La Tavola Marche Rocks!

[LD Jenkins]

Agriturismo, cooking school, restaurant . . . this place has it all. Not far from the UNESCO Heritage Site of Urbino, this farm-to-table experience is very special. Explore the unexplored and live like an Italian for a little while. Eat something new. Pick your own vegetables. I could go on, but just go . . .

[donnaaries]

I have to echo LD Jenkins' experience, just spent 3 fantastic nights at La Tavola Marche exploring the beautiful Le Marche region and taking cooking classes with Jason (professionally trained chef with NYC kitchen experience and French Culinary Institute experience).

I think the posters claiming that these experiences aren't authentic are too tough. Let's face it, the most authentic experience a tourist can have is to imagine living life abroad (as a expat, not as a native of that country, because you don't have that growing up experience). Your perspective is American because this is the culture you grew up with. Jason and Ashley at La Tavola Marche are expats who have been completely welcomed into their community in Italy (ask their neighbors who come over for pizza night or exchange seasonal produce with them), and they can show American tourists a side of Italy with the insight of having an American "background."

I stayed at a B&B in Chianti run by an Italian family, and while the experience was authentic and lovely (beautiful property), the communication barrier is greater than just the language itself. They saw us as American tourists, and recommended things that they thought tourists would enjoy doing, like a day trip to San Gimignano. We are tourists, it's hard for them not to see us that way. Jason and Ashley also see us as tourists, but understand that those who have taken the off the beaten path to visit their property prefer the "road less traveled," and recommend experiences that we would treasure, such as a visit to a local grappa distillery, or market days in nearby towns, or a boating trip out to the Adriatic with a fresh catch lunch. Though both experiences were lovely, I felt that I got much more out of the stay with Jason and Ashley, the American expats.

[arashall]

I'm so glad to know this! Unfortunately, I had to cancel a stay with them last year due to an illness in my family. I still get their updates on my FB page, and they look fabulous! It's good to see someone report that it's as great as it looks on paper. Hope I'll get to reschedule soon, but it seems they are getting a lot more press now, and booking may be more of a challenge.

[erica]

Can you talk more about the local foods that you sampled? Why exactly is this place "special?"

[LD Jenkins]

Sure! This part of Le Marche is known for a number of things including wonderful olive oils and top quality meat, especially the Marchigiana breed of cattle. Mushrooms and truffles abound. And, being so close to the sea, grilled fish and fish soups are plentiful. Since most of our group were primarily vegetable lovers, Jason catered to our tastes. We had amazing grain salads made with lentils and farro; stuffed grilled eggplant; grilled radicchio; stuffed tomatoes with mozzarella and anchovies; homemade pastas and lots of excellent salumi. The wines of the region are simple but delicious, especially the trebbiano and the digestivos that Ashley makes. Hope this helps! In the summer, you'll get to pick things fresh from the garden and cook it up yourself. Check out their website for more information.

[jen kalb]

It seems like there are more and more of these non-Italian run establishments catering to an anglophone crowd. Casting no aspersions on this venture, I just wonder whether the visitors are missing out on an Italian essence cocooning this way, but I guess hanging around with one's compatriates has been the case with travelers to Italy for a long time (see Henry James).

[allende]

Jen,
Your first sentence and a half, sums it up very well. If only more of the anglophone crowd would get out and away from their compatriots (nb), they would find a much better "Italian" experience. In general, Italians are warm generous people, very forgiving to those who do not know the language (but try to say a few words)... and who have never forgotten that anglophones, particularly Americans, shed their lives in profusion, so that the current population is not speaking German or Russian. They are grateful for the sacrifices made and it is reflected in their love of Americans,... and things American, Jersey Shore excluded.