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To ensure delivery of your Active Gourmet Holidays emails, be sure to add
info@activegourmetholidays.com to your Address Book or "Known Senders" list! Start
planning your 2007
Culinary Escape to Italy, France, Portugal or Spain.
Active Gourmet
Holidays is now offering over 80 delicious escapes to some of
the most beautiful world destinations. Just give us a
call at 1.203.732.0771 or
email us at info@activegourmetholidays.com and we can give you the best recommendations on which culinary program is right for you! Want to put together a group? Inquire about "organizer" discounts!
 NEW! A SPECIAL WEEK IN TUSCANY! 
Active
Gourmet Goes Tuscan -
Tuscany, Italy - 5 nights
Active Gourmet Holidays is offering an unforgettable getaway to the luxurious and renowned Villa San Michele Cookery School in Florence. Nourish your senses, refuel your body and replenish your spirit with a savory array of food and wine tours, paired with culinary education, visits to Chianti wine cellars, shopping in Florence with a personal shopper and visits to the artistic treasures of Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and Siena. LIMITED AVAILABILITY! ONLY AVAILABLE September 23-28, 2007 - Sunday to Friday NEW! Hiking and Cooking in Italy - Tuscany/Umbria, Italy - 7 nights Interested in good food and good wine while still staying fit, art, history, beautiful landscapes and learning how to cook? This is the vacation for you! This hiking and cooking tour takes you to Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza, Montalcino, Assisi - with even more stops along the way. Hear the Gregorian monks chant at the famous monastery, Sant'Antimo Abbey, taste incredible gelatos, enjoy beautiful accommodations and create memories that will last a lifetime. This is an ideal trip for those that want to experience Tuscany and Umbria firsthand, by exploring what each region has to offer. Available May, June and October - Saturday to Saturday 
NEW!
Culinary Arts in Tuscany
- (Options: Day Cooking Classes, Art and Cooking Four Day Tour, Chianti Two Day Tour) - Tuscany, Italy - 6 nights
Stay in a beautiful medieval Tuscan village, in a beautiful country hotel, set amongst olive groves and vineyards. You will learn the secrets of creating authentic Southern Tuscan dishes as well as gaining some expertise in recognizing the famous wines of the region. All classes are hands-on, include local wine and are taught in a traditional Tuscan kitchen. Available year round NEW! Wine and Food in South West France - Southwest France - 7 nights  Wine,
Food, and France - the perfect recipe. You will live in a tiny friendly hamlet
in a beautifully restored old stone cottage set in fields of red poppies and
sunflowers close to the spectacular medieval town of Cordes sur Ciel about an
hour from Toulouse.Your hosts, a dedicated team of professionals, live in this special place and organize one week adventures where in the Gaillac vineyards you will discover the best wines of this ancient, yet relatively unknown appellation. Visit vineyards, talk with the winemakers and taste the fine wines made from the indigenous grape varieties grown here since before the Romans marched into Gaul. Fabulous fresh local and home grown food. Dine en famille with a French family in their Chateau and share the secrets of regional cuisine with a top chef. Eat at the best restaurants in hidden old medieval towns and discover where the locals eat. Available June 16-23, July 28-August 4, September 22-September 29
ACTIVE GOURMET HOLIDAYS "IN THE NEWS"
Active Gourmet Holidays was recently featured in the December issue of Yoga
Journal and the February issue of Home
Living Connecticut.
  
Hiking and Feasting in Arles
- Provence, FranceThis program combines wandering about the glorious and varied countryside of Provence, and cooking together with friends (new and old!). Though what we teach you is Provençal Cuisine, naturally rich in vegetables, olive oil, and with minimal fats, after a week of feasting, some of our clients worry about facing the scales when they get home.... So, if we walk and hike for a couple hours each day, over hills and through valleys, collecting a few herbs, or berries, or mushrooms as we find them, you can indulge with no guilt in the evening's delicacies! We'll walk through valleys of olive orchards, along paths with spectacular vistas, hike amidst vineyards, visit our cheese makers (and run into their goats grazing) and olive oil mills, include strolls through local markets to gather picnic supplies (as well as ingredients for the evening classes), through landscapes painted by Vincent Van Gogh, Roman ruins, and into the hidden valley of our favorite bee keeper. Available May 13-19 and September 23-30 
Cooking and French Lessons in Provence
(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Shorter or Longer Stay) - Provence, France - 7
nights
Learn to speak French and cook authentic Provençal dishes in a beautiful little village. Your hostess and teacher is a native French woman who will teach you some secrets about cuisine and language. Who better to learn from? Enjoy a week of cultural immersion, wonderful cuisine and fine wines in a delightful area of Provence. Available year round - Saturday to Saturday Cooking and Trekking in the Luberon - Provence, France - 7 nights Learn to cook authentic Provençal recipes in a tiny village in the beautiful Petite Luberon region of Provence. You will be instructed by a renowned local chef who is even mentioned in Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence". Hike through this beautiful landscape as you discover the region's hidden treasures. Stay in a lovely guest house, indulge in gourmet food and luscious wines and experience outstanding hospitality by your hosts. Available April to June, September to December - Saturday to Saturday 
Cooking
and Italian Lessons in Sorrento
- (Options: Italian Cooking and Culture, Wine
Tasting and Gastronomy) - Sorrento, Italy - 6 nights Discover the beauty of the Amalfi coast during this spectacular week long journey to Sorrento. Your hosts are an Italian family whose passion is to share their culture. During your stay, you will take professional Italian classes to learn this romantic language as well as cooking classes to learn traditional dishes. Limited to 12 persons. Available year round - Sunday to Saturday
NEW!
Yoga and Cooking in Umbria -
Umbria, Italy - 7 nights
RECIPE OF THE MONTH -
SECRET LE MARCHE
Here’s a spicy oaty recipe for afternoon tea, or serve as a dessert with
berry compote and clotted cream.
Spiced Oatcake Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter and flour a 9-inch-square cake pan. In a heatproof bowl, soak the oats in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain well. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Add the soaked oats and beat at medium speed just until combined. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
Cut the cake into squares and serve with the warm berry compote and
clotted cream.  Cooking
Tip of the Month:When sautéing garlic in olive oil, do not heat the olive oil first; instead, put the garlic in with the olive oil and heat them together. You will get more flavor out of the garlic and it won't burn as readily. Click here to refer a friend to this site. |
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Active
Gourmet Holidays and the renowned La Pregheira in Umbria
bring you a week of yoga, cooking classes and delectable cuisine. Spend your
week in a luxurious 12th century country house estate located in the lush
Umbrian hills. Take yoga classes, visit a truffle farm and a local market and
spend an afternoon getting pampered at a thermal spa. For a week you will be
Umbrian and will learn the secrets of this very special cuisine through hands-on
cooking classes and by immersing yourself in the flavours of this very special
region of Italy.