A luxury boutique Tuscan wine resort and hotel – Conti di San Bonifacio. Ever since reading Lampedusa’s The Leopard in my twenties I have wanted to be an Italian aristocrat of noble lineage. However, the Count of San Bonifacio got there first and his family line can be traced back for over 1000 years whereas […]
Hotel Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni n.1 in Florence
A Room With A View – Florence. E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View opens with a very proper English young lady, Miss Lucy Honeychurch, and her priggish cousin and chaperone, Miss Charlotte Bartlett making a trip to Florence. On arrival at their pensione they discover that their room doesn’t have a view of the […]
Villa di Geggiano, Italian Restaurant Chiswick – Review
A little bit of Tuscany by way of West London: Having booked dinner for 6pm when the restaurant starts evening service, and, as someone who generally errs on the side of caution, I managed to arrive before Villa di Geggiano in Chiswick opened. Peering through the iron gates, I could see a Tuscan style vine […]
Truffled Mushroom Polenta – a Taste of Tuscany
Mushrooms, Truffles and Polenta – an Italian Autumn Recipe: It is a few years now since I visited Tuscany. November hardly seems like the most logical time of year to go sightseeing in Europe, but for any food lover, Tuscany is treasure trove that shouldn’t be missed and that is when we visited. We managed […]
Ribollita – Tuscan Soup for the Soul
Making Ribollita in Tuscany: I’m sure I heard someone saying that this wonderful dish was the Italian equivalent of Jewish Chicken Soup. Something that is so much a part of the culture and heritage of Tuscany that no one needs a recipe and everyone has their own way of making it. Well, on my recent […]
Tales of Tuscany – Lari and Martelli Pasta
Artisan Martelli Pasta from Lari, Tuscany: I’ve come to the conclusion that a week in Tuscany is really not long enough. Even if you have a schedule that seems to involve doing at least three major events a day, you will only touch the edges of this part of Italy. And when things don’t quite […]
Tales of Tuscany – Lucca by Night
Buccellato and a walk through Lucca: We didn’t have long to see Lucca. And, it was already dark when we arrived and parked the car by one of the City gates. Now, I’ve known the Hedonist for a long time. What I didn’t realise until THIS trip was that his sense of direction is not […]
Tales of Tuscany – Florence, Italy
Firenze in November – Florence without the Crowds: While it’s wonderful to have warm weather, blue skies and sunshine, some parts of Tuscany for me are simply too busy during the summer. And, if many of the things I want to see or do are indoors, visiting out of season is really not a bad […]
Tales of Tuscany – Capezzana
Vineyard Tour of Capezzana: No trip to Tuscany is complete without a tour of a vineyard. In our case, we went to Capezzana, mostly because my travel companion, The Hedonist had stayed close to there before, but had been unable to visit. That, so he told me, despite enjoying the wines daily. So this visit […]
Tales of Tuscany – White Truffle Festival
San Miniato, Tuscany White Truffle Festival: I love truffles. Black truffles that are used to make dishes special all year round. And white truffles that I’ve only had once, shaved over gnocchi and served with fresh parmesan in a stunning restaurant in Dover Street. But, I didn’t know very much about them until my most […]