Hello Foodies,
The Forks can never stay from Italy for too long and I am just back from a lovely, lovely off-the-beaten-path trip to Tuscany. I was pleased to be hosted by the Pisa Tourist office who came to us to say “Come see, there is more to this province than the Leaning Tower.” (Which by the way, is quite a sight.) We visited the charming town of San Miniato – in the heart of the region – and famous for white truffles found it the hills. San Miniatans celebrate their prized bounty in a festival held the last three weekends in November. Stalls dispense truffled salami and pecorino and cafes serve up truffled pasta and risotto. And for dessert? The area produces a divine dessert wine, Vin Santo.
Our itinerary included a pilgrimage to Martelli Pasta in the tiny medieval hamlet of Lari (about18 miles from Pisa). The Martelli family has been producing their exquisite pasta for generations – since 1926. It is “only family” and they continue to employ artisanal methods including longer kneading and bronze dies. The over 50 hours of drying time happens on the top floor of their little factory – which sits just below a 12th century castle – and offers spectacular vistas of Tuscan hills and valleys. Bellissima. Click here to visit their website.
Lest you think truffle and pasta were all we had on our mind, we sourced some unique properties for your next Tuscan adventure: little hideaway hotels, agritourismi and old country villas transformed into idyllic resorts.
And on to Florence. Who can resist? We worked in one fabulous day there (just an hour’s train ride from Pisa) and lunched at the Trattoria Toscana Gozzi Sergio. Tucked away in the midst of the crazy-busy Piazza San Lorenzo, Da Sergio, as it’s known to its regulars, was a 17th Century wine bar and became a trattoria a hundred years later. The Gozzi family has operated it for generations. Vegetable soup, pastas, tripe, Florentine steak…wonderful fish...platters of white Tuscan beans are all on the menu, which is handwritten daily (dishes are crossed out when they are gone.) Frugal foodies take note: The bill for an utterly delicious 2 course lunch for four, including a carafe of the house red wine, some “fizzy water” and ending with a glass of rich, sweet Vin Santo served with a pile of the traditional Cantucci biscotti for dipping, was just under 100€.
You can’t beat that with, well, one of those leather belts that line the flea market stalls outside its door. Piazza San Lorenzo, 8r, Florence, 50123
Are you ready for a Tuscan adventure? Contact us to plan a special itinerary with lots of insider experiences.
Ciao,
Connie
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