Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours, founded by Elizabeth Bartman and Maureen Fant, are a small tour company, specializing in unique tours combining expertise of antiquity and food. Recently Liz Bartman and Maureen Fant have completed their first independent tour with Elifant Archeo-Culinary tours, set here in Rome. They are currently getting ready for their next tour in Naples. Tales of the Table got in touch with Maureen Fant to find out more about there latest tour and the story of Elifant Tours.
How did the idea for Elifant tours first come to you and Liz?
It was something in the back of my mind combining food and archaeology for tourism I had an idea for book. Liz was president of Archaeological Institute of America, Being president, she needed to think about new tours, she had the idea of Ancient Rome archaeology and Roman food, she asked me to collaborate and I immediately said yes.
So we did it in October 2013 for AIA, it went well, it was very satisfying and we wanted to do it again. We decided that we would like to try it on our own. We checked how it works ourselves; it’s a hell of a lot of work but not much to delegate. There wasn’t any advantage having a tour operator. This way it’s like traveling with friends, two friends are experts and bossy ones and just do the organizing.
The combination of archaeology and food is very compatible, as disciplines, not merely because trumping all morning on site you want to lunch. Both are ways of looking at a whole society. It is a way of experiencing the society in the round, the commerce, the material remains, the art, and the food, when you combine ancient food, as looking in the arts, and the material remains, the logistics of bringing food in from abroad what it means to have an empire. Just looking at food it’s a moment of conviviality of the aspects of a society, commerce, nutrition, and multi-faceted ways of examining a society, ancient or contemporary.
In the tour how do you decide what archaeological sites to show, or do you try to choose the best in yours and Liz’s opinion?
We try to make a connection between food and archaeology, especially this time, last time it was less connected. This time it still wasn’t 100% about food, there were some places we just wanted to show people, such as Centrale Montemartini. We did try to get into the connection of roman food supply, dining or simply Roman food in our choices. But it is not always possible. We go to Pompeii in October,and as with Ostia we chose few specific places or items closely related to food practices. We choose places together. We both have input because we both have expertise in each others discipline.One of the great things about this partnership is the overlap. I studied archaeology and Liz loves to cook, she even uses my books.
How often will you be offering the Rome tour?
It has to be worked out, but we want to offer the Rome again. Not only because all the hard work we put in already, but it’s an interesting way to look at Rome even if you’ve been several times. Rome will stay in the repertoire.
We want to keep adding tours, we will see how Naples goes. I would love to keep Rome and Naples and then offer others. Liz and I both write and are not looking to trade writing for tours only, so it would not be a constant, but we do want to do this is a professional way offer four a year.
It was something in the back of my mind combining food and archaeology for tourism I had an idea for book. Liz was president of Archaeological Institute of America, Being president, she needed to think about new tours, she had the idea of Ancient Rome archaeology and Roman food, she asked me to collaborate and I immediately said yes.
So we did it in October 2013 for AIA, it went well, it was very satisfying and we wanted to do it again. We decided that we would like to try it on our own. We checked how it works ourselves; it’s a hell of a lot of work but not much to delegate. There wasn’t any advantage having a tour operator. This way it’s like traveling with friends, two friends are experts and bossy ones and just do the organizing.
The combination of archaeology and food is very compatible, as disciplines, not merely because trumping all morning on site you want to lunch. Both are ways of looking at a whole society. It is a way of experiencing the society in the round, the commerce, the material remains, the art, and the food, when you combine ancient food, as looking in the arts, and the material remains, the logistics of bringing food in from abroad what it means to have an empire. Just looking at food it’s a moment of conviviality of the aspects of a society, commerce, nutrition, and multi-faceted ways of examining a society, ancient or contemporary.
In the tour how do you decide what archaeological sites to show, or do you try to choose the best in yours and Liz’s opinion?
We try to make a connection between food and archaeology, especially this time, last time it was less connected. This time it still wasn’t 100% about food, there were some places we just wanted to show people, such as Centrale Montemartini. We did try to get into the connection of roman food supply, dining or simply Roman food in our choices. But it is not always possible. We go to Pompeii in October,and as with Ostia we chose few specific places or items closely related to food practices. We choose places together. We both have input because we both have expertise in each others discipline.One of the great things about this partnership is the overlap. I studied archaeology and Liz loves to cook, she even uses my books.
How often will you be offering the Rome tour?
It has to be worked out, but we want to offer the Rome again. Not only because all the hard work we put in already, but it’s an interesting way to look at Rome even if you’ve been several times. Rome will stay in the repertoire.
We want to keep adding tours, we will see how Naples goes. I would love to keep Rome and Naples and then offer others. Liz and I both write and are not looking to trade writing for tours only, so it would not be a constant, but we do want to do this is a professional way offer four a year.
What event do you think resonated the most with participants?
When we went to Ostia and Portus, they appreciated being close to Rome, but isolated in a beautiful area, they liked that. We have been planning for months so it could be just us, it was not an accident. With throngs of tourists teeming through Rome, we managed to be all alone, with almost private rooms, and beautiful food, people noticed and liked that.
I know that I was really blown away by Liz’s explanations of ancient sculpture at Sperlonga and Centrale Montemartini. Liz is a world-class expert at this, in Roman sculpture, and she is explaining to us in good humor and immediacy, people understood it was a privilege.
What do you hope that participants will go home with after this experience?
We hope they will go home having looked at antiquity in a new way. It is very easy to think about great works of literature and great works of art and architecture, but we hope they will have begun to consider what it was like for everyday people getting food on the table. Both what it was like for politicians getting food to city and a family putting food on the table. The other aspect, we hope that people will understand the range of food available in Rome today and the building blocks of Roman food and where it all came from.
Roman food has bad press, that it’s very simple not very interesting, I think it is very interesting. We hope they will have new respect for the hidden complexity having experiences the complexity. Also that they will have more respect and understanding having experienced what innovative chefs are doing today in Rome.
When we went to Ostia and Portus, they appreciated being close to Rome, but isolated in a beautiful area, they liked that. We have been planning for months so it could be just us, it was not an accident. With throngs of tourists teeming through Rome, we managed to be all alone, with almost private rooms, and beautiful food, people noticed and liked that.
I know that I was really blown away by Liz’s explanations of ancient sculpture at Sperlonga and Centrale Montemartini. Liz is a world-class expert at this, in Roman sculpture, and she is explaining to us in good humor and immediacy, people understood it was a privilege.
What do you hope that participants will go home with after this experience?
We hope they will go home having looked at antiquity in a new way. It is very easy to think about great works of literature and great works of art and architecture, but we hope they will have begun to consider what it was like for everyday people getting food on the table. Both what it was like for politicians getting food to city and a family putting food on the table. The other aspect, we hope that people will understand the range of food available in Rome today and the building blocks of Roman food and where it all came from.
Roman food has bad press, that it’s very simple not very interesting, I think it is very interesting. We hope they will have new respect for the hidden complexity having experiences the complexity. Also that they will have more respect and understanding having experienced what innovative chefs are doing today in Rome.
For information on Elifant Tours, or to book for the future visit their website here.