Where to eat in San Gimignano

Dear friends,

This post as the previous one is addressed to all those who are visiting Tuscany at the time. I find it worth recommending where to eat so that you are not prey to the typical bad and expensive touristy restaurants.

Today�s post is about San Gimignano, a medieval town which by no means you can leave out in your trip to Tuscany. San Gimignano is probably the best preserved medieval town throughout Tuscany with ravishing towers that are perfectly kept.

San Gimignano as all the tourist destinations has a lots of expensive and bad restaurants, therefore when you are visiting this priceless town you should eat at the restaurant La Cisterna which is right at the heart of town on the main square.


In this restaurant you can savour excellent Tuscan cuisine, simple yet with good ingredients and while you are eating you can admire the ravishing vistas of the hills of Chianti.

The following is the restaurant�s address:
Piazza della Cisterna, 23 - 53037 SAN GIMIGNANO (SI)- ITALIA - Tel. 0577 / 940328

Well friends, I hope you enjoy Tuscany�

Warm regards

Giovanni

Walter Radaelli, an exclusive restaurant near Montepulciano

Hello friends,

If you are in Tuscany in the area of Montepulciano or Cortona or if sometime in your trip you head for Valdorcia you should take a break to eat at a new restaurant that I have discovered a few days ago. I am referring to the restaurant Walter Radaelli, an enchanting restaurant of creative Tuscan cuisine located in Bettole, Valdichiana.

The ambience of the restaurant is exquisite for its location, as it is situated in the interior of an ancient recently restored farmhouse, as well as for its elegant and carefully tended decoration that has been chosen and tastefully planned to the last detail. Besides, its fare is really delicious.

In the summertime it is possible to eat outdoors in the external patio of the farmhouse and enjoy an enchanting view of Valdichiana.


As I have told you the dishes that Walter Radaelli proposes belong to the nouvelle Tuscan cuisine, therefore there is much innovation compared to the traditional regional dishes.



So, for good cuisine lovers this place is a must-visit that should not be left out along the way to Pienza or Montepulciano from Firenze Arezzo, or Siena as Betolle is on the road leading to them.


Enjoy this gastronomic Tuscan experience�

All the best,

Giovanni

How much does travelling to Tuscany cost?

Hello friends,

Today I have prepared an article to help you work out the cost of a trip to Tuscany.

Currency and Exchange rate
All those readers of this weblog who are not Europeans have to know that in Tuscany the currency is the Euro, whose present exchange rate for USD is not favourable as it is 1 Euro = 1,50 USD. Anyway as exchange rates are variable I recommend that you visit this page in Yahoo to know the exact rate of exchange.

Restaurants
Dining in a restaurant is about �25-30, although prices can lower substantially depending on whether you drink wine or not. Eating at a pizzeria can turn out somewhat cheaper as cost ranges from �20-25.

Bars
A coffee is about �1 and full breakfast is about �5. Bars and pizzerias are the places where it is possible to have lunch for about less than �6.

Public means of transport
A bus ticket tends to cost about �1 and a train ticket Rome-Florence (3 hours of train journey) tends to cost �30 depending on the type of train. Important: tickets cannot be purchased on buses or trains but in the tobacconist�s or in some specific places devoted to selling them and then have to be validated on the bus or, in the case of the train, in the yellow machines that there are on the platforms.

Getting on a train without a ticket may cost dearly� therefore, watch out�

Lastly, taxis are generally extremely expensive. There are a few and they have to be phoned, therefore you should avoid them as a journey of about 10 minutes can cost you about �20.

Sleeping- Hotels
The offer of Hotels in Italy in general is quite old and hotels tend to be of low quality, mainly, in cities where the strong measures to keep the artistic heritage prevent important restructuring.
A 3-star hotel in low season in the centre of Florence can easily cost about �120 per double room/night. If you can enjoy a trip of several days or have a car, I recommend that you stay at a country hotel in the surroundings of cities where it is possible to find accommodation of excellent quality at lower prices.

Parking
All towns are very ancient are were founded when there were no cars, therefore they are not equipped with parking area and more often than not it is hard to find it.
Street parking, in the Blue Area, tend to cost around �1.50 an hour (depending on the town you are staying), while private parking generally costs about �2 an hour.

Certainly, I hope you might find this information useful in preparing your trip,


Best regards,

Giovanni

Il Bacco Felice and its incredible Oste (Foligno, Umbria)

Dear Readers,

Today I am going to tell you about another place that you cannot leave out at all in a visit to Umbria (region situated next to Tuscany). What I have in mind is the osteria �Il Bacco Felice� in the enchanting town of Foligno , a few kilometres from the capital, Perugia.

Salvatore, the owner, soul and heart of this restaurant, is quite a character who passionately devotes himself to his work and prepares by hand most of the dishes that can be eaten in his spectacular eatery. As in all best restaurants Salvatore has no fixed menu but he keeps changing it daily depending on the seasonal products he has managed to get. What is a certain in his cuisine, and you have to savour inevitably, is the exquisite ham made from pork that Salvatore breeds in his farm.

Salvatore is also a wine worshipper and you will always see him walking around his restaurant with a glass of wine in his hand. I think Salvatore easily drinks a bottle of wine a night.

Besides Salvatore is a really singular character, of great charisma and personality, that will certainly come to your table to chat...but watch out!! do not refuse to try any of his dishes, otherwise Il Bacco Felice will stop smiling at you.

Il Bacco Felice is a small Osteria, therefore I recommend that you book, especially if you want to dine in this place full of happiness and good food at the weekend.

Besides this osteria, Foligno is an enchanting town deserving a visit where it is also possible to go shopping as there are loads of clothes shops.

Dear friends for more information about this restaurant you should not leave out in a trip to Umbria and Tuscany, visit Salvatore�s web, which is as colourful as he is: www.ilbaccofelice.it


Best regards,

Giovanni

Tuscany in November

November in Tuscany

November is a strange month, in which the olive harvest time ends the season of fields bedecked with flowers and the calendar gives way to the cold winter months when the land is bathed in those shades of black and dark brown blending with green country landscapes and leafless trees.

The scenery of Tuscany in November turns in what the English call �Dramatic Beauty� but without losing its magic and singular beauty. In a trip in November there are many things to relish such as the scenery shrouded in stunning morning mist and dinner based on white truffle, cep mushrooms and �novella� wine in restaurants.

November is also a month to taste the world renowned Tuscan oil which can also be relished in this season in all its splendour. In this season most regarded restaurants prepare the bruschetta (toasted handmade bread) with oil and garlic. The recently produced oil has a bright green colour and an intense almost sharp flavour that dilute immediately, reason why it has to be savoured �in situ�.

A visit to Florence and the main art towns is also a �gift from gods� as in this time of year there are fewer tourists visiting our pretty land and the flights tend to be cheaper. For example Ryan Air offers flights to Pisa at really low prices.

Take your time to indulge in this photograph set of Tuscany in November.

A hug for all of you,

Giovanni

Tuscan Tabaco

Hallo!

Here you have some pictures I took few days ago in a Tuscan Tabaco plantation few km from the beautiful town of Cortona.

Tuscany is one of the biggest italian tabaco producers and its cigars are famouse all over the world.

For more information on it you can visit teh official website: http://www.sigarotoscano.it/





Best regards

Giovanni

Traditional harvest in Tuscany

Hallo my firends

I want to share with you some beautiful pictures of Tuscany I made last weekend while I was helping my friend Riccardo Berna during harvest.

Enjoy these pictures because all of them have the essence of The traditional harvest in Tuscany.

My best regards

Giovanni