Food, Fall & Festivals in Italy's Heartland..

Back in late September, I spent 7 wonderful and productive days on a whirlwind driving tour of Italia, traversing the countryside of Tuscany and Umbria, making new discoveries and meeting with our amazing local Italy partners who truly bring the Ciao Andiamo travel experience to life.

The week was full of charming little hill towns, feasts & wine aplenty and boundless panoramas of blue skies and rolling hills...Excited to share with you finally some of the highlights from the trip...

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After brief stops in Milan and Florence, I rented my Fiat 500, and was off on my journey, first to the small town of Impruneta in the Chianti Region about a half hour outside of Florence...

There I visited with the wonderful Veronica and Margherita, mother and daughter who own a magnificent 17th century estate, where they produce their own wine, olive oil, marmalade and spreads.

The estate is absolutely magnificent, with a beautiful villa that can comfortably house a group of 8. There's a separate cottage and cooking studio, where Veronica runs private cooking classes and personalized culinary experiences, with recipes passed down from her nonna (grandmother).

That night Veronica prepared a meal for me, Margherita and herself. We ate quite well, to say the least!...

...and I made sure to leave a little room for dessert...

I stayed that night in the cottage above the cooking studio, and got to wake up the next morning with this backdrop of Chianti outside my bedroom window...

Here is where all the cooking magic happens on their estate...

...and here are the lovely Veronica and Margherita...

After the stay in Impruneta, I headed towards the culinary hotspot (it turns out) of Colle di Val d'Elsa in southern Tuscany, for a great meeting with Giulia, talented cook and food blogger who has collaborated with Jamie Oliver. Here are some photos from the backyard of Giulia's family home (not too shabby of a view from the garden!), one of several venues where she leads private and small-group cooking classes for travelers in Tuscany. More to come soon, I hope, on some exciting future collaborations with Giulia...

Then, from Colle, it was off to the nearby 100-person village of Pari, just outside of Siena, where they were celebrating the sagra della salsiccia, held once a year the last weekend in September. 

Sagre are local food festivals, a huge part of Italian culture, where everyone in the town and neighboring cities come together to eat and drink at communal tables and celebrate, dance and be merry. Each city and town throughout Italy hosts their own unique sagra, featuring a typical food of the region. Pari's sagra della salsiccia featured different types of Tuscan sausage, including one of my favorites--wild boar (cinghiale). Here are some images from the evening and our rustic feast!

 

Many thanks to my wonderful host Linda, who is adored by the locals of Pari, where she has had a home now for nearly 20 years. Linda is not only a collaborator and inspirational contributor with Ciao, she is also a longtime family friend.

After the night of food, wine, limoncello, and passeggiate (strolls) circling the town, I was off to explore Umbria for 2 days with the incredible Max and Cristiana.

As we traveled through the sprawling Umbrian countryside, we stopped at many a town off the beaten path, each with its own unique character, history and traditions...

In Norcia, a culinary epicenter in the region, we enjoyed local delicacies including salumi (meats, such as wild boar sausage), formaggi (cheeses, including pecorino and caprino) and tartufo (truffles). The highlight was definitely a stop in the local salumeria, where they make all their own meats and cheeses, and I enjoyed a panino with prosciutto crudo and pecorino.

 

Not too far from Norcia are the Monti Sibillini, with some of the most striking panoramas I have ever experienced in Italy. These mountains are what separate the region of Umbria from Le Marche,  which border Umbria and hug the Adriatic on Italy's eastern coastline.

The scene below, within the canyon of the Monti Sibillini, is one of pure beauty and peaceful calm. All you can hear really are the sounds of the wind, and a shepherd moving along his flock of sheep. Take a look and listen...

The next day, heading south in Umbria, we approached the border of Lazio (the region where Rome is found), and visited Labro, a hill town and fortress where there once lived royalty that ruled over much of Umbria. The city was eventually abandoned after a power struggle between two feuding brother princes, only to later be discovered by a Belgian architect who fell in love with Labro, and purchased many of the homes. Today, it is only inhabited by about 10 people, and walking the cobblestone streets you would think it were still completely abandoned.

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All in all, it was another incredible trip to Italy, and a wonderful reminder of how much I love what I do and what Ciao Andiamo is all about.

Looking forward to the chance one day to help you plan your own Italy adventure. Your way, our secrets.