Well, what can I say? Today is the last day of the tour. How did this happen so fast?! We have seen, done, and tasted an amazing number of things. But....today is the last day of the tour!

As usual, my goal in having my clients trek around these charming hill towns is to make them hungry for lunch, and today is no exception. The historic center of Spoleto can be very vertical. Combine that with the fresh air, sightseeing and shopping....and yes, we are ready for lunch! Good thing too, because we're in for a real treat. Today is our Farewell Lunch (sob, sob), so I've organized an elegant and fancy affair at Ristorante Apollinare. We will be in the hands of Chef Michele, who never fails to make me swoon with his delicious menus. Here's our starter. It is beyond amazing.
In Italian, Michele calls this, Tortino di zucchine con salsa di zucca gialla e fiore di zucca farcito di formaggio e tartufo, or in other words:  Zucchini pie with pumpkin sauce and squash blossom stuffed with cheese and truffle. Yes. I know. You can't believe it either! The zucchini pie was so tender, the pumpkin sauce so flavorful, the zucchini blossom so fresh, and then you get hit with the cheese and truffles.....swoon. All I can think is, "This is only the beginning; please don't let it end."

I apologize for the poor pictures, but from left to right, we had, Frascarelli della nonna con crema di pomodoro e pesto di basilico, Filetto di vitello al timo con millefoglie di verdure and Crescionda spoletina agli amaretti e cioccolato con gelato alla vaniglia fatto in casa. So what does all that mean?
The first dish on the left is pasta with grandmother's cream of tomato and basil pesto. Then comes the most delicious and tender veal fillet with thyme and layers of vegetables. It was Amazing with a capital "A". For dessert, we had a local specialty of amaretti and chocolate with homemade vanilla ice cream. That one made my eyes roll back in my head. Seriously. Delicious. I think I simply will never be able to go to Spoleto without paying Chef Michele a visit. 

And now that our Farewell Lunch is over, and we make our way back to Rome....it really is time to say goodbye. They take final pictures with our driver Christopher who has been by our side for the last ten days. 

I’ve recently had a most fabulous visit at Casamonti Farm located in the heart of Chianti Country which is located in the heart of Tuscany. This is no ordinary farm. It is a combination of scientific marvel and culinary delight. “What?!” you ask. “That doesn’t sound very tasty.” Oh, but it is. Let me explain…..

About 20 years ago, the world was about to lose a breed of pig called Cinta Senese to extinction. They are a fascinating animal to look at. Cinta means “belt” in Italian and you can see they have an interesting pinkish color to resemble a belt around their upper mid-section while the rest of them is black. They also have longer legs than the normal pig, bigger and flappier ears for eye protection, and really sturdy and longer snouts for digging in the ground. And….they’re delicious!

Casamonti’s owner, Raymond Lamothe was one of the key people to help bring the Cinta Senese back from extinction. And now, he and his wife Anna Rita breed and raise these special pigs on their farm, Casamonti. When a pig is born, genetic testing is done to determine whether this pig should be raised for breeding purposes, or whether after two years, it will become part of the food chain. After a pig is butchered the meat is brought back to Casamonti where it becomes all kinds of delicious things. 

Cinta Senese are so special, they have received the special D.O.P. designation from the government. This stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin. Products labelled D.O.P. give you the guarantee that this product has been made locally using traditional methods by artisanal producers. Other food products to receive D.O.P. labeling are items like Parmegiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, and certain olive oils among others.

So, what does all this mean to you, and me, the consumers who might make a visit to Casamonti? It means you will taste some of the best cured meats you have ever had in your life. A visit to Casamonti means a stroll with the elegant and charming Anna Rita; a woman who is passionate about her cooking, the products made on the farm, and making sure her guests have a wonderful visit. It means you’re going to have a darn good time. 

My Casamonti Lunch:

Join me won’t you, on a Tuscan adventure? We’ll tour the curing rooms to see the cured meats drying, and then return to their picturesque terrace to sample them. Their capocollo is going to make your head spin. I promise. We can also taste their fabulous wines and olive oils, all produced from their grapes and olives….or stay for lunch….or have a cooking lesson. You decide; it’s your adventure. Drop me a line at: [email protected] and let’s start planning your trip to Italy and to Casamonti Farm.

My second day in Rome begins exactly how it should....exactly how I had hoped it would....with a wonderful cappuccino, a beautiful cornetto, and the company of a great friend. Though I had a million things to tick off of my "to-do" list, there is no more civilized way to start the day than to welcome it the Italian way. And so rather than stand at the bar for a knock-it-back espresso, we took to a table to start the day with sips, munches, and conversation. Ahh......

Next stop, the fabulous Trionfale Market. Every time I'm in Rome I love to stop in here, not only to make purchases.....which I did, but just to soak up the local flavor. I mean that quite literally as I had samples of porchetta, olives, wine cookies and mozzarella cheese while shopping! Speaking of mozzarella cheese....the hubster will love these photos. I couldn't bring home these fascinatingly shaped cheeses, so he'll have to settle for the giant package of wine cookies I bought for him instead.

Though my lunch photos didn't turn out, my dinner photos did. This evening Rome was hit with an amazing thunderstorm. The rain was torrential, and lightning strikes and thunder abounded. It was the kind of rainstorm for which waterproof clothing was invented....and for which, it doesn't work. And to top it off, I was hungry. I was hungry at the peak, most rainy, lightning-ish, thunder-y part of the storm. Go figure. I ventured forth, down the slippery Spanish Steps, slogging my way to the pizza-by-the-slice place I meant to go to yesterday. Odd, hardly anyone else in the city was out at all. The shop was nearly empty and they were eager to tell me about all the different kinds of pizza available this evening. I chose two types: one with truffles and porcini mushrooms (so decadent!) and the other with artichokes (love them!). Torrential rain, crackling thunder, lightning spikes, shoes soaked. Worth it!!

In a previous blog, from a previous trip to Italy, on a previous day with Giovanna, I wrote about the joy of cooking with Giovanna while we made a zucchini lasagna together. Luckily, I had a second chance to cook with her on my most recent trip. And lucky for you, Giovanna is most gracious to allow me to again share her recipes and the photos of our day together.

Today we are making a Ricotta Tart with a Pasta Frolla Crust. This is a dessert I have specifically asked her to show me how to make. It’s a common and delicious dessert in Italy; nothing too fancy…just something an Italian mom might make for her family for the weekend. I imagine every time anyone passes through the kitchen, they snag a bit to munch on. I would! I love the crispy, buttery crust, the creamy interior, and the little bits of dark chocolate with the tanginess of lemon zest. It’s all such a great combination of flavors and textures. I hope you love it too!

Here’s your list of ingredients:
For the Pasta Frolla crust (makes 2 crusts with enough for decorative trim):

250 grams butter, cold and cut into large chunks
200 grams sugar
500 grams flour
4 egg yolks at room temp
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling (makes enough for two tarts):
1 kilo (just over 2 pounds) of fresh ricotta cheese
250 grams of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Lemon peel, grated
4 eggs
Chocolate of choice: mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate flakes, chopped chocolate, etc.

Let’s get started with the crust ingredients:

This recipe is really quite simple, and Giovanna has some shortcuts that really help. The Pasta Frolla crust needs at least an hour to chill so take that into account when planning your time. It can also be made a day ahead if that helps your schedule.

1) Put the chunks of butter and sugar into a food processor and process until smooth.

2) Measure the flour onto a clean surface, and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks to the center of the well.

3) Top the eggs with the sugar/butter mixture from the food processor. Also sprinkle over the baking powder and add the vanilla extract.

Now it’s time to get our hands dirty! Begin mixing by combining the wet ingredients with the flour from the interior of the well. Keep dragging in more flour. The mixture will become quite crumbly before it comes together into a dough. If it’s simply too dry, you can add another egg. If it’s too moist, add a little more flour. It can all be dependent on the size of your eggs. Ours is just right and before long, Giovanna has a nice dough all kneaded together into a log. She wraps in plastic wrap before putting it in the fridge for an hour.

Since we had time to kill, we went on a wine tour while we were waiting for the dough to chill! But that’s a whole different story for another blog post :)

Time to work on the filling. The filling couldn’t be easier. Simply combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon peel to taste, and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth. By hand, stir in the mini chocolate chips (as much as you like), and it’s done!

Before laying down the crust, butter and flour your pan. Here is one of Giovanna’s shortcut secrets: She doesn’t roll her dough out. When the dough has been thoroughly chilled, she slices it! Then she just lays the slices in the pan, overlapping and pressing to make them stick together. (At home, I would do this in a tart pan with a removable bottom.) Time to pour the filling over the crust.

Now Giovanna makes a simple decorative basketweave crust topping with an extra portion of the dough leftover from laying the crust. She rolls the dough just as if she were playing with clay. Lay these strips across the top of your tart .......

.......and Tahdah!......It’s ready to go into the oven. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. 










When it comes out, the edges are golden, the center is set and it smells fabulous!

Oh, I'm dying for a slice right now! Thank you once again to the lovely Giovanna for allowing me into her home, sharing her knowledge and cooking skills with me and for being an all around good friend.

Join me in Italy in 2014. You too just might get yourself invited into Giovanna's Kitchen. We'll see if we can work something out. Drop me a line at: mailto:[email protected]
Let's get cooking!

Welcome to Montepulciano, a charming hill town filled to the brim with great food and wine, wonderful architecture, beautiful art, and best of all…fabulous people. This town in lower Tuscany offers a little bit of everything a visitor could want. Montepulciano is presided over by their famous clock tower which features a clown, from Naples of all places. The Pulcinella is a reminder left by a Neapolitan bishop who was banished to Montepulciano for being a philanderer. (I can think of worse places to get banished to.)

But there’s so much more to Montepulciano than the cute clock tower. This town contains several churches and palaces containing some great art. There are eye-catching side streets to stroll down (or up). This, like many hill towns I constantly forewarn clients about, is quite vertical. It is very easy to work off one’s lunch or dinner. You really have no choice but to do so….which is why eating and drinking here is so great! 

There are wonderful views from Montepulciano since it is one of the higher towns in the area.

There are many artisanal craftspeople in Montepulciano. You will find all kinds of artisans, from wrought iron forgers to mosaic makers hard at work, not to mention ceramic artists. There is a wealth of shopping to partake in from the aforementioned artists as well as all sorts of wine, food and olive oil products. (I had a wonderful visit with the mosaic man….I’ll be writing about him in a future blog.)

And last but not least….there is….wine. Ah! Take a sip of the local Rosso di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile and you will be hooked. There are many underground caves which would suffice for a wine tour, but I found one with especially nice people, an especially nice tour, and especially nice wine that I will be taking future clients to. I can't wait to return!

This attempt at a panorama was taken from a great place to have lunch outside of the town with a fantastic view looking back to Montepulciano and the surrounding countryside.

Montepulciano, a window on Tuscany. Come join the fun! Book now for tours departing 2014. Drop me a line at [email protected]. Let’s discuss your future in Tuscany.

My trip to research new itineraries for my clients continues into southern Tuscany. Pienza will be my home base for the next three nights as I return to favorite haunts and explore new discoveries the area has to offer. 

Between Rome and Pienza, there is a lot to see. My first stop was at the Parco dei Mostri or Monster Park in Bomarzo. This fascinating little side trip, seemingly in the middle of nowhere is only an hour north of Rome, and makes for a great spot to stop and stretch your legs. The “garden” is a shady stroll through a “sacro bosco” or Sacred Woods. Around every turn of the path, appear gigantic statues and sculptures carved from the local stones. These mythological and fanciful creations are amazing in proportion and number. The garden was created in the 1500’s, fell into disrepair and the monsters lay in wait, hiding under overgrown greenery for 300 years. It was rediscovered in the 1930’s and developed into a park in the 1950’s. Today, an entry fee ensures its upkeep. It is an interesting and surreal stop.

Next stop: Bagnoregio, a city like no other. Bagnoregio has been called a dying town, but really it is far from that. It is uniquely situated on a rocky promontory which can only be reached by footbridge. (Be prepared for an uphill trek.) The city is now charging an entry fee, as they should, to help pay for the work (such as retaining walls) to keep this town alive. And alive, it is. Though it is very small, on this beautiful, cool fall day, several eateries were operating and filled with lunch time patrons. We in fact, had a really enjoyable lunch with sausages and veg cooked over the open fireplace, along with a mixed bruschetta platter to start. So delicious. After lunch, a stroll was in order. It doesn't take long to stroll the short side streets and take in the beautiful views to be had from nearly every dead-end street, and in a town like this, yes, they are all dead-end streets. 

Pienza is one of my favorite places in all of Tuscany. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the way the city was designed back in the mid 1400’s. The hotel I love to stay at has windows which open to a stunning panoramic view of the Val d’Orcia. When I wake up here each morning, the first thing I do is throw the windows open and lean out the windowsill. The view is the definition of Tuscan countryside. 

Small, and completely walkable, Pienza’s tiny side streets are charming and filled with eateries and great shopping. Pienza is Cheese Central; home to Pecorino, one of the most delicious and essential of Italian cheeses. This is also Honeyland, with so many varieties to choose from, it makes my head buzz. (Get it? Buzz….bees….honey?) Pienza is also located between Montalcino and Montepulciano, two of the best known towns for wine. It never ceases to amaze me in Italy; no matter how small a town is, there is never a shortage of great food and wine. What better place to stay while exploring this area of Tuscany?

Join me, won’t you….on a future trip to Italy? Let’s explore lower Tuscany together. The towns prominently listed in guidebooks are wonderful, but so are all the great places off-the-beaten-track. Let me take you there.

At this point, I know you think all I do is eat. You would be wrong. I also love to shop for food and take pictures of food.  The most popular food market in Rome is at Campo dei Fiori. It is a lovely market, very centrally located, but quite touristic and on the expensive side. The food market I take you to on my tours, on the other hand, takes a bit of knowledge to get to, but is cheaper, bigger, has much more variety and is shopped mainly by locals. This market is a little bit out of the way, thereby not really making it onto the A-list of tourist activities. However, EVERY time I am in Rome, I am careful to leave enough time for a stop here.  Not only do I have favorite booths to return to for my personal food shopping, but I am also sure to capture some really wonderful food photos.

It is early October after all, so pumpkins and porcini mushrooms are all over the place.  Porcini mushrooms have a relatively short season, so when they’re ready, everyone is mad for them.  They have a rich, deep, earthy flavor and are delicious grilled. At this time of year though, you will find them on everything including pizza, in pasta sauces, and in risottos. Tis the season for mushrooms and they are for sale in every market and along many country roadsides.

I love buying pumpkin or zucca in Italy. What is so wonderful about buying pumpkin you ask? It is the fact you don’t have to buy the whole darn thing! Every veg vendor sells pumpkin by the piece. He proudly displays a beautiful pumpkin and you tell him how much you want by weight, or better yet, with hand gestures to say you want a piece “this big”. Pumpkin here is grilled, or chopped to make risottos and to fill pastas among many other recipes. This way, you can make a pumpkin recipe, but you don’t end up eating pumpkin for every meal for the next two weeks. You buy just the amount you need. Genius. 

Another food item often sold by weight, is salad. Italian food markets are great about doing some of the prep work for you. They sell artichokes already trimmed, green beans already stringed, veg chopped for minestrone soup, etc. But these items are not pre-done and shrink wrapped. There’s someone in each booth doing it as the day goes along. Your purchases are freshly prepared. Such is the case with salad. Mixtures of various greens, and in this case carrots and radishes are prepped just ahead of your purchase. You choose how much you would like to buy. You can ask for a certain euro amount, or you can ask by weight. Genius.

There are lots of items which can be purchased by weight. This particular booth sells all kinds of beans and lentils. In addition, they sell a wide variety of rices.  It’s like shopping the bulk section in a U.S. grocery store. The difference is they can tell you where every grain comes from and if it was grown organically, as well as give you ideas for preparing them. This is the joy of having a real person who is completely knowledgeable about the items they are selling rather than making your bulk purchases from a spigot.

There are so many items at this market that I Love. There is a man who offers tastes of porchetta or pork roast. One of my favorite booths has such a bargain on pecorino cheese.  For me, it’s worth bringing a whole wheel back to the U.S.! On this trip I also bought delicious cookies baked with red wine, yummy slices of candied ginger, and dried chestnuts to add to my soups and stews when I return home.  I could spend a whole day here.

But, I do have other things on my agenda. Like visiting with old friends and meeting for a fabulous lunch. Welcome to my old neighborhood; Monti. It’s such a familiar haunt to me; I love just strolling the streets stopping in at favorites spots and looking for new changes. In fact, I had invited my friends to join me at my favorite pizza spot, only to disappointedly find it closed for the day. No worries. Monti is filled with fantastic eateries. We find another just a very short distance away and have a delicious lunch filled with seasonal favorites.

We all decide to order several appetizers rather than having the usual pasta. My first appetizer is grilled pumpkin topped with a slice of grilled prosciutto which is garnished with a creamy gorgonzola concoction. With each bite of pumpkin and prosciutto, I have a little nibble of gorgonzola. The combination of slightly sweet pumpkin, salty meat and the strong gorgonzola is really delicious. Next up are small local peppers which have been grilled, sliced open, and filled with a creamy mixture of fresh ricotta and pancetta. Smoky, crunchy, creamy, Heavenly. Last of all a deep fried combo of artichoke pieces and calamari. The breading is very light and very crispy. Inside, the artichokes are perfectly cooked and the calamari tender. I will return. Yes, I will.

Once again, I know you must think all I do is eat. But as it happens, after lunch comes dinner. What's a girl to do? This is the cycle of life….thank goodness. There is a restaurant I have been dying to try and somehow when I want to eat out, there is always a good friend willing to accompany me. My friend and I share three dishes: 
1)      An incredible pasta made with pistachios and guanciale. Seriously intense, seriously delicious. I will be trying to recreate this dish once I return home. It will be a matter of rendering the fat from the guanciale which is the cured jowl of a wild boar, and adding ground pistachios and ground pecorino…something to that effect. When I get it right, I’ll write a blog post about it. Until then….it’s a lovely memory.
2)      A lamb stew.  My friend, who is of Italian descent, proclaims the dish just like the one her mother used to make. Hurray for authenticity!
3)      And last, but not least, cicoria ripasatta. Cicoria is simply chicory. And I do mean simply. The beauty of Italian contorni or side dishes lies in their simplicity. The chicory has been boiled to tenderness, then cooked again on the stovetop. It is sautéed with garlic, a fair amount of olive oil and maybe a bit of red pepper flakes. Chicory can be bitter, but cooking it this way mellows it; the olive oil makes it tender; the garlic and red pepper flake give it a little kick. Simple genius.

And so ends Rome, Day 3. I have two weeks to go.  More food, more wine, more beautiful sights on the horizon. Stay tuned......Day four is filled with art.

Pasta con le Sarde
at our favorite restaurant in Praiano, Amalfi Coast....before

.....and after.

And here is my version.  I was so excited to make this!  The recipe is below.

In a previous blog, I discussed my cookie “history”. Well, believe it or not, I have a sardine history as well. As a small child, I grew up in the Canary Islands, back in the day before we worried about where our children were every second of the day. When I was about seven years old, I used to be invited to lunch quite often by a family of Spanish strangers. I was drawn to their doorstep by the great food smells emanating from within. I guess when I kept showing up around lunch time, they thought they should take me in. I remember being served sardines in tomato sauce on bread….and loving it. My mother would be mortified to know I dined with strangers like a stray cat, and to this day I haven’t told her.  Shh….

When we lived in Rome, we were lucky enough to experience many lovely weekend trips to the Amalfi Coast. In the tiny hillside, seaside town of Praiano we would often order Pasta con le Sarde or Pasta with Sardines, (along with the seabass baked in salt crust featured in a previous blog). It was always so incredibly rich, aromatic and flavorful making it necessary to perform la scarpetta at meal’s end. I have tried to replicate that recipe here to pretty good success. 

Here’s your list of ingredients:
Fresh sardines
Olive oil
Onion, chopped
One garlic clove, smashed
One anchovy fillet (jarred)
14-15 oz. can of Italian plum tomatoes in puree
Italian seasoning
Italian flat leaf parsley

Put a big pot of pasta water on to boil, and let’s get started:

A note on how many sardines to buy:  Sardines are very small fish to begin with, and after you clean and debone them, there’s simply not that much left. In this recipe, they’re all going to break down into the sauce anyway. I bought 10 for two generous portions. 

Our first order of business will be prepping the sardines. In Italy, the fishmonger will clean them, but he will leave the de-boning to you. Here, my fish guy wouldn’t do the cleaning, so….

First, chop off the head. Leave the tail on for the moment as it gives you something to hold on to. With your knife perpendicular to the fish skin, scrape gently in the opposite direction of the way the scales lay, to remove scales. This only takes a moment. I have spared you a photo of gutting the fish, but it’s a very simple process. Make a slice along the belly and wash out the entrails, leaving a nice clean fish body to work with. Dig your fingers under the spine at the tail end of the fish, and lift and pull the whole skeleton away from the body. Now the fish opens very easily, like a spineless book and you can trim off the tail and fins.  It is not necessary to remove the skin of the sardine.  Now that you have all your little fishes prepped, we can start on the sauce.

Heat some olive oil in a sauté pan.  Toss in some chopped onion and your smashed garlic clove.  Rub the garlic clove around in the hot oil to spread its flavor and discard it when it browns.  As the onions begin to soften and brown, toss in an anchovy fillet.  Anchovy fillets are very helpful to flavoring sauces.  They simply melt away into the sauce leaving behind a nice salty hit and adding a depth of flavor.

Pour in your can of tomatoes, giving each one a squeeze to release its juices and hasten the breaking down of the tomatoes into the sauce.

Now lay your sardines “open-book”, meat-side down on the sauce.  Use a large spoon to bring some sauce to the top to cover the sardines.  Let them simmer.  While the sardines are cooking, you can go ahead and start cooking your pasta, being sure to salt the pasta water generously before adding the spaghetti.

The sardines will cook very quickly and before long, it will be easy to start breaking them up with your cooking spoon.  Add a good pinch of Italian seasoning, and taste to see whether you should be adding some salt and pepper.  Just before serving, throw in some chopped Italian flat leaf parsley.  Remember to never throw out all your pasta water when you drain your spaghetti.  If your sauce has become too thick, adding a little starchy pasta water is the perfect way to thin it out a little. 

Add the drained spaghetti to the sardine sauce, toss and serve……..with a nice red wine, of course!  Buon appetito!

Would you like to eat Pasta con le Sarde in Praiano? That can be arranged. Drop me a line at [email protected].

Yes, I mean Valentine’s Day.  Have you thought about it yet?  No?  Then it’s about time you did.  If you don’t know what to get her, lucky for you, I do.  What could be more romantic than a trip to Italy for ten days?  She will never forget her completely stress-free vacation with Bella Giornata Tours.  Oh, the sights, the sounds, the food, the wine…sigh.  She will be eternally grateful. 

A tour with Bella Giornata Tours is the perfect combination of escorted group activities and private down-time.  A portion of every day is spent together exploring all the wonders Italy has to offer, while another portion of the day is set aside for you to explore, stroll, relax, and dine on your own. Our small group tours offer our clients very individualized attention and attention to detail.  No gigantic buses, no long lines, no having to wear a neon colored scarf.  Our privately-chauffeured van takes us directly where we need to go and our small group size along with your tour director (me!) makes sure everything goes smoothly.

Bella Giornata offers several options for your trip-of-a-lifetime.
1)      We offer trip planning for your private unescorted trip. You let us know when you’d like to go, how long you’d like to stay and we help you plan the perfect trip. We write itineraries for sights to see, routes to take, restaurants to dine at, wineries to visit, etc. so you don’t waste a single precious minute. We can also book your hotels, make restaurant reservations and purchase advance sightseeing tickets.

2)      Sign up for one of the current escorted tour offerings. Click on the tabs for Spring and Fall, and see the tours currently booking. These are small group (six person) tours with privately chauffeured vans traveling to fantastic destinations. Read the blog with highlights of last October’s tour!

3)      Don’t see dates that work for you for the escorted tours? That’s okay; we have other dates available. Simply let us know what your plans are, and we’ll work to accommodate them. 

4)      The escorted tours aren’t going where you want to go? Where do you want to go?  Just let us know, and we’ll plan an itinerary and escort your small group on the perfect vacation.

Contact me now at [email protected].  Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.

GREAT NEWS!

I've just published a new tour agenda for May.  It's called "Girlfriends on the Go", and promises to be loads of fun.  Grab five of your best friends, and Let's GO!  You get a $100 discount for being the lead girlfriend and rounding up your best buds.  I take over from there, doing all the work and planning for you, ensuring that you all have a Fabulous trip!

For full details click on the tab for Spring 2013.