Restaurants in Cortona

Dear Friends,

This blog is about a new restaurant in Cortona that our friend Juan Angel has showed us:

It is called "Trattoria Tacconi", and it serves typical Cortonese cuisine. Very local and small, it only has five tables at street level and is run by a couple.

The very nice woman takes care of the customers orders and also cooks. You can see the kitchen from the tables, and you must pass through it in order to get through the bathroom.

The host told us about what they were serving for the day: A couple types of pastas with three different sauces that turned out to be delicious, and a second plate that was an exquisite steak.

After that we had two or three more small plates and some coffees. They do not serve desserts except for gelato. The food is excellent and definitely worth a try.

The clientele is varied: some businessmen, workers in the area, and plenty of "regulars". Very few tourists ever come here.

The check wasn't exactly cheap, but for two plates of pasta, two steaks, a litre of the house wine, water, the side plates, and the coffees, it came out to �60. Like I said, not exactly cheap, but at many other places the steaks alone would add up to  �40, and the delicious food is well worth it.

If you get a chance to come to Cortona, I highly suggest you try out "Trattoria Tacconi" so you can have your own idea of how good the food is here.

Kind regards,

George

Tuscany Itineraries- A Letter from Cristina

Dear friends, Cristina U. has kindly written me a summary of her travels to Tuscany, and it is the least I can do to thank her for being willing to share her experiences with us.

Hello,

I just returned from a four day trip in Tuscany with friends, and because I followed many of the suggestions from your blog, I thought I could send you a short summary of our trip in hopes that it can help future travellers! Tuscany is stunning, and I can't wait to return one day!

Day 1

From Bolonia, the city that we arrived in and picked up our rental car, we travelled to Lucca, the city of bicycles and gelato, plazas and bell towers. We ate on the terrace of the oval amphitheatre plaza. There are many souvenir shops, and we visited one that was dedicated to Puccini, the composer that was born in Lucca. In one of the churches, they have daily performances at 7 PM of famous arias. We were there for four hours before we travelled to the nearby city of Pisa. We visited the area with the famous tower, dome, and baptistery. We enjoyed the sun on a walk around the beautiful dome. After this, we all ate dinner in town before returning to the hotel to sleep.

Day 2

After eating breakfast, we left for Volterra. I highly suggest bringing a GPS, as ours helped us quite a bit on the journey. We were surprised by how much we liked Volterra. We walked through the city, enjoying the open air and smell of candles that were burning in the churches. Next we visited the beautiful palace plaza, which now serves as the town hall. Alabaster is very typical of the region, and there are many stores that sell stunning figures and decorations. After this we drove to the Roman ruins, which we viewed from a balcony and enjoyed very much. The visit ended in a park with great views of the town.

We next travelled to San Gimignano, a small, medieval village that is full of tourists and souvenir shops. We ate on a terrace, drove through the plazas, visited the towers, and tried some delicious gelato. We were there for three hours, and then we drove to Siena.

I liked Siena more than the first time I visited it. It was dark outside, and we were in the plaza that holds the Palio. Here, there are many shops and restaurants to be enjoyed. Throughout the streets there are many beautiful palaces. We visited the Duomo, but could not enter because it was late. Next we returned to the plaza where we had a nice dinner. We left for our rural accommodation with cameras full of pictures.

Day 3

This day was dedicated entirely to Florence. We left our car in a parking area in the beautiful area close to the Pitti Palace. After we saw the palace, we went to the stunning Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi has two-hour long lines unless you buy tickets online first. After this we went to the Piazza della Signoria, where the beautiful architecture brought tears to my eyes. When it started to rain, we sought shelter  in a caf� across from the Duomo. There is also a line here, but it does not take long to get in. We visited the shop that is in the catacombs, where there are many interesting books. After this, we stopped at a store and bought some homemade soap. We found a place to eat near the Dante house.

After eating, we returned to the Piazza della Signoria where we relaxed in a caf�. We went to the Gucci Museum in the same plaza, a very cool place- art books and a caf� with benches, very modern and welcoming. Next we travelled through the city on bikes for two hours. First we saw the Accademia Gallery in the Santa Croce plaza. There are many great bars in this area that fill with locals and are less popular with the tourist crowd. We heard a great jazz band play some unique covers of popular hits. Next we biked to Santa Maria della Novella, and passed all the very expensive shops along the way. From here we went back to the Pitti Palace, dropped off our bikes, and picked up our car. Lastly, we drove the the Michelangelo Plaza to see the beautiful artwork before we drove to our house to relax for the night.

Day 4

Our last day was dedicated to the south of Tuscany. First we went to Pienza, a small and beautiful town. This area is famous for the wine and cheese, and for this reason there are many gourmet food shops that sell Chianti and Noble wine, and delicious pecorino cheeses. It was Easter Sunday, and there were many people out celebrating. From there we went to Montepulciano, which was also very beautiful. We walked up a street that was lined with shops selling local products. We had a delicious meal at Trattoria di Cagnano and then drove to some of the small villages in the area to take pictures of the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Hot springs and spas are very typical of this area. After this, we visited Cortona and then went home. There is always something to see and do in Tuscany, and I can't wait for my next trip when I can visit some of the places I didn't see and revisit some of my favorites!

Kind regards,
Cris

In Tuscany with Your Dog, the Friend that Will Never Abandon You!

Dear friends, vacation time is drawing near, and many of you are starting to plan your trip to Tuscany.

For those of you like me that love animals and have a dog, it is important for me to inform you of certain things.

First of all, you must know that whether you visit the art cities, towns, or islands of Tuscany, you and your four-legged friends can have a great time together.

Tuscany offers so many options for you and your dog that there is no need for you to leave your best friend at home. Whether you stay in an apartment or a rural house, your friend with have room to play in the garden, and most accommodations accept pets.

Also, Italian law protects our pets, allowing them entrance into places like restaurants, bars, and shops.

It is important to know that no merchant can impede entrance as long as your dog is always on a leash.

For my last piece of advice, if you visit Tuscany in the summer, you will probably have to protect yourself and your four-legged friend from mosquitoes. For this reason, it is very important that your dog does not sleep outside and wears a Scalibor collar for protection.

So my friends, if you are thinking of visiting Tuscany this spring or summer with your dog or cat, you can rest assured knowing that you and your friend will be well received.

Kind regards,

George

Tuscany with Children

Tuscany offers many great cultural and gastronomic experiences, and it also offers some very fun possibilities for groups that are travelling with children. Apart from walks or bike rides through the beautiful hills, there are other places where children can have fun, like in the parks of Tuscany.

For this reason I have decided to prepare a list, that you will find below, of parks that deserve a visit if you are going to be taking a trip to Tuscany with children.

1- Parco Avventura Fosdinovo (northwest of Tuscany, near Lucca)

2- Parco Avventura di Alberovivo (close to Florence and Grosseto)

3- Monkeys Park Adventure (close to Tirrenia)

4- Salta Albero Parco Avventura (close to Rapolano Terme, Siena)

5- Selva del Buffardello (in the north of Tuscany, close to Lucca)

6- Il Giardino Sospeso (close to Livorno)

7- Acqua Village- waterpark, ideal for summer (close to Livorno)

Tuscany also offers many paths and roads where you can go horseback riding, especially in the Maremma and coastal areas.

In closing friends, I hope that your vacations to Tuscany are with your kids so that you can take advantage of some of the beautiful parks mentioned.

Kind Regards,

George