Scott Barronton (00:00)
There's a point on many trips where you realize what you remember aren't the famous landmarks, museums, and attractions. For us, this trip through Spain and Italy started to change when we stopped simply looking at places and started participating in them. Some of our favorite moments happened sitting around tables, helping prepare food, hearing family stories, and learning how people actually live in the places that we were visiting.
In today's episode, we want to talk about three experiences that completely changed how we connected with this trip and encourage you to seek out similar experiences on your next trip. The first was outside Estepona, Spain, where we shared a meal in the home of Marina Nacho. Nacho is a professional chef and together they've created a place where guests can experience traditional food in a very personal setting.
While Nacho cooked, Marina shared stories about their lives and the backgrounds behind the dishes that we were eating. The second experience happened outside Florence, where we spent an evening cooking with Christina and her husband Paolo in their home overlooking the hills outside the city. We made tiramisu from scratch. We learned to make ravioli by hand. We watched the sunset over Tuscany from their windows, and we ended the evening
eating dinner in their garden. And finally in Puglia, we visited a working masseria near Astuni called Masseria Freinite, where we learned how mozzarella and burrata are made. We saw the dairy operation that supports the farm and we heard the story of a local woman who moved back home to Italy.
after spending over a decade working in London. All three experiences had something in common. They helped us appreciate these destinations in a way that went far beyond sightseeing.
Speaker 2 (01:56)
We're Scott and Melissa, The Sunshine Travelers.
Speaker 1 (01:59)
We're all about exploring the world and sharing the journey with you. Whether you're a seasoned traveler, dreaming of your next adventure, or just here for the stories.
Speaker 2 (02:06)
No matter where you are on your travel journey, we've got first-hand experiences, tips, and plenty of inspiration from some of the most amazing places on Earth.
Speaker 1 (02:15)
So buckle up and get ready to travel with us.
Scott Barronton (02:23)
When you travel to places like Italy and Spain, where there is so much to see and do, like the ones that we're going to share with you in this episode today, experiences like the ones that we're going to share with you in this episode today can really help you slow down a little and enjoy the time in those places a little bit differently. Because when you travel quickly and try to see so many things, it's easy to spend your whole day moving from one attraction to the next.
But these kinds of experiences forced us to sit down, to stay awhile, and really soak in the experience. And I think for us that was a welcome pause in Spain with Marina and Nacho at their home just outside of Estepona because we had just wrapped up an action-packed itinerary in London at the beginning of our trip.
So in Spain, we were there with family and one of the item on Sassy's wish list was to do some sort of cooking class or a cooking experience. Scott did a lot of research and while this one that we ended up picking wasn't necessarily a cooking class, it was an opportunity for us as a family to have a meal with a local couple in their home on the side of a mountain. A few weeks before we even left, we actually connected with Marina.
using WhatsApp to discuss our visit. Now this isn't required, but since we had a larger group, we had nine people total, more of a diverse group. We had kids, we had seniors. She really wanted to make sure that the food and the experience was what we wanted it to be and that would be something that everybody would enjoy. She was very communicative on instructions about how to get there and what to do when we arrived, but she came down and greeted us and
We spent some time as she showed us around their property. They have some Airbnb type accommodations on site. So if people wanted to stay with them right there near their home, small rustic accommodations, outdoor showers, surrounded by nothing but nature and olive trees and fruit trees. I mean, it was just absolutely stunning.
When you come here, you aren't just sitting down for dinner. You're entering someone's home and hearing their story while the meal is being prepared. And for this one,
Nacho being a professional chef definitely elevated the experience from a food perspective. But honestly, what stayed with me most was Marina explaining the dishes and talking to us about how food connects to family and culture in Spain. That was really a big part of what we did in this experience. And it was very meaningful because we were sitting there around her table with her family. And
So we sat there and.
I would just say that this felt very different from the way that we would go to a restaurant with the family group and sit at a table and be served a meal. It was so much more personal in doing this inside Marina and Nacho's home. And the food was very different from what you would expect from like a restaurant. But this was their traditional food in the way that
but this was their traditional food and it was the things that they would prepare and eat themselves. Yeah. And she told us, she was like, we really eat very simple meals, very healthy meals, very simple meals. But the way that he obviously prepared them was super elevated. And Scott, one thing I wanted to add about the experience, like you were saying, different from a restaurant is because the kids could just kind of relax
Like they had free room, have like a sofa, they had dogs and cats and the kids were just free to just kind of relax. it was just so personable. was literally like we were in the home of friends, even though we had had one conversation with them and this was our first time meeting in person. It was honestly like just being welcomed into their home.
And I think that that really changes how you experience a place that you are just visiting, a place that you're traveling to. And just as we were there and enjoying this time together, I just kept thinking, wow, like this is how everyone should experience travel. This is how you can experience a real part of Spain.
When someone invites you into their home like this, you stop feeling like a tourist for a little while. And like I said, you just really start feeling like a guest. You realize that food is not just about eating. It's so tried. It is so tied into tradition, family gatherings, holidays, local ingredients, and even of course, a regional identity. And I think we were also really surprised. It's not like,
Spanish food like we would think of Spanish food. And so it's what a family would really eat. And I think that's one of the key points. you mentioned this just a minute ago is how simple the ingredients were, how simple the meal was. And I think we, we often try to overcomplicate things, but learning that in their everyday, they don't cook, these very
extravagant, difficult foods with lots of items and lots of ingredients. They just eat very simple meals. They're elevated because when you have a professional chef like Nacho cooking them, they're going to be a little more elevated. But it wasn't complicated. It was just simple food.
She also shared with us, for example, of some of the stories, why the accent, the Spanish accent in this region of Spain exists. It was because of the lisp that King Ferdinand II had and his courtiers spoke with that same lisp they call it, to make him feel comfortable, something that we had never heard. Yeah, but she also did tell us that a lot of Spaniards will push back.
and say that that's not true, that they don't have a lisp that it is actually just part of their language. And it is, but just, yeah, so that maybe possibly that is the origin of it. Just so interesting though, again, something that you're not gonna get from sitting down at a restaurant and being served. So after hearing those stories while the food was being prepared, it just gave us a much deeper appreciation for what we're eating because then he also shared
Like, this is how we prepare this and this is kind of why we prepare this and in like northern Spain it might be a little bit different. And so we also were invited into the kitchen to kind of watch how he does it as well. I also love that we weren't rushed. It wasn't like this is a two hour experience and like, you know, we're on the clock or anything like that. And I felt like that's the entire point to just really simply enjoy.
the afternoon together. The other thing I wanted to mention about this is that like when we booked it, you could book it for lunch or dinner and but then through the conversation with her, she's like, I think, for the children, it's better if we have a late lunch kind of like what we would do, So they really tried to be very intentional to make it the best experience for all of that. So we're going to put the information to contact them directly to book it.
We did find them and book this through a platform called Eat With. It has a variety of all kinds of different food experiences, but we're going to put how to contact them directly, also to how to stay in their accommodations, and then of course how you could find more experiences with Eat With. I wanted to share something really interesting as well is that our daughter, Carey was with us and she had a friend from college who was actually going to be in
this area in the next couple of weeks and they were able to book the same experience with Nacho and Marina right away because I think Carey had posted in or talked to her and said, oh, you've got to do this. Like, this is such a fantastic experience. So we were glad to be able to share this experience with another family.
I'm not sure why, but I think this experience with Marina and Nacho was a reflection point for both of us about how we wanted to approach the rest of our trip. It made us start looking for experiences where we could spend time with locals and participate in something like learning how to cook or making cheese. We've always enjoyed these personal experiences, but it's easy to get wrapped up in itinerary planning.
especially when you're putting together such a really long trip like we've been doing. So we found something in Florence that we were really looking forward to. We just didn't know how much we were going to need this experience once we arrived. Yeah, Florence was interesting to us because while it's an incredible city, at times it really felt crowded and overwhelming.
We had just come from small towns in Tuscany and really enjoyed the local feel of Bologna and Pisa and Siena. But when we got to Florence, there's just so many tourists and so many people trying to see all of the same things at the same time. had cars and motorcycles crammed into the same spaces as the people going down the streets.
I think before this experience, we were struggling a little bit to connect with Florence beyond the major attractions. And also just happened to be there on the first weekend in May, which is a holiday weekend throughout Europe.
But because of our itinerary, couldn't be helped even if we had have realized it ahead of time. We had found a local cooking class through Cesarine that pairs local cooking instructors with travelers for authentic culinary experiences with locals and in their homes. And Cesarine is the largest and oldest community of over 1500 home cooks in Italy. So there's a lot of these that you can choose from.
And they're in more than 450 cities and towns across the country. And it's really, it's people. They're open the doors of their homes to host guests and share their tradition of Italian cuisine and culinary experiences, cooking classes, and they also do food and wine tours. And we had a lot of options to choose from on this trip, but we chose to do the cooking class.
in a lemon grove in the hills of Florence and just the I think just the description was captivating right even before we knew what Florence was going to be like you had me in the lemon grove on the hillside and you know what Scott I was a little bit worried like I didn't think of this as we were planning the trip but like a couple of days before I was like how far is this place going to be
Yeah, because we didn't have a car. Because we didn't have a car and I was like, we've had, issues with taxis before and we were like, oh gosh, how far is this going to place? But it's not far away, except it feels like you're so far away from the city. So we were able to take a taxi up into the hills outside Florence. I will say we also had an opportunity to WhatsApp with them. I actually did a call.
with them as well. They were just wanted to confirm that we were coming and I had questions about, know, easy to take a taxi. Will it be easy to get a taxi back? I mean, of course, I think if there had been any problems, they would have helped us obviously. But it was fantastic and it was great to have that communication ahead of time. So we passed the famous Piazza Michelangelo. You've probably seen this up above the hills and people crowd there, I would say at sunset to like overlook. So we passed that.
And immediately after that, everything started changing. We had obviously left what felt like the tourist area of Florence. And so even though it was just a short drive away, like you could start to see the lemon groves and the olive trees and the houses and, people's homes instead of just the city. Not that people don't live in the city, but I guess more of like the hillside, I guess I should say, instead of down in the city.
our driver had stopped at this one little place and he told us walk up the footpath it's like a two you know two minutes is just right up there now come to find out it was really just a narrow street and she said he could have driven up here but it wasn't a big deal at all and then I guess that probably helped us because we walked back into that little area to get the taxi back after.
So their home overlooked Florence from the hills and the setting alone completely changed the mood of our trip and definitely the evening. Christina came out, she met us at the gate and walked us down to their home, which she told us is actually historically known as the Lemon House. And their home sat on the side of the hill overlooking a garden. And when I say a garden, I'm talking about
This is a full-on orchard style setting of olive trees, lemon trees, various fruit trees, and lots of beautiful flowers. It was almost difficult getting started with the cooking class because we wanted to just take off and explore the garden a little bit.
Our first task was learning to make tiramisu from scratch, which honestly was a lot less involved than I expected. And personally, tiramisu is not my favorite dish, or at least the times I've had it previously. Usually the cookies are soggy and often bitter from soaking in coffee. It just isn't a dessert that I would choose until now. And so Melissa's job was
Cracking and separating the eggs and my job was to beat them and turn them into a light fluffy cream and then the yolks into a silky cream and I got some terrific Compliments in my egg beating skills Yeah, and one thing I wanted to say about the tiramisu is they were like you don't use ladyfingers that you have these and so she showed us And she did say that she thinks that we can order off Amazon at home
And then you also don't soak them in the coffee. You literally dip them for like so fast in there. And so it's just honestly, it's literally a few simple ingredients. But since the tiramisu needed a couple of hours in the fridge to set up properly, we needed to do that first and get it in the fridge. You know what I think those little crackers that she used are the little cookies that she used. You know what I think they remind me of? Like a Nilla wafer.
probably more than a ladyfinger for sure. I think even more light but you I'd be interested you could you could probably try them you could try them with an aloe vera and then you might have your favorite dessert in the whole world. Maybe. So we actually moved on to the antipasti.
Christina brought out something that I have been wanting to try for so long and it's never been in season whenever we've been somewhere where they've had it on the menu. So we had the flowers from the zucchini and she said they were just like not really in season like that local area that they would bring them from Sicily right now but she knew somebody and had gotten them fresh. So she showed us how
they would lightly batter them and then fry them. And it was neat because we did that outside. had like a set up to do that outside. So we stood in the middle of the garden. We enjoyed our fried zucchini flowers because she said like, you have to eat these right away. you cook them, you eat them. We had a glass of wine. we then talked about how she grows things in her garden. And then she has farmer friends close by.
to get some of the other things like Scott said, they have a lot of fruit trees and a lot of different things that they grow. Yeah, it sounds like they do a lot of bartering in that area. Like, I have this, you have that, let's exchange that. And then they go to the market and get the other few things that they absolutely have to have.
So then we moved on to making ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese. And Christina explained that traditional Italian cooking and why meals are an important part of family life in Italy. And so making pasta was really easy. And I'm not sure why we don't make it more at home or why people don't make it more at home. I think we will going forward.
actually been looking at some of the pasta rolling and cutting machines for when we returned from our trip. We've seen a lot of them in the stores here, but there's no way that we're going to lug that around in our luggage for the remainder of the trip. And so I see that we can buy the actual same ones on Amazon. So I think we'll do that when we get back home. Yeah. And so the recipe, it's
super simple just to put it together. I it really is in the getting the rolling right and knowing how many times to do it. But even that part just was so easy and then when you have the pasta like that it cooks so quickly. But I wanted to share one of my favorite moments from this entire experience was when we were making the pasta. The sun was setting like right outside their window so we stopped a few minutes.
to pause and look outside, grab our cameras, take some pictures. And I loved it because also, grabbed her camera and took pictures of it. And several times, which I just thought was neat because here, this is something that she sees every day, but it's still so special and wonderful and beautiful to her. And I just absolutely love that. Yeah, like that never gets too old to just stop and enjoy.
And then after that, we made the ravioli. Paolo went in and kind of finished cooking it, because the actual kitchen area is very small, but he finished cooking it. He and Christina, while we went out into the garden, he had set this beautiful table out in the garden in the sun setting as the background. I mean, it was really just amazing. We had a...
dinner out there with some wine and great conversation. And I think this honestly just became one of the defining moments of Florence for me. Because before that evening, Florence was just a place that we were visiting this one time, checking it off our list. And honestly, I would have been done.
One thing I wanted to share, we did sit with her in the garden for a few minutes before we got started and she told us that the reason that she likes to do this is that, so as we have said, they have this beautiful setting. They wanted to share it with people and I think they started out having like groups come and cocktail party type of a situation, but she just said, I didn't enjoy that. It was too many people.
that she wanted to find some way to let travelers experience what they get to experience, but in small intimate groups. I think sometimes the Cesarine experiences may have up to a certain number of people. And so other people might be able to book, but I think she likes to make hers a hundred percent.
private so that you have that experience with them and you get to have that conversation and interaction with them.
After that evening, Florence started film like a place that we could actually picture ourselves coming back to and spending more time in. And I think it's because of this experience and really having that time with Christine and Paolo in really opening our eyes to a different side of Florence.
Yeah, and I completely agree with that. And I think we wouldn't stay like inside Florence either. Like we would stay here and then you could go into Florence to like do some things. And it also is just a great reminder that Florence and places like this are not just the museums, the churches, the tourists, the groups. It's also about the neighborhoods, the homes, gardens, know, sitting down and sharing a family meal.
with them as their guest and traditions that they still care deeply about. Several times her husband Paulo told us, we just want to have the opportunity to share our lives are like with other people. And I just thought that was just absolutely beautiful.
And, know, it's easy to think that cooking classes can sound touristy when you first hear about them. Even Paulo said that some of the ones you find in the cities where a large group crams into a little room, you drink the wine the whole time. You know, that's not the best experience that you can have. But when you find the right experience, it becomes so much more than, you know, just learning a recipe.
And I think what we take away from Cesarine is that travelers don't just want to eat Italian food anymore. Is that they really want to understand the Italian life. And so they're pairing those two things together. you know, you're learning how people gather, how they eat, how they spend time together and what actually matters to them culturally.
So we want you to hear just a little clip from her husband, Paulo, in our opinion, Christina's English was great, but I don't think that she was as comfortable like recording. I mean, she was great with us, but they did want to share a little bit for the podcast because I really think what he told us sums up the things that we are wanting to express the most about.
Scott Barronton (23:23)
our way of life. mean, we enjoy sharing these peace, calmness, vision. going back to nature is really important. For us was...
change of scenario, know, from the city coming back here. Plus, you know, we have some country roots, so we enjoy, you know, gardening all the time, know, growing our fruit, our olive oil, know, enjoying the sunset.
every night even though it's raining or it's foggy or whatever and so it's nice you know even though it changed most of the time and sharing this sharing
that there is a different way to live your own life. Of course, it doesn't mean that this is the ultimate and the only one, but for the people that we see sometimes, it's really enlightening. mean, it's really... I remember...
I remember people that I came over. There was one that she made me laugh a lot. She said, if I was living here in Florence, I would gravitate around Christina. mean, she's like my sister. I mean, I feel like she was really absorbed from this way of doing.
So, mean, Christina, she's always happy and always, you know, glad about her life and she's always thinking about the other people and what can I do.
fit better. mean she always has a nice thought, you know, for the others. And this is, you know, happened naturally. I mean, but the whole thing started out with COVID because we realized how lucky we were to live here in a place like this. So after COVID she started, you know, doing happenings and, know.
cooking classes and whatever. mean, she does a lot of different things, but this is something that, know, she does it, you know, because she has this passion of, it's not rocket science. It's not like,
high cuisine. It's just a very basic, simple life, you know, with good ingredients. yeah. Well, and that's what I mentioned to you is that I think the best things we've been in Italy
Couple of weeks now, I think. And the best meals we've had have been the most simple, right? And you mentioned that. It's not about how many different ingredients can I put in a dish. It's just very simple, whether it's pasta.
You've had some like meat dishes, but just just simple ingredients that I think we over complicate what we want to call Italian food. Yeah Besides the complication is solo. It's also the nature of the food. We try to source local, you know Anything that we buy I mean from the supermarket we only get you know, the soap and These kind of things, you know, I mean the toilet paper or things like that, but
But regarding food, we still go to the farmers or to the small stores where we know what's going on. Plus, we grow a lot of things ourselves too. That's it.
There is tomato and tomatoes. mean, there is a plum and a plum, an apricot and an apricot. They are different. It's funny because, for example, I grow old species here. And when people come here and they taste a plum or an apricot, they're like, my God, what is this? Completely different, you know? It's something that goes back when we were kids. Nowadays, if you go to...
supermarket in Dubai and Africa. Tastes like nothing. Or a cherry. Tastes like nothing. We talk about this a lot, is that when we were children, you ate the things that grew that time of year. You didn't have stuff that... Yes, all year round. All year round. The eggplant is not all year round. The zucchini is not all year round, you know. So you gotta eat once, you know.
in the season. So you cannot have strawberries or cherries all year round. It's not right. It's not fair. It's not good for you because they're coming from far away places. They travel a lot. They are full of preservatives. They last forever. They're fossils. That's true.
So tell us a little bit how did you get involved with the Cesarine Cesarine.
Well, mean, when she started doing this, then it just happened that a good friend of ours, he was doing it. Okay. So, and he said, why don't you join the Cesarine team? I mean, you get more visibility, you you get a bigger audience. I mean, of course, you know, of doing it.
on our small here, know, with our connections. So that's how it started. Thanks to Massimiliano, a good friend of mine that he was doing and he was very good at it. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a great network because I know that when you you book through platforms like that, like there is a
you you have to pay something or whatever, but it does give you visibility because I think people in the US, like they go on different platforms to say, okay, what are the reviews and what people have to say and what are the pictures? I mean, so it is a great opportunity for, especially people in the US to, you know, if you're visiting Florence, for example.
and you're in the city for however many days to just have at least an evening or an afternoon if you do want to just come and have this beautiful, I mean, beautiful view that you're sharing with us and just the beautiful experience because you honestly do. I mean, I can see the lights of the city as we're talking.
But you feel like your world's away from the city and the crowds. there's of these birds. No, no, no, no. But you hear, I mentioned, I hear the birds again, but you still get the church bells. Yes. I think around the corner, what, probably a thousand of your closest friends would be watching the sunset. But here you get it for yourself. Does it ever get old?
No, but also the place is very dark because we have the astrophysics school right there where you see those lights, the yellow building. Yeah, so it's a good, it's a very, it's an excellent school, but also because Galileo Galilei used to live here down the street. Okay. That's why we have the astrophysics school, the astronomy point and everything, you know. And also why it's so dark. Wow. You know, there is no massive lighting here.
because of that. And the sunsets last forever, right? A long time. it's fantastic. yes. If it's, if it's, you know... It's very dark. Yeah, when, well, first, you know, if it's foggy or cloudy, you know, but if it's serene, mean, you enjoy the summer, the sunset.
can be red, purple, pink, orange. What I love is, Christine, went and took a picture of the sunset and the beautiful sky because it is really that beautiful and you live here. I love that. that's amazing.
Scott Barronton (30:49)
And honestly, food and wine are such a major part of the Italian culture that it's hard to fully appreciate Italy without experiencing that side of it in a way like this. And it also makes me think about to the winery with Federica, right? That's what she said that too, about the wine. The wine is for sitting down and enjoying together and enjoying with the food. And I think this is an interesting and important distinction.
Because Melissa you and I are not foodies, right? And so normally you would think that this is something that a foodie would want to do But no, I think for us it was more about yes It was tremendous and great food and we loved the learning something new and you know something that we're actually gonna take back with us but it was that experience and Spending the time together
and just hearing their stories, think that was what made this different. It's got one of the other thing I want to mention about the food, because you mentioned it about this food in Spain, is this was also very, very simple. and Paolo made the comment is that sometimes Americans
like complicate Italian food. Too many ingredients, I think was one of the comments that he made. Too many ingredients. So the ravioli was the spinach and the cheese on the inside. And they did it with a very simple homemade tomato sauce, almost crushed tomatoes, not anything like what we would think of, just like plain Like a pomodoro sauce. Yeah. And we had it with some bread.
and we had had the fried zucchini flowers and then we had the tiramisu and it was so fantastic. You know what I love, one thing that I enjoyed is we had a conversation about what do put cheese on because they had the cheese that you could put on top of here and we had said hey there seems to be like this debate about Americans think that if it's Italian food you
you sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of it. And I think he was like, you you're kind of overthinking this a little bit. But then I asked the question, like, would you put it on seafood? And both of them just snapped really quick. Yeah. Yeah. No. Like, why would you do that? Yeah. So.
There are some strict rules about what you can put the cheese on top of. And one reason that you had mentioned that is because we have noticed in restaurants if people ordered pasta, sometimes they would bring or even us, they would bring the parmesan and sometimes they wouldn't. And you don't think you feel awkward. Like we, it's not, it's not like we're, we have to have it or anything like that, but just kind of knowing. And so we just asked them that question, but just going back to that, like it was very simple meal, but just absolutely spectacular.
So one other thing I wanted to point out about Cesarine is that unlike most other platforms that connect visitors with experiences like all over the world, it is specific to Italy.
And just real quick, it's been around for a while. So it was founded in 2004 as a cultural and gastronomic association in Bologna, which shouldn't surprise us now because they're so centered around food. And we saw so much of that when we were there.
And so the reason that this was started was to help preserve and share Italy's culinary heritage. And since then, the community has grown to include skilled cooks who embody this traditional cuisine by performing these meaningful gestures like we've been talking about Italian hospitality, opening their homes to guests, sharing recipes, sharing these methods. And then we literally sat down at their table with them like we were.
Guests in their home because we were but we sat there and ate these meals together Yeah, it almost felt like you were sitting down and having a meal with a friend That's that's what it felt like Absolutely, we joked with them. We're like, we we really don't want to leave. Yeah We're just gonna stay here. Like it was a fantastic beautiful
setting and the space for cooking and their windows and we just can't can't stress enough how fantastic it was. So we would encourage you for your next trip and this one's going to be Italy specifically is to check out Cesarine So it is C-E-S-A-R-I-N-E. We'll include a link to this and so you can look and you can search by
different cities and the dates and you can even connect with the company and if you're looking for something specific and they will help guide you and that was one thing that I love about them and that's going to just help you find authentic and enriching experiences with the food and the culture the people that you the people that you end up cooking with and booking with and connecting with.
Well, so then Puglia gave us a completely different perspective yet again.
so Scott, I think we should start out by explaining where Puglia is because it's not like I think as much on the radar as a destination to visit. So think of Italy and the bottom part being the boot. It is like in the heel of the boot. Yeah. Just pick up your phone, say Puglia and then in your Instagram feed.
Facebook feed it'll be full of stories about Puglia. And once you start seeing them and researching this area you probably will be like okay I've seen things but since Puglia is in southern Italy it is a lot more rural you definitely find some really amazing food in this region.
So this experience that we booked at Maseria Fragnite really much more connected us to the land and a farm and producing the food itself. And we had heard about this experience from some friends of ours. And you know it's interesting because this wasn't to be an experience like Cesarine
where we sit down with a couple inside their garden and have a meal. This was about seeing how the cheese is being made. And it also wasn't just a tasting experience. So we didn't just show up and taste some cheeses and kind of let that be the process. We actually saw the entire process literally from start to finish. So we saw the cows.
where they get the milk from. And then that milk is turned into the cheese, mostly like mozzarella, burrata, and other types of cheeses that they make right there on site at the Maserio. And Scott, I'm gonna be honest. She kept naming so many kinds of cheeses that I'm like, I've never even heard of these words before. I mean, it has to do because they had...
They had the cows there, but then they bring in sheep and goat and it has to do with like all the different processes and how long they age them and all that kind of stuff and I think You were sold at the moment that you saw they made the burrata cheese there. Yes, they do and so
we got to see. she was showing us, okay, this is where, you know, we, pump in the milk. there was actually a small delivery truck because like I mentioned, they have their own milk from the cows, but they bring in the other. So the delivery truck was bringing the other that they hook up and pump in. And so she was explaining to that. But then we got to go in with the cheese maker and actually make the mozzarella and then
The inside of the burrata is called stradatella, which to us we were always like, that's like the ice cream. But it has the same name and I looked it up and it says same spelling, same name, same pronunciation. But he showed us from the mozzarella after you make it, like how that is made. You put the pieces of that in this cream. Well, basically they just kind of stretch out the mozzarella into a stringy substance.
and then they put it into some, I guess, heavy cream. And then that becomes the inside or the burrata. And then you put it back in the mozzarella to make the burrata. So it was just fascinating to be able to do this. And so then we actually got to make some ourselves.
Well, I should say so he pretty much had he like made it into the mozzarella So he showed us how he like chopped it off and then he did all the stretching and stuff like that So when I say we got to make it we got to make it into the different shapes Yeah, I mean he talked about how you you stretch it and they use really hot boiling water and they stretch it until it gets kind of the silky shiny texture that they're looking for
And then once it gets there, that's when they start making the mozzarella. And so we got to try our hand at make them into the like the little knots or you'd have them the little braids and different things like that. So we got to do that as well and taste it right there on the spot. So that was just that was just really, really cool.
we got to taste the pieces that we made. And let me just say that there's a reason that professionals do this every day. later they brought those pieces that we made along with some that the professional made out for us to taste. And we were like, yeah, those are the professional ones and these are ours.
So what I loved is also like they do this from start to finish. So just seeing how connected this is to a local farm, like to the land. It's an organic farm. I felt like what she showed us, what she told us, like their cows are just very, they're happy, they're humanely treated.
You know, they milk them for a while, then they allow them to get pregnant again, and then they get a break, and we saw some of the babies. And so it was just a fantastic experience to be able to see the whole process. Like I said, the dairy operation. Now, we didn't see them actually milk the cows, because they do that like really early in the morning. But we did see them come up and get to eat. So of course, the cheese production, they also have a bakery there. They have a butcher shop there. And she was like, you don't want to
You don't want to see that, but they have a shop also. well, I say butcher shop, have the place where they do the meat processing and then they have a shop and locals come by and buy all their, all their things. cause they, in addition to the cows, they also have a large herd of pigs that feed on the acorns, in an acorn grove. And I thought that was really great because that's supposed to be like the top notch, you know, ham.
that is fed on those acorns versus grain. And we of course would get to try some of that as well. And the bakery is wood. They use the olive wood. We met the baker and he let us try a couple of things and he showed us like here's my olive wood that I use and I put it on the side and you know all the you know the stone I guess it's a stone oven brick oven stone oven. So that was just really
really neat because it's traditional. It's rustic. So we also got to go into the cheese aging rooms. Scott and I had never seen anything like that before. They had this one where they take an orange, from their groves, I would say, and they put the cheese around it and it ages in there.
So the oils from the peel influence the flavor of the cheese. And so when we walked into the shop before we did like our full tasting, she had actually just cut one of those and we got to have a taste of that one. that was fantastic. Yeah, I think that sounds really strange until you taste it. And then it makes complete sense. Honestly, one of the most interesting parts of the day was hearing Gulia's story. Guila was our guide during this.
So she grew up in this area and then she had moved to London for over a decade doing professional work. And then she eventually decided to move back home after having a son. And her reason for moving back was very simple. She just wanted her son to grow up around family and small town life. And I think that story really stayed with us because it reflected something we've heard from a lot of people during this trip.
there's a really strong connection to community and family life in these smaller Italian towns that many people don't want to lose. Yeah, and I think experiences like this just really help you understand why people stay connected to these places.
because you're seeing this in everyday life, not just the tourist version of a destination. And I wanted to add a couple of other things about like our visit. There was a small school group there. And so she was actually like, I'm so happy to have you guys on this tour, right? So, and then there was a lady who would come by to like pick up something in the shop and the kid was in the car and she...
was like, I'm sorry, I'm not greeting y'all. Like, I'm trying to figure out, I just like want to keep my eye on him. But it was just like, this is just normal. Like, it's not anything polished or professional or they're watching out for each other. They're like just taking care of each other. And I don't know, it was just like, we're cool with that. And for us to then have that conversation, I think she really enjoyed sharing because she was like,
thanks for having that chat with me or whatever. I don't know. She just like really enjoyed being able to share that and maybe connect with, I don't know, connect with tourists maybe in a way that sometimes she doesn't get to. Well, we'll put a link to this experience in the show notes. for this one, we booked the private tour, which allowed us to make the mozzarella that we would then eat and have the full tour. you know, that had a basket of cheese and meat, a local
Rose wine some bread crackers and just things like that to enjoy While we sat there and then you got to take the leftovers with you So we'll put that link in there. I will say the other Experience is they just take you on a tour of the farm and then you You know, you'll still see like how the process is made you just don't get to do the making it yourself
think that's the big difference. And the other thing I would like to add too is if you happen to be by here and you haven't booked a tour, you can literally just come. You could buy something at the shop or they would put together a basket like this. So it was some of the different cheeses that we had seen, some of the meats, some of the crackers and bread that we got to enjoy while we were there. And some of the cheeses are soft too. And then they had a zucchini jam.
that was surprisingly like we were like, we don't know what to expect, but it was delicious. And so I would say when we returned to this area, I want to book a place with a kitchen and I'll be going there to shop and get some things that we can prepare. Sounds good. Well, these experiences on our trip remind us that some of the best travel experiences happen when you stop trying to see everything and instead just spend time actually connecting with the place.
Often you're not going to remember seeing this cathedral or that cathedral or this basilica or that basilica. And you won't even really remember like what's the difference between a cathedral and a basilica. We keep asking each other that over and over again. Even though we keep looking at that. Yeah. We do know the answer and so many of them have the same names too. And don't get me wrong. We love those things.
But if that's all we did, we would be missing out on the real part of Spain and Italy. And so for us, that happened through these experiences, the food, the conversation, the questions, and being welcomed into spaces that felt really personal and authentic. And those experiences gave us a much deeper appreciation for Florence, Puglia, and Estepona that we would have never have gotten from simply walking through
a major tourist area. And honestly, those are the experiences we find ourselves thinking about long after the trip is over.
Because at end of the day, places become more meaningful when you connect to... Because at the end of the day, places become more meaningful when you connect them to real people in their real stories. And so if this episode inspires you to travel a little differently, that's exactly why we share these experiences. Whether it's a cooking class in Tuscany, a local meal in Spain,
or farm experience in Puglia, those are the kind of experiences we love helping people discover through our Sunshine Travelers experiences. You can always reach out to us through sunshinetravelersexperiences.com or to make it simple, sun, the letter X, travel.com. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would really appreciate it if you'd follow the podcast and leave us a review.
It really helps us continue growing the show and sharing more stories from around the world.
Speaker 1 (48:51)
Well that's it for today's episode. Wherever you're listening from, we hope we've added a little spark to your travel dreams today.
Speaker 2 (48:58)
If you've been enjoying the show, a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform goes a long way. It helps new listeners join our Sunshine Travelers family.
Speaker 1 (49:07)
Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Speaker 2 (49:11)
and join us on Instagram or Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember, that's Travelers with one L.
Speaker 1 (49:16)
And if the stories, tips, and adventures we share bring a little sunshine to your week, you can even buy us a cup of coffee now. You'll find the link in the show notes.
Speaker 2 (49:26)
And of course, share this episode with a friend. Adventure is always better together.
