Heidi Swanson's Roman Encounters

Heidi Swanson, the author of 101 Cookbooks, a fantastic San Francisco-based natural cooking blog, doesn't just write about food from all over the world-she actually goes to the source. Her beautiful blog is filled with food articles from her travels. Most interesting to the readers of MoltoItaly are her Italian trips, of course. Not only does she recommend restaurants, cafes and food shops, but she comments on the people and scenery as well-with stunning photos to illustrate. See her article on a trip to the Eternal City: 20 Things I Encountered in Rome.

Villas Villas Villas

Travel and Leisure highlights Tuscan villas this month-and how to enjoy them on a budget. T and L has five villas where doubles cost less than $300 a night. Locanda del Glicine in Campagnatico offers an inn in the village and a farmhouse (Pieve Vecchia, pictured) in the countryside. Choosing which one is the hardest part! Villa Bordoni in the Chianti region is owned by the very same proprieters of Trattoria Baldovino in Florence and there is a cooking school on-site. Villa il Poggiale in Val di Pesa is an historic estate with wood-beamed ceilings decorated in superb Renaissance style. There is also a small private two-bedroom cottage on the estate available for 300 Euros, complete with kitchen. Villa le Luci in Castagneto Carducci, not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea, has six bedrooms and one suite, all finished in luxuriously spare style. Villa Poggiano near Montepulciano (one of my favorite regions!) has a gorgeous pool, light and airy rooms, and a breakfast to die for. PS: The next Twilight movie is filmed in Montepulciano!

Cycling in Tuscany and Umbria

National Geographic Traveler's list of 50 Tours of a Lifetime includes a biking tour of the Italian countryside. The Tuscany and Umbria Insider tour will take you to Cortona, Todi, Assisi and Siena -cycling all the while. And you'll have cooking lessons, chocolate-making demonstrations, wine-tastings and picnics along the way. Backroads hosts the trip and offers 100 hiking, backpacking and cycling trips throughout Italy, many of them family-friendly.

Trattoria Garga in Florence

In a 14th century palazzo in the heart of Florence is Trattoria Garga. Colorful rooms, operatic atmosphere and a menu filled with fresh ingredients from Tuscany will inspire you to learn more about Florentine cooking-and you can spend a day at their cooking school (or enroll in an extended cooking tour of the region). It's a favorite of Gucci's Frida Giannini! Via del Moro 48.

Giada de Laurentiis "Remembering Rome"

Giada invites some of her family members to help her cook some of her favorite recipes from growing up in Rome. Giada and her aunt debate the finer points of pancetta and wine sauce in Bucatini all'Amatriciana while enjoying Fritto Misto with a lemon mayonnaise as they cook. The classic Roman dishes turn out superbly and the cooks have a great time. See more episodes from her new show on Saturdays at 1 pm and Mondays at 4:30 on the Food Network.

Cooking Schools in Italy

See the New York Times Travel Q&A section for some great Italian cooking school ideas. Check out cooking schools in Sorrento, Bologna, Sicily and Tuscany. Some of the schools even offer accommodations in nearby villas!

Your Own Private Tuscany

Want to rent a vacation villa in Tuscany? What about an apartment in Rome? The logistics can be overwhelming and the choices are too numerous to count. But there's no question that when you are traveling with family or a group, private residences are the more affordable and authentic way to travel. Your Own Private Tuscany can help you figure out where to go, agencies to use, how to rent a car and shop in family-run stores for your superb home-cooked Italian meals. See the website for more details on how this book can help you plan your perfect vacation.

Vegetarian Holiday Menu from Quisi on Capri

Yes, Christmas is over, but it's always the season for a festive meal. L'Espresso's food blog, Cucina, has a great holiday menu for vegetarians. Stefano Mazzone, the chef at Quisi (at the Grand Hotel Quisisana on Capri), has prepared a special menu using regional ingredients and traditions. All the courses would be appropriate at any time of year (except the Neapolitan cake, Struffoli, which should really only be enjoyed at Christmas). The menu begins with a vegetable and cheese bruschetta, moves on to a simple onion pasta, and for the main course Eggplant Parmigiana. Try Google's Translator for the recipes in English. The Italians celebrate Christmas until January 6th, so feel free to serve the Struffoli until then!

Eat Like a Roman with Gourmet Magazine

Major foodie Robert Sietsema's series Eat Like A Roman on Gourmet.com is all about the unusual cooking methods of the Ancient Romans and how to bring them into the modern world. Recent articles include an attempt at Roman placenta (which is not that kind of placenta-it's actually a cross between lasagna and cheesecake!), garum (a fish sauce which the Italians still use today and call colatura), and a simple cilantro, mint and feta salad that you'll want to make for your friends. If you want to attempt some Roman recipes yourself, try Mark Grant's cookbook, Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens.