by Jane Howatt | Sep 23, 2023 | Life Style
Feet Under the Table – Dinner in Italy. September 20, 2023. The local Starbucks summoned with the promise of a caffeine gift after a long morning at the computer and the prospect of an afternoon with more of the same. The good news is a creamy latte always fills a... 
by JHowatt | Jun 30, 2023 | Life Style
Chef Laura, Morning Champagne and A Pinch of Salt Day One. Meeting Chef Laura was like shaking hands with the CEO of a large, multinational company. She managed to exude all at once an in-charge personality (even if the business was culinary), a pleasant Italian... 
by JHowatt | Jun 20, 2023 | Life Style
My Florentine Vacation: A White Apron, Recipes Galore, and Cooking School with Chef Laura May 7, 2016. Two months before my husband Jim and I planned our departure for Florence, we decided to extend our vacation from two weeks to three. When I asked what he’d like to... 
by JHowatt | May 24, 2023 | Life Style
Last Days in Florence April 2023. Packing a suitcase for what one hopes will be a memorable trip and repacking that same suitcase for the trip home can be filled with cherished memories, unexpected disappointments, or somewhere in between. I’ve done both. The night... 
by JHowatt | Mar 22, 2023 | Life Style
Enough Pizza, Music and Dominique. Meeting Francesca. November 27. On our fifth day in Florence, the sun shone bright and hot. Jim wanted to find a bench and read. I wanted to prowl and photograph. Across the street, half a block away, I saw a walkway that led... 
by JHowatt | Feb 28, 2023 | Life Style
Viva Florence! Long Live Clowns! Opera! Orchestra Toscana! Four Seasons! November 24, 2023. By day two, our dream vacation to Italy felt more like Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown than a romantic interlude in our favorite city. After almost an hour of Dominique’s...