Yesterday Wednesday 25th October we drove from the Amalfi coast up to Orvieto. (Sorry these are so delayed now as we have had some WIFI issues in our Airbnb that you will hear about later!) We had to break the journey up to Florence by spending the night here in Orvieto otherwise it would have been a 5.5 hour drive. Leaving Sorrento at about 12pm we drove back to the start of the Path of the Gods and walked 10 minutes into the track to get some drone footage since we had forgotten to take it with us yesterday. The other stops on the way up were to a massive hypermarket where we spent at least an hour stocking up in supplies and the other was just outside of Rome to a outlet mall which had a Kappa store in it. Lew is on the hunt for an Italian souvenir and Kappa is the Le Coq Sportif version for the Italians. He was disappointed by what they had in store and it was all still relatively expensive. The hunt continues and I'm sure we will find some cool stuff when we get into the Dolomites since Kappa sponsor the Italian ski team! So the drive was a total of 4 hours from Amalfi but with all the stops we arrived in at 8pm. The accommodation was super cute and the town was perched up on a hill but alas it was too dark to see it, I'm sure it is another one of these places we wish we were staying longer in. Tossing together some fajitas for dinner we sat down and contemplated where we were going to stay in Lucerne. The last thing we worked out was how long it would take us to drive to Florence tomorrow since we had a cooking class starting at 9.45am that we had to get too. The drive was somewhere between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes meaning we would need to leave by at least 7am!! We should have looked at that earlier since it was 11.30pm and we rushed to get to bed so we would at least be awake and enjoy the cooking class.

Thursday 26th October 2017

We had decided that we should leave Orvieto early in order to make the most of the day and fit in a cooking class. This would mean we would still have two days to look around Florence itself and to learn how to make pasta! We had found the cooking class held by Lorenzo and Luca on Airbnb experiences and they had around 300 reviews and not a single one had dropped below 5 stars (the top mark). They had grown up cooking with their grandmas on a Sunday so had a few family secretes they promised to share with us. The alarm woke us up at 6am and after eating breakfast and throwing everything into the bags we managed to leave Orvieto by 7.15am. We were a little concerned about the fact that our car was in a ZTL just outside our apartment but we had been assured last night there would be no issues especially since we were leaving early. Easy for them to say when they won't potentially get a €100 ($170 NZD) fine! The 2 hour drive to Florence was uneventful but the autoroute was a lot busier than usual with many many trucks. We had a chat to my parents on the way catching up on how they were getting on with finding my dad stolen bike. The insurance company had already sorted it but there was a minimal chance in him getting it back unfortunately. He is on the hunt for the same bike or perhaps something else of similar specs. Arriving into Florence at 9.10am we were much too early but it wasn't the end of the world as there was easy parking on the side of the street to wait. The train was late with everyone on it so we knew we would be waiting a bit longer than expected. Lew rung one of his friends back in NZ Samuel in the mean time to discuss potential bike options for my father since he's the man to ask, I am sure we will be receiving a spreadsheet of options via email soon! I am often jealous of the great friends Lew has and the way they can spend hours on the phone bouncing ideas off each other. Next thing an Italian man comes around our car smiling and explains he is Lorenzo and he will take us back to their place since Luca is late on the train. We followed him in the car and a short 3 minutes later we were pulling up a gravel driveway so step the car began slipping, I almost had the task of pushing the thing up... parking up on their property we were lead through the gates to their house. It has the most beautiful forest it looked over with olive trees as far as the eye can see. Their neighbours make their own olive oil and that is what we will be cooking with today. Luca and Lorenzo had prepared a table of breakfast items including clementines, grapes and focaccia with ham and some others with homemade nutella (nutella seems to be a big thing over here?). He made me a cup of green tea and shortly after we sat down the rest of the group arrived. There was a sweet young married couple from Dallas, Texas with Mexican roots - Zuri and Eric and a solo traveller from Brazil- Hellen. We all sat down and got to know each other - Luca and Lorenzo included whilst we enjoyed their breakfast. Lew and I were certainly feeling a little exhausted already after our early morning start and were hoping to wake up a little when we started cooking. Luca took us for a tour around their land pointing out their caper plant and also introducing us to their chickens who roam free everyday producing free range eggs to make their pasta with. We also collected some lavender as the panna cotta we were going to make would be infused with lavender.

Heading back into the house we all washed out hands and donned out aprons. They had the most lovely table setting with home made name tags for each of us which we can attach to our aprons and later on our wine glasses. Panna cotta was first on our list of things to make as it would take most of the day to set. Luca showed us that you heat the heavy cream and sugar with the lavender in it just until bubbles start rising to the surface. Quickly remove it from the heat and this stage and leave it for half an hour at room temperature. You then add your gelatine in either in the powered form which we have in NZ or in the wafer from which has been sitting in cold water for a few minutes, this will allow the mixture to set with a similar consistency of jelly. They moved us through to the table settings where Lorenzo had laid out the free eggs we had collected and a mixture of both plain flour and semolina flour to make our pasta. He showed us how to section off a bit of the flour mixture as you want to start with your pasta dough being very soft and then adding more flour to harden it up. We made a well in the centre right down to the base of the wooden board and broke a single egg into it. Lorenzo explained there are two different types of pasta that the Italians make one of which we are making today and the other just being flour, water, and oil. The type we were making with the egg is more elastic and better for pasta such as ravioli with the filling inside of it. We mixed the egg with the fork inside of the flour well we had made with our fingers and slowly begun incorporating the flour around the outside until there wasn't any flour left and the dough was a sticky mess. Lorenzo told us that one of their secrets is that you try not to touch the pasta dough much at this stage as it is very sticky. We sprinkled a "Texas sized" amount of flour over the dough and tried to mix it in with the fork as much as possible before getting stuck in kneading it with our hands. Lorenzo and Luca came around assessing each of our doughs telling us to add more flour or in the case of Lew and I just continue kneading as it was the right consistency. To reduce the stickiness you just add more flour and then continue to knead it until it is as smooth as a babies bottom. Lew and I finished up first and Luca helped us shape it into a nice round ball. He gathered up all the dough wrapping it in grad wrap (it can't just be in a container like the pizza dough) and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

At this stage Luca brought out the heavy cream infused with lavender that had been sitting for 30 minutes and showed us how he poured it though a strainer and he recommended to do this even if you choose not to infuse it with anything. Pouring it into small glasses it was ready to go into the fridge for around 5 hours. Luca and Lorenzo explained that you can add a dollop of nutella into it at this stage so it will set in the middle of the dessert, or once it has set on top you can add salted carmel or berries. He even adds in some coffee power sometimes to give it a different flavour. Once these were in the fridge as well as our dough Lorenzo began showing us how to make the sauce for one of the pastas we were making later. This included heating up some oil with entire garlic cloves that have just been crushed with the outside remains on to prevent them from burning in the oil. He then cut up a lot of cherry tomatoes setting them aside whilst adding the capers into the garlic and oil mixture crushing them with the end of his wooden spoon to release the flavour. Next the olives - fresh from their neighbours and tomatoes allowing them to cook for 3-4 minutes becoming soft before adding in some salt (not a lot since the olives and capers are already very salty) and a pinch of sugar. He didn't bother using a spatula but shook the tomatoes to move them around the pan - I notice there were no remains of tomatoes on the wall so he's obviously rather good at this! This sauce didn't take long to prepare and smelt just heavenly, absolutely something I will be trying myself at some stage as in Auckland I had capers in the fridge but wasn't really sure what to do with them. Luca & Lorenzo took us back into the dining room where it was time for us to finish off making out pasta called tagliatelle. We removed the dough onto our wooden board after we added a "Texas sized" amount of flour again (They like this as it reminds us you really can't go wrong with flour sometimes). They also seem to prefer to use the semolina flour for this but they told me you could use normal flour in this process also. we pushed our dough out a bit into an oval shape and then one by one we each had a go using the pasta maker which allows you to roll it it flat. You start at the lower settings and then work your way up to number 6 which makes it get thinner and thinner. If it becomes too long you can fold it back on itself making it wider as opposed to longer and easier to handle. After each having a go we left the pasta on a drying rack for another while and switched to watching Luca at the other end of the table who was showing us how to make potato gnocchi. They had this steel device from one of their grandmas that squishes the cold potatoes into thin worms to make it easier to mix in with the dough. Its then just a matter of mixing flour, salt and an egg in and kneading it, he cut it up and gave us each a piece on top of our Texas sized amount go flour on our wooden chopping boards. We then began rolling it into a long cylinder shape and when it became too hard to keep it the same size you split it in half and continue rolling until it is about the size of a NZ 20c piece. At this point Luca and Lorenzo showed us how to cut the pasta into medium pieces about the size width of a NZ 50c piece and then how to roll it down a "gnocchi board" which is basically a corrugated wooden board that allows you to create the shape of gnocchi. Holding the board with one hand you gently roll the pasta down on a angle which makes the dough almost turn into a complete oval with a gap that allows the sauce to collect in there. We laid all out gnocchi out on a board covered with flour whilst we watched Lorenzo show us how to make different types of pasta by hand.

I don't even know the names of most of them but there was definitely ravioli, bows, shells and a few types of tortellini. He made it look easy sculpting the dough into impressive shapes but I'm sure it is very fiddly and would take a while for us all to learn. Lorenzo had prepared some snacks for us outside on the table at this point and invited us all to hang up out aprons and take a seat whilst we wait for the water to boil to cook the pasta. There a beautiful spread of fresh bread, olives, sundries tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and olive oil for us to taste and we all enjoyed taking a break in the sun. I learn that Hellen has a year to go before she completes her medical degree and Zuri has completed a Biology degree but is keen on Dental School but said she will probably end up in Nursing as like NZ Dental school is very hard to get into. Eric on the other hand is a electrical engineer so it was rather funny that all the girls were in the medical field and the two boys both in engineering. We had some good conversations about wages and it seems like the nurses in the States are making the most money out of Brazil, NZ and the UK so perhaps we should have moved there! (I know Pat Coats you are yelling YES at the computer right now 😘). We stuffed our faces when in hindsight we really should have been saving a LOT of room for the pasta we were about to consume. Luca & Lorenzo hollered that the water was boiling and we all came inside to watch how to cook the pasta. On the stove he had a huge pot of boiling water as they said it is better this way as it stops the pasta sticking (adding olive oil doesn't help). There was also the frying pan of cherry tomatoes etc that we prepared early and Lorenzos special Ragu recipe from his Grandpa that he made for me especially since the tagliatelle sauce would have melted butter, cracked pepper and sage leaves it with a addition of melted gorgonzola cheese on top. The gnocchi seems very easy to cook since you know they are ready when the rise to the top. All of us had started off with small gnocchi and as we continued to cut they got bigger and bigger so they were all going to take different times to cook. In the same pasta water the tagliatelle was cooked and then added to the cherry tomato mixture with fresh basil and dried ricotta cheese added on top of everyone else plates. So we first ate out gnocchi and the ragu sauce was to die for - it had been cooked for around 7 hours though so the flavours were so immersed throughout the ingredients. Lew thought the sage/butter/gorgonzola was like no pasta he is ever tried before and the gnocchi was much different to the snot like textured ones I had brought in the supermarket.

After we had finished that the large frying pan with the tagliatelle came out and we each got a large serving of this. The flavours were so fresh with the tomatoes and basil and the olives, garlic (the big chunks had been removed) and capers gave it lovely salty flavour. Lew had a second helping but I was much too full to fit in more, perhaps I should have got a doggy bag! The wine kept flowing and for dessert we ate the lavender panna cotta we prepared earlier in the day. Lorenzo knew that I wasn't able to eat this and went to the trouble of finding me a Sicilian mango - apparently they are rather hard to come by especially since we are a reasonable distance from Sicily. OMG if you ever find one of these buy as many as you can!! Im not normally a huge mango fan but this had such a beautiful sweet flavour, Lorenzo was gleaming at my complements towards the mango as Luca had joked that perhaps I didn't like mango knowing how much trouble he had obviously gone to get it. They told us some funny stories of people they had on their cooking class in the past as we all happily ate our dessert feeling very relaxed. Initially I hadn't realised that they were gay but I think they said they had been together 10 years and in a civil union for 1 year. Over the course of the day when they realised we really did not care they became more and more of their usual selves and their hilarious personalities complement each other so well, we just loved them and had only met them that day. After dessert they brought us out some sweet dessert wine (which was so strong and tasted more like spirits to us!) and some biscotti. I don't think Lew and I will be needing dinner thats for sure. They started wrapping things up as the other 3 had to catch a train back into Florence, we had a couple of group pictures and walked out to the cars. If any of you are in this region I really really recommend booking yourself in for their class. I know this will be one of the main highlights of our trip and the genuine warmth and passion both Luca and Lorenzo have for their guests and their cooking is incredible! Here is a link to it if you want to check it out: https://www.airbnb.co.nz/experiences/25122 or direct at their website: http://www.lovexfood.com/ and save yourself $16 NZD or so..

From leaving their place we had to make our way to the next Airbnb which was about 30 minutes away. The drive in was beautiful through the olive groves and sun was slowly setting over the Tuscan hills. We had a parking site just outside our apartment and Beatrice our host showed us around the place. It was a little different to what we had stayed in before since it was a studio and the bed was suspended above the living room. I was rather excited to have an oven and one of the first things I did was set about getting a banana cake cooking so we had something to snack on. Lew sat outside watching Youtube and it was so nice to finally have a slow afternoon. We were planning on getting a bulk amount of our Switzerland accomodation booked tonight also. I was halfway through making the banana cake when I realised I couldn't get the oven to turn on. We looked everywhere for a plug and just as I message our host Lew found that it does work it just it isn't plugged into the wall and it is unreachable to do this ourselves. Beatrice came down and explained that the oven didn't work but I could use her oven, we also asked why the internet had suddenly cut out and she explained to us that there was a 1G limit per day. GRRRR! This we had not been told and Lew had burnt though the 1G watching Youtube in like 15 minutes. I did borrow her oven to cook the banana loaf which worked well and in between all this I took an hour long call from London in regards to my upcoming Part 2 NMC nursing exam. The main advice I took out of the call was something Carl had told me "Forget how you nurse back in NZ, Forget how you think you would nurse in the UK, just remember each of these points and the traps that they will fail you on". It is honestly one of the most bullshit exams and cost me $2,000 NZD, they will fail you on the silliest little thing such as a patient having a lighter and cigarettes on their bed - you have to explain the hospital is non-smoking, explain that it is also a fire hazard, give them some brief smoking cessation AND if you don't remove it from them and put it in the draw you will fail. Hmmm I am not overly confident about this one but I have also booked a two day course that will give me hands on experience on what it will be like - an additional $553 NZD. Anyways back to Florence. We were pretty unhappy with out Airbnb choice at this point since there was a lot of stuff that wasn't explained in the listing - even the €9 ($15 NZD) city tax we had to pay and the extra €10 ($16.90) per day we would be charged if we wanted heating. I can tell you that we have finally hit winter and it had been about 10 degrees overnight so we will be rugging up inside also! The place is so tiny it wouldnt cost anywhere near that amount to heat anyway! The rest of the night was pretty boring since all we wanted to do is watch Netflix, book accommodation, plan for tomorrow or bake, none of which we could do. Ciao xo