La Fattoria

Come to Italy to visit the wonderful town of Carmignano, a delightful place in Prato province only twenty kilometres west of Florence and ten kilometres south of Prato.

Why not book into a gorgeous villa in Carmignano, complete with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside!

This welcoming town has been and still is an important player in the famous DOCG Carmignano wine making tradition. Lots of delicious red, white and rose wines flow from this fruitful place so be sure to sample some if you come here!

The verdant landscape of Tuscany, with her rolling hills and valleys blanketed in olive groves, vineyards, oaks, and farmland, is famously picturesque and is also a highly productive agricultural area. Tuscany is, furthermore, famously a foodie capital, not just because of the dishes made in the region but also due to the incredible raw ingredients grown throughout her stunning landscape. As such, while there are plenty of cakes, pasta dishes, street food favourites, cured meats, cheeses, and other delicious specialties to be tried while exploring the foodie scene of Tuscany, there are also some delectable local fruits and vegetables to be tried as well. While you shop in grocery stores and weekly markets in the region, you should try and keep an eye out for these wonderful foodie fundamentals to try and incorporate into dishes put together while enjoying the experience of cooking in the stunning kitchens of our amazing luxury villas in Tuscany. From the rich chestnuts of Caprese Michelangelo and the sweet chestnuts of Mugello, to the colourful carrots of Pastinocello, to vibrant Certaldo onions, to the famous Queen peaches of Londa, there are all sorts of delicious local produce items to get your hands on (dependent on the time of year, of course) while on vacation in Tuscany. However, if you have found a luxury villa in Florence and are exploring the foodie scene of the surrounding area, be sure to discover the incredible figs of Carmignano.

In the town of Carmignano there is a large public park called the Quinto Martini Park Museum that displays an exceptional and beautiful range of bronze sculptures by the Italian artist, Quinto Martini, which were made between 1931 and 1988.

This lovely outdoor space acts as both a park and open-air museum and is free for anyone to visit. It is the perfect place to spend a little while wandering around, taking in the artworks and getting some fresh air. It is a million miles away from the long lines and stuffier atmosphere of many museums throughout the region and is a little more unique.

Any art lovers planning a trip to Tuscany should find a luxury villa in Carmignano and make time to experience this distinctive art installation for themselves.

A post shared by Fattoria Betti (@fattoria.betti) on Apr 25, 2018 at 6:23am PDT

Fattoria Betti is a vineyard and winery that was founded in 1900 and is located in Montalbano in Chianti. A quiet and beautiful part of the region that is made up of sleepy medieval villages, little churches, rolling fields of olive groves and vineyards, and old Medici villas.

Those who have found a vacation rental in Tuscany and are planning a trip to the region, are probably expecting to eat a lot of great food but they should also be excited for all of the wines that they will be able to try. I've heard many say that the Italians keep the best of their wines for themselves and travelling in Italy allows you to tap into that precious supply for yourself and see what you've been missing out on.

We have discussed wines and vineyards and wine shops on this blog on several occasions and thought it only fitting to put together a guide to the wines of Tuscany; the ones you won't want to miss and where to find them.

3. Vin Santo

Vin Santo is made in many parts of Italy, but the best comes from Tuscany. There are three recognized DOC’s in Tuscany for Vin Santo: Vin Santo del Chianti (created in 1997), Vin Santo del Chianti Classico (1995) and Vin Santo di Montepulciano (1996).