Wedding in Tuscany

Getting Married in Tuscany can be a pleasant, memorable and relaxing experience�just like drinking a glass of Chianti red wine.

The a brief checklist for getting married in Tuscany:

1) Decide on the location. Many people are not sure how many people will actually make the long haul�and sometimes the numbers grow as soon as you have a location and send out the invites. Be prepared to select a place which will contain the main group and provides lots of extra alternative possibilities nearby in the form of hotels, bed and breakfasts and other rental villas and apartments. Another important thing to look at when selecting the accommodations � if you are planning on having the reception at the accommodations be sure they have indoor area for the entire group or room enough to put up a tent. Think about possible bad weather options now and save yourself any possible hassle later!!

It�s important that you decide in advance what you will be responsible for economically � and let the agency know in advance so that we can work with you. We strongly suggest that you have one person handle the main accommodations and then for the surrounding or additional accommodations, let your friends and family contact the agency directly identifying themselves as participants of the event. Don�t try to be in charge of everyone�s accommodations � just concentrate on the main core! The agency is there to assist � you will have enough other things to take care of without adding extra burdens to organize.

2) Decide the type of wedding you wish to have. Civil or Religious?

Civil is by far the easiest organization for both the wedding itself and the paperwork. Even though Italy is dominated by the Catholic church you still need special permission to get married in a Catholic church, starting with at least one of you NEEDS to be Catholic.

Consult your local priest for all the paperwork there, and contact us for the name of the local priest and parish closest to your selected accommodations.

Send this info out ASAP, so that they can get the slow wheels of bureaucracy moving.

Other religions are do-able, there are a Protestant priests in Florence who will perform weddings, however they normally will need to perform these services together with the civil service or you will need to go to Florence. Many people even bring there our religious authority with them, saves having to worry about translations. If you are going civil please note that the Italian government does not authorize weddings outside of certain areas. There are �roaming� religious persons who have special authority to marry outside of designated areas, and their prices is an expression of the demand�rather high. Commonly civil weddings are held in the local government building (which is normally a historical building) or in designated local historical monument � like a castle.

3) Start your paperwork. Your paperwork needs to be started in your country of origin. Please check with the local embassy for all details.

Once they have given you the necessary documents you will need to bring them to the consulate or embassy in Florence for the translation and official seals. Please be prepared to do this before the wedding!!!




Normally since most rentals are from Sat to Sat � we suggest that the wedding couple come in a few days in advance. The first stop is Florence and the second stop is the local government where you will be getting married�.there can be no wedding if the paperwork is not in order and acceptable. And there is no way around this!

Check with us in regards to the local governments, they are normally all on the same rules, but every once and awhile there is a special requirement. Best to know in advance.

4) Plan the wedding. Here is where agency experience starts to kick in, there are many agencies that have been here for years and know their way around wheeling and dealing with the Tuscans. You will find that the Italians are particularly flexible and helpful in planning this event, they love the idea that foreigners want to celebrate such an important event in their home. First you should decide the style you wish to have � formal, informal, elegant, country style, etc. etc. Then with this information they can assist you in selecting suppliers for all of your needs from caterers, flowers, photographers, music, dry cleaners, and just about anything else that comes to mind. Just a small reminder: you are probably choosing to come to Tuscany because you want to incorporate this beautiful land with its age old traditions into your wedding plans, therefore let the suppliers indicate the most traditional things�you will almost always find these solutions to be the most economical and the accessible. BUT don�t be afraid of wishing a personal touch to the events � anything is possible here�.

5) Plan a few events around the wedding.

Sure people are coming to see you two tie the knot but they also are here in Italy hoping to experience just a little bit of the local culture.

Try and plan some events which will bring the group together and at the same time satisfy their desire to explore the real Tuscany.

Some easy things that you can do which can be organized easily

* include bus guided tours to the historical sites,
* cheese and wine tasting, dinners with cooking lessons incorporated,
* rehearsal dinners
* and �. bachelor and bachelorette parties.


These events should be organized in advance � clearly state the cost of the events to your guest and have them commit before the arrival date. (you can always add names to the list at the last minute�.but is much more stressful for you to set something up at the last minute and have it come off fun!).

6) Now all that is left is your arrival, getting married and most of all enjoying Tuscany! Normally a wedding couple who comes one day or two before can get all of the necessary things out of the way so that on Saturday when their guests start to arrive, they can sit back, just relax and really enjoy having family and friends together in this great area. Give you suppliers 100% attention the days before and then leave it in their hands and the hands of a competent organizer.

Tuscan wines

Tuscany produces six of Italy's DOCG wines: Brunello di montalicino, Carmignano, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Vernaccia di San Gimignano (the only white made only from Chardonnay grapes).

It also boasts more than 30 DOC Wines. The best of the Tuscan wines, Chianti Classico, comes from seven zones in many different guises. The backbone of the Chianti reds is the Sangiovese grape, although other grape types are mixed in a varyingly modest quatities to produce different styles of wines.
Generally Chianti is full-bodyed and dry, although aging requirements differ from area to area and even across vineyards.

Choice does not stop in the Chianti region. Among Italy's most esteemed and priciest drops in the Brunello di Montalcino. This grand old red is produced by only 140 vineyards. Like the Chianti the Sangiovese grape is at the heart of the Brunello. It is aged in casks for four years and then for two others years in bottles.

Tuscany is largely, but not exclusively, about reds.
Easily, the best known withe is the Vernaccia of San Gimignano which was a favourite of artists since the Renaissance.

If you are interested in the world of wines, once in Tuscany you will be able to find many agencies that offer wine tours across the Tuscan region, like http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com.

Discovering the world of wine is one of the experiences that you cannot miss once in Tuscany.

Sensorial Spas in Tuscany

A New Wellness Experience in Chianciano

Chianciano Terme has recently remained a little shadowed by the more famouse places such as Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, and the likes.

However, Chianciano Terme has been a famous and very important center for wellness and spa treatments since the Roman times.
The 1960s saw this little town booming with a very well-organized set of infrastructures, such as thermal facilities specialized in wellness, relax and cures, parks, restaurants, hotels of all kinds, and several entertainment facilities.

Just recently, I heard that the Sensorial Spas (or Terme Sensoriali at the moment only te Italian version of the site is ready) had been opened to the public on September 29, 2006.

The website shows a completely different approach to the usual thermal spas.
Ayurvedic doctors let you know what personalized path you should follow, prescribing times and the order with which to go about the various steps.

There are several paths, few of which are relaxing, enegizing, purifying, and regenerating.

The various "activities" comprehend chromotherapy, aromatherapy, phonotherapy, introspective therapy, total body hydromassage, creek walk, high salinity pool, underwater and chromotherapy relax pool, enrgizing marble pyramid, Etruscan Sauna, Turkish Sauna, Swedish Sauna, warm mud "Melmarium", Steam Baths, Depurative liver water fountain, Laminar water massage, and Water rope massage.

The Terme Sensoriali offer plenty of silence and relaxing corners on comfortable sunbeds. Showers and restrooms are of the highest standards. The service is first-class: at the entrance you are given a personal bag with your bath robe, slippers, soap, hair cap, towel, and a hair-brush. The locker rooms are very stylish and include two hair driers and comfortable sits.

A tea-room and a zen garden offer a great conclusion to a wonderful wellness experience in Tuscany.

The length of each session is between 2 and 3 hours.
Entrance is 30 Euro per person.
Yearly pass for one person is 500 Euros.
The You and Me formula is 400 Euros per person.

Open everyday from 10 AM to 10 PM.
Chianciano has surpassed itself with this one. After the experience I REALLY want to get the yearly pass!

You think you are going to spend your new year's eve in Tuscany?

So, I got some suggestions for you that are thinking of spending your HO-HO-Holidays in Tuscany. But first, let me tell you a little about New Year's Eve in Tuscany.

New Year's used to be a very much felt family gathering time, though in the past ten or so years younger people have started to prefer spending the night away clubbing, or at some fancy hotel. Of course, nothing bad with this. The only thing is that Tuscany has roots that dwelve very strongly in the countryside and the land. The rythm of seasons and of cultivations has been the measure of time for centuries.

Little traditions such as family gatherings at New Year's Eve or Christmas are very much felt by the generations previous to this last one. Sure, times change and customs with them, but I cannot fail to feel a hint of nostalgia thinking of those evenings spent preparing the dinner altogether, slowly enjoying it around a table, talking about projects, hopes, or simply being together.
The after dinner games accompanied by the crackling of the fireplace, the submissive snoring of some elderly in his (mostly men, I have to say) preferred armchair, and the cries of the wee ones, roasted chestnuts crackling open, the taste of sweet wine joining that of dry fruits and Panforte...

Do you like the idea? I have some suggestions for you then!
If you are planning on coming to Tuscany and spend New Year's Eve while here, a good idea would be to rent a villa in the countryside, with a nice fireplace and a good refill of firewood, a fully equipped kitchen, a nice large table for your family members, cozy bedrooms where to snuggle up in the evening, and games and cartoons for the littlest ones!

Getting the necessary for the dinner won't certainly be a problem, and if you ask the owner of the villa to buy the groceries for you in advance, he or she will be glad to help you out, though this may cost you some extra money.

Like the idea of being in a villa but don't feel like cooking? Well then, why not going to some nice restaurant that offers an all inclusive New Year's Eve dinner?
All restaurants in Tuscany offer special meals for the occasion, and you can look for the cozy solution that will mediate perfectly between your own home away from home and a restaurant.

Delicious recipe of Rice with Nero - Risotto al Nero

Ingredients:
400g (2 and 1/2 cups) of rice, 500g (one pound) of small squids, 500g (one pound) of spinach, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, 1 liter (1 qt.) of vegetable broth, half glass of decent white wine.

Preparation:
Clean the squids, remove the bone and the eyes. Put aside, without breaking them, the bags with the black ink and rinse the squids under running water.
Dice the squids to small pieces and throw them in a pan where you have previously set the chopped onions and garlic to gently fry in 5 spoonfulls of extra virgin olive oil.
Gently stir the mix until it resumes boiling, then throw in the pan the spinach that you have previously washed and chopped.
Add salt and pepper to taste and cook at medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes, half covering the pan with a lid.
After 30 minutes add the rice, the white wine and the black ink that you have gently gathered from the bags extracted from the squids. Let the ink soack the rice evenly.

Finish cooking the rice slowly adding the vegetable broth (which should be almost at boiling temperature, not to let cooking change in temperature). Keep adding the broth each time the rice absorbs it, and until the rice is completely cooked.

The traditional steack fiorentina

Jucy and Tasty, the Easy Way

Since 2001 the Fiorentina Steak has been newly legalized.

The secret to have a great Bistecca alla Fiorentina is the cooking process. The meat needs to remain raw in the middle, just seared on the sides.
This is a test for your trusted butcher shop!

Well, here the receipe, or better, the procedure!

Ingredients:
- One T-bone steak weighing at least 1200 gr. including the fillet. The beef must be rather young.
- Pepper
- Salt

Cut to the steak 2 inches thick.
Put the steak on the charcoal grill, paying attention that there is no flame whatsoever; however, the charcoal must be bright.
Cook exactly 7 minutes on each side (or until you see that the glir has left its mark.
Remove from the grill.

Add salt to taste on both sides, only sfter you have removed it from the grill.

Slightly sprinkle with freshly grinded black pepper, if you wish.

Serve the Florentine Steak without any other condiment.

Ghosts in villa at Villa di Corliano the Haunted House

Journeying towards Florence through the Tuscan countryside one finds Lucca, Pisa and other delightful towns dotting the road to Pisa where the guests of the Agostini family at Villa di Corliano can delight during their daily strolls.


The stay at Bagni di Pisa (health giving waters are still offered to an international clientele) and the visit Pisa during one of the city�s festivals are a delight, and staying at the Agostini Palace to enjoy the best view of the festivities is even more so.

The Villa has hosted many illustrious guests such as Gustavus III of Sweden, Christian II of Denmark, the Royal Family of Great Britain, Benedict Stuart Cardinal of York, General Murat, Luigi Buonaparte, Paolina Borghese, Carlo Alberto of Savoy, the poets Byron and Shelley, and various other personages from history books.

The area of the Pisa hills was already an attraction for enlightened travellers in the first half of the 1700s with the growth of the thermal spa of San Giuliano, which became a fashionable spot for the well-off classes.

The mansions on the road along the hills, already renowned as places of gentle idleness and relaxation in the heart of the countryside and also for their small industrial facilities for the transformation of agricultural products, soon assumed the characteristics of true leisure resorts, just like those narrated by Carlo Goldoni and which we can continue to enjoy today.

The Relais dell� Ussero at the Villa Agostini della Seta di Corliano is on the road which runs along the foot of the hills from Pisa to Lucca, passing through the small town of San Giuliano Terme.
The Villa is a historical fifteenth century mansion surrounded by a centuries old park. It is a property of great charm in which the owners offer, in 12 rooms and 2 suites, a relaxing stay immersed in the beauties of the local countryside.
Guests, if they like, can join in the day to day activities of the villa. They can have relaxing strolls in the park, potter around in the gardens, chat or have dinner with the owners in the farmhouse of the villa � today a high class restaurant with authentic simple dishes of the Tuscan flavours.

The Villa della Seta is very conveniently located near the village of Corliano only 2 Km along the road from the health spa of San Giuliano Terme, and halfway between the historical cities of Pisa and Lucca (a 15 minute drive to both). Florence is only an hour away and Siena an hour and a half.

They can also organize all the necessary details for your meetings, convention, weddings in the 1700�s small private church or in the 1400�s sky garden or in the park of the Villa.

Cavallucci are the tradition of Siena

Today, enriched with some better ingredient than the original receipe had, I present to you the Cavalucci of Siena!

Ingredients for 30 cookies:

150g of flour, 25 g of candy orange rind, 7g of anise, a teaspoon of cinnamon, half teaspoon of mixed spezie, 50 g of walnuts, 150g of sugar, half glass of water, one egg white, butter in order to grease the pan.

The procedure:

Put in one bowl the flour, the minced candy orange rind, the crushed anise seeds, the minced cinnamon, spices and walnuts.
In a casserole mix the sugar with the water and put on the fire to boil.
When boiling mix in all the ingredients that you have prepared before, stir well and remove from the fire.
Turn this dense paste upside down on the table that you have previously covered with a thin layer of flour, left to cool down.
Then with your hands wet with egg white work in the dough to form a homogenous mass.
Spread the dough with the wooden or pin roll to obtain small rumbles of the height of half inch.
Put them in the oven on one buttered and flour-sprinkled oven pan for half hour approximately at the temperature of 160 Celsius and let the cavallucci dry, avoiding to let them darken.

Italian Language schools in Tuscany

I choose Pisa mainly for the opportunities offered by the airport easly
reachable by many low- cost flights. In fact Pisa is the most important
international airport in Tuscany and it is well connected especially with
European countries.

I discovered in Pisa a charming town, with spectacular promenades
along the river. The population is young and friendly and the climate mild.
The weather is frequently good and the beach in Marina di Pisa or Tirrenia
is well connected by bus. It is also possible to reach in 15 minutes the
beach in Viareggio.

Also the connections between Pisa and Florence, Lucca, Rome, Venice and
Milan are very good. From there I had the opportunity to visit the main
destinations in Italy for a cheap price.

The language course I attended at Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo was
very effective and enabled me to speak
Italian correctly. At the language school I met many friends from all
over the world and there the Italian staff is helpful and friendly.

During the free time I had also the possibility to take part in many
activities like visits to Florence, to Cinque Terre and dancing and
drinking during beach parties and pizza parties.

The website is ILM - Italian language
schools