Tuscany: Insider guides (Ultimi inserimenti)

Tuesdays with the chef at Locanda are an occasion to learn small and great secrets and happily meddle with the pasta!
The participants ,maximum 6, will prepare a three course dinner and dessert as well as bread and homemade pasta .

An amazing trekking itinerary of 8 km from Strove village till Monteriggioni city-walls: the path follows the old Via Francigena, passing through marvellous sites like Castel Pietraio and Badia a Isola.

A centuries old winery offering tastings and cellar tours

San Gimignano includes among its wonders, even an ancient Roman villa. It is an old building dating back to between the fourth and sixth century AD for many years in a state of complete abandonment. Now is finally visitable

A small farm, a great Brunello.

Carved into the slopes of the Apuan Alps, the marble quarries of Carrara are magical places in which to admire the beauty of nature and the power of man.Testimony to a work that is age old, hard and dangerous .

The Orcia Valley (Tuscany) there is a wonderful network of trails for hiking and mountain biking. Over 200 km of nature trails with breathtaking views, possibility to download the GPS data for the navigator of the bicycle.

The Bottega Baracchi is an innovative concept shop halfway between a wine bar and a store, a promise that has as its primary essence, excellence, in all its various forms.

The splendid outdoor theater where Andrea Bocelli performs each July is only 20 minutes away.

A nice walk between art and nature in this park on the slopes of Mount Amiata. 100 works of contemporary art spread in an area of 16 hectares, open to the public from Easter to October.

golf course in Colle Val d'Elsa with 9 holes, horse riding, trekking, mountain biking, hot air ballooning

A Contemporary Art Gallery of painting and sculpture, realized by well-known artists and art-beginners, that organize events and theme exhibitions where the world of art meets social backgrounds, as in "Meet Art, Feed Art" exhibit.

Pienza is a well-known town, deeply connected with the history of our hamlet, because of Pope Pius II, member of the Piccolomini family. Not so popular though it's the ancient church of Pieve di Corsignano, just out of town.

There are no icons such as squares, cathedrals, castles identify this territory only intimate corners like that cypress, an old farm house, the curve of the dirt road, the window of the farm.

In San Quirico d'Orcia at Duemme Knitwear you can buy at the best price cashmere knitwear made by hand.

Pizzas cooked in a wood burning oven and grilled meat

At about 10 kilometers from Montalcino, a romantic Benedictine abbey where you can watch the masses with Gregorian chants of the monks.

Lucia Volentieri is a gifted ceramist who creates Tuscany modular landscapes: visit her laboratory and learn how to recreate a miniature rural world and to turn it into a piece of art and of life.

A fabulous restauarnt where meals are served in the old cloisters or on the terrace overlooking the Orcia valley

In San Gimignano is staging an exhibition of art of the highest level with the masterpieces of the twentieth century, Carlo Carra, Giorgio De Chirico and Renato Guttuso.

At just 5km from our hamlet, The Bosco della Ragnaia is a woodland park perfect to escape the summer heat. The American artist Sheppard Craige started his work in 1996 and he is still expanding the gardens.

Populonia is an ancient Etruscan settlement, one of the few with a direct view of the sea, rich in Etruscan caves. In the necropolis of San Cerbone where there are the typical tumulus graves

Among the many Brunello wineries around Montalcino I chose Romitorio for its interesting mixture of nature and art (made by artist Sandro Chia) and for the kindness of Tullia and Daniele, your guides in the world of Brunello wine.

Tuscany Wine Store is not simply a wine shop but much more. You can choose fine handcraft products and excellente gastronomic specialities.

This spa features: humid zone, relaxation area, large gym with Technogym equipment and fitness courses, indoor & outdoor swimming pools, coiffeur, UVA solarium, dermaesthetic medicine treatments and naturopathy and nutrition programmes.

A renowned restaurant run by the hotel property and by Susi Brogi the chef who serves typical cuisine and authentic Tuscan dishes made by simple ingredients and seasonal produce accompanied by fine tuscan red or white wine of the area.

In a cozy and charming square of Pistoia, i Salaioli is at the same time a grocery store with local products, an excellent restaurant featuring tuscan cuisine, and a gathering place where people can drink aperitifs before dinner.

The woodlands surrounding this small hilltop town are teeming with the most highly-prized white truffles in the world. Join a truffle hunt to experience the process and then head up to town to taste these heavenly - and costly! - morsels.