Whilst writing The Book in Apricale, in Italy, in August, I treated myself to a cappuccino or a gelato at the Apricus Osteria & Bar in the village almost daily. On one of those days I asked a lady sitting at another table if she would mind taking a photograph of me, my selfie skills not being the best. Anna Fill did a great job of it, and gave me her card. I thanked her, and so began a chat about why I was in Apricale in the first place. Anna and I met for coffee, on a Monday when most restaurants were closed, so she drove us to the nearby Bajardo, where we chatted and I got to know more about Anna, and her ‘The Riviera Woman’ digital magazine. Recently she wrote to me, when she had seen on Facebook that I had completed my Book ‘SwitchBitch: My journey of transformation from Sour to Sweet’, and asked me a number of questions, for an article for her magazine. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Apricus Locanda
Summary of #JAN series on viaTV episode 4: ‘In my Nature’!
Episode 4 of the JAN viaTV series was focused on Apricale, and foraging in the area, both for wild-growing flowers and herbs, as well as for truffles. It was special to see Jeanette van Manen, owner of the Apricus Locanda, at which I stayed in August whilst writing The Book. Continue reading →
South African focus continues to grow at JAN Restaurant in Nice, soon to be joined by MARIA!
A three-week writing focus at Apricale in Italy saw me complete the writing of a book within the time period I had allocated to this first-ever writing challenge. As the catalyst for The Book was Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen, in that I met a special man at his book launch in March last year, and that The Book tells the story of the transformational effect of the meeting, there was no better restaurant to eat at on Saturday, to celebrate the completion of The Book, than at JAN Restaurant in Nice! It felt like Christmas, it being exciting to experience JAN Restaurant again, my third visit in two years! Continue reading →
Why I chose Apricale village in Liguria Italy in which to write The Book!
When I decided that I needed a place away from home to write The Book, I knew that I had two requirements: a warm place with a pool, and preferably a small village without any shopping and ideally no eating distractions. I could think of no better place to stay than Apricale, described as the most beautiful village in Italy! Continue reading →