EYWandBTV

Hello all,

We're doing homework our October trip (Bologna-Mantova-Ravenna-Brisighella) and I have come across the HomeFood/Cesarina organization on the web. It is a nationwide organization, founded years ago in Bologna. It offers the possibility of dining in a family's home in various cities. Of the four places we will visit, only Bologna has possibilities (there are a couple of homes in Ravenna offering dinners but they require a minimum of 6 persons).

Has anyone tried this, in any city? Did it feel awkward walking into a stranger's home and having dinner? Or was it a good way to go beyond the restaurant world?

Thanks in advance for any information.

mama_mia

We did it twice. The first was in Sulmona. It was a very enjoyable experience. My grandparents came from the Abruzzo region and the style of cooking and the atmosphere just felt familiar. My hosts did not speak English but they had an Italian guest who did. They also had invited an Australian couple who spoke a bit of Italian. I can speak some Italian but my husband can't, but we all had a lively conversation. The dinner was a highlight of the trip.

The second dinner was in Rome. Our hostess was very sweet but busy getting the meal out. We did have a chance to talk with her friends, who were from other countries in Europe, so we spoke mostly English. The group was much younger than my brother and me, but it was interesting to hear their views. Also interesting to see the apartment where this young professional lives. It was a nice afternoon but not the same "wow" experience as the other dinner.

I am very glad I did both dinners and would venture out again. It may be a hit or miss experience, depending on your own level of comfort. You may want to see if the host speaks some English, if you feel that might be a barrier to your enjoyment or comfort. A little common language goes a long way, though.

massimop

I have done it in Sicily and Tuscany and I can say without reservation that these meals rank among the best I have ever had in Italy -- the nearest competition has been eating in the homes of Italians I know personally. There is a world of difference between home-cooked food in Italy and restaurant food in Italy.

I experienced no difficulty or surprises or glitches booking through the Home Food website. I didn't feel awkward in the slightest walking into people's homes. It was generally a great thrill (and satisfied my curiousity about all those shut doors I'd been passing). Although I speak Italian, one "cesarina" i in Tuscany who spoke no English had her son, a good English speaker, join the dinner. In all my Home Food dinners I found it wonderful to talk to Italians about their city, their country, their views. My Home Food hosts have ranged from immensely sophisticated people with beautiful upscale apartments & killer kitchens, who conversed about international affairs and art, to shy cooks with kitchens the size of closets who let others speak -- and in every case, the food was unforgettably good.

I have never done it in Bologna but I have eaten in at least several dozen restaurants in Bologna. I have only very occasionally found food in Bologna's restaurants that was better than the food I cooked in Bologna in a rental, buying ingredients from the shops. If you have an opportunity to eat pasta that has been freshly made just for you, and other native treats of the city, I would not pass up the chance. Maybe you won't like it -- but that's true even if you go to the restaurants most often recommended in the professional guides (and the Home Food meal is likely to cost you less).

EYWandBTV

Thank you for this feedback. We have chosen a home in Bologna for dinner but I keep getting error messages on the web site. I've written them for help, we'll see. I hope it goes through.

NoleNomad

We went to a HomeFood event in the Veneto in 2012, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We will definitely do another (if not two) when we return to Italy next year. I think it's a safe bet that you will be just as pleased as we were.

EYWandBTV

Success! I kept entering the information back and forth on the Italian and the English versions of the site and finally it got through. Now we will see if our preferred date is accepted. This would be in someone's apartment in the centro, in a 16th century palazzo. Sounds great.

massimop

Great!

EYWandBTV

Buon giorno tutti! Just got a nice reply from Veronica, of the Cesarine staff. Their web site is not working properly and the techies are repairing it. To be continued....

heart2travel

You have peaked my curiosity. I only have 2 nights in Bologna. Trying to decide if I should look into this as well. I looked at their website. How did you decide which chef to go to? They all look so amazing!!

EYWandBTV

I read about it someplace, then did a lot of googling. I picked Giancarlo because his page has lots of pictures and he lives in a 16th century palazzo in the centro. Everyone's menu looks great, though.

massimop

Both Giancarlo's menus look lovely.

heart2travel,

Depending on when in the year you will be there, the menus might change because meals in Bologna typically include very seasonal dishes. If you are traveling in colder months and like meat lasagne, it can be a real treat to have it home-made for you in Bologna. In summer, I'm not sure I'd go for that though.

EYWandBTV,

If you like old palazzi and have any particular interest in music, the music museum in Bologna has a quite lovely interior. Also, be sure to walk upstairs in the Palazzo d'Accursio (Palazzo Communale) and if you have time, take a browse through the Municipal Art museum on the upper floor (I think it might be free)

http://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/hom...io-o-comunale/

EYWandBTV

Massimo, thanks for the suggestions of palazzi--yes, we like to find good hotels in restored palazzi and visit old palazzi. In Naples we stayed in the Palazzo Caracciolo, beautifully restored and transformed into an NH hotel. On this trip, in Mantova we will stay in the Palazzo Arrivabene, a very old Mantova family whose members intermarried with the Gonzaga.

Update on Giancarlo: he's on vacation til the end of July. Gentile Veronica will contact him and get back to me. I'm beginning to really like these people...

heart2travel

Who doesn't love a good Palazzi?? I am sold our time in Bologna is late September. I am going to email them now.....

nina88

Thinking about doing this, too. Will be in Bologna 1st week of October. I think Giancarlo has a few; which one did you choose?

EYWandBTV

The web site wasn't working very well in the last few days. I saw two different menus, they both looked good. But I never got to the point of being able to reserve and select a menu. As mentioned above, they are attempting to repair the site, and Giancarlo won't be back in touch until late July. We will be in Bologna in late October, otherwise we could have a GTG.

nina88

I tried Chiara but was not able to go through, too.

annhig

I've never done this [though I have thought about it] but we did have a dinner in an italian family's house when I did a language course in southern Tuscany and the food was vey good.

It's something I'd like to try if the opportunity arose.

heart2travel

The site was still not working for me to reserve either so I just sent an email thru the contact us section. Veronica got back to me immediately. Very impressed with the service! GianCarlo not available in September so I need to choose someone else but they all look amazing!!