A Taste of Creativity; the Food and Fashion Tour

During the April school holidays, Penrhos’ first-ever Food and Fashion Tour took our students to Italy and Denmark to explore the rich culinary traditions, design culture and creative industries of Pescara, Bologna, Florence and Copenhagen. 

We landed in Rome to freezing temperatures and snow during our bus trip to Pescara, where we met with Ms Oliver’s family. As long-time owners and operators of restaurants and pasticcerias, her family provided an authentic hands-on cooking experience, with their family’s chefs, relatives and friends all helping to teach traditional pastry- and pasta-making techniques unique to the Abruzzo region. Visiting over Easter also gave us the opportunity to watch the Oliver family’s chocolatier create traditional Easter chocolates and experience the Good Friday procession in Chieti. 

On our last day in Pescara, the sun came out! We spent the morning bike riding along the Trabocchi Coast and learning the history of the Trabuccos. In the afternoon, we drove up to the mountains to an area called Villa Celiera, where the girls made Abruzzo’s most traditional dish: arrosticini. Surrounded by snow and blue skies, and sharing local cheeses, prosciutto, bread and Easter desserts with family and friends – plus the smell of arrosticini cooking – was a truly magical experience.  

There were some tears when leaving, and what was so special about that moment was that language proved no barrier in forming connections and shared humanity.  

From Pescara, we travelled north to Bologna, one of Italy’s renowned food capitals, where we joined a food and walking tour beneath the city’s famous porticoes, sampling regional specialties from Emilia-Romagna. We participated in a gelato-making class at Carpigiani University, where we learned the science behind gelato before the girls competed to create their own flavours. We also enjoyed a guided tour of Florence and a cooking class in our guide’s historic home, where we made fresh tagliatelle, gnocchi, tiramisu and traditional Bolognese sauce. 

Our last stop in Italy included a day trip to Prato, one of Europe’s most prominent textiles-producing cities. We participated in a bespoke workshop with Lottozero Textiles Laboratory, a creative hub and design studio, where we learned a variety of weaving techniques in an artist-led space.  

Copenhagen was quite the contrast. The roads were calm; people were quieter and there was a real sense of order!  

We enjoyed food walking tours and participated in a Danish cooking class, where we made traditional Danish knot buns called Kanelsnurrer.  

The girls also took part in an upcycling workshop with Our Shift, a brand championing circular fashion and tackling textile waste. Using abandoned festival tents and other stock, students applied their design thinking skills to create some incredible creations, guided by the expertise of the Our Shift team.

We also had a private appointment at Danish fashion designer Cecilie Bahnsen’s boutique. The girls got to see and experience what high-end and high-quality fashion looks like and even got to try on the clothes. We did a DIY jewellery-making class and spent a full day thrill-seeking at Tivoli Gardens.  

We visited the very special Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and hunted for hidden treasures and quirky finds at the Gentofte Flea Market.

This trip provided so many meaningful, hands-on experiences. Each workshop, activity and tour offered powerful insights into each region’s deep cultural history. 

From embracing two very different cultures to building new friendships, gaining valuable knowledge and sharing lots of laughter, every experience contributed to a journey that will be remembered for years to come.