Sub Categories in Tuscany

Category of: Tuscany

Tuscany’s medieval towns: San Gimignano

May 7, 2016

Tuscany is known for its medieval hill towns, perched strategically on top of the hills, dominating the valley with open views that enhance their safety. These towns were often surrounded with protective stone walls, some of which survived intact to this day. San Gimignano, one of the best preserved and popular towns, is situated south west of Florence and a short drive from the coast where we were staying. For the Tuscany portion of our... View Article

Florence markets #2: Mercato Sant’ Ambrogio and neighbourhood

March 20, 2016

Mercato San Ambrogio is another market in Florence that was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni in 1873, the same architect as Mercato Central and the famous Galleria in Milan. The market is located on the opposite side of town from Mercato Central in a residential Piazza Ghiberti. It is not far from Piazza Santa Croce where Michelangelo and other luminaries are buried inside the magnificent cathedral. Because of the less central location the market serves more locals... View Article

Florence Markets #1: Mercato Central

March 13, 2016

It’s hard to capture the charm of Florence in simple verse and its beauty inspired poets and writers to immortalize it in their prose. Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett eloped to Florence to get married and lived there many happy years afterwards. Unlike Rome, that took a little getting used to, Florence was a love at first sight. Walking through the ancient streets among magnificent palaces and works of art and in the footsteps of... View Article

Florence: the art of the aperitivo

February 11, 2016

Feature B&W  image above used with special permission from the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive, American Girl in Italy, 1951, Copyright 1952, 1980 Ruth Orkin. Italian food culture is very seductive. It lures you with its rituals and once you are hooked, it’s hard to turn back. And why would you want to turn back anyway? One of the rituals that we engaged in while travelling in Italy was the aperitivo and Florence in particular raised this ceremony... View Article

Adler Thermae Spa – a luxurious Tuscan interlude

December 26, 2015

My built in GPS for luxurious experiences hit gold when it navigated to the lobby of the 5 star Adler Thermae Spa and Relax Resort in Val d’Orcia of southern Tuscany. There is more to Tuscany than meets the eye and the hot springs of the Bagno Vignoni are one of the secrets yet to be discovered. We took a few days off our month-long stay in Florence to indulge in the healing qualities of the... View Article

Florence – the art of the panini

December 24, 2015

After travelling for a few weeks around Tuscany and indulging in three and four course meals, sometimes twice a day (when in Rome….), we were happy to arrive in Florence and see that it is okay to have just a sandwich for lunch. Every second store in Florence seems to be a sandwich shop and standing at the counter with a sandwich is part of the lunch routine here or so it seems. To be... View Article

Grilled Radicchio di Treviso with Balsamic drizzle

December 24, 2015

The radicchio here in Italy is a completely different experience than the compact round ones we get in Canada. I have been buying them and indulging in salads of all kinds and also grilled them a few times. The radicchio rosso di Treviso, the elongated one resembling a Belgian endive, is what you find here right now at the markets. If you don’t have the Treviso type use the regular radicchio but perhaps but it... View Article

Florence food tour with “Italy Customized”

December 8, 2015

One of the best ways to get an insider view of a city’s food scene is to do a food tour with a local guide. We chose Italy Customized, a Florence based custom tour company run by the lovely Linda Sorgiovanni. Linda also owns the Florence franchise of Urban Adventures, a company offering tours in over 105 destinations around the world.  Between her two companies she offers food, markets and aperitivo tours in Florence as well... View Article

Tuscany road trip day 1- 4: Siena

December 2, 2015

After spending a few days in San Miniato for the white truffle festival we decided to head south and explore some of the Tuscan medieval towns, on my list for their unique history or wine production and to see the countryside beauty of Tuscany. We did not reserve hotels except for that night in Siena. We’ll stop where and when we want, with some time constraints of course. We fell head over heels for siena... View Article

Tuscany off the beaten path – a weekend at Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle

November 28, 2015

After beating the path to many of the well known destinations in Tuscany (posts coming) we wanted to explore the road less travelled and booked a weekend at Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. The town is located in Northern Tuscany’s “land of the moon”, Lungiana, known for its chestnuts and DOP honey. Travelling off season we were going to be the only guests at the palazzo and the owners Mirella and Francesco drove up from... View Article

Fresh ricotta on grilled bread

November 26, 2015

I don’t know if you have access to fresh ricotta made this morning but I bought mine from the cheese maker next door while staying at the off the beaten path agriturismo Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. A blog post about the experience is in the making but I had to use the cheese right away so here is one of the ways I used it, simplicity itself, and in the words of Leonardo da... View Article

San Miniato White Truffle Festival (2015)

November 25, 2015

Travelling off season has its benefits. We are here at the height of truffle season and during the white truffle festival of San Miniato. This year the Festival is celebrating its 45 anniversary and we were here for the celebration. Every November more than 100,000 people descend on San Miniato for the Nostra Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato and the narrow streets and small piazzas fill with truffle aromas and stands of vendors displaying... View Article