My Favorite Place
"Florence, because of the magnificent architecture and historical importance to art and culture. 'The David' will always be the most beautiful sculpture I have ever seen and will remain the most memorable part of my trip to Florence." — Addie G., winner
"My favorite place was the Riserva di Fizzano [at the Culinary Institute of Tuscany]. Walking around this small authentic Italian village seemed to slow life down just enough." — Brent J., guest of winner
"Florence had to be my favorite. It was smaller than Rome and less congested, it had all the best shopping and bargains. In all the cities, the streets were all cobblestones, every little alley and side streets too, I was amazed. The buildings, churches and statues were unbelievable." — Sheree J., winner
The Culinary Institute of Tuscany
"The people at the Culinary Institute were first class all the way. It was so amazing to be able to see what really happens in a first class restaurant and to cook in the kitchen with such experts." — Addie G., winner
"We had our own little apartment for 3 days in [Tuscany]. Each apartment was unique and gave you the feeling of being back hundreds of years ago with the original built-in wash basins. The view was exquisite with rolling hills of nothing but olive trees and grape vines for miles and miles." — Sheree J., winner
"We enjoyed our time at the [Culinary Institute] and especially enjoyed the time we spent with our hosts Chef Paolo, Chef Romana and the other helpful chefs in the CIT kitchen. It was very gracious of them to let us invade their kitchen and have a hands-on cooking experience." — Allyson C., winner
Italian Food & Wine
"I was surprised at how simple the preparation was for many of the dishes, especially considering how much flavor they produced." — Allyson C., winner
"When Chef Romana was making her base for the sauce, [she explained how] the onions are to be cooked until the smell of onion is gone! That was a stunner!" — Marylou O., guest of winner
"Cook in layers and choose your wine carefully... I can now make a Chianti Sauce as well as anyone in the world." — Brent J., guest of winner
Memorable Meals
"It was our first meal in Italy in the sea-side city of Port Santo Stefano. There was a seemingly endless amount of fresh seafood and pasta. At my best count, we tried 12 different dishes in one sitting. The main dish was a large fish caught that morning that was covered in a cast made of salt and egg whites. It came to our table flaming, and the hard cast was then removed to reveal the beautiful (and delicious) fish underneath." — Allyson C., winner
"The last night at the Culinary Institute, we all cooked from our classes that we took. I think that we all did a great job cooking (with help from the great chefs there!). We were all split up into groups, so we were all surprised at what each group had made and it was all very delicious!" — Sheree J., winner
The Trip of a Lifetime
"From the food and wine, to the sights and tours, to the hospitality and laughter, everything about this trip was over the top. While we had hoped to visit Italy one day, we would have never treated ourselves to such an extravagant trip. We felt completely indulged." — Allyson C., winner
"Dreams really do come true and this trip is a once in a lifetime experience. It happened to me and it can happen to you. You have to enter to win and, if you do, it will be an experience you will never forget."
— Addie G., winner
"Learning as much as we did about Olive Garden's daily preparation… that their meals are always made fresh, was VERY eye-opening. We Americans are so accustomed to restaurant "chains" having the "same old-same old" that it was refreshing to learn Olive Garden's attention to detail and freshness is an on-going pursuit." — Marylou O., guest of winner
