FOOD and WINE DELIGHT in CINIGIANO - CALICI DI STELLE DINNER 2011

Without doubt one of the best places to truly understand the Tuscans and to get to know the Tuscan food is not a restaurant but one of the many occasions when villages or towns organize a Sagra (local festivity) or any other event that involves food.

Basically you'll be eating outside sitting on a long table next to some shouting and laughing locals whilst eating Tuscan food, which is not prepared by world class chefs but by the old ladies in town. And who wouldn't want a mother-in-law specializing in gourmet home-made pasta?
Okay, there are a few reasons why you'd rather NOT have an Italian mother-in-law - albeit the heavenly pasta does give them a lot of credit. To get the best of two worlds - tasting the Italian mother-in-law's delicious food without having to set up a permanent relationship with the whole family - join me Wednesday night at the 'Calici di Stelle' dinner in Cinigiano.

Click here to see the menu. You'll even get a wine glass to take home. A glass you're meant to fill repeatedly with the local Montecucco DOC wine during the dinner.

20 Euro per person inclusive gadget (wine glass), children 10 Euro.
Call the Pro Loco (tourism office) to book latest by 6pm Tuesday 8th of August: +39 0564 99 41 87 or +39 337 714700

TUSCANY'S BEST HOT SPRINGS: A MAP OF SULFUROUS SOAKING AND WILDERNESS DIPS

A quick round up of my favorite wild hot springs and historic bath towns in Tuscany (more detailed information on spas and rock pool bathing can be found in the single articles the links will lead you to). WILDERNESS POOLS PETRIOLO half an hour to the south of Siena. With its steaming hot water in the upper row of pools a favorite of mine on icy cold winter mornings. The Farma river passes right next to the hot springs. So be courageous and have a splash to try the benefits of kneipping. SATURNIA the biggest, most southern and also Italy's best known (and loved!) wilderness pools. The closest option for a soak if you arrive from Rome. To be avoided on weekends. FOSSO BIANCO in the Val d'Orcia is a spectacular sight hidden away in the woods below Bagni San Filippo. The shady surroundings make of these natural springs a nice location in the summer. BAGNO VIGNONI has a lovely pool below the small waterfall. However, the water arrives from the medieval t

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FONTEMORSI: ORGANIC WINE TASTING ON THE ETRUSCAN COAST

In the wine world the Tuscan coast equals Bolgheri and Sassicaia. No other wine has done as much to turn the lay-back beach side paradise south of Livorno into a famous wine growing region as the prestigious Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido. But whilst the rise of Supertuscans blended from French grape varieties may resemble a fairy tale story, it shouldn't keep you fro m drinking Sangiovese wines in the smaller and lesser known wineries along the Tuscan shore.

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TUSCAN HOT SPRINGS - FOSSO BIANCO in BAGNI SAN FILIPPO

The Fosso Bianco hot springs and natural pools in Bagni San Filippo If there's one thing I didn't expect when moving to Tuscany, it's the multitude of freely accessible natural hot springs. Day spas and thermal baths can be found all over the world. But when talking hot baths in the wilderness my first guess would always have been a geyser in Iceland. The generous natural pools near Saturnia and the hot springs in Petriolo taught me differently. Both places are well known in Italy, a fact that can make them packed on weekends and public holidays. If you like to take your bath a bit more privately, move on towards Val d'Orcia and explore the Fosso Bianco hot springs near Bagni San Filippo. The waters are as hot as they should be for some comfortable soaking and high in sulfur and calcium (which explains the formation of the white rock and the name of the place).

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