A great celebration of Wine tasting

The fun Pierluigi is a role model for wine tasting guides. A wonderful lunch, a great Chianti Classico to taste, and a little lesson on the secrets behind the making of a great Tuscan wine, Chianti and Chianti Classico. Enjoy!

July 2007 is the Palio of Sienna on the 2nd

The Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007 has been a continued sequence of spectacular events. Jokeys to the ground, horses running counterways, and an unforgettable head to head finish feat that brought havok in Siena.
Do Enjoy it, the Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007, here it is for you!

Tortelini Pasta hand made

Some details will escape your attention, like the grated nutmeg or some dialog that is not properly translated, but watching this lady preparing Tortellini for Christmas and New Year's is very relaxing, and if you follow what she is doing and the subtitles you will have great homemade tortellini yourself

The traditional way of making Bruscheta

Mixed Bruschetta


Ingredients:

Goat cheese and tomato (self explanatory)
VEGETABLE PUREE - FOR 10 PEOPLE:
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Lentils
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Chick Peas
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Cannellini beans
salt, extra vergine olive oil, tomato concentrate--to taste
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 hot pepper (peperoncino)

Preparation:
Boil the vegetables and drain them; meanwhile fry the garlic, rosemary, and some of the hot pepper in the olive oil and then add the vegetables with a bit of their water. Add salt to taste and tomato concentrate for a touch of color. Pass through a food mill and add a bit of oil. Place on top of the toasted bread slices with a piece of bacon on each.

Towns: Sorano in Tuscany

The Masso Leopoldino represents one of the most striking features of this incredible town.

The Rocca - as it is called in italian - has been appreciated for its strategical qualities since the Middle Ages and was probably fotified by additional structures before the 9th century.



Taking a drive in the south of Tuscany during your vacation, you will find a special little town. Park your car in the outside parking space and prepare to walk up hill into a fantasy world.




The buildings both historic and the modern day rental vacation villas are made from the particular type of material called tuff. It is unique in color, and malability. The Tuscan vacation rentals farmhouses in the southern part of Italy are made of tuff.



Visit the incredible fortress, which is without cars and intervention of modern day activity. You will feel as if you have walked back in time. The large sandy colored blocks are testaments to the local activity.

The town of Anghiari in Tuscany

The most important period in the history of the town is connected with the Battle of Anghiari which was fought in the year 1440 between the Visconti armies from Milan and those of Florence which were allied with the Pope. Machiavelli spoke about the battle in his Historiae fiorentinae and Leonardo da Vinci did a huge (short lived) fresco painting of it in Florence. The position on a dominant hillside in the middle of a vast plain made Anghiari an important strategic point.




You will find a great little outside bar where you can sit have a drink while admiring a one of a kind landscape. The classic dish of Anghiari is bringoli: thick spaghetti handmade from just water and flour by the village housewives, covered with a sauce made from porcini mushrooms gathered in the woods of the Tiber Valley, or else with a chianina meat sauce. Right across from the bar, In the heart of the old town, you can see signs of its past history, arched windows, a large fresco and a multitude of coats of arms in both stone and terracotta.



The old watch route was the road found at the northern section of the city walls. Since 1444 this stretch of the circuit of walls has undergone a number of reconstruction works in order to make the village impenetrable in the event of an artillery attack.


Together with the ancient Cassero, the bell or clock tower is one of the tallest points on the Anghiari skyline. The tower was built in the thirteenth century being completed in 1323 and then destroyed by Vitellozzi Vitelli on the 24th June 1502.





MAY 2005: LA SCAMPANATA (MORNING BELL): This is an event that occurs once every five years and lasts for the whole month of May. The members of the "Societ� della Scampanata" (virtually the entire town) make a date to be in the main square at 6 o'clock every morning. Anyone who is late is dragged out of bed, given a more or less "fair" trial and then hoisted up onto a special carriage and pulled around the town while everyone else throws everything they can think of at him until he is completely covered and entirely unrecognisable.

JULY/AUGUST: MUSIC, THEATRE AND SPECIAL EVENTS AROUND THE OLD WALLS : Special shows and events that enliven the centre of Anghiari all summer. A mixture of concerts, guided tours, dinners and shows scattered through the natural backdrop of the little squares and corners that are the real centre of gravity.

FROM 10 TO 18 AUGUST: "TOVAGLIA A QUADRI" (THE CHECKED TABLECLOTH) - 1TH Year : A traditional Tuscan open-air dinner entwined together with a musical play performed across four courses. This entertainment has achieved a prominent position amongst the best of all the events of the summer in Tuscany. It takes place in the natural "stage" of the little piazzetta del "Poggiolino" in the heart of the old town centre and is created by the Pro Loco and the Teatro Stabile di Anghiari.