Tarquinia Cooking Class

I had a wonderful morning/afternoon in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. We arrived at the Valle del Marta Farm in the town of Tarquinia. After a brief introduction by the owners, our group split into two: the first half went to their cooking lesson, while the second group got to relax by the pool. I was in the second group, so after dipping my toes in the pool, I was excited to finally start my cooking lesson! We made pasta completely from scratch! I was very surprised at how simple it was to make. We had to crack an egg on the table (surrounded by flour so the egg wouldn't run away), and of course I was that girl whose egg ran everywhere. The chef had to bring me a new egg. Ridiculous. After my brief mishap, I managed to get back on track and make some really good fettucini! While the chefs went in the back to boil our pasta, we were taken on a tour throughout the vineyard. It was beautiful. We returned to the outdoor dining area, where we got to have a glass of their own wine. I chose a sparking white. It was good. Our pasta came out, and it was absolutely delicious! There is nothing better than fresh pasta. In true Italian fashion, the pasta was only our first course, and next came chicken, potatoes, and salad. They were legitimately the best chicken, potatoes, and sald I've ever tasted. All of the food was seasoned with herbs and spices grown in their gardens. Absolutely incredible. For dessert we had tiramisu (red orange flavored instead of coffee), which we got to watch the chef prepare. It was delicious as well. It was such a beautiful day overall. I had a really great time. It was so peaceful, and I was just so content with how the day went. I'm very glad I found that free ticket. It was definitely one of my highlights so far. I can't wait to come home and make homemade pasta!

 

I'm still feeling pretty sick. I was up a great deal of the night last night coughing and really congested. I really hope it clears up soon. It's putting a downer on my time here. Fortunately, they've been looping a movie on tv, so it has given me something keep me from going crazy while I'm awake in the middle of the night by myself. I've managed to catch the beginning and the end 4 times now (not an exaggeration), so right now my goal is to actually watch the movie in it's entirety. I have a feeling that I will end up falling asleep...