TLL WINTER 2021 WEBINAR PROGRAM
Click here for registration and payment
ESCAPE TO ITALY SERIES
(5 webinars plus a free bonus cook-along)
These webinars will take place on Thursdays from 2:00-3:30 PM
All roads lead to Rome: Italy, the "Grand Tour" and the birth of tourism
Thursday Jan 28, 2021, 2:00 PM
Dr. Olivier Courteaux
Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, from all over Europe, worshippers, students, merchants, aristocrats and writers flocked to Italy.
In 1670, Richard Lassels, a Roman Catholic priest (turned tutor to the offspring of the nobility) invented the expression "Grand Tour"in his Voyage of Italy, or a Compleat Journey through Italy. "Grand Tour" meant a type of voyage over Europe embraced by the elites.
Within that context Italy became the destination not to miss. Why such popularity? What attracted the first tourists in history to Italy? What were the key purposes of the "Grand Tour" and what did it mean for Italy? Let's find out...
Olivier Courteaux received his B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies and Ph.D. in contemporary international relations from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
He has lectured at various Canadian universities, including Ryerson and the Royal Military College of Canada.
He is the author of The War on Terror: the Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945 (2013) and Quatre Journées qui ébranlèrent le Québec on Charles de Gaulle’s famous 1967 “Vive le Québec Libre” (2017). His latest book (2019), The Empress Eugenie at Suez, 1869: France and Egypt during the Second Empire, will be released in the near future.
Dr. Courteaux is currently hosting a virtual historical journey through Spain at Hot Docs' Curious Minds speaker series.
The Palio and the Splendours of Siena
Thursday Feb 4, 2021, 2:00 PM
Dr. Anna Piperato
Siena’s golden age spanned the 13th and 14th centuries, and the glory of the Middle Ages has never truly left this city.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Siena retains its medieval splendour, but the pride its citizens feel for their patrimony goes well beyond a fondness for architecture.
Join Dr. Anna Piperato in exploring the Palio as she takes you through Siena’s history from its mythical foundations to the present day. Far more than just a horse race, the Palio is one of the greatest celebrations of civic pride in Europe, chronicling Siena’s past, present, and future in the most exhilarating fashion.
Dr. Anna Piperato is passionate about Italian art history and her beloved adopted hometown of Siena. Born in Texas and brought up in Massachusetts, Anna went to college in upstate New York as an art major.
She turned to art history and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Manchester. Anna returned to the States and was a college art history professor...yet Italy kept calling.
In 2014 she left it all behind to move to Siena, where she still lives, and now works for Rick Steves Europe and guides locally.
The Great Italian Pasta Journey
Thursday Feb 11, 2021, 2:00 PM
Pietro Visconti
In Italy, every region, every city, every town and every street has its own food traditions.
When we sit around a table, we cook, eat and share different stories.
Pietro will show us these different traditions, stories and pastas as he takes us to explore the various regions of Italy.
Pietro will also be doing a cook-along workshop at the end of this series.
Pietro Visconti is a Pasta Maestro from Italy and the founder of PastaPietro (pastapietro.com).
Pietro was born and raised in Milan as an only child in a family that had people over for dinner every day. His passion for cooking comes from both of his parents.
Pietro spent a University semester in England where he worked as a part time chef in an Italian restaurant. There, he was the only Italian and learned everything he didn’t want to do in a kitchen. He has had a varied career: in Human Resources, developing training projects to helping produce and direct an Italian satirical TV show. He has travelled extensively which showed him again how little the world knew about Italian food. These experiences have taught him the fundamentals of entertainment and education.
In Italy, Pietro has travelled from the Alps to the sea of Sicily, from Rome to Florence and from Verona to Venice. By travelling and cooking with grandmothers all across Italy, he learned cooking skills and techniques that have been passed down for generations by his Italian ancestors: how to make authentic homemade pasta. Given these experiences, his mission now is to share the secrets, traditions, stories, and techniques of making the most authentic pasta.
The Caravaggio Painter Who Changed The History of Art
Thursday Feb 18, 2021, 2:00 PM
Francesca Pagliaro
A genius, a rebel, a unique painter who changed the history of art: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio! He was best known as simply CARAVAGGIO. His adventurous life, full of sensational events and his revolutionary style made him an undisputed leading figure of Italian art. He came to Rome in 1597/98 in search of fame and died at the young age of forty: in exile, banished by the Pope after committing murder.
You will see the Caravaggio works that are still exhibited in the three magnificent churches for which they were originally painted. Francesca will reveal the secrets of his realism and unique skill, the light breaking through his dark backgrounds, a light that shocked his contemporaries.
Caravaggio is also a great opportunity to understand the life and power of Rome, the city of Popes. By using Google Earth, Francesca will bring us to different sites, enter churches and discover the adventurous life of the James Dean of art! Prepare your glass of wine (or coffee mug) and enjoy the story, the history and the art!
Francesca Pagliaro is a licensed tour guide in her city of Rome. She has an Art History degree and specializes in Italian Renaissance Art.
She has been offering a variety of tours of the ‘eternal city’ since 2008. During the pandemic, she has turned her enthusiasm and passion to creating memorable, virtual tours that make you feel as if you are there in Rome with her, rather than in a classroom or a lecture hall.
Salute! Come Taste The Wines of Italy - an afternoon of wine appreciation and wine tasting
Thursday Feb 25, 2021, 2:00 PM
Carol Ann Jessiman
It is estimated there are well over 500 grape varieties grown in Italy. It’s no wonder that when the Greeks first reached this land, they named it “Oenotria” or “the land of vines”. It is this wealth of options that makes Italy so attractive to wine lovers.
In our session, our guest sommelier will narrow the focus and take you on a mini tour of some of the more famous Italian wine regions and grape varieties.
From Tuscany to Veneto to Piedmont, we’ll explore some of the world's favourite wines and learn a thing or two about what’s behind an Italian wine label.
You will have the opportunity to learn the step by step approach to wine tasting and appreciation.
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Note: During the presentation, Carol Ann will introduce you to a tasting technique using two popular Italian wines. To enhance your learning experience, you may wish to purchase one or both of the following:
Pinot Grigio – Example: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, LCBO#: 106450, $19.95
Chianti – Example: Frescobaldi Chianti Nipozzano Riserva, LCBO#: 107276, $22.95
In addition, please have the following items handy if you plan to do wine tasting during the session:
a corkscrew,
two stemmed wine glasses,
a glass of water,
a slice of lemon or tomato,
a salt shaker, and
a white sheet of paper.
Carol Ann Jessiman is a Certified Sommelier and Wine Educator.
After spending over 25 years in the insurance and financial services industry, she took her interest in wine and spirits to the next level and went back to school. She enrolled in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust program at the IWEG Drinks Academy in Toronto. She quickly discovered that when it comes to wine and spirits, there is always more to learn. Next up was a one-year program at George Brown College where she obtained her Certified Sommelier designation.
Upon graduating, she joined one of Canada’s busiest wine websites, WineAlign, where she regularly got to mix, mingle and taste wine with critics, winemakers and agents. She continues to pursue her own wine education, while passionately sharing her knowledge with others as a wine educator at IWEG and Humber College.
Carol Ann and her husband have lived in Thornhill for 34 years and are regular attendees to our TLL sessions
BONUS COOK-ALONG
This webinar is free for anyone who has registered for the Escape to Italy Series. Join us - even if you’re not a cook!
Pietro Visconti is a Pasta Maestro from Italy and the founder of PastaPietro (pastapietro.com).
Pietro was born and raised in Milan. He has travelled from the Alps to the sea of Sicily, from Rome to Florence and from Verona to Venice. By travelling and cooking with grandmothers all across Italy, he learned cooking skills and techniques that have been passed down for generations by his Italian ancestors: how to make authentic homemade pasta.
His mission now is to share the secrets, traditions, stories, and techniques of making the most authentic pasta.
Learn To Make Fettucine Cacio E Pepe
Thursday Mar 4, 2021, 2:00 PM
with Pietro Visconti
If you join us for this event, you will be making fettucine from scratch with a delicious cacio e pepe cheese sauce.
You can choose to cook along – or just sit back, watch and enjoy the show.
Fettuccine cacio e pepe is one of the most iconic courses of Roman cuisine. Can you believe that one of the most famous pasta recipes is made with just 2 simple ingredients? The simpler the better - a wonderful cheese sauce combines perfectly with the strong taste of black pepper.
Simple and genuine, fettuccine cacio e pepe was born in the Roman pastures, where shepherds filled their bisacca (their bag) with nutritious foods: a few slices of pecorino cheese, black peppercorns and your homemade pasta.
What you will need if you choose to cook along:
Ingredients:
130 grams (about 1 cup) All Purpose flour
2 eggs
150-200 grams fresh (a solid piece) Pecorino cheese (more if using Parmigiano Reggiano but Pecorino is definitely the preferred cheese - stronger taste).
1 teaspoon black peppercorns for grinding
Equipment:
A rolling pin (or a bottle of wine to use for rolling),
a sharp knife,
a large pot for boiling the water and
a large pan for bringing it all together.