Sora, Italy pt.2

Sora was my most favourite place during our Easter break. If you missed the first post of pictures on Sora, then you can find them HERE. We only stayed a short 2 days but the Italy Farm Stay left a lasting impression.

We woke up early and headed into Sora for morning walk up to the old ruins. After the long walk we made it back to the Farm Stay for our afternoon cooking class with Maria. It was so wonderful because Maria showed us how to make authentic fettuccine. Her secret was adding some semolina to the pasta mix because it keeps the pasta tender.

After our cooking class, we made our way up the road to the local and last remaining shepherds in Sora. Antonello told us that it is a solitary profession so many sons would prefer to settle down and find a wife than to herd the sheep in the mountains.

The shepherds make cheese daily. They still do everything by hand and make incredible cheese. We were able to sample two different varieties of cheese when staying at the farm stay because they buy local and organic if they do not grow or make it on the premises.

The shepherds allowed us to join in on the cheese making activities and even asked if we'd like to become shepherdesses. I think he was shopping for a wife for his son. Can't blame old uncle for trying right.

We started by removing the excess whey from the cheese. It took a lot of concentration to do it properly, but it was such an awesome and authentic experience. If you visit the Italy Farm Stay ( and you really should) then please ask to visit the local shepherds to make cheese. It was only 15 euros and you can also buy the cheese and it's honestly ridiculously cheap. I ended up paying 10 euros for a wheel of cheese (even though it only cost like 5) because I would feel bad paying anything less, seeing the quality and work put into producing the cheese.

The shepherd's Great Grandfather making cheese in the original building before the new shop was built.

After the cheese making we returned to have our final meal.
First we cooked the pasta then we made a quick sauce of capsicum, olives, red onions, shallots and herbs with olive oil. This simple sauce that was poured over the hot pasta once it was cooked. We all enjoyed our meal immensely and left the table feeling completely stuffed, but in the-best food ever-type of stuffed.

We had:
A delicious white bean bruschetta
Capsicum and Olive Fettuccine
White bean puree and lentils
Wild foraged greens sautéed with garlic in olive oil
Pickled beets and cheese from the local shepherds
Creme Caramel Custard with sultanas

The next morning we were up early to catch the bus to Naples and our dear friend Mauro aka Federico dropped us at the bus stop and helped us buy our tickets. We were in Sora for 2 nights but I felt as though I could have stayed for 2 weeks to really soak up Italy through my senses. This is definitely a place I want to return to.

Big love,

Falala Mele