Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Podere Le Rose

Next time I'm in this region, I am definitely taking an Italian cooking class! Apparently there are also guided Chianti wine tours, and an olive tasting session. Below is a link to some wonderful 1-day activities.

http://www.welcometuscany.com/en/courses/chianti/itineraries.php

Monday, March 30, 2009

On the hill at San Galgano




Here is a pic of our time in San Galgano (which you can see off in the background.). We are up on top of the hill near the abbey - it was quite a view up there.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Cooking School in Tuscany

Check out this cooking school in Tuscany:

http://poderelerose.blogspot.com/

http://www.welcometuscany.com/en/index.php

I met Simonetta and Paola through Twitter - they are using Twitter to the fullest, offering advice and personal invitations to anyone that Tweets about heading to Tuscany. They have a 13th century farmhouse in Poggio San Polo, from which they offer Italian cooking classes. It includes a trip to the market in Greve for ingredients. My family and I will be visiting them next time we're in the area!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Valliole - The Villa in Tuscany Where We Stayed




This is a picture I took of "Valliole" - the Tuscan villa we stayed in. This was right down the road from Lecchi - you'd drive straight through Lecchi, then wind up a hill for two minutes or so, then turn off onto a rock road and wind on that for awhile, and you'd arrive at the gates. The plaque said "Podere Valliole." Needless to stay, this was a stunning Villa

Menu from La Grotta Della Rana in San Sano, Italy




I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of the menu of this place - I love looking at it and remembering what we ordered. Pappardelle al Cinghiale for €7.70.... incredible!

San Sano is a small town near where we stayed in Lecchi in Chianti. We were an hours drive or so from Siena, and supposedly this restaurant is a sort of cool place for city folks to come, like a fine restaurant out in the country - a destination restaurant. I would go back! There was a nice little grocery store attached that we visited during the daytime.

Every store we went to had something that I cannot find in the States - Pici. Pici is very thick spaghetti, originating from the province of Siena in Italy.

Friday, March 27, 2009

La Grotta Della Rana, in San Sano in Chianti, Italy




This restaurant is called La Grotta Della Rana, in the small town of San Sano (Chianti, Italy). We had a wonderful dinner there, and we had a wonderful evening sky to look at, too. San Sano is a very neat little town - all the buildings are in great shape, all seemingly renovated.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Market in Orvieto




Here's a..... what do you even call this thing? Food stand? Market? Food truck? Either way, this was in Orvieto, Italy, on the drive between Rome and Lecchi.

Me and Paolo at his wine shop in Lecchi in Chianti, Italy





I'm standing with Paolo of Rinaldi Palmira - we're in his wine shop in Lecchi in Chianti, Italy. Next door is the alimentari run by his mom Palmira. Paolo was very good to us. Wine tastings, sitting outside his wine shop watching delivery trucks go by, locals walking by, cycling tours whizzing by or stopping for a cappucino.

La Pizzeria di nonno Mede - Siena, Italy




This restaurant in Siena - La Pizzeria di nonno Mede - had the best pizza I've ever had. This is a picture of the brown paper placemat. And it had an incredible view, as well.

Welcome to Pictures of Tuscany!

Greetings,

I love the region of Italy called Toscana, or in English, Tuscany. I spent a week there in June 2008, and we had the time of our lives. We had an amazing villa called "Podere Valliole" in the town of Lecchi, and it was unforgettable. On this blog, I will post the best pictures that I took while in at the villa, and our visits to Orvieto, Siena, Florence, San Galgano, Monteriggioni, Castellina, Radda, and San Sano.

I invite all of you to submit your photos and stories to me at picturesoftuscany [at] gmail [dot] com. When submitting pictures, please include a description of what you took a picture of, and where it was.

I want to present the best in pictures and stories of the most wonderful place on earth - Tuscany!


Thanks,

Chris