A Tuscany war story Podere Patrignone, 1944 Told by Mario Campatelli on 22 September 2007. He was 16 at the time of this story. On 29th December 1943, Poggibonsi was bombarded by the advancing Allied forces because it was a … Read More
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Tuscany day-trips for ambitious travellers
At least once a week, I get asked by one of our future guests about a crazy idea they’ve had to visit some far-off city on a Tuscany day-trip. I used to push back hard. “Are you nuts? Why on … Read More
Saving the Planet, one piece at a time
We produced this cute infographic to show the different approaches we take to eco-tourism, energy conservation, organic farming, and waste recycling here on our agriturismo in Chianti, Podere Patrignone. When we first came to Italy, some 10 years ago, we … Read More
Plan your retreat or workshop in Tuscany
Are you are an expert in your field, and love the idea of running a course or workshop in a beautiful location? Maybe you’ve run courses before, but would like to run a more up-scale retreat? You might be a yoga instructor, … Read More
Day-trips in Tuscany #3 – The villages of East Chianti
The third day-trip in my series of Day-trips in Tuscany takes us to the east to visit some of the cuter, smaller villages that we love. You can take this route in either direction, depending on where you want to … Read More
Day-trips in Tuscany #2 – The Hills of Northern Chianti
Guests who come to stay at our Chianti villa rentals near Castellina in Chianti are often looking for day-trip ideas. A couple of weeks back I described our most popular day-trip, to San Gimignano and Volterra. This week I’m heading north of Patrignone … Read More
Day-trips in Tuscany #1 – San Gimignano, Colle & Volterra
Guests at our agriturismo in Chianti are always asking us for ideas for day-trips, and so we’ve got good and creating manageable tours that won’t leave you exhausted. And here’s the first. It’s one of our most popular days out. … Read More
Pasta fagioli – a winter winner!
We have this dish throughout the year, it’s one of our staple meals – and the kids love it! But it’s especially nice and warming in the winter with lashings of fresh-pressed olive oil. It’s super-quick, super-good for you, and … Read More
The last wine fair, in a magical town…
The grapes are in, and the season of chianti wine festivals comes to a close with the smallest event in the calendar, the Montefioralle Divino. First, a bit about Montefioralle, a charming little town in the hills just to the west of Greve in … Read More
Two fantastic wine fairs in Tuscany
The grapes are fat and juicy, the harvest is in full flow, and so is the wine. Because while people are toiling in the fields breaking their backs picking the new grapes, lots of other people are tasting huge quantities … Read More