Piancastagnaio and el Amiata and a meal at Saxa Cuntaria

Last Saturday I decided to pay a visit to my friend Marco and to go to one of the regions in Tuscany I hadn�t visited yet, i.e. Piancastagnaio.

Piancastagnaio is located at 800 meters high and it dominates the Valdorcia, the Rocca di Radicofani and the old Via Francigena, which used to join Rome with France. Piancastagnaio, as all the towns which appeared near the Francigena, is a town with an interesting historical, cultural and artistic patrimony. The town has a boundary wall and it still preserves its medieval buildings, its noble palaces and its narrow roads, which wind among small squares and viewpoints that look out on three regions: Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo.

The town is also famous in Italy for its mercury mines and for a statue at the entrance of the wall, which is a reminder of the fact that the whole town lived on mining.

For ski lovers, the pistes are just a few kilometers away as the station of Mount Amiata (the highest peak in Tuscany) is just a few minutes� away by car.

Marco, native of that town, resolved that to fight off the cold this season he had to eat well and he decided to take me out to the best restaurant in town.

The restaurant is called Saxa Cuntaria and it is certainly one of the restaurants where I have better eaten in the whole of Tuscany. The place is small, it�s got just a few tables, and it�s really intimate. The owner is a peculiar character who personally waits the tables and assists all customers.

As it was my first time at the restaurant I left Marco order my food and so we both ate the same, which I highly recommend, of course:

Starter: zuppa di farro alle castagne
Main course: taglaita con Lardo di Colonatta.


Both dishes are delicious; I specially recommend the main course which is a Chianina steak cooked in lard with a side order of superb black baked beans.

The restaurant has one of the best wine cellars I have ever tasted in Tuscany; it also offers many noble wines from other regions in Italy. For a change, Marco and I drank an excellent Sicilian wine.

The restaurant is a bit expensive, 45 euros per person, but the food and the wines are worthy it.

So, dear friends, as everything we recommend in this Blog, this place is also one of the sanctuaries of good Tuscan food. If you visit La Valdorcia or Mount Amiata, you can�t miss it!

I�m attaching a few pictures, as usual. On this opportunity, I�m including one of Marco, to whom I am dedicating the article.

Regards,

Giovanni.

The story of Sting and his Tuscan Villa

The town where I spent the first 7 years of my life was Figline Valdarno, a charming village, only 20 km away from Florence, that still preserves its beautiful Medieval and Renaissance palaces. Like all the kids of my age, I went go to a public school, which, like most Italian schools at the time, was run by priests and nuns.

At my school in Figline, called Seristori School, I met my first friend: the Duke Simone Velluti Zati di San Clemente.

Simone's family were all dukes who owned lands, houses, castles and villas along many kilometers between the cities of Florence and Arezzo.

Simone and his family lived in "Il Palagio" a beautiful Renaissance Florentine villa located very close to the town of Figline. The villa was spectacular and wonderful with its Italian gardens, lake, soccer field and tennis court which was in a forest next to the villa, and the huge halls where I played with Simone.


The rooms of the house were fabulous and we enjoyed the most delicious meals which were served by the maids of the villa. The times spent in that house remain as one of my earliest childhood memories and I will never forget that special moment of meeting my first friend.

At the end of the school year, Simone's parents thought it was very important for him to become fluent in English, so they moved to Rome where he enrolled at an English school.

The years passed by, but Simone kept returning to Figline and to the Palagio on the weekends, and every year for his birthday which was always a great party!

My family moved to Paris, and Simone and I had lost contact until 2008, when,  thanks to Facebook, we got in touch again and Simone told me the story of the Palagio and Sting.

Simone told me that maintaining such a large villa was too expensive and one day they received an interesting offer from Sting, so they decided to sell it.

Today, Sting lives in the Palagio near Figline Valdarno, in the house where I spent my childhood... unbelievable!

So, if you're in Tuscany and you're feeling curious, just go to Figline Valdarno and look for the Palagio. Everybody in the town will tell you how to get there! But beware, I think Sting is very shy, so I would recommend against ringing the bell...

Arrivederci,

Giorgio

Ciao to all of you, and Happy New Year!

I hope that despite the crisis fear this year we will keep travelling to Tuscany and discovering some of the places that this unique region hast to offer. Today I would like to talk about an important event (which unfortunately I will miss this year) but that I strongly recommend if you've got a few days off and you are able to travel to the Tuscan coast. I am talking about the incredible Carnevale di Viareggio, certainly somewhat less famous than its "big brother" Venetian, but I will say that it has nothing to envy if we look to its spectacular parades, the wonderful costumes or the non-stop fun.

Viareggio is the oldest coastal town of Versilia, which reached its peak as a tourism destination when at the end of s.XIX there were built the most elegant resorts of the coast as well as several "liberty style" hotels located in the beautiful seafront of the city.

Its famous Carnival dates back to 1873 when some high-society young man from Viareggio, decided to organize a floats parade to celebrate the Carnival. That year marked the beginning of one of the most spectacular and colorful Carnivals all over the world.

The Europe World War suspended carnival celebrations, although in 1921 the consolidated Carnevale di Viareggio was able to re-emerge with even more glory. That same year, for the first time it was sang "Copa de Champagne" which today remains the current anthem of the Carnival.
The novelty of 1925 was the introduction of "paper mache" for the construction of the floats.This material allowed the realization of truly spectacular pieces that at the same time are extremely light so they perform real stunts in the air.

2001 marked a turning point for the celebration of the Carnival of Viareggio with the opening of the Carnival City, a beautiful complex that houses modern laboratories for the construction of floats, a school paper mache, in addition to a large amphitheater.

Starting next February 7 and ending 28th. Viareggio will live once again with the great Carnival characterized by political satire and the best parody with the most imaginative floats you've ever seen.

An incredible event which hosts parades, dancing, entertainment, joy .... where the fun is beyond a doubt, in a beautiful coastal city that these days more than ever offers unforgettable moments.

If you wish to enjoy this great festival in the link below you will find the most complete information on the Carnival of Viareggio: http://www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com/

Buon Carnevale e a presto!

Beatriz

New Year's Eve in Tuscany

Tuscany is a perfect place to enjoy the last night of of 2008. This unique region offers a wide range of options for all tastes and for all ages: for those who are seeking peace and quietness, for those who are wishing dancing all night, for those who dream of beginning the new year tasting the excellent specialities of a traditional Tuscan resturant in a friendly and warm atmosphere...

Therefore Tuscany has a large offer of accommodations, so you can choose to spend your holidays in a exclusive Villa with your family and friends, in a beautiful country house or in a charming hotel. You will find for sure the place that fits perfectly with your accommodation needs.

Some years ago I decided to spend my Christmas holidays with some friends in a wonderful Villa close to Cortona, and all I can say is that it was an unforgettable experience living those days among our Tuscan neighbours learning all about their traditions, the way they live Christmas and tasting the excellent specialities of the Tuscan gastronomy. We had the New Year's Eve dinner in a great and small restaurant south of Siena called "La Visantaia".


As always there will be plenty parties - allnightlong- in cities such as Florence, where you can find good music, the best dj's, and all the best for the last night of the year. In this link you will be able to see some of the options for that night: http://www.capodannofirenze.it/new_year_eve_florence/new_year_eve_florence_saschall.html

Also Woody Allen will be in Tuscany for the coming weeks, he will be in concert in Florence on December 22, so if you are thinking of being there that day I might suggest you don't miss the chance!

I hope this advices to be useful for all of you, and I wish you the best in Christmas and in 2009!


Alicia

Rent or Buy a Cell Phone

A cellphone is one of these things, for the very simple reason that the majority of the times if you have no way to communicate at cheap rates, whenever you want, you will have to be rely on others to put you through with the right person and complete the call successfully.

Let's take a restaurant reservation while you are in Siena or in Florence, for example. Do you know which one is best? Do you know where to look up the number?

Thanks to the yellowpages service (pagine gialle), you will have all the info necessary to chose your restaurant, to localize it, and to reserve it.

There are so many companies that will sell you a phone for as little as 50 euros with 10 euros of outgoing traffic included, voicemail, international SMS and MMS capabilities already included, and totally free incoming calls, from wherever in the world. The companies in Italy are TIM, Vodafone, Wind, Insim, Fastweb, PosteMobile, 3...you name it! Moreover all cellphones in Italy are unlocked, so when you go back home you can use it with your own sim card! All Mhz bands are usually included nowadays, so the phone will work wherever in the world.

THE LEGEND OF THE REVERSED BALCONY

Florence, like all the medieval towns have a lot of legends about curious and strange events that have occurred in the past times.
Florence, like all the historical towns, has many charming and unknown little corners.
Sometimes those little corners are the subject of the ancient legends, like in the case of the legend of The Reversed Balcony, that show the irriverent character of the Florentines and the Tuscany people in general.
In the centre of Florence in via Borgo Ognissanti number 12 there is a balcony, at the first floor, that was built with all the classical elements, the supporting corbels, the volutes and the balustrades ... that are assembled all counter wise.
The building with this balcony is dated to the 16th century, and seems to have been built in that curious way on a request of the stable's builder, for a revenge with the Duke Alessandro De' Medici. Seems, in fact, that the Duke at the moment of the project proposal, rejected the project cause of the prominents of the balcony, at the time there was a law that forbade the contruction of balconies all over the city. It is said that the builder presented the project more times with only few things modified between one time to another, leaving the balcony almost unchanged, and it is said that at least the Duke wrote on one of his responses: "yes on the contrary". The builder, it is said, applying the answer of the Duke, ordered to his architect to build the balcony upside down. Finally when the Duke saw the balcony, it is said, would liked to punish the constructor .... but as Florentine .... probably .... apprecciated and approved his presence of mind ....

Travelling while you are in Tuscany: Sightseeing Florenc

The best way to visit the city with a Florence car rental.

Florence


This itinerary will take you around Florence's hills. We will start from Piazzale Michelangelo, the most famous panoramic sight of the town and a visit to the wonderful Church of San Miniato al Monte, a jewel of the Romanesque style. We will then head north to Villa Pietraia, a tipical Tuscany Villa, one of the Medici Family's most remarkable summer residence.