Thursday 12 September 2013

Under the Tuscan Sun

So much is going on these days that blogging has become a bit of a challenge. However, I promised to give you pictures of Tuscany, so here is a little account of our four-day adventure under the Tuscan sun.

Tuscany is famous around the world for many things: agriturismi, olive oil, wine, vineyards, sunflowers, landscape, art, culture and we were happy to get lost in all these things during our short stay. As our base we chose Casa Fabbrini and we couldn't have made a better choice. There are loads of agritirusmi to choose from but Casa Fabbrini was everything we were looking for: relaxation, peace, elegance, good food, all in all a sort of second home, or the dream house. The casale is simply beautiful and I loved the way it had been restored and decorated. It's simple and elegant at the same time, and it has a very nice welcoming and homely feeling. The hosts, Paola and Giorgio, are two very sweet people who couldn't work harder to make all your wishes come true. Many props to them for turning an old casale into a magical modern place.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Perhaps the best thing about Casa Fabbrini was the food. In Italy food is regarded as part of someone's culture, we say: "You are what you eat", and it is absolutely true. There is nothing better that gathering around a fireplace in winter or a big kitchen and cook all together. Sharing recipes is part of Italian people's daily life and we, Italians, certainly like to eat well. Casa Fabbrini didn't disappoint; everything we ate was superb and everything was home-cooked by the one and only Giorgio by using fresh vegetables picked up directly from the garden and other locally produced goodies. The kitchen itself was gorgeous, who wouldn't like to cook in there!? When we arrived two little American girls were getting their hands dirty making pasta. Oh, we will have to go back with Emilia one day, I am sure she will love it.


And every evening we had dinner all together, us, the hosts and all the other guests and chatted for hours like old friends. We met a lovely family from NYC, one from Mexico and a Brasilian-Italian mix.

 
 
 
 

Breakfast was haven. All sorts of home-made cakes and tarts welcomed us every morning. This made me realise that I don't bake enough! It's time to start baking on a regular basis again. I have to say, we very much felt like part of the "eat" part of the movie Eat-Pray-Love. It was wonderful.

And when we were not eating, we were drinking some good Tuscan wine. As we were very close to the Montalcino area, we couldn't skip a trip to a cantina storica to learn how the legendary Brunello di Montalcino is made. And of course, we enjoyed a proper tasting lesson. The cantina was beautiful and the wine even better! At the end of the tour we bought two bottles and then ventured back to our agriturismo passing by hundreds of sunflower fields. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And when we were not eating or drinking we immersed ourselves into the local art and culture. We opted for Siena rather than Florence on this occasion as neither of us had been there before. Siena is a very cute city full of art and architecture. The highlights were certainly the main square and the Duomo but in general we enjoyed wandering around the tiniest little street. It was magical. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We also visited two smaller and equally beautiful towns, Montepulciano and San Casciano dei Bagni. 

 
 
 

So, if you haven't been to Tuscany yet, make sure to start planning your next holiday!

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