Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Prato province is the smallest of the ten provinces of Tuscany and one of the smallest in all of Italy. Six main communes are situated in Prato province and would make for a few excellent day trips if you’re planning to rent a villa in Prato for some or all of your vacation.

The capital is called Prato and it’s the second largest city in Tuscany after Florence.

The other main towns are called Cantagallo, Poggio a Caiano, Carmignano, Montemurlo, Vernio and Vaiano. Prato city is located at the foot of Monte Retaia and offers a wealth of attractions to keep tourists entertained.

It's home to many stunning buildings, beautiful piazzas and monuments which would be well worth a tour around for a day. Textile production was a large part of Prato’s economy and can be learned about in greater detail at the large textile museum here in the city. It also displays an incredible collection of archived writings by the master Tuscan poet, Dante Alighieri.

Journey to the land of Tuscany through the words of Pat Musick in her beautiful new memoir titled “The Piero Affair”.

In this 250 page book filled with colourful photographs of her adventures, the author vividly describes her experiences of Tuscan culture, art, history, food and the slow pleasant way of life in small towns and villages here.

In the charming little village of Pergine, she writes about gathering ingredients for a tasty Tuscan antipasto:

Chianni is a stunning town in the Pisa province of Tuscany that lies about 35 kilometres outside of Pisa city. It is a little Tuscan gem, tucked into a sea of grape vines, chestnut woods and olive trees. Overlooking the scenic Valdera Valley, Chianni is located close to other towns of interest such as San Gimignano, Volterra and Pisa. It’s a beautifully preserved 12th century town with quaint little streets, well-kept houses and welcoming townsfolk.

Renting a villa in Chianni is easy and offers tourists a beautiful area to explore during their time here.

Autumn is the time of year for picking mushrooms and Tuscany is no different. But because of the ideal mushroom growing conditions and the value of certain fungi like the black or white truffles, tourists are required to pay a small ‘mushroom’ tax during their vacation here if they wish to pick some to make a delicious meal with.

The cost of picking mushrooms in Tuscany is as follows:
€15 for a day
€40 for a week
€100 for a year

Come to Tuscany this Christmas to experience some seasonal events! This is a perfect time for families with young children to spend a magical holiday here.

Treat yourselves a lovely stay in a four bedroom villa in Tuscany where you can relax and unwind after your days of visiting the following Christmas events.

Spend a delightful day or two in the cosy town of Marradi where the streets are filled with the sound of gospel choirs singing and sleigh bells ringing!