Tuscany

10 Best Things to do in Italy

A Few of my Favourite Things in Italy

by Allison Spiegel, PFI New York Office

When people ask me what my favourite thing about Italy is…. the song from The Sound of Music begins to play in my head. It is a nearly impossible question to answer because it is not just one thing or one place or one moment. It is the experience in its entirety that I love and that all-encompassing awakening of the senses that you feel the moment your plane lands on Italian soil.

Italy for me is experiential because my love for the country is made up of all the places I have been, the people I have met, the food I have eaten and the feelings I have when I am living in those moments. While it is hard to put into words, I will try to list my top ten:

1. Sinking my teeth into a fresh fig while eating breakfast in the hills of Tuscany and watching the goats being herded into the fields for their morning graze.

2. Visiting my favourite sandal maker on the Amalfi Coast who always greets me with a smile.

3. The look in my children’s eyes the first time they took a gondola ride or how it felt watching them run through vineyards in Tuscany or hold hands with their tour guide in Pompeii as they listened to his stories.

4. The feeling I get when I touch a surface or a building that has been there for a thousand years, and the reminder of how small I am, in the face of history and time, and all those who have come before me.

5. The sheer pleasure of a beautiful sunrise welcoming the day over the Bay of Naples, with the mighty Mount Vesuvius looming large in the distance.

6. The laughter that envelopes the air when my friend Enzo, the barista, makes me one of his special drinks at my favorite hotel on Ischia.

7. My sense of curiosity when I step into a new village wanting to learn all about its history, its place in the world and the people who live there.

8. The awe – and maybe a bit of jealousy – I feel when I watch cliff divers in Puglia take a plunge that I would never dream of taking.

9. The taste of olive oil on freshly baked bread, of church bells ringing in an early light, the smell of Jasmine in the air.

10. The people. I love the people of Italy who are always willing to share with me “their Italy.” From the owners of my beloved beach club on the Amalfi Coast who welcome us with open arms each year; to all of the tour guides who love to tell us everything they know about what we are seeing, and then some; to the leather craftsman in a tiny Tuscan hilltop village who crafted a custom leather belt for my husband right before my eyes… These are the people who give Italy a place in my heart.

And that is just the first ten things that come to mind…. There are most likely a hundred more but as the song goes, …. “These are a few of my favourite things.”

What are your favourite things to do in Italy? CONTACT US to let us know or to plan your Italian experience today.

Category: Amalfi Coast, Blog, Campania, Naples, podcast, Puglia, Tuscany Tags: , , , , , ,

Discovering Brunello Wine in Tuscany

Discovering Brunello wines with your own Sommelier may just be best decision you make on your trip to Italy!

Staying in exquisite Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany means waking up to fresh air and the lingering scent of bread in the oven.  Delicious aromas wafting up and views for miles just beg for a glass of wine… or few!

We have the perfect way to experience some of the best wines in the world and absorb all the flavors and joys of Tuscany.

In the Val d’Orcia, we find the pretty town of Montalcino, world renowned for its Brunello wine.

While anyone can enjoy the flavor, with the right guidance you are able to gain a depth of understanding of the wines and land that produces them.

Anna; driver, guide, sommelier.  A day spent with her encompasses everything we love about Italy: beautiful scenery, history, art, incredibly fun personalities, great food, and oh, the wine!

Every client I have sent to her has come home telling me that was their favorite day of the trip, so I was excited to meet her in person and experience it.

I had the highest of expectations, and she exceeded all of them.

Within maybe fifteen minutes of our drive to Montalcino I laughed until my cheeks hurt.  Exchanging stories of blunders in each other’s language, we bonded immediately!

Anna had learned the hard way the difference in “warm” and “hot” when describing a person, and among my many corrections through the years was my constant, “wow!” Finally, a guide told me, “You speak Italian in Italy!  No “wow”, it’s “Mamma Mia!”  And so, our day began.

Through our laughter, Anna paused to tell us where to see the best works by Luca Signorelli nearby.

I expected a wine tour, I did not expect such a comprehensive tour of the area, culture, history, and land the whole world has fallen in love with.

Anna’s knowledge is incredible.  She must have studied intensely for many years, but her personality is such fun that she gives you the impression she just woke up one day with all this knowledge and a passion for sharing it.

Her Brunello tour is special.

Through a visit to three wineries, she educates you on how the soil on different sides of the hill affects the flavors.  At our first stop, we paused at the vines, and she pointed out the grapes, Sangiovese Grosso.

It’s often thought that “grosso”, which means “fat” in Italian, alludes to the size of the grape, but she told us that actually, it has to do with the skin of the grape, not the size.

She introduced us to the winery guides who each showed us around their vineyards, barrels, and processes.  Then, she met us in the tasting rooms.

Of course, since she’s driving, she isn’t drinking the wines with us except for a small sip to point out the tasting notes.  This is where having a sommelier as your guide comes in handy.

Anna walks us through each of these wines, along with the staff at each winery and point out differences, food pairings, tasting notes, even the feel of the wine on your tongue.

The amount you learn about wines is incredible, but this tour is more than that.

During lunch she tells us to notice the bread, made without salt.  Much of what we have come to adore in our Tuscan cuisine was born out of poverty.

Salt was once very expensive, think of the word “salary”, and the phrase, “worth your salt”.

So, here we are in one of the most revered wineries in the world, enjoying delicious food, paired with Brunello Riserva, 2012, (Mamma Mia!) and learning about Tuscan traditions, centuries old.

Even with all the wine, the day is unforgettable!

After three wineries, Anna took us for a visit to Montalcino.  Picking up a Val d’Orcia calendar, she knew where every single picture had been taken should we want to see the views in person.

We learned about Montalcino’s history of being caught between the power struggles of Florence and Siena.  And of course, Anna knew every pretty little alleyway that led to expansive Tuscan views.

Driving us home, she told me about why she started doing this.  She wanted to be a different kind of guide; to share the culture and flavors of the area in a fun way and really have a chance to connect with her guests.

I certainly believe she has achieved and surpassed her goals.  This tour was beyond imagination.  If you love wine, and want to gain a full appreciation of Tuscany, this is the tour for you.

Contact us to arrange your tour and accommodations in the gorgeous Val d’Orcia!

Lindsay Sinko,
PFI Travel, USA

Category: Blog, Florence, Food & Wine, Food and Wine Tours, podcast, Tuscany Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Castello di Sammezzano Tuscany

Castello di Sammezzano in Tuscany. Unbelievable beauty – an amazing private castle and park outside Reggello, Province of Florence. Simply amazing – such architecture and incredible work done in the 19th C by Fernando Paciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona 1813-1897.

There are guided tours 5/6 times a year and it is used as a photo and movie set but there is a huge waiting list,  for a guided tour. One day it will be opened regularly to the public. We just have to wait….

One of the movies filmed there, was “Il Racconto dei Racconti” by Garrone, was presented at the film festival in Cannes.

This is a long video but keep going until you see the amazing interior salons.

Castello di Saraceni – Abandoned Castle from Mike Ruebesam on Vimeo.

Category: Blog, Chianti Wine Region, Florence, podcast, Tuscany

Caravaggio at the Uffizi, Florence

Florence: New Arrangement Of The Rooms Devoted To Caravaggio And Seventeenth-Century Painting At The Uffizi Gallery.

The eight rooms on the first floor of the eastern wing of the Uffizi opened with a new layout devoted to Caravaggio and the painting of the 17th century on February 19, 2018.

The names of the eight rooms are evocative: Between Reality and Magic; Caravaggio and Artemisia; Caravaggio: Medusa; Caravaggio: Bacchus; By Candlelight; Rembrandt and Rubens; Galileo and the Medici; and Florentine Epic.

The lion’s share obviously goes to Caravaggio, the unquestioned pivot of painting in a century characterised by strong passions, symbolism and often extreme innovation.

Uffizi Galleries’ Director Eike Schmidt stated: “The new layout is based on a thematic and artistic approach designed to inspire and to stimulate the visitor’s curiosity, carrying him or her back into the atmosphere of the time and into the history of the Medici’s collections.

The idea is to create an intellectual experience both for the non-specialist and for the expert.

For a private guided or group tour of the Uffizi Gallery Florence click here

read more: https://www.uffizi.it/en/events/caravaggio-and-the-17th-century

Category: Blog, Florence, podcast, Tuscany Tags: , , ,

Montepulciano Mosaic Artist, Tuscany

I have always loved Montepulciano in the Val d’Orcia Tuscany. I visit every year. It is the perfect village – picturesque, pretty, medieval and on top of a hill, has the best red wine Brunello di Montepulciano in Tuscany, and also the best cheese and salami. What more could you want…It is also full of the most divine shops and artisan workshops. In Italy they are still passing on these ancient crafts. So beautiful to watch.

Below I interview a famous mosaic artist – Albo Mazzetti in his workshop in Montepulciano. If you wish a mosaic made as a present for the person who has everything contact Passion for Italy Travel. It is a great way to immortalise a building, person or animal. by Gemma Green Close

Category: Blog, Chianti Wine Region, Cultural Tours, Food & Wine, Maremma, Tuscany, Montepulciano Wine Region, podcast, Travel in Italy, Tuscany Tags: , , , ,

Pinocchio Italy

Pinocchio Italy, do you know the story?  The town of Pescia, is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the homonymous river.  Pescia celebrates the birthday of Pinocchio at the end of May, every year with celebrations taking place in the entertainment Park of  Pinocchio,  a complex entirely devoted to the adventures of the little wooden character and his array of strange friends…..

The picturesque medieval village has maintained its ancient appearance, with its maze of old houses clinging to the hillside in a cascade that stretches down to the majestic Villa Garzoni and its beautiful eighteenth-century landscaped Garden. The captivating imaginative power of The Adventures of Pinocchio draws its strength from this magical setting, which has made this story into a masterpiece transcending all bounds of time and space.

Established over a span of thirty years, between 1956 and 1987, the Park of Pinocchio is far from being a traditional amusement park. Rather, it is a creation of fantasy  set amongst the unspoilt pearls of nature blended with the harmonious beauty of art. A range of mosaics tell the story of the main episodes with vivid originality.

The Park has been gradually enriched with valuable contributions like The Red Prawn Tavern, which was officially opened in 1963. On the southern side of the Park stands a later addition from 1972, the Paese dei Balocchi (Land of toys), a magical tour located over a hectare of Mediterranean vegetation.

A small tunnel leads into the Village of Pinocchio, which is the starting point of a paved path whose borders are populated by the characters from the story : the curly-moustached Policeman blocking the road, effectively forcing children to creep between his legs, the Talking Cricket, the Great Puppet Theatre, the Cat and the Fox, the Forest of Assassins, the Little Fairy Girl and her Little White House, with the Snail Concierge and the small bedroom where Pinocchio was examined by the three doctors.

In the nearby Field of Miracles stands the shining Tree.

Shortly thereafter, one comes upon the Serpent, and then the Four Rabbits who are carrying a coffin in an attempt to persuade Pinocchio to swallow the medicine. The Fairy also appears, with her arms outstretched and the path goes on past the Crab that sprays water all around, the Nets and the Pan of the Green Fisherman, and then once more the path reaches Pinocchio, now transformed into a Donkey in the Land of Toys. Finally, Steps let visitors climb up to the great whale where there is a view of the Little Goat and the Puppet waving.

At this point the story has come to an end, but the visionary journey continues with the Labyrinth, the Pirates’ Cave , the Pirate Ship and the Sounding Wheels set in motion by water. The literary path that guides visitors in their exploration of the Park is a highly original blend of artistic creation and natural environment. It is a long and winding path, snaking its way through luxuriant vegetation, which never ceases to surprise, and is surrounded by trees that typically belong to the Mediterranean evergreen vegetation.

Category: Blog, Florence, Lucca, podcast, Tuscany

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