But that was 30 years ago. When Peggy Wagener, publishing of Sully’s Living Without magazine offered me the opportunity of a lifetime––a gluten-free culinary tour to Tuscany––I jumped at the chance. Because, despite the snow and cold weather in that spring of 1971, I fell in love with Italy then. Perhaps it was the people, their spirit, and of course, the food. And––I threw the coin in the fountain, didn’t I? I had to go back. In autumn of 2000, my opportunity presented itself.

Peggy’s invitation had its conditions, however. Since I am the food editor for the magazine, my role was to work with the chef(s) to assure our gluten-free travelers ate delicious, but safe––at least from the gluten-free standpoint––meals for the entire visit.

This meant every meal had to be planned in advance, right down to the exact ingredients and preparation methods so no stray gliadins could creep in and spoil our fun.

Most of us conjure up images of Italy and tables laden with bread and pastries––all from wheat. But what many people don’t realize is that Italy has one of the highest celiac rates in Europe, partly because celiac disease is one of the first diseases physicians look for, rather than the last as here in the U.S.

And, perhaps due to this higher incidence, Italy is home to Europe’s largest manufacturer of gluten-free pasta, breads, and pastries. This company, Dr. Schar, was happy to help by providing our bread, breakfast pastries, and pasta.

he hotel was small, luxurious and intimate. What was once the living room was now the lobby, complete with a blazing fireplace for those chilly autumn nights. A small, intimate bar across the hall contained the giant cappuccino machine, which produced this wonderful drink in dainty, china cups complete with a bite of chocolate several times a day. The hotel staff never quite understood our penchant for cappuccino at all times of the day since they only drink it in the morning!

The hotel staff coordinated our dietary needs with the various restaurants where we dined, giving us a centralized contact point. For several months prior to our visit, there were many e-mails crossing the Atlantic. Their questions: Could we eat isinglass (similar to our Knox gelatin)? Was chocolate ok? My questions: Would our pasta be cooked in a separate pot (to avoid contamination with wheat pasta)? What thickeners were used in the sauces?

The focal point of this culinary tour was, of course, food. For people who have to examine every morsel of food for gluten, this trip was designed to relieve them of this duty––so much so that one traveler remarked, "I almost forgot I’m a celiac!"

Francesco held four cooking classes for us, each lasting from two-three hours. Each resulted in a sumptuous meal complete with appetizer, salad or soup, main dish, and dessert. We dined in the restaurant’s banquet room complete with white linens, silver, candles, flowers, and lots of wine. Stone walls, arched windows, and tile floors––and knowing we were dining in an ancient medieval city––completed the atmosphere.

Because it was autumn, our menus reflected the bounty of that season. Italians understand the importance of freshness, so they tend to cook with seasonal ingredients rather than opening a can.

Breakfast was a fairly traditional meal, complete with a buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and coffee, juice, and tea. Our breads came from Dr. Schar and included brioches, toast, and a muffin-like bread. We ate breakfast at the villa each morning and became quite familiar with the offering, since it was exactly the same every morning.

Most of our lunches were eaten at farmhouses during our countryside tours of wineries and small villages and included meat, hearty soups, seasonal vegetables, and fresh salads. I recall one lunch where rabbit was served. Oddly enough, we Americans don’t eat much rabbit while in Europe it is far more common. Needless to say, many of us were a bit squeamish at first, but the rabbit was seasoned nicely and really quite tasty. (I still prefer to think of rabbits as those cute little creatures in my backyard, rather than food.)

Another lunch was cold cuts and salads, featuring famous Italian meats such as proscuitto. There was always plenty of bread, usually a small baguette from Dr. Shar. Two salads stand out in my memory. Both were really quite simple. One was fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a generous splash of olive oil and fresh basil. The other was porcini mushrooms (an autumn delicacy in Tuscany) and diced cheese, tossed with a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Both were divine.

But it was dinner that was stands out in my mind. Many meals began with Italian appetizers called crostini or bruschetta, depending on how it was prepared. Both began with 1/4-inch slices of bread, sliced from a loaf or baguette of bread. One version, bruschetta, featured toasted bread which was then drizzled with olive oil and brushed with fresh garlic. The other, crostini, features the same slices, but with a topping of some sort––and this could be anything, ranging from boiled cabbage, liver pate, fresh tomatoes, basil, octopus (yes, octopus!)––well, you get the idea.

The ragu began with what Italians call a "soffrito," which is a mixture of sautéed celery, onions, and carrots. This mixture, along with beef broth, wine, ground beef, and diced tomatoes––with generous amounts of rosemary, salt, and pepper––was heavenly. It was so wonderful that I made it for several dinner parties over the holidays and it won rave reviews.

Each dinner also included a wonderful salad and of course, dessert. One night it was Panna Cotta, which is similar to creamy gelatin, literally meaning "cooked cream". Another was an apple tarte. But everyone’s favorite was the flourless chocolate cake that absolutely melted in our mouths.

And, of course, every meal ended with that wonderful Italian coffee. When Italians say "coffee" they really mean "espresso", which is quite strong. Some of us drank the espresso, others asked for it "Americano" style, which means diluted with water. But many of us took advantage of the opportunity to drink cappuccino after every meal. What a treat!

Earlier, I mentioned that we took notes during our cooking classes. This was essential because Chef Francesco didn’t cook with recipes––at least ones that were written down. He assembled all of our dishes by judging how many people would be at dinner, then allotting certain amounts of food per person. He seasoned food by taste––adding more herbs or salt after carefully tasting it. There were no recipes for us to photocopy and take home.

Italians use the metric system so Chef Francesco’s responses to our queries of "how much" were met with metric answers such as 1 liter or 350 grams, etc. Our careful notes had to be converted to our American system, which I did by weighing the ingredients first on my kitchen scale.

Our visit centered on this ancient medieval city, which is often referred as the "medieval Manhattan" because of its many spires. History says these spires were constructed to allow its residents to spy attackers from afar off. History also says these spires were the nobility’s way of showing off their wealth. Yet, another explanation suggests San Gimignano was home to many weavers and they used the tall spires (14 of the 70+ are still standing) to drape their fabrics for drying. Sounds good to me!

At any rate, the city is situated on a hill and surrounded by a wall of stone. Like most Italian towns, the piazza is the center of activity but San Gimignano is unique in that it has two piazzas. In one of them, there is a 13^th century well in the center. Can’t you just imagine the town’s residents gathering daily at this vital water source centuries ago?