Read what our customers say:
The
hot Italian sun, with the clean crisp air of the Alps, The beautiful
pink sunsets over the Dolomite Mountains, picturesque countryside,
swish, elegant lake resorts, undiscovered friendly villages in
the Lagorai Mountains, The Adriatic coast with seaside resorts
and then the historic and bustling cities such as Turin,Milan,Verona
and Venice. Northern Italy is wonderful for relaxing holidays
and/or creative short breaks or perhaps Christmas shopping in
fashionable cities or German style Christmas Markets complete
with warming traditional lunches washed down with mulled wines.
With plentiful ( and some very low-cost ) flights into convenient
airports, it is so easy to enjoy Italian life in Piemonte, Venice
and the Veneto, and Trentino-Alto
Adige.
Mountains
and Mushrooms
Imperial Grand Hotel Spa
Break
At Home with Guerrino
A
Taste of Venice - A completely different way to explore and enjoy
this wonderful city
 
First
time visitors to Venice, whether alighting from a train, plane
or cruise ship must surely have many pre-conceived ideas and expectations.
A unique, mysterious, watery mixture of rich elegance, opulence,history
and exotic architecture fusing with masses of tourists, gimmicky
souvenirs,uninspiring industrial areas, and even dark, dank decay.
All of
these things certainly do describe aspects of Venice, and depending
on when you arrive, where you stay and how you spend your time,
you will leave either absolutely enchanted or disappointed.
With careful planning, good timing and a little bit of help, you
can beat the crowds, and gain an insight to the real Venice.
With Creativity Travel and your hosts; the Girotto family, you
will discover the true Venetian lifestyle, and avoid some of the
pitfalls awaiting the uninformed tourist!
Read what our customers say !
Just 20
minutes, by car, from Venice's Piazalle Roma, in the the green of
the Riviera del Brenta which lies along the lagoon of Venice is
the renowned Ristorante Vecia Brenta. The restaurant features
seafood based Venetian cuisine. The chef is Raffaele Girotto:
his heritage is easily recognized, whilst he continues to improve
his repertoire by creating new and exciting gourmet dishes. Gianpietro
is your attentive host appreciated for his warmth and hospitality,
and whose words and gestures have become a staple. The wine cellar
is well stocked with over 300 labels.The restaurant can comfortably
seat up to 40 people,and you will notice that many of the diners
are locals,which is a good indication of the excellence of the
cuisine and service.
 
Imagine
yourself enjoying the very best of creative Venetian cookery in
this wonderful restaurant, and then, perhaps, after a relaxing
stroll, returning to your hotel; La Rescossa for a refreshing
night's sleep, and a most wonderful breakfast. Your breakfast
ingredients come from the fruit trees and the wheat fields, which
surround the Hotel. The bread, the venetian pastry and the jam
are homemade by the Famiglia Girotto. You would feel revived and
able to head into Venice in the early misty morning, when everything
is just waking up. Visit the fruit markets, or watch the fishermen
landing their catch. Enjoy strong espresso coffee and plan your
day's sightseeing from a small bar or back street cafe.
 
At
the end of the day, you can return to the Vecia Brenta restaurant
for an evening meal or spend your time in Venice,returning to
La Rescossa for Bed and Breakfast. The choice is yours. It is
so easy, the buses go twice an hour from Venice to the door of
the hotel - (35 / 40 minutes). For very late nights, there
are taxis from Piazalle Roma to Mira at around 40 euros. The railway station at Venice Mestre is a 10 minute taxi drive away.
The hotel "la Rescossa" lies just doors away from the
restaurant Vecia Brenta and is looked after by Mamma Bruna.Guests
at this family hotel cannot fail to discover the meaning of Venetian
hospitality and character. The Girotto family has renovated this
old XVI century farmhouse tied to the history of Villa Widman
Foscari, which is certainly worth a visit, and during the summer
perhaps you could enjoy a jazz concert or art exhibition.
Villa Widman
La Rescossa
hotel has 14 elegantly furnished bedrooms, recalling age-old splendours
(as the XVIII century Murano Chandeliers and some of the paintings
attest to) However each room also features simple yet essential
modern comforts to make your stay a pleasant one. The hotel has a breakfast room, but no restaurant (as Vecia Brenta is just next door) - There is no bar, but, we are very happy to arrange for a selection of soft drinks or perhaps a bottle of wine to be available in your room.
 
Hotel
La Rescossa, Mira.
Famiglia
Girotto
Learn
to Cook with Famiglia Girotto
Now,
imagine that you have enjoyed the peace and relaxation of La Rescossa,
marvelled at the islands of Murano and Burano, admired the views
across St Mark's Square, and been for a ride in a gondola.
You have so enjoyed the wonderful seafood from the lagoon and
yearn to know a little more of its origins, to delve a little
deeper into the Venetian lifestyle and find out how to prepare
some of the delicacies which have appeared in front of you each
evening ! With family Girotto and 'Alchimista a Tavola' you can.
There is a small cookery school located in a neighbouring village
and situated in the old family home. Here, expertly organized
by Jennifer, and supervised by Raffaele, you can watch and learn
and chat and cook and, of course, taste specialties of the region.
Cookery classes are held on a regular basis, and it is possible
to join in as an individual ( English is spoken ) or special classes
conducted in English can be tailor-made to suit your requirements.
If the Chef can accommodate your requests, you can be sure he
will. Not just how to prepare the ingredients but how to present
them in an artistic and creative way
. Alchimista
a Tavola
There
are low-cost ailines flying into Venice Marco Polo or nearby Treviso
Airports, we can help you with car hire, or by arranging private
transfers to and from the La Rescossa Hotel. Holidays can be for
any duration and commencing/finishing on any day of the week,
subject to availability.
We
offer several packages for individuals ( with exclusive private
tuition in english ) or guests can join in with the existing classes
(conducted in Italian, with english speaking hostess on hand )
or tailor-made cookery breaks for small groups ( 6/10 persons
) conducted in english. Classes take place all year round
except for January, when the hotel, restaurant and school are
closed. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. For examples,
please read on !
SAMPLE
ONE
Low
Season
Minimum
of 6 persons
From
the minute, you arrive on Friday evening and check in to your
hotel, you will enjoy the warmth of welcome offered by the family,
and begin to learn the secrets behind creative, Venetian seafood
cuisine. We offer:
FOUR
NIGHTS (Based on double room occupancy) with home-made
breakfast
FOUR
EVENING MEALS in the Ristorante Vecia Brenta
FUN
HANDS-ON cooking lessons with technical demonstrations
and practice, held over 4 consecutive days. The cookery course
includes food and wine tastings and lunch each day.
TRANSFERS
to and from Marco Polo Airport.
for
this 5 day/4 night programme: £665.00 per person.
For
clients wishing to join Alchimista's own 5 day programme, a similar
price would apply with a supplement for english speaking hostess
of around £16.00 per lesson
SAMPLE
TWO
High
Season *
Exclusive
programme for one to five persons
On
arrival at Venice Marco Polo airport, you will be met and conducted
to your hotel. After a welcome drink, and some time to relax,
you will enjoy a superb 4 course dinner with winetasting. The
dinner comprises 2 appetizers, followed by a mouthwatering first
course, and exquisite main course and dessert. Each course is
accompanied by appropriate wines.
THREE
NIGHTS (Double room for single occupancy) with home-made
breakfast
ONE
SPECIAL EVENING MEAL WITH WINETASTING AND WINES THROUGHOUT
TWO
FURTHER FOUR COURSE MEALS EXCLUDING WINES
TWO
EXCLUSIVE INDIVIDUAL LESSONS WITH TASTINGS AND LUNCH
SUNDAY'S
SEAFOOD LUNCH WITH WINE.
PRIVATE
TRANSFERS TO/FROM VENICE MARCO POLO
ENGLISH
SPEAKING TUTORS/HOSTESS WHERE APPLICABLE
For
this exclusive 4 day / 3 night programme: From £955.00 per
person
*
Including Carnevale in February
SAMPLE
THREE
throughout
the year / except January - Singles welcome
Enjoy
a weekend in Venice, with your accommodation amidst the green
of Riviera del Brenta just 35/40 minutes by local bus from Piazzale
Roma, and the railway station and the amazing network of canals
and alleyways which lead you right to the Rialto Bridge and Saint
Mark's Square. Ideally situated for peaceful and romantic
weekend breaks as well as a safe, friendly environment, just perfect
for single travellers. A chance to hear the stories of Venice,
glean local information and hear the best advice from this local
family. An insight to the realities of life just behind
the usual tourist veneer. A richly rewarding weekend, heritage,
culture, superb seafood and a peep behind the scenes. -
Ingredients
- 1 local crayfish or
lobster (500gr)
- 160 gr. durum wheat spaghetti
- half of a medium size onion,
finely chopped
- half a clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 4 medium size tomatoes,
diced
- 3 leaves of fresh basil
- vegetable oil (as needed)
- salt & pepper
(as needed)
- dry white wine (as needed)
- 1 bay leaf |
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| RECIPE FOR LOBSTER OR CRAYFISH SPAGHETTI FROM VECIA BRENTA |
Thoroughly wash
the shellfish in running water. Use kitchen scissors
to cut the legs, the antennae and the mouth.
With a large sharp knife cut off the claws and break
them into pieces, cut the body in half and place in
a deep dish.
Cook the pasta.
In a frying pan, sautè the garlic and the onion
in vegetable oil, add the bay leaf, the tomato and
let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the crayfish and its juices.
Add Salt and pepper and pour
a little white wine over the mixture.
Put the lid on and keep cooking until the pulp of
the crayfish become white.
Remove the crayfish from the frying pan and place
it on the platter.
Let the sauce thicken.
Drain the pasta and put it in the
friyng pan. Let it "jump" in the sauce till each strand
of spaghetti becomes creamy at sight.
Place the pasta over the crayfish,
serve with finely chopped fresh basil.
The
Recipe belongs to Nonna Antonia (Grandma) |
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