About Us

Sapori e Saperi Adventures

Sapori e Saperi means flavours and knowledge. It grew out of my search for a fourth career, this time in the field of food. I had no idea it would take me to Lucca in northwest Tuscany. What we eat and how it’s produced had fascinated me even before my first career as an archaeologist studying the early history of agriculture. Outside the renaissance walls of Lucca, I discovered the modern version of those earlier inhabitants: people who know the hard work and satisfaction of producing the food of their ancestors—nutritious, full of flavour and never boring or standard.

These people have become my friends, and for me there is no greater pleasure than taking you to learn with them and experience the delight of a new spectrum of flavours. Before I appeared at their workshops, they had rarely seen a foreign tourist, and most speak only Italian, but they’re delighted to welcome you. Your visit puts money in their pockets, but even more importantly boosts their self-esteem and makes it more likely that their children will carry on after them.

Alongside the bakers, butchers, cheesemakers and farmers are mediaeval castles, romanesque churches, weavers, blacksmiths, broom and paper makers, concerts and village festivals. A world away from fevered urban bustle, clamorous noise and frightening events. A world where people don’t lock their doors and children play in cobbled streets.

“The greatest treasure that can be found during a tour with Sapori & Saperi Adventures is the emotional connection you will develop with people who live authentic and genuine lives centered around the well being of their communities and culture.” - CC, USA, May 2017

The Team

Erica Jarman
Throughout my several careers eating, drinking and cooking have been abiding passions. As an archaeologist researching the early history of agriculture, I spent more time in Mediterranean markets and cooking for the excavators than in the trenches. While General Manager of the Academy of Ancient Music and Personal Manager of Christopher Hogwood, I researched and cooked sixteenth- to eighteenth-century feasts to suit the music performed at concerts. For the sheer joy of it, I cooked alternate Sundays at the Good Food Guide restaurant The Old Fire Engine House in Ely, disturbing the equilibrium by demanding unusual ingredients for historical English dishes. More interested in eating than publicity, I nevertheless did occasional programmes on eighteenth-century cuisine for the BBC and organised the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum into cooking their own seventeenth-century banquet. I was a founder member of the Cambridge Convivium of Slow Food, organised Neal's Yard Dairy's appearance at Slow Food Cheese in Bra, Italy, in 2005 and their sold-out cheese workshops in London. None of this can compare in job satisfaction to introducing like-minded food-lovers to the traditional flavours and knowledge of the Garfagnana and beyond. (My parents named me Heather, but since Italians can’t pronounce it, I adopted the Latin name for the heather plant, Erica.)

Marzio Paganelli
Marzio is our driver, but he's also the life and soul of the party. His main job is to keep us on course and get us to where we want to go. But if you're bored watching your olives being processed at the olive press, he'll entertain you by miming to Maria Callas singing Puccini. He's our unofficial language school making it fun to learn Italian. And he teaches our ‘Cooking with Babbo [daddy]’ lesson (with a little help from his wife). He's got a solution to every problem and no request is too much trouble. He's happy to provide a taxi service too, so let us know if you'd like to book him for your own stay in Italy.

Francesca Buonagurelli
Francesca was my first Italian friend. She’s a beekeeper and olive farmer who studied art at university. Recently she became Tuscany’s first ‘agrichef’. She converted her old stall and hay barn into tourist accommodation, and I send many of my guests to stay with her. Her role has grown with my business, and now she’s also a guide. Having lived in the Garfagnana near Barga for most of her life, she knows everyone and everything. Her wisdom and great sense of humour ensure you have an unforgettable day.

Giulia Cini
Giulia came to do an internship with me and stayed on. She’s from Florence with grandparents from Emilia-Romagna and now lives in Lucca. When she wanted to get away from designing websites, she opened a B&B. Her obsession with making all the breakfast cakes from scratch eventually wore her out, but she didn’t want to give up helping travellers enjoy her country.

Andrea Paganelli
Andrea is Marzio’s son and now the owner of their driving service. He studied modern languages at Pisa University and speaks fluent English and Portuguese. Having an American wife also helps. We started a wine sommelier course together. I dropped out after level 1, but Andrea continued and is now a qualified sommelier. He’s the person I turn to when travellers want a wine tour.

Photographers
A special thanks to all the photographers, both professional and amateur, without whose photos this website would be a much duller place to visit: Keith Barry · Andrew Bartley · Anne Becker · Betsy Bothe · Adrian Brooks · Vittoria Cardella · Sarah Carter · Stephen Dunn · Marion Edwards · Roberto Giomo · Antonella Giusti · Janette Gross · Klaus Falbe-Hansen · Duncan Fielden · Helen Higgs · Andrew Houston · Margie Isom · Neal Johnson · Tina MacPhail · Stefania Maffei · Brian Marshall · Tracey Meredith · John Morrison · Nick Morrison · Lucia Norrito · O'Connor · Harold Partain · Nina Peskett · Leslie Powell · Cindy Rosendorff · Dan Santoro · Libby Saylor · Anne Shelley · Colin Tweedy · Robyn Vulinovich · Kathy Weston

Responsible Tourism

Let's face it—the only truly responsible tourism is staying at home and exploring your own back garden, walking or cycling to those interesting places you've always been meaning visit. Yet, there's much truth in the old adage, 'travel broadens the mind', and there are lessons to be learned from faraway people and places that can be applied to your life at home. Sapori e Saperi's mission is to guide you to those life-enhancing experiences while making tourism work to sustain the rural economy and its people. You will encounter an endangered lifestyle which we don't want to disappear. The accommodation we use is owned by Italian farmers; all the farmers, food artisans, cooking teachers and craftspeople are Italian and we pay them for visits and lessons.