…
Tiramisu Recipe
Simple, yet indulgent, tiramisu could be considered the perfect dessert. The richness of the creamy mascarpone is delicately balanced by the sharpness of the coffee and cocoa. Learn how to make this incredibly flavourful dessert to wow your friends and family! Buon Appetito!
7 Best Towns to Visit in Tuscany
When Tuscany is mentioned, your mind may turn to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the beautiful Duomo in Florence, or rolling hills covered in vineyards and lined with cypress trees. Tuscany is all of this and much, much more – a true powerhouse when it comes to art, cuisine and culture. Tuscany has seen the…
7 Best Italian Cocktails to Make at Home
In general, the mention of cocktails brings to mind celebrations, dancing and socialising with friends. The thought of Italian cocktails, however, mixes this with sunny evenings spent al fresco as you relax and bask in a beautiful view! Summer is upon us and the sun is shining here in the UK (intermittently, we do admit!)….
21 Different Types of Italian Breads
Bread is a wonderful food, a great base for many meals and it plays a big part in virtually every food culture. Whilst Italians may not eat quite as much as many other Europeans do, they do eat it virtually every day and Italian cuisine is a wealth for regional bread variations. Much like the…
How to Read Italian Wine Labels? Understanding DOCG, DOC, IGT & VdT Classifications
We all know that feeling – standing in the wine aisle of the supermarket trying to choose a great bottle of wine, with no idea what differentiates an average wine from a great wine. With so much choice, and so many types of wine to choose from, it can definitely be a bit of a…
The Definitive List of the Top 10 Masterpieces of Italian Art
With its decadent architecture, many extraordinary remains of the Roman Empire, a dramatic and often turbulent history, and stunning natural scenery, it’s really no wonder that artists, poets, philosophers and writers have turned to Italy for centuries to inspire and create. Widely recognised as the birthplace of the Renaissance, as well the Baroque and Neoclassicism,…
Lock-down Diaries – A perspective from Seville
Sixth and last of our lock-down diaries is an interview with Abel Ibáñez, the charming Manager of Villa El Molino. Flavours launched Seville as a new destination in 2019 and our home away from home is the stunning Villa El Molino. This luxury nineteenth-century Oil mill recently restored in the heart of the Natural Park Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, has fast become a favourite amongst our guests for its true Andalusian charm. Abel is the manager of this amazing estate and he is known for going above and beyond to ensure all guests have the perfect stay at the villa.
Lock-down Diaries- A Spanish Perspective
Fifth of our lock-down diaries is an interview with Noemi Parra Martin, our host from Granada, Andalusia. Our guests love the splendour and delights of Andalusia, and the lovely Noemi is always on hand to share the culture of her hometown Granada. Noemi can often be found teaching our guests Flamenco, a real passion for her and not to mention ensuring their glasses are always filled with ‘Cava’. In this interview, Noemi shares what life has been like in Andalusia during this period and gives us a glimpse into life after lock-down.
Interview with Nikki Welch – Wine Expert and Founder of WineTubeMap
Nikki Welch is the founder of the WineTubeMap and author of the Pocket Guide to Wine. She is well-known for her love of wine, saying that she “only ever stops thinking about wine to decide what she’s eating with it”. Nikki’s website and app – The WineTubeMap – is an amazing wine recommender, designed to…
Lock-down Diaries – A Perspective from Bologna
Fourth of our lock-down diaries is an interview with Contessa Maria Teresa Vespignani Boselli, the lovely owner of Villa La Vespa. Villa la Vespa is a beautifully restored farmhouse situated in the heart of the Tredozio region on top of one of the highest hills in the area. This amazing villa is famous not only amongst our guests, it turns out Celebrity Chef Gino D’Acampo cooked up a storm with the Contessa at the villa in the foodie capital of Italy. Contessa Maria Teresa is always on hand to welcome our guests and make sure they have an unforgettable experience.
The Top 10 UK Art Competitions to Enter in 2020
Art competitions are a great way to further develop your creative skills! By working on a piece with a specific theme or using a particular medium, entering a competition gives you a chance to focus on and evaluate your technical skills and personal style. We’ve compiled a list of the 10 best UK-based art competitions…
How to Choose the Best Pilates Mat
Choosing a Pilates mat is one of the most important steps in setting yourself up for success in your Pilates practice. With so many Pilates mats on the market, it can seem overwhelming and confusing, so we’re here to help! We’ve reached out to our Pilates network to put together a guide for choosing the…
Lock-down Diaries – A Perspective from Puglia
Third of our lock-down diaries is an interview with Cosimo and Gina, our gardener and housekeeper from Villa Casino Pisanelli. Casino Pisanelli, originally a hunting lodge built in the 17th century for a local Count, is our signature villa in Puglia which never ceases to impress our guests and it is all thanks to our lovely team Cosimo and Gina. In this interview, Cosimo and Gina share what life has been like in the ‘Heel of the Boot’ during this time, as they make sure that the beauty of Casino Pisanelli remains waiting for you all.
4 Quick and Easy Italian Recipes
The cuisine of each region of Italy is known for its unique style, flavours and technique, as well as certain historic influences from around the Mediterranean, including Greece, Spain, and even the Middle East. With so many styles of Italian cooking to choose from, it’s an exciting and delicious cuisine to cook! The Italian’s Mediterranean…