Florence is a culinary destination that sells itself—travelers come seeking authentic Italian experiences, and the city's reputation opens doors. Le Marche, on the other hand, is Italy's best-kept secret, a region just beginning to be discovered by the outside world. When I made the decision in May 2025 to close our palazzo doors and move to our farmhouse in Mombaroccio, I was trading the certainty of Florence's tourism for the unknown potential of a hidden gem.

It's a risk that keeps me up at night sometimes—will people make the journey to a place they've never heard of? But then I remember why I fell in love with this region in the first place. Le Marche offers something Florence, for all its beauty, cannot: authenticity without the crowds, ingredients that haven't been discovered by every food blogger, and the chance to experience Italy as Italians do.

Here, we're not competing with a hundred other cooking schools on every corner. We're pioneering something entirely new—introducing the world to a region that deserves to be celebrated, one intimate culinary experience at a time.

The Heart Finds Home: Le Marche (2025)

As much as I loved our Florence palazzo, my heart was calling me elsewhere. I fell deeply in love with Le Marche—the way the rolling hills meet the Adriatic, the incredible local ingredients, the rhythm of the seasons. But leaving Florence wasn't just about following my heart; it was about taking a massive leap of faith.