Claire Gulliver #03 - Intrigue in Italics

Villa Tuscany

Jean Claude Martin
, Head Chef

May 8, 2002 — May 15, 2002

Day 1 Wednesday, May 8

• 9:30  Transport from Florence to Villa Tuscany
  
• Settling in at Villa Tuscany
  
• 1:00  Lunch, Introductions and Orientation
  
• 3:00  Tour of facilities, equipment lecture, review of pre-work
  
• 5:00–7:30  Free Time
  
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner
  

Day 2 Thursday, May 9th

• 7:00  Breakfast
  
• 8:00  Lecture and demonstration
  
• 9:30  Break
  
• 10:00  Hands on kitchen work
  
• 1:00  Lunch and free time
  
• 4:00  Break-out groups
  
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner
  

Day 3 Friday, May 10th

• 7:00  Breakfast
  
• 8:00  Winery Tour Bus leaves from main Lobby
  
• 5:00  Free time
  
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner
  

Day 4 Saturday, May 11th

• 7:00  Breakfast
  
• 8:00
  
  • Group A  Leaves for market from Lobby
    
  • Group B  Kitchen work/Lecture
    
  • Group C  Lecture and demonstration
    
• 1:00  Lunch and free time
  
• 3:00
  
  • Group A  Lecture/Demo
    
  • Group B  Tour and lecture in Wine Cellar
    
  • Group C  Kitchen work
    
• 5:00
  
  • Group A  Kitchen work
    
  • Group B  Free Time
    
  • Group C  Free Time
    
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner
  
• 10:00  Jazz and after-dinner drinks in the main salon
  

Day 5 Sunday, May 12th

• 7–10  Breakfast
  
• 8:00  Transportation to local churches
  
• 10:00  Lecture and demo of pasta
  
• 1:00  Lunch
  
• 2:00  Kitchen hands on Pasta workshop
  
• 5:30  Free Time
  
• 7:00  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 7:30  Dinner
  

Day 6 Monday, May 13th

• 7:00  Breakfast
  
• 8:00
  
  • Group A  Lecture and demonstration
    
  • Group B  Leaves for market from Lobby
    
  • Group C  Kitchen work/Lecture
    
• 1:00  Lunch and free time
  
• 3:00
  
  • Group A  Kitchen work
    
  • Group B  Lecture/Demo
    
  • Group C  Tour and lecture in Wine Cellar
    
• 5:00
  
  • Group A  Free Time
    
  • Group B  Kitchen work
    
  • Group C  Free Time
    
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner
  

Day 7 Tuesday, May 14th

• 7:00  Breakfast
  
• 8:00
  
  • Group A  Kitchen work/Lecture
    
  • Group B  Lecture and demonstration
    
  • Group C  Leaves for market from Lobby
    
• 1:00  Lunch and free time
  
• 3:00
  
  • Group A  Tour and lecture in Wine Cellar
    
  • Group B  Kitchen work
    
  • Group C  Lecture/Demo
    
• 5:00
  
  • Group A  Free Time
    
  • Group B  Free Time
    
  • Group C  Kitchen work
    
• 7:30  Cocktails in main salon
  
• 8:30  Dinner Award Ceremonies/Graduation
  
• 10:00  Graduation Party in Main Salon
  

Day 8 Wednesday, May 15th

• 7–9:30  Breakfast
  
• 8–12  Transportation leaves from Main Lobby
  

Copyright © 2006 by Gayle Wigglesworth

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission from Gayle Wigglesworth, except for the inclusion of quotations in a review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006935844
ISBN-13: 978-0-9825519-3-6
ISBN-10: 0-9825519-3-2

This book was completed with the help of my husband, David, and my daughter, Janet, who as always were dedicated editors as well as strong supporters. This time a special thanks is due to my son-in-law, Dave, who helped me with the wine “talk”, to my neighbor, Clare Perkins, who edited the draft to make sure it stood alone and to my friend, Carol Barraco, who knows Italy, their food, wine and language. She kindly read it in draft form to make sure I didn’t embarrass myself with mistakes.

This book is dedicated to my baby sister, Teresa Grill, who has always been an enthusiastic fan of my stories and even more so now that she can read them in print. It is thanks to her efforts that my website is always working and, I hope, pleasantly interesting to those who access it.

Claire felt wilted as she waited curbside for a break in traffic when the light changed at the next block down. The street in front of her seemed to shimmer in air heavy with exhaust fumes from the profusion of mopeds, bicycles, motorcycles and occasional tiny auto. It was hot. The sun bounced ferociously off the ancient stone buildings. There were no trees, no shade.

She needed to get back to the hotel to nap. Maybe it was only jet lag from her night flight to Milan, then immediate transfer to a flight to Florence. She had arrived in time to lunch with her mother and Ruth, her mother’s longtime friend, who had arrived a few days before her. Now she realized her schedule had been too ambitious; now she was paying for it.

Numbly she watched the people passing. Her eyes followed a motorcycle driven by a handsome man with a toddler sitting precariously in front of him while a young woman with an infant strapped to her back sat sideways behind him, clutching him around the middle. None of them seemed concerned about how dangerous their mode of transportation appeared. Tired as she was, Claire almost laughed at the sight of a very prim older woman, dressed in a conservative navy dress, her gray hair tightly twisted into a bun, sitting very straight on her cherry red moped. Her tiny poodle rode in a bag secured between her feet on the floorboard. She chugged along serenely, unruffled by the traffic. Following her closely was a group of younger people, perhaps students, judging by their backpacks and ragtag bikes. Some of them were trying to pass others, some calling out to friends; all of them seemed intent on arriving at their destination as quickly as possible. Behind them came a redheaded woman. Just as she pulled even with Claire, their eyes met. Claire saw her own surprise reflected in the woman’s eyes. She felt a smile spread over her face as she started lifting her hand in greeting. Then a shutter seemed to come down in the woman’s eyes. She quickly averted her head just as she swept by and the greeting died on Claire’s lips. Her head swiveled, her eyes followed the woman, confusion rocking her.