So this story begins at the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s holiday party when I chatted up my friend Mary Ann Cricchio, owner of Da Mimmo Restaurant in Baltimore’s Little Italy. The question to her was what’s new since I last saw you? The dam broke as Mary Ann exploded with excitement about an Amalfi Coast tour that she and her executive chef Masood Masoodi had put together for 20 customers.

photo courtesy of Steve Filippi

I love Italy; have been twice on cost effective tours where we were packed liked sardines on tour buses. Do you remember the old movie If It’s Tuesday it must Be Belgium? That is what my tours were like, packing and unpacking, going from city to city. Mary Ann’s tour had her guests stay in one city, Maiori, where they relaxed and didn’t have that syndrome of being in a new city every other day.

Check out the slideshow, video and the full story HERE

Rachel O’Kaine has done what I wished I would have done when I was younger, she moved to Italy to learn about Italian cuisine from the roots up or for today, the vines down. Rachel wanted to participate in a wine harvest and got her wish. She shares her story here:

I always give credit where credit is due and my latest experience in Italy is due in part to my friend Eric. A month ago, I asked him if he knew of a winery where I could assist with a grape harvest/vendemmia. He asked a friend and his friend in turn recommended I contact Parusso winery

Read Rachel's whole story on the grape harvest: A grape harvest in Italy – Monforte D’Alba

Do you read those books where people follow their passion, go back to school, change careers and end up living in Paris or Italy? Well there are a number of these books on my bookshelf, proving I like to read but don’t have enough passion, the huevos, to pack it all up and go forth.

A recent Facebook connection with a young lady living this dream in Turin, Italy interested in writing opened a forum back and forth about opportunities here at examiner.com with a column from Italy.

Read the full story: A girl, a dream, a chocolatier, a stage in Turin, Italy