MAPPING TUSCANY

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 ...

Close to the border of Lazio, Tuscany's southernmost town resembles a Roman colony during July and August. Albeit not one with gladiators and soldiers, but with Rome's left-wing intelligentsia populating hillside bars and restaurants as much as the deck-chairs along Capalbio's endless beaches.  To balance things out, the seaside town Ansedonia a few kilometers up the Tuscan coast has been for decades the holiday destination of choice for the eternal city's right-wing fraction. These days it's hard to say whether this geo-political line  of division is still in place - with all the party hopping of Italian politicians it's impossible to discern which side they presently belong to. But whatever the current opinion of political visitors (a class of people also derisively called la casta - the caste),  Capalbio's own views have stubbornly stayed the same for centuries. 

Restaurant La Pineta at Marina di Bibbona beach  One of Italy's best seafood restaurants can be found on Tuscany's central coast, at the beach of Marina di Bibbona. Walking past La Pineta  it's easy to mistake the restaurant for a lovely but simple beach bar and deck chair rental place. A nd whilst you can still just visit La Pineta to rent an umbrella for your day at the beach, it would be foolish to miss out on the seafood treasures that are prepared in the restaurant's kitchen. We happened to be in the area for other reasons, but once we realized that we were standing in front of La Pineta we couldn't resist having a look. Timing was perfect, we opened the door shortly before 7pm. No clients around yet and the Michelin starred cook, who - judging from the frenzy in the kitchen - would have had better to do, generously took the time to show us around.  Luciano Zazzeri Proud owner and chef of Michelin starred restaurant  La Pineta