A Couple of Tuscan Hideaways For Your Italy Tour

Image via WikipediaBy Priscila Siano
Villa Vignamaggio
For those who have seen the Kenneth Branagh motion picture of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, then you have already seen Villa Vignamaggio, where the movie was shoot. Vignamaggio is likewise renowned as the hometown of Mona Lisa in 1479.
About a couple of miles from the town of Greve in Chianti, Vignamaggio is centrally stationed among the local wineries making Chianti Classico. In fact, Vignamaggio makes its own premier wine and olive oil and sponsors tours and tastings for visitors and guests alike. Include in your tour Italy a taste of Vignamaggio's wine which was essentially the first red wine in the area to be known as "Chianti," in 1404.
This agriturismo is a very sensible choice for people because it provides two swimming pools, a tennis square, mountain bicycles, fitness hub, a recreation area including a billiard table. All tour Italy guests can choose among 20 quarters, suites and flats housed in several old-ranch houses. The cottage itself, surrounded by a shocking Renaissance backyard, has suites only. The room we stayed in was full of antiques, but also had a tiny kitchen creatively constructed into an old wardrobe. Still the apartments hold daily maid assistance.


Vignamaggio hosts unique dinners two times a week, if not guests cook dinner for themselves inside their apartments or stop at one of many fine eateries in Greve. During your tour Italy hideaway, it is best to get a rented auto while visiting the region. Driving the winding path up to Vignamaggio in the dark may seem daunting to some. The hotel can also fix for taxi assistance.

Via Petriolo 5
Greve in Chianti
39 055 854661
Open: Middle of March upto the end of the year

Locanda dell' Amorosa

It's no oversight that the name of this Tuscan hideaway means, "Lover's Inn," because this place provides romance from the moment visitors enter the beautiful, cypress-lined driveway. An hour-and-a-half by car from Florence, Locanda dell'Amorosa resembles the little town it once was, a 14th-century old village. The property has only been sold once in 700 years. In 1873, the Piccolomini clan of Pienza (family of Pope Pius II) offered it to Fiorella Favard, whose descendants still own the estate.

The town's beautiful aged church, the venue of special weddings, sits among the main square. Next door, a classic farm structure have been transformed to a wine inn where breakfast is eaten as well. On the side, former quarters for the farmers has been changed into great visitor rooms with similar roomy and airy bathrooms, a shortage in Italy.

The previous stables have become habitat to Amorosa's very good cafe with indoor and outdoor chairs, where tourists can utilize the estate's tranquil setting while indulging in Tuscan specialties. Behind the primary plaza are the remainder of the transformed farm buildings and lodging. The hotel's infinity pool sits inside a quiet pasture overlooking the countryside.

The inn offers little touches like a computer with Internet access inside the lobby and free refreshments poolside. It considers it hard to go away to explore the encompassing towns, but at Amorosa it really is just fine to remain and revel in the sweetness the place has to offer.

Localita' l'Amorosa
Sinalunga
39 0577 677211
Open: Early March to early January

Priscila Siano is the Business Manager of http://www.TourItalyNow.com, a pioneer among the world's online providers of escorted, customized, small group tours to Italy. She also enjoys writing articles about Italy tour. Feel free to republish this article provided you do not edit it in any way and include the author bio as well.

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A Journey Among the Flavours of Chianti (Part 2)

Image via Wikipedia

Volpaia and Radda



Volpaia is a charming little town village with the old medieval castle fortified in the XII century and a maze of alleys, arches and ancient palaces. In Volpaia's main square, we indicate you La Bottega di Volpaia (Piazza della Torre 2). During the day it is a very well provided shop where purchase olive oil, fresh pasta, sausages and cheese (at lunch time cheese and cold cuts are also available for take-away); at evening you can have typical regional dishes of the Tuscan cuisine. That is the best place to taste "ribollita" (vegetables and bread soup), a simple and delicious dish of Tuscan peasant tradition.



Going to South from Volpaia, we find one of the most beautiful village of Chianti's region: Radda, the ancient main town of the Chianti's League in 1415 and the place where the most powerful Florentine families used to spent their summer holiday during the XVII century; the village still keeps the old wall where it is possible to walk along the old passageways and catch a great sight of the surrounding hills.




In IV Novembre square you can find Casa Porciatti where it is possible to purchase typical products of Chianti 's tradition, as filetto di maiale stagionato (seasoned pork fillet) and lardo (lard). You can also stop at the little wine bar run by the same family and located in the medieval passageways. In the village centre there is the finest restaurant of Radda: Chiasso dei Portici (tel. 00390577738774), placed in the street of the same name. This restaurant is perfect to have a very romantic dinner, enjoying a high level cuisine and a great wine list.



Panzano and Castellina



Going back to Radda towards Greve, you reach Panzano in Chianti where it is worth visiting one of most beautiful Romanesque church of Tuscany: the Pieve of San Leonino, built in the VII century. Here in Panzano, you can find also the Antica Macelleria Cecchini (Via XX luglio 11), the shop of the butcher poet Dario Ceccherini, a real must for Tuscan cuisine.



This casual and typical place definitely won't let you down, offering you cold cuts and wine tastings as well as the best bistecca alla fiorentina of these outskirts (a special beef t-bone steak very thick, grilled and coming cooked to medium rare). Many international VIP are some of the most devoted clients of this place. For example: Jack Nicholson. The owner suggests getting there having empty stomach, on time and it is funny to say, feel free to get there, bringing your own wine, if you want, without further expenses.



But, from Radda, if we move to West, we get to Castellina in Chianti. This town village was disputed between Florence and Siena in the past, nowadays play with Greve to achieve the title of Cuore del Chianti Classico. Castellina is immersed in a wonderful countryside among olive tree, cypresses and vineyards; it is very worth visiting the great passage of via delle Volte catching a sight of the medieval mansion but also because of the great number of places for gourmet.... particularly, we suggest you la Trattoria La Torre Piazza del Comune 15 in the centre of the fortified village. This restaurant is a very casual place really renewed in Castellina, offering great dishes of the Tuscan tradition. Don't miss vitello di Valdichiana (beef of Valdichiana area) and ossibuchi!



Here in Castellina, it is not so difficult to buy high quality wine in good places, among those Enoteca Le Volte (via Ferruccio 12) and the Azienda agricola San Donatino (Tel. 00390577740318), 1 km away from Castellina in direction of Poggibonsi, where the French son writer Leo Ferré lived until 1993. But our best place is still Fattoria La Castellina in via Ferruccio 26 maybe because of its fascinating atmosphere; this place was an old farmhouse in the XIV century. They sell wine, honey, spirits, Vin santo, olive oil, aromatic vinegar...



Our journey among Chianti's flavours ends in this farmhouse where we are impressed by those big old barrels still kept inside the cellars. By chance, this journey has brought us on the footsteps of important personalities apparently very distant from each other, as Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Ferré and Jack Nicholson. We have nearly made this journey closing our eyes, just following two sentences very important that so often are forgotten because of the frenzy of our day life: taste and smell.

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We are situated in the main square of Greve in Chianti, a picturesque small town near the two main historical cities in Tuscany: Florence and Siena. For more information about the Chiantishire and our Hotel, please visit our website:
"Albergo del Chianti" Hotel



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An Italian Meal for the Week

An Italian Meal for the Week: "To Begin, an Aside: I have just posted my notes from this year's Chianti Classico vintage presentation, and also selections of the Chianti D'Annata and Riserve that impressed me. However, these wines are still in Italy; what you will now find in stores are the Chianti D'Annata (vintage wines) and Chianti Riserve presented last year. And what might you serve with them?

Starting with a Chianti d'Annata:
Mixed cold cuts, antipasto misto, and crostini.
Followed by (we're in winter and it's cold) Pasta (my father-in-law is partial to penne) al sugo, with a bolognese sauce, which is as common in Tuscany as it is in Emilia Romagna.
Then, moving up to a Chianti Classico Riserva:
You might have stewed wild boar (or beef), or perhaps a bistecca alla fiorentina (a portherhouse steak), served with spinach and either fried or mashed potatoes.

To finish up, Zuppa Inglese. Some might be tempted to serve it with a sweet wine, a vinsanto even, but I would simply want an espresso, and (perhaps) a tiny glass of grappa.

An Italian Meal for the Week originally appeared on About.com Italian Food on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 14:39:30.

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