Ease Back Pain with Pilates Courses

Living with back pain is difficult and it will affect most parts of your daily life and leave you feeling worn out. For most people back pain will mean repeated trips to the doctor, taking painkillers and having to adapt to coping with feeling low and run down. If you are suffering from back pain you could find the relief you need and be able to soak up the sun at the same time on a Pilates holiday.

For most people the thought of doing an exercise that involves stretching when they have back pain might sound odd, but in practise it isn’t. Pilates is a gentle form of exercise that was developed by Joseph Pilates over 75 years ago. It focuses on using various poses and stretches to build core strength, improve posture and increase a person’s flexibility. Over time this can have significant benefits for the body, including a reduction in back pain – but only if you have a tailored Pilates routine that caters for your back pain.

 

In other words, if you want to use Pilates as a method of controlling and easing back pain you need to get advice from a professional teacher. When you go on Pilates courses you will be able to choose your holiday location and enjoy regular Pilates courses and so much more. So what can you expect?

Firstly when you go on this type of holiday you will arrive at your villa which is equipped with everything you will need during your stay and has its own pool. You will meet up with your dedicated Pilates teacher who will discuss your needs in detail. This is to ensure that the programme of exercise that you will be following will not cause any stress or further pain to your back. In most cases the exercise sessions will start the day after you arrive, so you will get the chance to get settled in before embarking on your Pilates journey.

During the sessions you will be shown the basics of what you will need to do by your teacher. As time progresses you will notice that the pain and constant aching that you feel in your back starts to reduce. This is all thanks to the Pilates exercises that you have been following as they are working to improve your posture and muscle tone. Doctors recommend that people who suffer from back pain take exercise in order to keep their body moving, but few people would think to take up something like Pilates as they believe it will do more harm than good.

As well as working to reduce back pain Pilates courses will also help you to de-stress and unwind which is beneficial for your health and wellbeing. Being able to exercise without feeling rushed and in such a pleasant environment will give you a positive boost which will help massively with your Pilates courses. Over the course of one week, if you choose to holiday for this long, you will have around 10 Pilates courses. This will give you a fantastic foundation to build upon when you go home and to help you further you will be given a personalised exercise programme to follow.

So if you are living with back pain and want to explore alternatives to painkillers for the condition a Pilates holiday could be exactly what you are looking for. 

What ARE You Waiting for Anyway? It’s Time to Pick a Flavour!

You’ve had it on your “list” for ages…go here or there, try this, take a class in that…but “life”, the day-to-day seems to consume those good intentions. You tuck away those little dreams and so it goes … for another month, another year, whatever…it becomes a “some day”, “one of these days” wishful thinking … Sometimes it even becomes a regret, a “I wish I would’ve…” 

OKAY! Stop right there!  I’m here to tap you on the shoulder and maybe get in your face a little. Time for  a little reality therapy… ready? Ask yourself right now: If not now, when? Let’s be honest…if you’ve always wanted to go some where  or try something, then isn’t it time to do something about it!? And I’m guessing that, since you’re here, going to Italy or back to Italy has been one of those tucked away little dreams. Am I right?? I thought so… And maybe you’ve had some other little ideas…like taking some Italian painting courses, taking authentic Italian cooking classes or even trying a new fun activity? And what better way than on a holiday in Italy! Now isn’t that the best of all worlds? 

Sure, you say, but where do I start? No “buts” because guess what? You don’t have to do the research and planning or concern yourself with the logistics (which can be daunting) because there are experts - Flavours Holidays - who have done it for you. And they have done a fantastic job, too! Their priority?  To make sure that you will enjoy every single minute of your holiday!  

So, get away, get inspired and  enjoy! No laundry, no errands, no worries, just you, your new surroundings, your new friends, and your little dream…coming true! What’s your pleasure? Castles, villas, ancient ruins, medieval hilltowns, breathtaking landscapes? Well, you can have it all and what more could you ask for? All you have to do is show up because Flavours Holidays has taken care of all of the details.

Your hardest decision will be deciding which destination and which activity to choose! Will it be Tuscany, Umbria, Venice, Bologna or Sicily? Whichever you choose, fabulous accommodations, culinary heaven and picturesque surroundings await you! Will it be pilates courses by the pool, water color lessons in the countryside, or cooking and sampling local specialties in your villa? Decisions…decisions…

Just leave your comfort zone at home, pack your sense of adventure, and you’re on your way! Enjoy the company and camaraderie of other enthusiastic travelers in a small group setting. And here’s something you may not have considered, when you travel and share your new experiences with an international tour group you often learn more than a new skill, you learn about each other.  There’s nothing as positive for international relations than personal relations and the friendships formed during our travels can last a lifestime. 

Perfect? Si? So, are you out of excuses? Unwrap that little dream and make it a reality….today!

Victoria De Maio, Postcards from Travel PiZazz

La dolce vita for me!  My name is Victoria De Maio, and I am a lover of all things Italian. I grew up in an Italian family in California and am in a constant state of “homesick for Italy”! 

As a travel consultant, blogger and writer, I am dedicated to providing no-nonsense, practical travel tips and insights - with a light-hearted twist - and I specialize in helping people plan and take that next fabulous vacation.

Please join me at http://PostcardsfromTravelPiZazz.com. You’ll also find me on Italian Notebook (http://www.italiannotebook.com/author/Victoria), Facebook  (Postcards from Travel PiZazz), and Twitter (@LADOLCEVITA4ME ).

What you can learn from an activity holiday such as painting. Or put it another way: how Italian painting courses changed my life.

You get to a certain age and I’m not going to say what age that is exactly, as you can decide, but things can seem somewhat predictable. New experiences are in danger of becoming quite rare and in fact it is important not to become too sedentary in mind, body or spirit. So, what is the solution?

It may not be as difficult as one might imagine and it certainly doesn’t have to be a Titanic moment of difficulty in changing an inexorable course, honest! With a little curiosity, the odd small bottle, labelled ‘Drink Me!’ we can easily catapult ourselves into another world just like Alice. I didn’t meet a white rabbit when I booked painting holidays in Italy but I did discover a brand new landscape.

I admit to becoming a little stale and last summer I made a rather ad hoc decision to book an activity  holiday. My life had become steeped in routing and upon reflection I realised there were still a number of things I wanted to achieve in my life and this ‘old dog’ wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

With some trepidation, I have to admit, and having read an internet article entitled: ‘What you can learn from an activity holiday’ I decided to embark on a trip to Tuscany to paint. When I had plucked up enough courage to book I found myself giggling like a school girl imagining all the mischief I might get up to and suddenly I had something highly significant to look forward to ringed in green on my calendar.

Booking these painting holidays changed my life; it’s as simple as that. Who would have thought that painting holidays in Italy would have such an impact? Within a week I was in the National Gallery studying some fine watercolours, I booked myself onto a life drawing course at the local college and found myself devouring every website and article I could find about painters, painting and becoming somewhat obsessed in the process. It was great fun.

One afternoon I went to London and dropped in at the biggest art specialist shop on the Charing Cross Road and felt my spirits lift the minute I walked in and saw the vast array of artists’ materials. There is something so attractive about tubes of colour, pastels and other artists’ paraphernalia and I was totally smitten.

Therefore, what did I personally learn from painting holidays? Well, lots of things really. A Flavours painting holiday really does give a student a flavour of another way of seeing, experiencing and feeling. My tutor was reassuring, inspiring and quietly demanding and I made a lot of progress.  I also learned that it is never too late to indulge in a passion or a new hobby. I also understood that stimulating conversation with like-minded individuals is very intoxicating and that the flush of pleasure I still get looking at my Tuscan landscape that is now hanging in my sitting room, is worth much more than money can buy. If we make the right decisions we can make such a positive difference to our lives.

All I can say is that if you are pondering, sitting on the edge afraid to jump in, a painting holiday in Italy, for example, is one of the most re-invigorating types of activity holiday you can embark upon and guess what? I have booked for Venice this year; it’s my self-satisfying and guilty pleasure and I am so glad I took the plunge. Why not come and join me this year?

Sicily: The Original “Melting Pot”

The food of Italy—what more temptation do we need to lure us to this enchanting destination?  Even if Italy didn’t have such lovely landscapes, rich history, and abundance of classical art, we’d probably still go just for the food.  But something that often surprises first time visitors to Italy is that the term “Italian food” is somewhat of a misnomer.  When talking about cooking traditions in Italy, it is much more accurate to discuss regional dishes.  Indeed, there are many so-called Italian specialties found in the U.S. and U.K. that simply don’t exist in Italy.  For the traveler, this is actually great news because you will get a chance to discover these authentic cuisines for the very first time—and your idea of “Italian food” will never be the same. 

So what are the “best” regions for local specialties?  Well, ask an Italian and they’ll say that the best food in Italy comes from their own hometown—or more specifically, from their own mother’s kitchen.  Fair enough.  But if you surveyed the entire country and asked the honest question, “which region outside of your own has the best cuisine?” then Sicily is most everyone’s answer.  And for good reason.  Over the centuries, Sicilian cuisine has adopted the best food traditions from every other culture that invaded its shores and conquered its people.  Then once the occupiers left or were driven out, the food stayed behind. 

Growing up in America, I often heard of my country referred to as “The Great Melting Pot.”  Indeed, my own DNA is a mixture of various European genes, including Italian.  However, the island of Sicily had been blending things together long before America was even discovered by European explorers.  The people, the language, the architecture, and yes, the food—Sicily is a Mediterranean stew comprised of the highest quality ingredients.

So take a trip with me down to that sunny island and let’s see what’s cooking.  But first we should start with a glass of wine…

Wine

“Bonu vinu fa bonu sangu.” – “Good wine makes good blood.”

The Greek god Dionysus introduced both ecstasy and madness to mankind—and wine to Sicily.  When the Greeks began settling the island in the 8^th century B.C., they brought with them that mythical vine which produced the precious fruit needed to create their favorite beverage, “oinos,” or what Sicilians now call “vinu.”  The nectar of the gods. 

The vines cultivated in Sicily today are the ancestors of those original root stocks brought by the ancient Greeks.  Take a drink of the famous Nero D’Avola wine and you’re experiencing time travel in a glass.  Although modern techniques have greatly increased the quality and longevity of these fine wines, the grapes themselves have remained unchanged for over 2,700 years.  Through the alchemy of viticulture, you are sharing something very important and elemental with the likes of Archimedes, Aeschylus, and Sappho—all of whom lived in Sicily (called Magna Grecia or “Greater Greece” by the Romans) at some point in their lives. 

Couscous

When we think of Italy we think of pasta, right?  Well, if you’re in Sicily, don’t be surprised to find couscous on your plate instead.  Another invader of Sicily (or settler, depending on your perspective) was the Arabs between 827 and 1073 A.D.  Like other foreign powers, they brought with them some of their favorite recipes from their homelands of Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco.  However, the Sicilian take on this dish is usually made with fish instead of meat, and is not as spicy as the North African version.

Couscous is a coarse grain product made from semola of durum wheat—also used to make pasta. But pasta is made from the flour (farina), which is produced by grinding the wheat into a fine powder.  Couscous, instead, comes from the granular pieces remaining after most of the grain has been milled, so it has a grittier texture. 

Every year, in the ancient Sicilian fishing village of San Vito Lo Capo, there is a sagra, or festival, of couscous.  The festival takes place at the end of September and it features the best couscous chefs from Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Algeria, Tunisia, and of course Italy to determine the king of the Mediterranean.  I wouldn’t mind being a judge at next year’s event.

Chocolate

This may surprise some people because we don’t normally associate chocolate specifically with Sicily.  However, in the charming Baroque town of Modica, there is a tradition of chocolate production that has its roots with the Aztec Indians of Mexico.  Huh?

Yes, this time it’s the Spanish whom we can thank for their contribution.  When the conquistadors returned from the New World, they brought back with them many strange ingredients from those exotic lands including xocolatl, obtained from grinding cacao seeds.

Then as the Spanish began their dominion over Sicily during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, they imported the raw ingredients to the island, as well as the methods of producing the final product.  Even today, this recipe remains the same in both Modica and Mexico.  Traditionally, the raw cocoa powder was combined with such ingredients as vanilla, cinnamon, or hot pepper.  These days there are many different flavors made by incorporating local ingredients such as orange zest and pistachios.

Are you hungry yet?

Fortunately, you won’t have to endure centuries of foreign occupations to enjoy the very best of Sicily’s culinary traditions.  If you are ready for an authentic Sicilian experience, consider taking a Flavours cooking holiday for a number of reasons.  First of all, they do all the planning so that you can relax and focus on the food.  And it’s not just cooking; you’ll also be visiting the local markets as well as artisan food producers. All of this while staying in a beautifully appointed villa with breath taking views of the surrounding landscapes.

So what are you waiting for?  If you want to learn about Sicily, there’s no better way to get acquainted than through the food traditions.  And there’s no better way to experience these traditions than with a Flavours cooking holiday.

Buon appetito!

Rick Zullo is an American expat living in Rome with his Sicilian wife. Born in Chicago and raised in Florida, he came to the Caput Mundi in 2010 and forgot to go back. When he’s not exploring the riches of his adoptive home or writing for his blog, he spends his time teaching the world English, one Roman at a time. Visit him at: http://rickzullo.com/

The continued passion for cookery books with some Italian recommendations

Apparently the British have become a nation of voyeurs when it comes to cooking and food preparation but incredibly the desire to research ever new ways of producing something different never wanes and the rise of the cookery book continues unabated.

Jamie Oliver has almost produced every variation known to man and each one is a guaranteed best seller; his books on Italian cooking have won praise and we have to hand it to Jamie, he will always put his money where his mouth is in every aspect of food preparation no matter how ‘unsexy’ the topic may be.

Yet why do we love reading about food so much? Right now I am reading A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi and throughout the tale the author sprinkles food descriptions liberally over the page and ends each chapter with a recipe. 

These days there are so many different of Italian cookery book types; you can go for food porn which is full colour, full frontal spread of gastronomic temptation, a scholarly tome which gives you every fact you ever wanted to know about an ingredient; something akin to literature or perhaps a picaresque journey through a region or country where the writer finds out something about him or herself in the course of their exploration or travels.

Italy has had its fair share of cookery books in the past and some have become bibles in their own right; think Elizabeth David’s Italian Food, Patience Grey’s Honey from a Weed and the River Café Italian Kitchen.

One book, however, that appeared a couple of years back is Two Greedy Italians by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo who are both well respected chefs and commentators on their native Italian cuisine.  I often turn to this book as it cuts to the chase and the authors are keen to explore all aspect of the Italian culinary tradition. It doesn’t compare to others in terms of being comprehensive but lots of the dishes are easy and excellent for an Italian quick fix.

His recipe book is practical, joyful, uncomplicated and contextualises so much of what we understand about Italian food. There is a simple honesty about this collection of recipes and comments. The photography underscores the everyday, home style feel of the book and gives the reader an opportunity to explore regional dishes which really make the best of what is on offer whatever the season.

Of course, on the other hand you could take a cookery book as inspiration, eschew the printed word and head off into the Tuscan countryside. There you can  try out some cooking of your very own on a cooking holiday in Italy where theory is translated seamlessly to joyful practise and new friendships and kindred spirits indulge in their passion for Italian food tradition. We all know we learn best when learning to do something practically and getting out hands dirty, or floury, as the case may be.

You don’t have to limit yourself to one reason. In 2013 Flavours have a number of cooking holidays in different regions of the country so click here to discover some options. If you are smart you will fill your Kindle with Italian cookery books and pack that too, so you can do some homework!

"The Quest to be a Healthy Traveller"

Jean is a travel blogger from Sydney. She is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. She loves the ocean, rollercoasters, and good food. Follow her adventures on Holy Smithereens


And by this, I don't mean the kind of traveller that picks a "gluten-lacto-ovo-paleo-low-fat-low-cal" meal for every thing. That, my friends, is what I would simply call the annoying traveller (unless of course you are truly and unfortunately afflicted with something that makes you unable to digest those). And you have my utmost sympathies if you do.

What I simply mean is to find your healthy self when you travel. A good friend of mine refuses to travel because she believes that traveling off-sets her routine and diet, which will cause her to either gain or lose weight unhealthily, and she will have to start all over again when she returns from her holiday. She fears that all her hard work will be undone when she travels.

I have to say that it does happen. It happened to me a couple of years ago. But I knew and accepted what was coming. I know it to be part of the pros and cons of travelling. However, it got me thinking. Why should one need to sacrifice health to travel? Is it really justified?

I love traveling SO much. And I know that the one thing, the very one and only thing that can ruin travel plans is health issues. It's not even money. Money you can possibly borrow. But if you have a health affliction, there really is no way you can enjoy your travels, even if you have all the time and money required. I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. Second to New York, it's the city that never sleeps, right? No sleep indeed. I was awake from pain.  I had too much sessions at those eat-all-you-can buffet. I was knocked down for 2 full days. As a travel addict, you can imagine how heartbroken and frustrated I was when I couldn't do anything for 2 days. And that was my wake up call to reality. I need to be healthy in order to enjoy my travels.
 
Since then I'd become conscious of what I ate. You need good fuel to run smoothly. And the healthy living need not stop temporarily just because you are traveling.
I'm sure you are all familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. Since then, scores of women (and men) have followed her footsteps in the quest to become mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy. But let's face it. Who among us can afford to take a 1-2 year hiatus from Real living to fulfill this quest?  Well, certainly not me.
Lucky for mere mortals like us who have jobs to show up to, bills to pay and relationships to upkeep, we can create our own "Eat, Pray, Love" version without having to cost us our lives, jobs, and bank accounts.

 
Flavours Holidays offers an ideal lifestyle tour. What caught my attention was their Cooking courses in Italy. Their Short Stay cooking course in Tuscany, in particular. It's very ideal for people on a short itinerary. I love that you stay in a VILLA, not a hotel. And that's where you get your 3X3 Cooking Course in Tuscany, from an Italian chef residing in the villa. And they only take small groups so it doesn't feel like an actual class, but an intimate gathering. It sounds like a worry free 4 days in Tuscany. They will pick you up from the airport and take you to the villa (and vice versa), accommodate you in an ensuite room at a stunning Tuscan villa with pool, offer a private wine-tasting and of course, give you a life-long skill  of mastering Tuscan cuisine. And on top of all that, ALL meals and wine are included!

And if cooking isn't your thing (even then, I urge you to reconsider), or perhaps you're in for something more, they also offer Pilates Tours. The villa, with its olive groves and green meadows, is the perfect setting for relaxing both the body and mind. They have a resident Advanced Pilates instructor who will contact you before hand, and know about your medical/Pilates history in order to tailor the lessons and Pilates degree for you.

Their 7 night Pilates program will give you approximately 10 lessons , 2 cookery programs and an exercise program for you to take home.
Talk about sustainable lifestyle!

And you can even combine the cooking and pilates programs. I don't know about you but to me that sounds like an extremely good time under the Tuscan sun.

In the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun", Diane Lane's character goes to Tuscany to find herself after a devastating marriage failure. Thankfully for us, we don't need to wait for a crisis to happen before we experience an enriching Tuscan experience.
I would definitely love to enrich my life experience with these Tuscan experience combo. Like I said, you take away something valuable: a skill. Be it cooking healthier, or just an overall healthier lifestyle. And after this, I may even have overshot my answer to the quest to be a healthy traveller. Flavours Holidays will make a healthier person, not just a traveller, out of you.

This Boar might end up on a cooking holiday in Italy!

The wild boar runs free over Europe and like it or loathe it, the animal is still hunted with much vim and vigour. Hunting and foraging is a theme that runs through the Italian calendar and psyche; wild 
boar meat is also highly prized.

There is a very lively population of boar these days, roaming the Italian countryside. This is mainly because there are far fewer people on the land, an exodus having begun a few years after the end of the Second World War.

If you happen to be in Tuscany during the wild boar season, which usually runs from late Autumn through the winter, typically the 1^st of November until the very end of January, you can be part of the chase. Hunting seasons however, varies depending where you are in the country. In Umbria dates are different and should be checked before you book a flight.

You might imagine the boar hunt is a family affair and you would be correct. Once again it is a valid excuse for a picnic and a convivial gathering. It certainly gives many a reminder of life on the land as they hunt an animal, a predecessor to the domestic pig.

As much as people can be sentimental about a hunt, the wild boar is actually causing lots of damage right now. Both farmers and wine producers are complaining bitterly at what can happen when a wild boar comes a-visiting overnight; thousands of euros worth of damage to be precise so the stakes are very high.

For those who baulk at the idea of shooting their own food, it is possible to buy wild boar and there are a number of recipes which make delicious use of this tasty meat. If you have ever been lucky enough to experience Italian cooking classes with Flavours you will have already developed a natural affinity with traditional Italian ingredients alongside the knowledge of what to do with different cuts of meat etc.

In fact there are four different types of boar meat available in Italian butchers and you choose your dishes depending on what is available at the time.

• Piglet
• Young boar
• Juvenile boar
•  Adult

These are the four types and piglets will provide loin or chops and even a leg. The type of cooking suited is very quick and a session under the grill, on the barbecue or the oven will do it proud.

The youngster requires a little marinade although even here the loin may be roasted.

As the boar ages, the meat should always be marinated for longer and most chefs favour the moist heat method to ensure tenderness and succulence.

I guess one of my favourite ways of dealing with wild boar, unless I choose a Portuguese dish, is the Italian Cinghiale in Salsa Agrodolce which dates back from the time of the holy wars where Crusaders brought back knowledge of Middle Eastern culinary arts and the use of a sweet sour taste.

Interestingly this recipe exploits a contemporary mix of chocolate and sugar. With our newly discovered passion for chilli chocolate you can begin to see the possibilities of chocolate and boar meat.

First of all take around a kilogram of boar meat and rub it with peppercorns, bay leaves and fresh sage and lay in a deep bowl. The marinade is made by chopping carrot, celery and onions and sweating them in a pan with oil and butter until they brown slightly. Then add a bottle of white wine, dry preferably and bring the mixture to the boil for a couple of minutes. Cool it slightly then pour over the meat.

This mixture should then be left in a cool place or the fridge and turned a few times while it takes on the flavourings for 48 hours. Then roast in a metal dish with olive oil and a few cubes of pancetta. At this point brown slightly on a high heat on the hob, then add a ladle full of marinade and roast at 180 degrees. You can do this throughout the cooking process as the liquid evaporates. You are aiming for a roasting time of around 2 hours.

Meanwhile the sauce is made by heating a glass of wine to boiling and keeping it very warm. Put 4 heaped tablespoons of sugar in a pan and heat, stirring all the while until it just begins to brown and is at the beginning of the caramelisation stage. At this point pour the wine over the sugar and keep stirring; this should dissolve the sugar. Then add two tablespoons of good quality dark chocolate which has been grated and stir until the sauce is silky and creamy. Remove from the heat and strain some of the juices from the meat and add this to the sauce along with pine nuts, candied peel and some large raisins.

Serve the boar and either dowse with the sauce or serve in a dish alongside some green vegetables.

Happy hunting! To embrace traditional Italian cooking at its best, why not book cooking classes in Italy with Flavours holidays. Click here for more information.