What is an Italianista?

An Italianista is someone who loves Italy and all things Italian. Especially the food! If you’re passionate about Italian cuisine and cooking and you love traveling with Italian food as the focus, you’re in the right place.

What to Expect

Here’s a glimpse of what you can look forward to with Ciao Italianista’s culinary adventures:

  • Cooking Classes: Discover the best Italian and Mediterranean cooking classes, from pasta-making workshops to pastry courses.
  • Food Tours: Explore the top food tours in Italy and Spain, offering unique insights into regional cuisines.
  • Wine Tastings: Learn about Italian and Spanish wines and vineyard tours.
  • City Food Guides: Plan your next culinary trip with our detailed regional guides, focusing on food and wine.
  • Recipes: Try your hand at authentic Italian and Spanish recipes with our step-by-step instructions and cooking tips.

Ciao, I’m Justine!

My story begins a long time ago when I first stepped onto Italian soil in the summer of 1984. Just after graduating from high school, I went on a whirlwind tour of Europe: London, Paris, Rome….Sorrento. Meandering the hill town streets of Sorrento, I immediately fell in love with the Italian language, Italy, and of course, the food.

And I have never looked back. From that moment on, I became an Italianista.

I was determined to become fluent in Italian. I started learning Italian in college, went to Bologna for my junior year abroad (Italian food capital), and earned a BA and MA in Italian from the University of WI-Madison. I started a Ph.D. program at the University of CA-Berkeley with a four-year fellowship, but got distracted by my kitchen…

Later I became a teacher and earned a single subject credential in Italian. From 2015-2020, I was an elementary teacher in an Italian immersion school in San Francisco. In 2022, I ran an online Italian circle time class for kids for over a year. We even made pesto and pizza virtually!

Ciao Italianista Trio
The “Trio”

And this is Taja and Milan

In the summer of 2022, my two daughters, Taja and Milan, joined the team. The three us, or “the Trio”, went on our first of many food and travel trips all over Italy and Barcelona.

Taja is the true foodie in the Trio. She began cooking at a very young age. I’m talking seven course holiday meals when she was only 8-years old. It makes sense that she’s studying EIM – Experience Industry Management at Cal Poly. She is specializing in creating immersive travel experiences. How fun is that?

Taja is currently living in Barcelona bringing more culinary adventures to Ciao Italianista.

Milan is the highly skilled photographer in the Trio. One of her specialties is food photography. Perfect! She has studied photography in high school and will continue next year at college.

How We Can Help You

We can help you with:

  • Finding reliable and authentic sources for Italian and Spanish recipes and cooking techniques.
  • Navigating the overwhelming number of travel options to find unique and high-quality culinary adventures and experiences.
  • Accessing authentic ingredients and kitchen tools needed for Italian cooking.
  • Making it easy to learn and experience more about Italian cuisine and culture.

Fun Facts About Us and How We Get in With the Locals

  • Justine listens to TED Talks in Italian to stay fluent. Her favorite one so far is “Morte e rinascita della cucina italiana” (Death and Rebirth of Italian Cuisine) by Daniele De Michele.
  • Our driver from Sorrento to Positano after our boat ride to Capri, did us a major Italian favor. Navigating the perilous turns along the Amalfi Coast, he called a friend, who called a friend, who called a friend, who was the bouncer at Music on the Rocks. We were told to text a number to Francesco when we arrived at the club. It worked! Francesco called out “Justine” and we went from behind hundreds of people to the front of the line.
  • Justine searched on and off for her great-grandparent’s origins in Italy for 40 years and finally solved the mystery! She writes about that in two blog posts that are not related to food but are so interesting that she kept them on this site. Spoiler alert: her great-grandmother is from Schilpario and her great-grandfather is from Bergamo.
  • Our family lived in Costa Rica and Baja as expats for three years when Taja and Milan were little.
  • We have a group chat called “trio”.
  • Taja sends me Italian Instagram cooking reels all day long. Milan sends me photos of our dog.
  • We have a dog named Carmen but we call her “her little majesty” most of the time. She’s a Jack Chi (Jack Russell Terrier/Chiahuaha mix).
Her Little Majesty – photo by Milan

Join the Trio!

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