Notes from our Italian Kitchen

Kat Escamilla
Jul 7
4 min read

Notes from our Italian kitchen

A warm sunlight filtering through a quiet cobblestone alleyway in a historic Italian village.

Ciao! from Paolo & Kat

We are taking a sabbatical this summer, to our home in Porretta Terme, Italy. It's a town the same size as Sebastopol in the mountains at the border of Emilia and Toscana. All of the smaller mountain towns around us remind us of West County; each is about 20 minutes away, and each has a lot of character. Porretta is the flagship, due to its size, its liveliness, and its gems: its a natural springs town full of spas and community pools, a river runs through town, it's full of shops, cafes, festivals all summer long, and verdent mountains are in every direction. Summer 2026 marks a season of deep discovery, and we wanted to share the simple treasures that make the Mediterranean lifestyle so transformative, for our culinary tour guests and ourselves. P.S. Yes, Portico is open all summer with our A-team! Visit and tell them we sent you!

A vibrant display of sun-ripened tomatoes and fresh herbs on a rustic wooden table.

1. The OG of farmer's markets

Farmers Markets here are cheaper than the grocery store, like it used to be in the states. The flavor highlights include fruit so sweet it tastes like candy. Imagine hwy 12's strawberry sweetness and perfection in all of your fruit. Another highlight is finding regional cooking herbs and remedies we cannot get in Sonoma County, (and feeling right at home by the wildcrafting wisewoman selling them) And then there's the small farm cheeses...

Classic terracotta rooftops and golden stone walls glowing under a vivid blue Italian sky.

2. High St. is higher here

Basically we live on Sebastopol's High Street here, though it's couple blocks further up! In other words, we can walk down to Main St on the daily. Which means we buy bread on the daily. Emilia breads are made small, so you never deal with leftovers. We just count the servings to know the number of rolls we must buy. Other types can be found, like focaccia and Sicilian rolls (my current favorite).

A scenic stroll through an Italian town.

3. A word on walking

In our town, walking isn't just transit; it's the primary social network. Whether it's the morning 'passeggiata' or a stroll to the butcher, the lack of cars in our daily life brings us closer to our neighbors and the environment.

4. A Sort of Homecoming

We already bought an electric pasta machine, having been spoiled for 7 years at Portico. We found the home version of the Imperia, the commercial industry standard. So then we had to have a dinner party! Paolo still has friends in Bologna from his college days. I spoke "espaliano" (Spanish and Italian; both hacked!)

Emotional discovery in an Italian landscape.

5. Clever Cocina

Sure, the Tuscan Panzanella salad of stale bread and tomato recipe is known all too well. Instead, I will share the clever ingredient that made it pop. It's clever because, like the bread , it was prepared into single portions. A cheese maker shaped her fresh goat cheese into squat cylinders and rolled them in spices. A box of 6 pieces included: 2 basil, 1 black pepper, 1 hot paprika, and 2 plain. I crumbled the basil one on top. I will say, being able to use fresh datterini tomatoes was also a prize.

Visual reflection of an Italian journal.

6. Ancient Grains

Our villa stay for the Emilia-Romagna Culinary Tour at the end of May was perched on a hill 25 min from Bologna. Emilia is well known for its wheat (hence its pasta) so we were surrounded by miles of rolling hills covered with wheat fields. I find them to be most beautiful; only knee high so you can see a pheasant fly in and out, or a hopping hare, the color, like Sonoma county's chamois summer hills, and wheat flows in just a breeze. There's something nostalgic about walking through wheat with your hand out touching the tips. It's the beginning of civilization.

7. "Know your region"

Town life in Italy means you have a shop on "Main St" to fill up your own wine bottles from a choice of barrels. Reminds me of Region in the Barlow. Our shop also has olive oil and the one in the town a couple of milies down the road has honey too. A couple that came to our dinner party live in a town 30 min uphill, touting their town's wine. (They also brought cheese from a neighboring farm. Words cannot express...)

8. Know your butcher

Don't get me started on cold cuts and meats. Let's just say Italians keep the good stuff here. But you pay. We already have our favorite butcher, and affordable grocery store coldcuts pale in comparison. So, ca-ching!

9. Discovery by Design

We are preparing to host tours based here in Porretta Terme in the near future. Your stay will be in the historic 5-star hotel with termale (natural springs) spa, right downtown. This mountain region of the extensive Appennine range has so much of Italian life to offer, including: historic castles, ruins of older ones, a lake, a ski slope!, chestnut forests, hiking trails in thick, verdant woods (think Appalachians), and delicious homey restaurants and cafes. Yet, we are less than 1,5 hour train ride to Bologna and Florence. It'll be fun.

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