A few years before we made our first trip to Tuscany, a friend had loaned us “her favourite movie ever”, Under the Tuscan Sun. What I remember most, besides her incredibly gorgeous lover, Marcello, and maybe the food shots, were the views of the Tuscan countryside. It was so stunning I said to my husband, […]
Tag: Tuscany
Gone But Not Forgotten!
As I write this I am looking at my pristine final issue of “Gourmet” the Magazine of Good Living from November 2009. And per usual, a crispy, brown roast turkey is on the front cover in time for American Thanksgiving tables. If you think I have come late to the party, well you might be right! This […]
An Etruscan City
The last time we were in Volterra was in 2008, spending time with friends in Tuscany and Umbria. One day we planned a day to visit Volterra followed by a trip to San Gimignano but liked Volterra so much that instead of heading on to San Gimignano, we spent the day in Volterra checking out some of […]
Farewell to Firenze
Our fourth trip to Italy included Rome and Tuscany. Tuscany was a bit poignant for us. We spent our first two weeks in Rome and were thrilled to be heading back to Tuscany where we had rented an apartment in Panzano in Chianti for two weeks but we also knew that it was unlikely we would return to this part of Italy again only because there are other […]
A Stroke of Luck
It’s our first Monday in paradise, aka. Chianti! Wonder what we’ll do today and especially, what’s for lunch?? Let’s just head towards Castellina in Chianti and check things out there, i.e. Enoteca Biologica on via c. Borgheri, where we bought some amazing Vin Santo a few years ago? The upshot being that the place seems […]
A Visit to a Tuscan Farm
Some months ago Judy Witts Francini posted on FB that she had gone to pick up some Cinta Senese pig products from a “farm” near Castellina in Chianti, I knew we had to go as we would be in Chianti in May! If you have never tried Cinta Senese prosciutto…well, you are missing out on […]
Near Montalcino – A Little Piece of Heaven
If we had a bucket list, a visit to the Mate` winery would have been on it! Our first introduction to Mr. Mate´ was through his utterly delightful, funny, books about moving to and living in Tuscany; “The Hills of Tuscany” and “A Vineyard in Tuscany.” If you haven’t had the pleasure, treat yourself! I […]
Tuscan Veal, Sausage And Porcini Ragu
What can I say, this is delizioso! A ragu that can be served with fresh pappardelle or fettucccine. See below for link. If we feel like pici with the ragu (a thick, long Tuscan pasta), I substitute a dried pasta called Strangozzi made by De Cecco di Filippo, or Gigi’s Spaghetti alla Chitarra Ah…I long for the […]
Artimino
Barbara Fairchild, former editor of Bon Appetit Magazine, wrote an editorial about summer eating and an appetizer she enjoyed when she was at Ristorante Da Delfina “her favorite place on the planet”. When I read that I thought wow, us too! I sent her an email telling her so and said that we had lunch there the previous […]
Back To Italy
No doubt about it, my husband and I have Italian souls…think they were always lurking there just waiting to burst forth! The beginning of our first return visit to Italy took us to just outside Lucca, arriving in Pisa from Rome in a small, propellor airplane! Oh my God, I am a very nervous flyer, so all I can […]