Announcing Two Weeks in Todi : 2011 Dates!
Two Weeks in Todi: Italian Language and Culture Course
Now Enrolling for 2011!
2011 Dates:
June 25 – July 9
Sept 17 – Oct 1
Tuition:
Full Course (language and culture): 1475 euros
Companion Rate (culture only) : 750euros
Rates do not include $500 non-refundable deposit
Early Bird Special!
Enroll with a deposit by Sept 30 and pay 2010 rate (1375/675 euros)
Visit our Travel page for more info!
Speak! on the Road: Salumeria Rosi in New York City
Salumi and much more – Cesare Casella’s Salumeria Rosi in Manhattan
When the Tuscan-inspired Maremma closed over a year ago, I was afraid I’d have to live without chef Cesare Casella’s simple, pure cooking during visits to New York City. I had fallen in love, in particular, with his heirloom legume salad – sette fagioli – made with beans he grows at a farm in upstate New York using seeds he brought over from the Old World. (You can buy Cesare’s beans and much more – including the elusive ancient grain, farro, at his site – Republic of Beans)
I read about his new venture – Salumeria Rosi – which opened 13 months ago on the upper West Side on Amsterdam between 73rd+74th Streets and knew I would fall in love all over again. And so I did on New Year’s Eve at a memorable lunch I shared with my Tuscan husband, Enrico, my sister, Marisa, and her husband Mark. The tiny little space was full of activity at 1pm and when we noticed the “dining room”‘s diminutive size (it seats about 30 at a strip of tables and a few marble counters) we were thankful for our reservation. As its name suggests, Salumeria Rosi, named after the owners – the Rosi family of Parma – specializes in that fine art of cured pork and thus I wasn’t surprised to find a row of prosciutti hanging from the ceiling above a glass case displaying a fine array of the finest cured meats – prosciutto crudo (cured), Parmacotto prosiutto cotto (the Rosi family’s specialty – steamed ham injected with brine), mortadella, capicolla, speck and much more. New Yorkers can here shop the Old World way, picking up a quarter pound of this, a few slices of that, some olives, cheese, but we were set on lunch.
We took our seats under an enormous ceramic sculpture depicting the gastronomic topography of Italy which clings to the dark walls and glass ceiling. I was worried a chunk of salami might land on my head, but the craftsmanship in the design is clearly as stellar as the cuisine (I overheard Casella telling a table of Italians next to us that an Oscar-winning set designer is responsible for the restaurant’s simple but dramatic decor). Eager to sample the restaurant’s star product, we began with a plate of mixed salumi – Parmacotto, mortadella and a few others – together with a bottle of negroamaro – Neprica – from Puglia. I was back in Italy with the first salty pink bite, the first sip of earthy red.
From my seat, I had a perfect view of the little galley kitchen, which looked to be as small as my favorite enoteca in Todi (Enoteca Oberdan). Casella was in there when we arrived and moved about the place – chatting on the phone, overseeing the kitchen activity, reading e-mails, greeting diners and talking cheerfully with his well-trained staff. A bouquet of rosemary had been stuffed into the breast pocket of his black-and-white checkered shirt, together with a standard no. 2 pencil. Our server told us he’s generally always present at the Salumeria, which makes me wonder how he can also act as the Dean of the Italian Culinary Academy and sit on numerous boards and charities. Passion and purpose clearly drive him.
After the salumi and a toasted crostino topped with a bit of stracciatella cheese(the creamy inside of burrata), olive oil and salt, we each picked two items from the menu and prepared to share and sample. I was thankful that my sister ordered the bean salad – a colorful (purple! beet red! golden!), jewel-like combination of the most gorgeous beans you’ve ever seen or tasted, perfectly cooked, both tender and firm. She earned more points for ordering Cesare’s signature salad – Insalata Pontormo – soft scrambled eggs and pancetta tossed with fresh arugula and radicchio. I couldn’t stop stabbing intro Mark’s pancetta-roasted Brussel Sprouts, but he didn’t seem to mind. Enrico and I both ordered soups – a minestrone that was 100% vegetables and an amazing, cant-get-more-Tuscan-than-this soup reminiscent of farro but made with wheatberries and tiny, pearl-like Coco di Mamma beans. Other highlights included the lightest lasagna I’ve ever tasted
and a spicy porchetta (roasted suckling pig) sandwich that could’ve come from my favorite porchetta trailer in Todi.
We lingered for a long while, finishing up the bottle of wine and then enjoying bites of warm apple cake and perfect macchiati before strolling through Central Park on our way to the Whitney Museum. Next time, I’ll return to Salumeria Rosi for dinner – and I hope you will try it, too!
Salumeria Rosi
Salumeria Rosi
283 Amsterdam Ave. (73rd / 74th St)
New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-877-4800
Hours:
Join Speak! in Sicily July 2010
On this cool, day morning in Virginia, it is even more tempting to imagine spending Eight Days in coastal Siracusa, Sicily next year, immersed in the natural, cultural, historic and culinary wonders of this most unique Italian region. Together with Marcello Baglioni, owner of AgaVe Travel Creative (one of Conde’ Nast Traveler’s World’s Top 126 Travel Specialists), I have planned an itinerary which promises to introduce you to Sicilian life in an exciting, yet relaxed way. We will do everything from visit towns like ancient Siracusa and Morgantina to exploring Baroque hilltowns to simply soaking up the beauty of life in the bustling fishing village of Ortigia. Italian students will get a chance to practice what they know, while also learning a phrase or two in the Sicilian dialect! (No Italian is required to attend this trip, however.).
Here are the details. Please download the complete itinerary from the
Travel/Study Abroad page of our website.
Speak! in Sicily : Eight Days in Siracusa – July 4 – 12, 2010 (right after Two Weeks in Todi!)
2,000 euros per person (see itinerary for what’s included: lodging in a boutique hotel, daily excursions including market cooking classes, a sailing trip, daily Italian lessons, and more!)
Two Weeks in Todi 2010 - new dates on the horizon!
Two Weeks in Todi 2010: Italian Language and Culture Course
June 19-July 3, 2010 FULL
Sept 4-18, 2010
Here’s the Registration Form 2010.pdf – print, fill it out and mail it in to reserve your spot!
READ ABOUT THIS TRIP IN MORE MAGAZINE:
Unforgotten Italy
Join Christina Ball (Speak!) and La Lingua, La Vita Italian school in the hill town of Todi for a glorious two week cultural and linguistic immersion experience in Umbria. For the fourth consecutive year, Christina will lead a group to Speak’s “sister city” of Todi for two weeks of Italian language lessons, cooking classes, artistic-culinary-naturalistic excursions, festivals, magical meals and day after day of idyllic Italian village life. Though there is the option of skipping the language lessons (great for travel companions of Italian students!), the core offerings include:
- 2 weeks (4 hrs/day) of Italian lessons at La Lingua, La Vita (all levels!)
- 2 weeks of Lodging in an independent apartment or with a local family
- 7-8 Field Trips (to places like Orvieto, Castelluccio, Spoleto, Perugia)
- An Umbrian Cooking Class (more can be added, if desired!)
- 24/7 Guidance, Assistance and Instruction outside of class by Christina Ball
As you can see from the slideshow below (click on comment box to read captions,), our just-completed Two Weeks in Todi 2010 trip was a glorious success.
and here is the slideshow of our 2008 course (click bottom left to read captions)!
Interested in enrolling, or more info? Set up an info-session or phone date with Christina to find out all you need to know-do! e-mail christina
Curious? Read answers to Two Weeks in Todi FAQ’s Weeks in Todi FAQs answered.doc
For prices and other important details, see our Two Weeks in Todi Fact Sheet
To convert tuition into dollars, check a currency converter
To get an idea of what you’ll be doing in addition to learning Italian, check out our
Cultural Activities 2009 schedule
Find out more about Todi and Umbria