Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Fellow cherry lovers who are planning on booking a villa in Tuscany this May (or any other May) will definitely want to make note of the town of Lari in the province of Pisa. Home to the delicious PGI cherry of Lari, this pretty walled medieval town, perched overlooking rolling Tuscan hills and surrounded by cypresses and lush greenery, is very typically Tuscan and utterly charming in its own right. However, come on the last two weekends of this month (May 25th to the 26th and May 31st to the 2nd of June) and you’ll not only be able to enjoy the beauty of the town but also sample her protected, famous cherries, and experience the celebrations!

If you book a villa in Tuscany and decide on one destination – a vacation rental on the Tuscan Coast, for example, or a holiday rental in Florence – but you also want to see the famous city of Pisa on a day trip, then that is pretty easily arranged. Tuscany is a diverse, fascinating, and large enough region but not so big that day trips between different cities or areas is overly challenging. What can be more difficult, however, is if you want to see as much of the region as is possible and you only have a day to spend in any one destination. In this case, what do you prioritise? Well, we’re here to help with our handy guide of what to do if you only have a day (12 hours) in Pisa!

Although wine is what is far more closely associated with a dream getaway in Tuscany, there are also some great Italian beers to try while you are on holiday in this stunning part of the world and, especially if you’re exploring on a hot summer day, a cold beer while sitting in a pretty piazza is just the thing! So, where do you get great beers in Tuscany? Well, if you book a holiday rental in Lucca and have been wandering around this charming and utterly picturesque historic town then we recommend a visit to De Cervesia Beer & Shop.

Located in the historic core of the city, among retail stores that you might be wandering past and into but not quite in the more touristy part of town, on Via Fillungo, you will find De Cervesia Beer & Shop. With a couple of benches outside (but plenty of spots nearby where locals gather to sit on steps or footpath edges or to lean against buildings in groups to chat over a beer), a few seats inside, and just 7 taps (all from the Brùton brewery in Lucca), it doesn’t immediately look like much but this is an absolutely amazing spot to try Italian beers!

Saffron is an ingredient and spice derived from the saffron crocus that is used to give incredible flavour and colour to dishes and for medicinal purposes. While its origins are debated, Iran, Greece, and Mesopotamia all have claims to the world’s costliest spice by weight. Italian varieties have since become famous for their quality and there is even a Tuscan area of production in the lands around the beautiful Medieval walled town of San Gimignano. In fact, some of the ancient towers for which San Gimignano is known were built by families who partially made their fortune through San Gimignano saffron and saffron was even grown on some of those same rooftops!

Certainly, for the discerning foodie who books a villa in San Gimignano, purchasing a little of this local luxury spice to add into your culinary exploits back home is a must. It really is a perfect souvenir to bring back with you – small, easily transportable, precious, and immediately evocative of wonderful memories with its scent and flavour!

Eating well is a big component of any vacation in Tuscany, no matter when you book your villa in Tuscany, but eating seasonally is the best way to ensure that everything is at its most delicious. Combining in-season products with Tuscan culinary tradition and expertise? Now, that’s a recipe for a foodie’s dream getaway!

Once you have found your vacation rental in Tuscany, you might be wondering what is in season and when so we have helped you out by putting a handy little guide together to have at hand throughout your holiday. Or, if there are foods you especially love, you might even consider booking your holiday rental in Tuscany around the time that that item is in season so that you can enjoy it at its peak tastiness… Either way, here is a calendar of the seasonal foodie gems to try during a getaway in Tuscany…