MAPPING TUSCANY

GAT Scansano's vegetable box  House-delivered, tasty and organic only Nothing makes me happier than the weekly arrival of our organic vegetable box from Scansano. At least from spring to autumn. The sight of a box full of cabbages in the winter can be a little disheartening even for a lifelong vegetarian like me.  Italy is Europe's biggest producer of organic food (w hich may come as a surprise, considering that the country is better known for its garbage heaps in Naples and other  ecological crimes).  Around 50'000 farms and wineries in Italy are certified organic and almost 20% of the country's agricultural land is farmed according to organic or biodynamic standards.  Nevertheless, organic vegetable boxes haven't been around for too long. At least not in the Tuscan countryside, where distribution is complicated due to low population density.  A group of hardworking Italians is about to change this now. If you're a resident in Maremma, you can o

The aftermath of the flood  in Southern Tuscany  Town center of Albinia, near Orbetello Exactly a week ago I turned around in bed whilst my Tuscan native said "why don't you keep the kids at home? It's still raining. This could easily turn into another flood". These Italians, I thought. A few drops of rain and the whole country goes to pieces. Haven't we prayed for rain for months? And back I went to sleep.  An hour later I was woken with a homemade Cappuccino by the same man who had left for work early that morning. The road to Grosseto was off limits, as the bridge over the Ombrone river had been flooded. The only way to reach  their building site in town would have been by  trying out another access road to Grosseto. Looking at the overflown river bed and the incessant rain, they decided to call it a day.  It took a shot of caffeine and a look outside the window to make me remember the damage and deaths the 2011 floods had brought to the area st