A romantic gateway for two in Tuscany, Taverna di Bibbiano, San Gimignano

Today I suggest you a farmhouse in Tuscany, that I have known for my job, the Taverna di Bibbiano.  I simply falled in love with this place!:-) It is a romantic farmhouse with decorated rooms and suites, each of them unique and decorated with frescos with a different floral theme… I looked around and found everything simply splendid! so precious and rare..

Everyone wishing a romantic weekend or a romantic holiday with his own partner should go there! This is the reason why, about the marketing, I suggested the propriator to work on this point, the Romanticism.. how couldn’t it be so?!  it is relly a romantic place..

They cultive flowers, so the farmhouse is surrounded by lavender fields, sunflowers, rose gardens… and there is a  magnificent wide park with a beautiful swimmingpool overlooking the medieval town of San Gimignano with its impressive towers.

They have also a very nice shop with floral decorations, garlands, dried flowers compositions… and it’s nice to look around …it’s a dreamy place, faraway from everything on this earth.. with Beauty, everywhere.

I’m planning a Romantic Weekend there with Giorgio on December 8th… then, I will tell you more! promised.

Taverna di Bibbiano

web site

Suite I Fiordalisi, romantic farmhouse Taverna di Bibbiano, San Gimignano Tuscany

Romantic farmhouse Taverna di Bibbiano, San Gimignano, Tuscany

Swimming pool overlooking San Gimignano towers, Tuscany, romantic farmhouse in Tuscany Taverna di Bibbiano

The Italian Operatic Experience

Tonight I’ve discovered a very interesting opportunity for all those singers and collaborative pianists wishing to live a really rare experience of international study in the beautiful Tuscany: the Italian Operatic Experience.

It is a summer international school located in Montecatini Terme offering 5 weeks programs specially adressed to singers and collaborative pianists, with daily classes for refining all aspects of the critical skills needed to expand educational development, “bridging-the-gap” from young amateur singer/pianists to young professional artists in opera.

All singers and accompanists receive individual instruction in vocal technique, Italian language, and culture, lyric diction for the stage, styles and performance practice, movement and character development.

I will let you know more about this school because I really think that studying music and the opera is a very deep, lively way of knowing one of the best sides of Italy and its culture..

The Italian Operatic Experience

web site

Don Giovanni, Opera at San Galgano, Chiusdino (Siena)

Since many years, in the summer, the Abbey of San Galgano is the location of concerts in collaboration with the renomate siennese Chigiana Academy. In the scenic open air Cathedral of San Galgano, under a blanket of stars, take place every summerlays, operas, concerts, musicals and ballets.

Inside the Abbey, 800 seats to accommodate the public.

Performances at the Abbey of San Galgano start at 9.00 p.m.

Bookings/tickets: Ph. 0039 055 5978308/ 0039 055 5978309

For more informations and the programme:

Opera Festival

Multipromo Opera festival

via San Francesco, 3

50014 Fiesole (Fi)

info@festivalopera.it

web site

Piscina of Camping Le Soline, Casciano di Murlo (Siena)

If it is summer and you wish to dip in a  pool…  I suggest you to go to Camping Le Soline in Casciano di Murlo (Siena). This swimming pool in the area of Murlo is big and has a beautiful panoramic position …

Of course you can choose to stay in the camping with your tent, roulotte or camper or in a bungalow but you can also go there just for their swimming pool paying a daily ticket for the swimming pool. Last year the price was 7,50 euro/per person and you can stay there the whole day. In the camping there are also a café and a restaurant.

This is a great idea especially if you’ve got children and you want to let them play in the water for a day..:-))

Swimming pools of Camping Le Soline

web site

Pic nic at Vivo d'Orcia, Amiata mountain

You won’t never have such a wonderful restaurant like the tables and pic nic area at the source of Vivo d’Orcia! When I first see this place I immediately imagined how it would be nice to do a medieval party there..

I suggest to bring with you meat and vegetables for a barbeque!

This place is not too high so I find it perfect for a picnic in late spring until june and in september/october: for hot summer I would suggest to go upper in the Amiata mountain when the fresh air will recover you.

Gelso or Morus Nigra (Mulberry tree)

Yesterday we were in San Giusto and planted our first mulberry tree. It is always so exciting planting a new tree! you already know it will probably live more then you .. and I think this has something mystic, it is so beautiful to do something for more generations.

In San Giusto there were already a lot of mulberry trees (somewhere in its millenary history probably they used to raise silkworms) so it shouldn’t have problems with growing here.

Everyone told me that mulberry trees are rough and they should not need so many attentions and moreover, as they are already there, they certainly go well with San Giusto soil which is very clayey. So… let’s pray for the best:-))

We have called this tree “Gino” in the name of Gino Strada, the founder of Emergency..(for more infos see their web site).

In our garden of San Giusto we had already a “Barack” (a black figue:-)) and some other trees..whose names, of course, are those of people we do admire .. we have also a “Luigino, il susino” in the name of Don Luigi Ciotti founder of Gruppo Abele (web site) and Libera (web site).

Terracotta products, Tuscany

If you’re curious of knowing better the tuscan handwerks and typical products, you can even shop on the website of the tuscan land:

E-Shop official web site InToscana.it

I have seen a lot of interesting objects, especially terracotta, ceramics, extra vergin olive oils, food and wines. Of course they aren’t cheap products at all but the quality is normally great! so if you can’t come to tuscany and directly buy products in the shops, you can try this magic virtual shop!

If you are looking for a perfect location for a photo service or a movie, the Siena territory is ideal:

so, if you’re planning a holiday in the Siena territory, do not forget your photo camera and your video camera!

I copy from a new website for film makers:

«Those colours, that light…» as the poet Mario Luzi crisply described our land, honing in on that characteristic universal uniqueness that has made it famous throughout the world.

As a result Terre di Siena is their perfect set for films, commercials and photo shoots.

That’s because when all is said and done this region is the only real Utopia, the only fictitious reality.
Everyone’s dream location actually exists. It’s here and it belongs to us.

Ristorante Latte di Luna, Pienza, Tuscany, Italy

This restaurant has been suggested by many of our guests!

Unfortunately we have not yet been there but every spring we plan to go:-))

… maybe this year?!

Trattoria
Latte di Luna
Via San Carlo n. 2/4
Ph:  0578 748606  Handy: 338 3266791

Closed on Tuesday

Pappardelle al ragù (typical tuscan pasta with ragù)

Procedure:

In a frying pan, put some extra virgin olive oil.

When it is war, add chopped onion (one), carrot (one), celery (one piece).
Now add the minced beef (300 gr) and minced pork (300 gr), plus some fresh sausage (2 fresh sausages).
When it is well toasted, add half a glass of red wine.
Let the wine evaporate. Then add salt and pepper.
Add a can of tomato sauce, a bit of tomato paste and a bit of water covering everything.
Cook at very low temperature for at least 40 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

Now the ragù il ready.

Let’s cook the Pappardelle:

Put ca. 2 liters and a half of natural water in a pot.

Let the water boil. Add a handful of salt.
When the water boils well, throw the pasta (for 2 persons: 200 gr of Pappardelle Coop).
Cook for the time that is reported on the box (be careful not to exceed the period of cooking!)
Drain the pasta with the colander.

Put the frying pan with the ragù on the kitchen to warm.
Add the pasta. Mix well and slowly the pasta with the ragù on the kitchen, at low temperature, for one/two minutes. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano. Cover everything with a top cover and wait one/two minutes before serving.