MAPPING TUSCANY

There are a lot of olives to be picked in 2015 - and they are all in excellent shape. The Italian olive harvest 2015 is the exact opposite of the utterly miserable harvest that took place in 2014.  This October and November plenty of olives are being turned into some of the best Tuscan and Italian extra virgin olive oils of the last decade or two.  The extremely hot summer may have been hard to deal with for humans, but the high temperatures were ideal for Italy's olive trees, since the heat stopped the  reproduction of the crazy pests  that run havoc in the groves the year before (the male of the olive fly goes sterile once temperature hits 32 degrees).   THE OLIVE HARVEST 2015 in NUMBERS Our fifty plus trees produced 815 kg of olives with a yield of 90 kg of extra virgin olive oil  - during the 2014 harvest we picked a mere 90 kg of olives which produced 8 kg of EVOO. For more info on our average yields read my detailed post about the disastrou...

Sniffing out the good olives - not that there were many A combination of bad weather (very mild winter 2013/14 followed by a rainy summer) has led to Italy's most disastrous olive harvest of the century.  Right, the century is still young, but we can only pray that we'll never have to see our grove looking as miserable as this autumn until the end of it. To explain what I'm talking about here some facts and figures from the last three olive harvests in our Tuscan grove and the resulting yield of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO):   In 2012 we picked 542 kg of olives and pressed  74 kg  of EVOO (yield 13%). In 2013 we picked 713 kg of olives and pressed  78 kg  of EVOO (yield 11%). In  2014 we picked   90 kg of olives and pressed    8 kg  of EVOO (yield  9%).  The 2014 olive harvest is just over a tenth of last year's, but we have to consider ourselves lucky that we actually managed to taste our EVOO 2014. Many oliv...

Over a decade ag o a group of Italian tourists  from the Veneto quickly s topped at one of Cinigiano's two small bars to ask for directions to famous Montalcino.  They left three days later.  The historic center of my Tuscan town  may not be much of a sight ,  but the  village bars have a certain reputation. In fact the aforementioned group has  been coming back every year. And rumo rs have it that they still haven't gotten around to make the drive to Brunello town .    WHAT TO  SEE A stroll through Cinigiano's tiny town center will make it obvious - the views towards Mount Amiata and over the  Maremma countryside  are the main attraction.  For more of them h op into your car and drive to one of the hamlets and villages which belong to Cinigiano's territory. Medieval looking Monticello Amiata is up on 734 meters and with that perfect for a cool  breeze on a hot summer day (and for freezing winds in ...

Tuscany in November is a mixed bag of emotions. At least considering the weather. In regard to sightseeing, museum visits and foodie pleasures I couldn't think of a better month to visit. You may need to bring an umbrella, but you'll feel like art galleries opened just for you. And you're adventurous spirit will be generously awarded with freshly picked porcini mushrooms,  mouthwatering  truffles and the region's famous extra virgin olive oil straight from the press.  PEOPLE UP ON TREES ON EVERY HILL MELANCHOLIC AFTERNOONS ù PERFECT SKIES

I never stop complaining about the end of summer. Until I remember how much I love the autumn light in Tuscany. And all those coffees in the morning sun.  Morning pleasures at bar Sport in Cinigiano If you plan to cruise the Tuscan hills, autumn is the perfect season to do so without the heat and noisy crowds. The light is perfect for hobby photographers and the temperature is ideal for long walks or days spent reading the paper in front of the local bar.  October is also the month in which the Tuscan farmers finish the wine harvest so as to move straight into the  olive picking .  To make sure things don't get too strenuous, a few food and village festivals are thrown in along the way.  After my Tuscan village's rained in Festa dell'Uva (harvest festival) at the beginning of October, things look more promising for our neighbor's chestnut festival in Monticello Amiata this weekend (see my round up of chestnut festivals on mount Amiata  fr...

Dressing up the olive trees. Fishnet tights for everybody in the grove. 

These boots are made for walking. At last, it's time to cruise the hills again. 

Steam train adventures in Tuscany  Steam train lovers reunite... in Tuscany. The provinces of Siena and Grosseto share a train line that (sadly for the locals) has been in disuse since 1994.  Nevertheless the tracks are kept in good shape and the natural beauty surrounding the Asciano - Monte Antico line makes for a perfect scenery for the steam train adventures in spring and autumn. The TRENO NATURA (nature train)  has become a tourist attraction not just for old-style public transport lovers but also for food and nature aficionados. The train is a perfect way of transport to arrive at some of the region's best food fairs and local festivals (just the fact that you don't have to worry about all that wine running through your veins..).