MAPPING TUSCANY

Corrupt politicians, appalling national TV and a never-ending economic crisis. So what was I doing in Italy again? Grazie a dio , there are still a  few r easons which confirm that I wasn't totally meshugga when moving from clockwork nation to a Southern European bureaucratic hell: b each  side lunches are one of them (and  on a less mundane level  public schools and a healthcare system Obama can only dream of). A MAP FOR C OCKTAILS, SEAFOOD AND SUNSET VIEWS ON THE TUSCAN SHORE ROSSO E VINO ALLA DOGANA    CAPALBIO/CHIARONE SCALO  +39 0564 890344 As south as it gets in Tuscany.  One step to the left and you're in Lazio and on your way to Rome. But Rosso e Vino's foo d, beach bar and deckchairs are way too nice to consider a trip to the eternal city. With the luxury lodge tents at Camp Capalbio next door, this is a great option for a beach side eat and sleep.  IL PELLICANO    PORT'ERCOLE +39 0564 858 275 ...

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...

Organic tastes better, organic is the right choice for the planet,  organic is healthier for your kids and yourself.  Whatever science and consumer reports say about the above, one thing is sure: green shopping is more fun and a feast for the eye! At least in the Tuscan countryside, when buying your pesticide  free fruit and vegetables right at the organic farm.  Organic shopping in Tuscany: even the customers look better Find below a list and map with Tuscany's most picturesque p it stops for organic food shopping, from the region's southernmost corner all the way up to Florence.  TERRA ETRUSCO , Capalbio Scalo Near Capalbio's train station, close to WWF's Lago di Burano nature reserve and the Tuscan sea,  Terr a Etrusco is an organic farm with a 21st century approach. Restaurant, grocery store and the rooms of the farm-stay are a stylish and welcome break from the usual fake Tuscan decor.  LA PARRINA , Albinia near Orbetello One of th...

Beer isn't like beer. Germany and Belgium are good places to find out about this. And Tuscany.  It may seem a little weird, but over the last decade the craft beer brewing movement has managed to take foot in winemaking territory and microbreweries keep springing up all through the Tuscan hills and Italy.  Most people may have downed some Nastro Azzuro or sipped a Moretti with their pizza, but the two best known Italian beers hardly ever induce long-lasting memories. No doubt, it's up to the microbreweries to prove that Italy deserves a space on the worlds' beer map.  Curious to taste the Tuscan version of artisan beer? Leave Brunello territory this weekend and make time for a stop at the neighbors in Mont enero d'Orcia to get to know the locals' take on the planet's  most widely drunk alcoholic beverage. Definitely time for a beer.  The small town at the foot of Mount Amiata has a lovely shady park with amazing views over the Val d'Orica and...

Volcano what? Right, Pitigliano, the famous tufa rock town, hosts the 2013 tasting of some of Italy's best volcano DOC wines. Which doesn't meant that the vines are raised on smoky mountain slopes with vignerons constantly watching out for the signs of a new break out. Even though in some cases - most famously mount Etna in Sicily and mount Vesuvius in Naples -  these volcanoes are in fact still bubbling away.  Many of Italy's famous volcanoes - like for an example  Mount Amiata  in Southern Tuscany - have been extinct for thousand or millions of years (ask for the exact number at the tasting). But even though long out of work, they have left behind a deeply colored and mineral rich soil; a true oasis for terroir wines! The color of volcano soil One of the vineyards at the organically run Sassotondo winery near Pitigliano VULCANIA 2013: PITIGLIANO, JUNE 15-17 Hosted by Pitigliano's vintners association (consorzio di tutela bianco di Pitigliano e S...

In its third year the Maremma Wine and Food Shire has changed approach and moved the fair from Braccagni into Grosseto's historic town center. Originally designed for trade, Maremma's wine and food fair is also a great place for any foodies hooked on Southern Tuscany's locally produces delicacies. Taste your way through sheep cheese from the Tuscan hills, organically produced wine, salami and prosciutto, saffron, pickled vegetables and fish egg (bottarga) from the coast.  All of it in the lay-back center of one of Tuscany's lesser known cities. Grosseto may not be able to compete with Siena, Pisa or Florence when it comes to art and culture. But the city makes up for it with a car and tourist free town center,  historic city walls, friendly inhabitants and noteworthy architectural details if you only care to look out for them.  Maoist China? A Tuscan cyclist on Grosseto's main shopping road 

With spring in full swing, first of May isn't just the start of a glorious month in Tuscany, but also a much celebrated national holiday. I've just overlooked the cooking process of this year's sagra  in Sant'Angelo Scalo (one of my favorite village fairs ), and think there's no better way to start the month than with a fork and knife in hand in this little hamlet in Montalcino's south-western corner.  This is what the village ladies have in store for you:  Tuscan village fairs? Examples of female team work  Home-made tomato sauce for everybody

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,...