ItalyTraveller experience.

"'Andana" in Italian means a tree lined walk; like the avenue of cypress trees which leads to the Andana Hotel. The Andana is a luxurious 5 star property in the heart of Tuscan Maremma, a neoclassical villa, with the appearance of a country inn, which was once the sumptuous residence of Duke Leopold. Today, the villa continues to represent the height of Italian elegance and "art of living".

This is where Alain Ducasse, king of French cuisine, finally succumbed to the appeal of Tuscany (after years of resistance during which he swore jamais en Italie), and opened his Trattoria Toscana, the name being an indication of Ducasse's love of the area's cuisine, and the type of food guests can expect to eat here.

In preparation for the project, Ducasse spent a year and a half exploring the area, studying the traditional recipes of Maremma and tasting the local produce. He then instigated the planting of grapevines, olive trees and a kitchen garden full of vegetables and aromatic herbs in the hotel grounds. The result is a restaurant serving authentically Tuscan, rigorously seasonal cuisine, masterly prepared by chef Christophe Martin, who shares his master's predilection for fresh ingredients of the highest quality, and has already earned the restaurant its first Michelin Star.

Menus are created using only the finest produce of the land and sea, featuring wonderfully simple, flavor packed dishes such as zuppa di farro, caciucco, aquacotta, pappa al pomodoro, and baccalà con fagioli. One of the estate's six kitchens is furnished like an homely, old-fashioned country kitchen; here, every morning, the table is laid with an inviting buffet breakfast of fragrant breads, cakes and home made jams.

Martin offers guests the opportunity to attend his professional cooking classes, creating delicacies made according to Ducasse's classic formula: 60% prime ingredients and 40% technique.

Trattoria Toscana
L'Andana Tenuta la Badiola
Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto)
Tel. +39 0564 944800
www.andana.it