When I led my first small group tour seventeen years ago, we offered only one itinerary: an exploration of Venice and Tuscany. Our group stayed in a lovely villa nestled in the hills near the Tuscan city of Impruneta, just south of Florence. The villa proved a wonderful location for that tour, enhanced by the incredible support, welcome, and engagement of the property’s owner, Carla Geri Caporesi.
A prolific author on Tuscan food and historic recipes of the Tuscan kitchen, Carla wrote more than twelve books, some in Italian, all focused on those topics closest to her heart. She was generous with us, constantly recommending places to visit, things to see, and foods to taste. She introduced us to numerous friends who share our love for Italy and Tuscany. Through Carla, our guests met Janet and Stefano Magazzini, owners of Sagittario, a producer of some of Italy’s finest olive oil. Over the years, we have had the privilege to share many authentically Italian meals with Janet and Stefano. These bonds of friendship that began with Carla’s support still enrich our visits to bella Italia every year.
These intimate encounters, most often unexpected, so typify the Italian, and particularly the Tuscan, spirit. From Florence to Orbetello, Pisa and Lucca to Cortona, we share time with the Italians based on how they live. We are, after all, visitors; meeting the people, one on one allows us to truly learn about the heart and soul of the Italian Culture. We strive to offer these kinds of encounters on all our small group tours of Italy. Regardless of region, we share the bounty of generosity, food, wine, and the Italian people that only small groups can enjoy.
Carla, in her early 90s, passed on the morning of Monday June 8, 2020 in Rome with family at her side.
In the days ahead, when I read one of her books or prepare one of her recipes, I will remember the times we sat together on the terrace of her villa, overlooking the hills that march their way toward the Apennines north of Florence, discussing her life in Tuscany, her passion for cooking, and the wonder she constantly expressed for the kindnesses and generosity of her American, visitors.
May the legacy and generosity of “Carla’s Kitchen” continue in the years ahead. We will miss her.
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If you are interested in Carla’s books, you can find them on Amazon.com. Please note many of these books are small format, 6.5” x 5.0”. They are wonderful repositories of history, stories about Italian food and culture. She also worked tirelessly to gain admission to the Medici deposits in the Uffizi to create a book about recipes from the time of the Medici: From the Art of the Medici to the Tables of Today.