Dine with locals in Italy

"Dispatches," one of my favourite CBC Radio programs, recently re-ran reporter Nancy Greenleese's piece about Home Food (scroll down to "Culinary wrongs made right"). The Home Food organization, which started in Bologna and has now spread to other parts of Italy, allows travellers to enjoy a meal in an Italian home for roughly the same price as a good restaurant dinner. The focus is on traditional dishes and local ingredients, and it sounds fabulous.

For a great peek into one Home Food dinner in Milan, check out Jessica Spiegel's piece at BootsnAll's WhyGo Italy site.

Italian cooking school invites locals to dinner

In a recent posting, blogger Michele Morris lovingly describes--with yummy photos--her experience at a cooking school called The Awaiting Table in Lecce, Italy. The most intriguing aspect of the school, from my perspective, is that the students get to share their cooking efforts with the school's neighbours. The Awaiting Table even touts its "meet the locals" focus on its website.