Travel : Tuscany

Our Accommodation

www.tuscany.net

Agriturismo Casabella
Via di Grignano, 38
50065 Pontassieve - Firenze
ITALIA
Tel: +39 - 055 - 8396168
Fax: +39 - 055 - 8399331

E-mail: agriturismo@fattorialavacchio.com
Web: www.fattorialavacchio.com

Matt and I set off for Pisa at 9:30 on Thursday morning (28 March 2002). We arrived in Pisa at 16:15 as we had a stopover in Munich. We picked up our vehicle from the airport and "mama mia" were we in for a scary ride. The Italian drivers are "crazy" to put it mildly and being a novice driver on the right hand side of the road did not help matters. I couldn't believe the narrow highways and how fast vehicles fly onto the on-ramps. Just about every vehicle would sit right on your tail as well. Matt soon mastered that he just had to "put foot" and floor it. We arrived safely at our fattoria (farm), checked in and were seen to our apartment (Canailo) which is named after a variety of grape. Fattoria Lavacchio is an ancient Tuscan farm, situated at 400m above sea level, only 16km from Florence, 80 km from Siena and 100 km from Pisa. The farm is set amongst gently rolling hills in the enchanting Tuscan countryside, between the towns of Rufina and Pontassieve. The name of the medieval farmhouse is "Podere Casabella" and is surrounded by the vineyards and olive groves of its estate.

We then took a short walk to the local restaurant nestling at the foot of a hill and enjoyed some delicious Tuscan cuisine accompanied by an excellent local dry red known as Chianti Rufina Lavacchio. After much merriment (Matt break dancing at the top of the hill and moon walking down it) we soon retired for the evening. Woke up on Friday to a glorious morning. Took a drive down a cypress-lined country road to a nearby village called Doccia and bought some lunch supplies. Enjoyed a delicious lunch of salami and cheeses, followed by an afternoon siesta and then drove into Pontessieve for some more supplies. In the evening we strolled to the main farmhouse to find out various tourist information. Although the weather was mild, it was still quite chilly in the evenings and soon realised why the pool cover at the main farmhouse was still covering the pool. While we waited for Chika and Kevin to arrive we put our Italian culinary skills to the test and enjoyed rustling up a delicious pesto, gnoccie and parmesan cheese dish.

The following day we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and drove to the town of Sieci where we caught the train into Florence. The journey time from Sieci to Florence is approximately 15 minutes. The Lonely Planet had recommended that driving and parking in Florence was a definite no no.

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, the city of Florence is rich with culture, dripping with architecture and full of literature. It boasts 30 per cent of the world's most important art work and some of the richest museums with a veritable A-list of Renaissance celebrities: Micehlangelo, Leonardi Da Vinci, Raphael and Botticelli.

Florence City Sights

The Duomo, Cathedral of Florence, is the result of six centuries of work. Packed with marble, sculpture and art, including the Florentine Pietas by Michelangelo.

The Galleria Degli Uffizi is a must-see. Built by Cosimo de Medici, it now houses the Medici art collections, including work by Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Raphael and, most notably, Botticelli's the Birth of Venus.

Ponte Vecchio - 14th Century bridge which dazzles with goldsmiths and jewellers.

The daily market at Piazza San Lorenzo is also worth a visit. While you are there, don't forget to make a wish on the market's Porcellion (which literally means "pig", although it's actually a wild boar). We failed to spot it.

Galleria Dell' Accademia, home of Michelangelo's David.

The "Big White Thing" - the Neptuen fountain in Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Breathtaking view from the Piazza Michelangelo

Venturing Further Afield

Fiesole

Perched in hills about 8km north-east of Florence, between the valleys of the Arno and Mugnone rivers. From Fiesole there are spectacular views of Florence. We visited the Roman amphitheatre of Fiesole

Greve

Castellina

The medieval towns surrounding the city are definitely worth visiting. The sheer beauty of the square in Siena makes it a must-see, especially during summer when you may witness the Palio, a horse race through the streets.

San Gimignano is another town with its heady towers.

Tuscan Food

As you would expect, Florence offers gastronomical overload to those who want it (that's me), from cafe's, bars, ristorantes, trattorias, osterias and pizzerias to high-class eateries. Trattorias and Osterias are cheaper restaurants.

Wine lovers should look out for their local enoteca. These places offer snacks and sometimes full meals to accompany a selection of wines. Their primary business is the latter. Generally the idea is to try the wines by the glass.

Lunch is traditionally the main meal of the day and some shops and businesses close for two or three hours every afternoon to accommodate it. A full meal will consist of an antipasto (starter), which can vary from vegetables to a small offering of fried seafood. Next comes the primo piatto (first course), often a pasta or risotto, followed by the secondo piatto (second course) of meat or fish. Meat eaters will definitely want to try bistecca alla fiorentina, a slab of Florentine steak. Dolci (desserts) consist of the classic gelati or almond-based biscuits, such as Siena's cantucci or biscottini di Prato, best chomped while you sip Vin Santo, a dessert wine. Panforte is also a classic and it is a dense tart made of an almond base but bursting with other ingredients including walnuts, figs, mixed dried fruits such as orange and lemon and mixed spices.

Pecorino cheese
Wine
Risotto
Pasta
Pizza
Floretine steak

Tuscan Wine

Vino (wine) is an essential accompaniment to any meal. Sine the 1960's, wine in Italy has been graded according to four main classifications. Vino da tavola indicates no specific classification; Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) means that the wine is typical of a certain area; Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines are produced subject to certain specifications (regarding grape types, method and so on); and Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), which shows that wine is subject to the same requirements as normal DOC but that it is also tested by government inspectors. These indications appear on labels. Riserva is applied only to DOC or DOCG wines that have aged for a specified amount of time.

The backbone of the Chianti reds is the Sangiovese grape, although other grape types are mixed in varying modes quantities to produce different styles of wine. Chianti Classico wines share the Gallo Nero (Black Cock) emblem that once symbolised the medieval Chianti League. Chianti in general is full and dry, although ageing requirements differ from area to area and even across vineyards.

Tuscany is largely, but not exclusively, about reds. Easily the best known white is the Vernaccia of San Gimignano. Some of the best is aged in barriques (small barrels), while others are sometimes oaked.

A regional sepciality that will appeal to the sweet tooth is Vin Santo (Holy Wine), a dessert wine also used in Mass. Malvasia and Trebbiano grape varieties are generally used to produce a strong, aromatic and amber-coloured wine, ranging from dry to very sweet (even the dry retains a hint of sweetness). Vin Santo is traditionally served with almond-based Cantucci biscuits.

Type: dry red

Mark: Chianti Rufina Docg

Name of the wine: Chianti Rufina Lavacchio

Typology of the product: from our vineyards

Characteristics of the vineyard: the land is rich in Galestro (marl) and alberese ( clayey limestone)situated at 400 mt. above the sea level positioned toward south-west.The vines are planted from 1972 to 1981 with a density of 2700 logs per hectare. Pruning is made both with the spurred cordon and the Guyot system, the soil below the vines is cultivated and manured with organic products. The maximum yield per hectare is of 60 quintals of grapes. In order to obtain a best qualityproduct we make the "green vintage", that is to say the preventive pruning of the clusters so that wecan limit the number for every vine.

Vintage: 1994-1995-1996 and 1997
Grapes Varities: 90% Sangiovese , 5% Canaiolo nero , 5% Merlot
Vintage methods: hand harvest that takes place by mid-Octobre
Wine-making: part in conditioned stainless vats of 118 hectolitre and part in vats of French oak.The wine-making lasts 20 days at a temperature of 28?C; the skins are kept in contact with the must for the whole duration of ferrmentation, during which we use selectioned yeasts, delestages and seign饠besides other daily mixings.
Aging: conservation in fine oak vats and barrels.
Refinements in bottle: 6 months
Longevity of the wine of the vintage year: 5/10 years
Annual production: 45.000 bottles Chianti Rufina- 10.000 Riserva
Caratteristiche della confezione: bottiglia bordolese con vetro UVAG Commercializzazione, Premi, pubblicazioni o avvenimenti di rilievo: vincitore del "Toscanello d’Oro" nel 1990.
Analisi chimica: Alcool 12,5/13?; ac. Fissa 5,70; volatile 0,40; estratto 27,5: residuo zuccherino 1,5.
Characteristics of the package: a bordolais bottle with UVAG glass, trading, Prizes, issues or special events: winner of "Toscanello d’oro" in 1990.
Chemical analyses: Alcohol 12.5-13%- 5.70 total acidity- 0.40 volatile acidity; extract 27.5-sugar 1.5..
Organoleptic characteristics:
Colour:bright and intense ruby , refining in soft velveted through aging
Flavour: intense, persistent,fine complex in the mixing of wine and fragant notes, with spicier and more developed flavours, scents of violet
Taste : harmonic, tannic, refining in soft velveted through aging
Good persistence
Matching with foodstuff: when it is young it is suitable during all the meal, through aging itmatches ideally with meat sauces, poultry, roasted meats, braised beef of noble meats.
How to serve it: open in advance before consuming the wine, it should be served at a temperature of 18?C in stems tulip-like.
Vinsanto del Chianti Rufina D.o.c.
Typical Tuscan product, the Vinsanto of Chianti Rufina, produced by the farm, is the result of a balanced union between the Tuscan Trebbiano and Malvasia di Candia grapes. The best clusters of grapes are hung in the wither-room one by one until early in January to be half-withered. The must is laid in "caratelli", small oak barrels, sealed and placed in ceilings for 3 years at least.
The obtained product is a concentrated wine with a golden colour, aromatic and dry that varies according to aging from sweet to absolutely dry. It is great when sipped after the meal and gone with dried pastries.

Fattoria Lavacchio - Grape = Sangiovese

We checked into apartment Canailo and Kevin and Chika checked into apartment Trebbiano.