We hereby declare exile

              from the mainland . . .

elba

Rustic Tuscan Island Cooking

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Dates and Prices

	To be announced

I first met Luciano Casini in 1996. I called to announce my arrival. He told me, "When you arrive in Capoliveri, walk up the steps and call my name." My eyebrows furled and curiously I thought, "okay." A few hours later under a darkening sky, I walked up the steps in an unknown village. Nobody was around, so I yelled "Luciano!" quietly at first, then "Luciano!" a bit louder. His head popped out of a window. "Oh," he said. "I am Luciano!"

Actor, chef, fisherman, friend, Signor Casini is a favorite to many. His restaurant "Il Chiasso' has commanded Capoliveri for 30 years. It has kept its charm with the same timeless rustic Mediterranean dishes that keep the island food culture alive. His down to earth style comes from his experience as a child.

"My mother waited until the last fishing boat came in. She didn't go for the early catch, she waited for the last and the freshest."

Island Mediterranean doesn't have to be fancy. In fact, it's refined without a fuss. Relaxed. It will give you food and an experience you will long remember. We all have to learn from someone and we are lucky to learn from him.

With Luciano we will:

• visit fish markets
• cook with him in his 'Il Chiasso' kitchen
• discuss the technique of 'no' technique
• be privy to his culinary secrets
• cook a meal together at 'Porticiolo', the port where he keeps his lovely wooden boat
• go fishing for squid at dusk
• hear the stories that inspired Luciano to cook
• taste a lot of island specialties, including: fantastic local herb and flower honeys, local wines
• laugh a lot

Itinerary

Day 1

Check into Hotel Continental. Stroll the Ponte Vecchio and absorb your new surroundings. Afternoon open for shopping or museum exploration. Meet for an aperativo on the rooftop. Dinner together at Quatro Leone.

Day 2

Our private bus will leave at 10:00 a.m. for a two-hour journey to Piombino. Arrive in Piombino to take a one hour ferry to Portoferrio. Arrive Portoferrio and drive up the hill 15 minutes to Capoliveri. Settle into charming apartments within the village. Free time. Aperativo and talk with Luciano about rustic island cooking. A trip into the kitchen to observe the evening's preparations. Rustic local fare at Luciano's restaurant, Il Chiasso.

Day 3

Cappucino and brioche in Bar Rodriguez. Leave for fish market in Portoferrio. Become familiar with Mediterranean fish, similarities and differences. Shop for today's lesson (Optional visit to the house of Napoleon Bonaparte). Lunch at the port. Rest/free time. Lesson with Luciano until 7:00 p.m. Aperativo. Dinner of dishes we've prepared.

Day 4

Cappucino and brioche in Bar Rodriguez and free time until 11:00 a.m.. A short trip to Portociolo, a private boat house where Luciano keeps his boat. A small bay for swimming and sea kayaking followed by lunch prep for squid ink pasta, pasta crab margherita, etc. Lunch and lesson prepared by Luciano on the terrace of Portociolo. Free time. Andare a totanare (fishing for squid). Dinner at Il Chiasso with the day's catch. Optional late-night dancing at the local club.

Day 5

Cappucino and brioche at Bar Rodriguez. Morning free for shopping, journal writing, etc. Lunch at Porto Azzuro. Afternoon lesson on capra e agnello (goat and lamb), artichokes, flambè, torta mele, and lemoncello ice. Rest and aperativo followed by festive dinner of goat, lamb, artichokes and Tuscan red wine.

Day 6

Cappucino and brioche at Bar Rodriguez. 10:00 a.m. departure for Florence.1:30 p.m. check into Hotel Continental. Lunch and free time. 7:00 p.m. aperativo at Cafe Cibreo. 7:30 p.m. dinner at Ristorante Cibreo.

Day 7

Breakfast, followed by 10:00 a.m. departure.

Wine is included and selected from several regions of Italy, offering broad representation.