Tinwald practice nurse Stephanie Winchester is preparing for the annual highlight of her year – a trip to Italy.
But this time the 63-year-old wants to share the experience with others as a travel tour.
The tour will be based in Ravello and includes the tasteful delights of an Italian cooking school, historical sightings of Pompeii and Vesuvius, shopping and picturesque vistas.
Winchester, who has been at Tinwald Medial Centre for 20 years, has travelled to 46 countries. They include those in Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But in recent years it is the Mamma Agata Cooking School in Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast, that has captured her heart.
When she first arrived there in 2019 she was on her own after her two travel companions went elsewhere that day.
‘‘When I met Chiara Lima, the owner of the cooking school and saw the view, I cried. It was overwhelming to be there,’’ Winchester said.
‘‘It is breathtakingly stunning,’’ Winchester said.
‘‘You look down on to the terraced gardens of lemon groves and vegetables then your eye casts out to the blue sea and sky which appear seemingly ‘perfetto’ as they say in Italian.’’
The school, which opens four days a week from April to October, overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea and has views out to the towns of Maiori and Minori.
Private classes include rich and famous clients, but most tourists come from America, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom as well as a few other countries including Australia and New Zealand.
‘‘The food was amazing with the flavours of the tomatoes so intense and sweet. I had never tasted tomatoes like it. It’s the warmth and the sun.’’
Winchester said she was welcomed by Lima with open arms on that first visit.
‘‘Chiara and I bonded from day one and over about three years became friends,’’ Winchester said.
Their friendship had deepened after Lima’s husband passed away in 2022.
‘‘He was the main chef cooking alongside Chiara. Probably because I am a nurse, I have helped her through the grieving process, and we can just talk about anything.’’
In 2023 Winchester took a friend, who thought the experience was ‘‘fabulous’’. This visit had been the catalyst for her to launch annual culinary tours, beginning this year.
They include sightseeing and relaxing on the Amalfi Coast and two-and-a half-days at the cooking school.
‘‘People are drawn to culinary tourism because it’s a bit of escapism for a day. You may or may not go home and try the recipes, but it’s all about soaking up the experience while you are there,’’ Winchester said.
‘‘People come together from all over the world and have never met, yet we all bond through the love of great Italian food.
“There is always plenty of wine and not to mention limoncello. The families’ traditional recipes are passed down through generations.’’
Among some of the mouthwatering dishes was Mamma Agata’s famous tomato sauce and meatballs, bolognese sauce served with rigatoni, as well as eggplant parmigiana, lemon cake and olive oil.
‘‘Mamma Agata uses her own organic products and also her own wine,’’ Winchester said.
Winchester will hold her first tour from Italy in July; another will follow in August. They will take up to six people each.
Anyone interested can visit Winchester’s Facebook page Amalfi Coast La Dolce Vita Tour 2025 or make contact via email at s.winchester@xtra.co.nz
