La Florenza
June 2nd, 2011
Villa Ferraia
June 2nd, 2011
La Berretta
June 2nd, 2011
Torre Trappola
June 2nd, 2011
Wining & dining in Tuscany
If you are passionate about your food and take your wines seriously, a visit to Tuscany is a must. Many people come to Italy, and more particularly, Tuscany just for its sumptuous cuisines and exotic wines. Tuscany is considered to be the gastronomical heart of Italy. So famous is the Tuscan cuisine that cookery schools have sprung all over the region and special cookery tours are arranged where professional chefs share the recipes with the tourists and initiate them into the art of Tuscan cooking and fine dining.
Florence
If you are planning to dine out, Florence offers a plethora of options to suit all tastes and budgets. The basics of a good meal in Florence include rich green Tuscan olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, tender meat, washed down by the classic Chianti wine. The choices for budgeted, mid range and top end restaurants and bars are immense. A must visit in Florence is I Fratellini. There is no seating arrangement and you have to eat in the street but the eatery is considered to be one of the best quick snack places in Europe
Siena
Siena also has a well-earned reputation for providing great dining and wining options. Ask the Sienese and they will tell you that most of Tuscan cuisine has its origin in this town. A must try here is the panforte (a flat, hard cake with candied fruits and nuts) or cantucci e vin santo (crisp biscuits dipped in the local sweet wine, vin santo). Like Florence, Siena too boasts eateries and bars for budget, mid range and top end travellers. A must visit here is the Nannini. The caf� is always crowded and is considered to be something of a Sienese institution serving the finest cakes and coffee in the town.
Pisa
Being a university town, Pisa offers some great dining options. There is a good range of restaurants and eateries especially around Borgo Stretto, Piazza Dante Alighieri, Via San Martino and of course the university. The most well known of Chianti's wines is the Chianti Classico, made of a blend of white and red grapes.
Chianti
The region between the scenic hills and the gentle valleys between Florence and Siena is known as Chianti. Chianti produces the best-marketed wines of the Tuscan region. You can also opt for a tour of a vineyard to gain an insight into the wine making history and taste some of the finest wines of the region.