I’m back!

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Jul 312022
 

With Nat at Joy Macy’s farm, West Nyack, New York, 2015. Background photo by Paolo Destefanis for my book, Veneto (Chronicle Books, 2002).

Hello good people everywhere,

I hope you are well. As you know, I’ve been away from my blog for a long while—nearly three years. My adored husband, Nathan Charles Benedict Hoyt, passed over to the other side on August 25, 2019. Savant and genius, graphic designer, world-class architect, my partner in photojournalism, the light and love of my life and kindest man I ever knew, he left this world too soon, at 66 years. But he accomplished more in one lifetime that few ever do, even as he lent a hand to others along the way and lifted them up when he could.

If the graphic background on this page is still a winter scene (new image in progress), spring has returned to my life. Many things have changed––a move from New York to Massachusetts to be near my two daughters, living part of the year in Sardinia, the birth of my first grandchild, Eliodoro (Elio, or “LiLi,” as I call him), and more. I’m back to work, with Nat’s spirit at my back, writing a book that has been humming in the background nearly all my life, a novel based on a true story––mine. Set in Sardinia and Puglia, the Italian regions of my forebears, it’s about a family secret I uncovered recently and how I have come to realize it shaped my life.

Onwards, fork in hand… I wish to look back on my journey when I am 105 and still spry (if my Sardinian genes prevail), and be able to say, “It was a life well-lived,” as I know Nat could. Come with me, my friends.

With love,

Julia

 

 

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Nov 212019
 

No doubt you have heard about the disastrous rains and resulting floods in Venice in recent weeks—the worst since the tragic flooding of 1966 that did so much damage to the city and its art and architectural treasures; to homes and shops and livelihoods. Those of you who have been on our culinary sailing cruises of the lagoon islands no doubt wonder how Mauro Stoppa, our Venetian captain and host and his beloved ship the Eolo, have fared. Because the boat was out of the water for seasonal repairs and maintenance when the violent storms hit again and again over […more…]

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The Good News from Venice: We're Still Sailing
Oct 042019
 

Dear Hungry Readers, Because many of you have asked, here’s the itinerary for our new 2020 7-day culinary sailing tour in collaboration with Venetian host Mauro Stoppa. This will be a cultural and culinary exploration of the Venetian lagoon and the Brenta Riviera. Boats and traditional means of transport make for a unique journey in one of Italy’s most historically, culturally and gastronomically rich regions. This is a variation of our original tour of Venice and the lagoon islands (that will be offered once again, September 14-20—itinerary to come). OVERVIEW The spring 2020 journey begins onboard the Eolo, the restored historic sailing vessel owned by […more…]

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Join Our New Adventure: Tour of Venice and the Brenta Riviera, May 18-24, 2020
Mar 112019
 

On September 12, 2019, Venetian host and Captain Mauro Stoppa of the vessel, Eolo, and I will shove off for a singular culinary and cultural tour of Venice and its lesser known islands. She is one of the few remaining purpose-built, flat-bottom boats left that were designed during the time of the doges to navigate this fabled city of 100 islands and 150 canals. Here is our itinerary, offering our guests an intimate experience for cruising by day, and first-rate accommodations in historic inns and hotels at night. We invite you to come on board for three days of island hopping, followed by […more…]

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Book Early for a Unique Exploration of Venice and its Lagoon Islands, September 12-18
Jan 112019
 

What: Slow food and slow travel in Veneto, Italy Where: Culinary & cultural tour of Venice and its lagoon islands, and the Brenta Riviera When: April 29-May 5, 2019—6 days, 7 nights. Price: Euros 5,800. Price covers meals, overnight accommodations in first-rate inns and hotels, guides, cooking lessons and museum fees. Hosts: Best-selling National Geographic author Julia della Croce and architect-photographer Nat Hoyt partnering with Venetian host, captain Mauro Stoppa. Deadline for signing up: January 30, 2019 Reservations: info@cruisingvenice.com Questions?: Contact julia@juliadellacroce.com SPRING TOUR April 29-May 5, 2019 Itinerary We have 4-8 spots left on our historic sailing vessel that will […more…]

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January 30 Deadline to Sign Up for Spring Sailing Tour of Venice & the Brenta Riviera
Sep 072018
 

Dear Hungry Readers, Here’s the itinerary for our new 2019 7-day collaboration with Venetian host Mauro Stoppa. This will be a cultural and culinary tour of the Venetian lagoon and the Brenta Riviera. Boats and traditional means of transport make for a unique journey in one of Italy’s most historically, culturally and gastronomically rich regions. This is a variation of our original tour of Venice and the lagoon islands (that will be offered once again, September 12-18—itinerary to come). The spring 2019 journey begins onboard the Eolo, the restored historic sailing vessel owned by our host. We’ll take off from the lagoon islands and sail […more…]

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Announcing: Our Exciting New Tour of Venice and the Brenta Riviera, April 29-May 5, 2019
May 282018
 

John Ruskin once described this watery city as a ‘ghost upon the sands of the sea, so weak—so quiet–so bereft of all but her loveliness’…. [153 years] later, he would be more likely to compare this packed tourist magnet to a shopping mall during the sales season than to a shadowy mirage…. But Ruskin’s Venice still exists…. Sitting on a historic fishing boat on a recent July evening, with the sun setting over the island of Torcello and the sound of the gull cries splitting the silence of the seemingly endless lagoon, a visitor might even get a sense of […more…]

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Sail Venice and its Lagoon This Fall
May 092018
 

Forget churches—try the lagoon with a view.  A trip on the Eolo reveals a side of [Venice] few tourists ever see. . . . It’s a fascinating exploration of local history and folklore, gourmet cooking lessons in the galley and romantic meals on deck. —Rachel Spencer, Financial Times While we make plans to launch our 2018 harvest tours of the Venetian lagoon, host Mauro Stoppa has been busy getting the Eolo ready for the sail. Anyone who has hung around marinas knows that that means having your boat in dry-dock for barnacle scraping, repair and maintenance after the previous sailing season’s wear and tear. In our […more…]

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What's Happening in Venice...
May 072018
 

Dear Hungry Reader, Because so many of you have written to me to ask for stories and recipes that were first published in the now defunct Zester Daily (sadly gone the way of so many other high quality food publications), I’ll be posting them here. Subscribe to my blog (on this page, upper right) if you haven’t already and little by little, they’ll all come your way. Sincerely, Julia You can always judge the quality of a cook or a restaurant by roast chicken. So wrote Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was a bold statement, but it reflected a certain […more…]

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For the Ultimate Roast Chicken, Go French!