Newsletter

Ciao amici, I hope 2026 is treating you well so far.   I have been busy gathering knowledge and experience from my recent trip to Sicily in preparation for my next class at Astor Center: Wines of Sicily on January 27th. I'm very excited to share the history, culture and wines of this special island.   If you are in the New York area, I hope you can make it! Here is a promo code for Immerse Italy subscribers that you can apply at checkout: SICILY20 . We only have six tickets l

Ciao Amici, Every place has its signal that summer is coming to an end. Here in New York, it’s when the red, white and green tinsel goes up on Mulberry Street for the San Gennaro Festival. In Florence, it’s the arrival of Schiacciata all’Uva, a two-layer focaccia baked with fresh wine grapes.   The origins of this seasonal treat are believed to have started with the Etruscans and the recipe been passed down ever since. Today, the dish is deeply rooted in Tuscan tradition and

Ciao Amici,   I just returned from a refreshing vacation in Switzerland. The mountains were gorgeous, people nice, food delicious and the tap water parallel to NYC’s.   I started near Bern where they spoke mostly German then to Lausanne which was completely in French, I speak neither of those languages and was thrilled that I could use Italian, especially where English wasn’t even an option.   Italian is the third official language of Switzerland and is predominately spoken i

Ciao amici, This is the email I’ve prepared months to send!   I’m launching a new Italian language class specialized for wine people....

Ciao amici, When you think of an Italian dinner table, what are the first two things that come to mind? I can imagine that you’re seeing...

Ciao Amici,   Guess what - I'm teaching Wines of Tuscany again at Astor Center next month! For those who missed my first class (perhaps...

Carissimi amici, One thing this year has taught us is self-care: enjoy what you have as life changes day by day. For this reason, I’ve...

Carissimi amici, I hope everyone’s summer is off to a good start. I definitely can’t complain because I was hiding out in Hawaii for a...

Carissimi amici, I realize having wine outdoors in a park or patio was a norm throughout 2020, but now that group gatherings, camping...

Carissimi amici, Did you know that wine is being made in all 50 states? With the number of wineries that have popped up around the...

Ciao amici, The weather is slowly but surely warming up! Humidity is here, now just waiting for those hot temps to arrive and form the...