In spite of being the second smallest of all the continents, Europe is incredibly diverse. From the black sands and glacier capped mountains of Iceland to the coastal cliffs and turquoise sea of Sardinia, the best way to explore all…
“We have always trusted in nature to take care of us,” said Andrea Meini, the agronomist for the Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, a wine-growers cooperative in Italy’s Tuscany region. “We’ve really only begun to notice the extremes in the last…
~ ~ ~ The cheesemaker Francesco Bagnoli lives with his parents and grandmother Lorena on the summit of an outrageously steep and pointy little Tuscan hill near Lamporecchio. The house seems cubist-inspired, all stacked both on top of and next to…
It was just a month ago....outside my window at Casale di Valle, down and across a string of vinyards, there was this one Tuscan hill crowned with these Lombardy poplars, heavy in personality. The mood of that hill changed almost…
Ok. If you're only here for the recipe and not the amazing and outstanding and simply mouthwatering photography then jump on down to the bottom where you will find Chef Anna's Italian Crostata Recipe as presented by chef Karista Bennett…
Editor's Note: Rules being rules and laws being laws, please note that you have to to be at least 18 years old to read the rest of this post. Ya silly I know. Its because of the alcohol.... Tuscan Food…
It is more than a little difficult to imagine that dirty, bloodied violent armies slugged it out back and forth over those green and golden rolling hills for centuries. It wasn’t always that way. The Romans established a villa on…
In the Bar dell'Orso on the road to Montalcino I needed a break from all the espresso shots I was kicking back. Instead, I wanted to just sit and sip at a coffee. Take my time. Enjoy it. I asked…
This is the Sangiovese grosso. Some think this grape has been cultivated since Etruscan times. Yesterday we drove south to the Montalcino where the the Sangiovese grosso is raised specifically for the Brunello wine produced by Cantine Leonardo DaVinci. We…
I can't seem to stop myself. All my photos of Tuscany so far are of this magnificent landscape. It is classic and stunning with rolling hills and heavy in agriculture - although that is declining as part of the regional…
A man poles his way up the River Arno just outside the Uffizi Gallery, one of the very first modern museums, open to the public since 1765. At 150 miles long, the river Arno originates up in the Apennines at…
On Wednesday I leave for ten days in Tuscany. I've been to Italy a number of times but never Tuscany and I haven't been back to Italy since my last visit to Venice in 1998. Needless to say I'm excited…