Newsletter - January 2025

Greetings from Robbi and Jim

A warm welcome to all of the members of our Aroma Tours Newsletter in over 30 countries around the world.

Robbi and I trust that you have enjoyed a wonderful Festive Season and we wish you peace and prosperity in the year ahead.

We have enjoyed a much needed break with dear friends and family and now with hearts filled and batteries recharged, we are busily completing the preparations for our upcoming Aroma Tours.

Robbi and I feel truly blessed to be continuing to share our passion for the fabulous places and experiences that we love with delightful people from around the world.

We look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you to one of our wonderful small group Aroma Tours and we are thrilled to see that demand for both of our 2025 and 2026 seasons is the strongest we have ever seen!

This is always our busiest time of the year and we invite you to "Sieze the Day" to be sure of securing your place.

• For more details, prices and itineraries we invite you to visit our tour information page and if your would like to reserve your place this can be done via our make a reservation page.

Aroma Travellers Our Thanks

Without doubt, the main reason that we have grown and flourished over the years, is the on-going support that we have received from our past Aroma Travellers.

As we move beyond the difficulties of the last couple of years we are thrilled to see that they continue to make up more than 65% of our guests!

We would also like to give our heart-felt thanks to all of you who have continued to support us with your kind words and referrals over the years.

Robbi and I also greatly appreciate the wonderful words of thanks we have received from our guests - Guest Comments.

Memorable Photos from Aroma Tours 2024

One of the best ways to enjoy the spirit of our Aroma Tours is by taking a peek at some of the photos we have taken during our adventures in Spain, France and Italy.

We also invite you visit our other Photo Galleries Pages to enjoy more of the 1000's of other lovely photos of our Aroma Tours adventures.

Our Current Booking Status

The enthusiasm for our Aroma Tours in 2025 has been outstanding with next year's tours now down to the last few vacancies.

List of Tours for 2025
Flavours of Spain	12 - 19 May 2025	Waiting List
Spanish Gourmet Pilgrimage	19 - 26 May 2025	Waiting List
Flavours of France	9 - 16 June 2025	Waiting List
Heart of Provence	23 - 30 June 2025	Waiting List
Essential Provence	30 June - 7 July 2025	4 vacancies
Treasures of Provence (ladies only special event)	11 - 18 July 2025	Waiting List
Loire Valley Retreat (ladies only special event)	22 - 29 July 2025	2 vacancies
Aromas of Tuscany	9 - 16 September 2025	Waiting List
Flavours of Italy	16 - 23 September 2025	Waiting List

We opened our 2026 tour season last September and already we are receiving significant bookings from past Aroma Travellers and others wishing to make their plans well ahead.

List of Tours for 2026
Flavours of Spain	11 - 18 May 2026	6 vacancies
Spanish Gourmet Pilgrimage	18 - 25 May 2026	7 vacancies
Flavours of France	8 - 15 June 2026	4 vacancies
Heart of Provence	22 - 29 June 2026	6 vacancies
Essential Provence	29 June - 6 July 2026	7 vacancies
Treasures of Provence (ladies only special event)	10 - 17 July 2026	5 vacancies
Aromas of Tuscany	8 - 15 September 2026	6 vacancies
Flavours of Italy	15 - 22 September 2026	4 vacancies

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• It is our pleasure to assist you with any questions you may have and we invite you to get in touch with us at [email protected]

Please note

• Our up-to-the-minute booking status is available via our calendar page

The King of Cheeses

The generic name "Parmesan" is most commonly used to describe industrial, mass produced, hard textured cheeses manufactured in vast mechanized plants.

However, the "true" Parmesan cheese, more correctly known as "Parmigiano Reggiano" [ The King of Cheeses ] is only made in a precise "zona typica" in central Italy which includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, Mantua on the right bank of the Po river and Bologna on the left bank of the Reno river.

There, in 650 small factories called "casellos", skilled cheese makers use a traditional method that has changed little since the 13th century to produce between 4 to 10 cheeses a day per castello. It is very much a matter of quality rather than quantity!

To make each 35kg "wheel" of Parmigiano Reggiano requires 560 litres of highest quality whole milk delivered fresh, each morning and evening from nearby dairies; un-homogenized and with its natural flora intact. The evening milk is allowed to rest overnight in trays and the morning milk is used after it has rested for about one hour.

First a portion of the naturally accumulated cream is skimmed off and the evening and morning milks are mixed together in a copper kettle shaped like an inverted church bell. Then an aliquot of natural whey [ which contains lactobacilli ] is added and the milk is slowly heated to 33°C with constant stirring to cause partial fermentation and to raise its' acid content.

The heat is then turned off and natural rennet is added, after which the mixture is allowed to coagulate for 12-15 minutes to form curds. The curds are then broken up manually using a sharp-edged tool known as a "spino" [ thorn-bush ] to create fragments the size of wheat grains which are "cooked" by slowly heating them to 45°C, followed by rapid heating to 55°C.

The batch is then cooled to allow the cooked granules to precipitate in the bottom of the kettle and after about half an hour the cheese is scooped into a sieve-cloth with a wooden paddle. It is then placed inside a circular mould called a "fascera" which gives the cheese its characteristic "wheel" shape.

After draining for a few hours the cloth is removed and the freshly made cheese is branded with the words "Parmigiano-Reggiano" to designate its pedigree. It will remain in the fascera for several days resting on its' flat ends with frequent turning until set, after which it will be immersed in brine for 20-25 days.

The final stage is maturation, which takes place in a temperature controlled storehouse called a "cascina" where the cheeses are stored for approximately 1 year on massive wooden shelves with regular brushing, turning and checking. Each cheese is graded and a wheel is designated ready for market when it makes a characteristic vibration when struck with a small hammer.

The temperature controlled storage warehouses for the cheeses are huge and the contents are a treasure worth many millions of Euros.

Prologue:

Several years ago a significant earth tremor was experienced in the Po valley region and as a result a great deal of damage was done to these cheese treasure houses.

The pictures taken at the time say it all:-

We enjoy a fascinating visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano cassello during our Flavours of Italy Tour and it is an awesome experience indeed.

Provence is Calling

Of all the regions that we visit, Provence has a special place in our hearts. It is where our Aroma Tours began three decades ago and where we first fell in love with another land.

Returning to our second home in Provence is always a delight and it is our passion to share and explore the many wonders and hidden gems of this beautiful region with our guests each year.

Robbi and I hope that you will be able join us this summer for our delightful Essential Provence Tour which still has 4 places available or perhaps you may like to plan ahead for 2026.

"To be in Provence is to be in a joyful dream full of beauty and delight." ~ Jean Moreau

Travelling Solo in a Group

As well as couples and friends travelling together, we are regularly joined by solo travellers - mostly women, who appreciate being able to journey with liked minded people from around the world, without the need to do all the planning and take on the daunting task of touring by themselves.

Joining one of our small group tours is easy and we have already made all of the arrangements on your behalf to ensure that you have a delightful, stress-free holiday with the focus on having fun.

Having a ready-made group of friends to travel with, and us to take wonderful care of you is the way to go!

• There is no extra charge for solo travellers who are willing to share a room with another same gender guest from our group.

We have carefully crafted off-the-beaten-path itineraries that are the perfect balance of structure, experiences, details and free time to enjoy in your own way.

Our Invitation

Robbi and I look forward to welcoming you to one of our delightful Aroma Tours in 2023 or 2024.

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• As always if you have any questions or if you would like us to assist you personally with advice about your travel arrangements or with any other details please contact us at [email protected]

Warmest regards,

Jim and Robbi