Panino con il Lampredotto

Panino con il Lampredotto is one of the most popular street food in the city of Florence.

Trippa (Tripe) and Lampredotto (Offal) are two dishes that perfectly represent the Florence popular culinary traditions, eating them is an experience you can’t miss.

Trippa, is the part of the digestive organ found between the esophagus and the stomach of the cows. Lampredotto, also comes from the stomach of a bovine, but is more tender, thin and flat, and it’s not white, but light brown.

The meat is simmered in a broth of herbs and vegetables, then cut up into small square slices and served on a traditional round crusty panino, called Semelle. It is also usually served with a green sauce, salsa verde, made from basil, garlic and olive oil.

The sandwiches are sold at typical Lampredotto stands, called Banchini dei Trippai, where you can stop, get your sandwich and wine (served in a plastic cup) and enjoy the city and a Panino con il Lampredotto. Probaly the best Lampredotto stand in Florence is Nerbone. Nerbone is located in San Lorenzo market, and it has been a city's institution since 1872.

Get to know this magnificent city through its traditional food, interact with the locals, discover sites left behind from the mass-tourism, experience the best of what Florence and Tuscany has to offer. Join us! A presto!

The Devil's Bridge

The 'Maddalena's Bridge' connect the two banks of the river Serchio in the small town of Borgo a Mozzano, near Lucca.It is located on the ancient Francigena road. In the medieval times it was an important pilgrimage road, connecting Rome to Canterbury (England).

The bridge construction goes back to the era of the Countess Matilde di Canossa (1046-1115), that had large influence and power on this zone of Tuscany, the Garfagnana, but its current aspect is due to the reconstruction carried on by Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328), Sir of Lucca at the beginning of the 14th century.

The bridge is known as Ponte del Diavolo (The Devil's Bridge) in force of a popular legend, reinforced from its strange aspect: a master mason begun its building but soon noticed that he would not be able to complete the work for the fixed day and frightened of the possible consequences invoked to the Devil asking him help. The Devil accepted to complete the bridge in a night in change of the spirit of the first that will cross it. The contract was signed but the constructor, full of remorse, confess himself with a religious of the zone that advised him to let cross the bridge for first to a pig. So the Devil was defeated and he disappeared in the deepness of the river.

This remarkable example of medieval engineering, is one of the many sites that you will discover with us at Undiscovered Tuscany.

Tuscany goes far beyond beautiful landscape of rolling hills dotted with vineyards and olive trees, art treasures and architectural landmarks. Let us show the undiscovered beauty of this wonderful Italian region. A presto!

La Cecina

Cecina is a thin, crisp, pizza-like pancake from the Tuscan coast. It is simply made by stirring chickpea flour into a mixture of olive oil, salt and black pepper, to form a loose batter, and baking it in the open oven.

The word Cecina comes from the Italian word Ceci that means Chickpeas.

It one of the most traditional food of Tuscany, and it is really hard to find it anywhere else outside the region.

La Cecina is traditionally cut into irregular shaped triangular slices, and then stuffed into Focaccia bread or between two slices of Pizza Margherita.

It is one of the most popular traditional Tuscan snack food, and it sold in Pizzerias and bakeries.

In the town of Livorno, Cecina is usually served between two slices of bread, and it is one of kids favorite food to eat for Merenda (snack-time).

Cecina also make a wonderful appetizer, along with cold cuts like, prosciutto, mortadella and Tuscan soppressata.

We offer visits and hands-on cooking classes to Tuscan pizzerias and bakeries, to show our guests how these traditional food are still made today. All of our partners are located in small towns off the beaten path.

We want to provide our guest the highest quality in travel, our goal is to make them experience the authentic Tuscan everyday life.

Join us for a trip of your lifetime, get to know one of the most beautiful place on earth:

La Toscana!

Here is La Cecina recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour
2 cups water
2 TSP olive oil
Dash salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Mix the batter (it is very watery) and let set for 2-4 hours.

Fire your oven so that is is hot and ready for fire-in-the-oven
cooking. Maybe two Mississippi's. This is a good brick oven recipe
because it cooks best with top and bottom heat.

Pour a liberal amount of oil in a baking sheet with 1" (or so) sides.
Add enough batter to make a 1/4" - 1/2" thick flat-bread, and bake for
10 minutes. It should be brown on top. Cut and drizzle with olive
oil, sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately.

Bakeries have seasoned cast iron pans, so that Cecina does not stick

to the bottom, but a steel pan should work as well.

Chickpea flour is both healthy (a good source of protein) and tasty. Buon appetito!

Upcoming 2010 Tours

We are booking our upcoming 2010 tours of Tuscany and we are very excited to announce our new itineraries, accommodations, and much more.

Our new day trips are the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera, the Montecarlo (Lucca) wine country, the seaside resort town of Viareggio, the town of Barberino in Mugello, home of the largest designer shopping outlets in Italy, and much more.

Undiscovered Tuscany will also offer our guests private cooking classes at the property with local chefs, visits to local olive oil factories, food markets, wineries, ceramics factories, chocolate and gelato stores.

Our new accommodation is Casa Vacanza. Casa Vacanza is a gorgeous old country farmhouse, which has been completely renovated in the rural Tuscan style with terracotta floors. Casa Vacanza is divided into six comfortable apartments (double occupancy).

Casa Vacanza offers our guests a large and private living space, satellite TV, WIFI internet access, air conditioning, telephone. Also, the property offers a swimming pool with solarium, tennis courts, walking trails, free bicycles rent, a bar-lounge area, and a restaurant.

The property is located on the Lucca hills near the town of Altopascio on the famous Francigena road rich of history and culture.

The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route. To pilgrims headed south, it was the Via Romea; to those headed north, the Via Francigena.

You can see pictures of Casa Vacanza by clicking on this link http://www.utuscany.com/casavacanza.htm

Join us and you will get to know our passion for this wonderful land. Our high quality services and highly selected suppliers will make you feel part of our culture and never want to leave us.

Here is a sample itinerary :

Day 1

Pick up and transfer to Casa Vacanza. Meet your hosts, enjoy the surroundings and a typical Tuscan dinner.

Day 2

Visit to Olive oil factory, Sonnino winery and gelato store in Montespertoli in the Chianti. Lunch with private tasting at the Sonnino castle.

Day 3

Visit to Cecchini Butchery shop in Panzano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKeBpGlJ5dw) and Villa Calcinaia winery. Lunch with tasting at Villa Calcinaia wine shop.

Day 4

Visit the Italian riviera Liguria region and the Cinqueterre historic towns. Lunch at local restaurant in Riomaggiore. All-day train and walking paths pass included.

Day 5

Visit to the city of Florence and central food market. Visit to the Accademia (home of Michelangelo's David) and lunch at wine-bar in downtown Florence.

Day 6

Visit to San Gimignano and one of the best winery in area for the production of Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG.

Day 7

Visit to a local winery in the Montecarlo hills area. Visit to the city of Pisa. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Tour of the leaning tower.

Day 8

Breakfast and transfer to airport.

Tour includes:

- Double occupancy single apartment accommodation in Casa Vacanza

- All ground transportations

- All visit to wineries and olive oil factory with tasting included

- All breakfasts, lunch and dinner included (wine and some liquor included)

- Pick up and drop off either Pisa or Florence airports

- Myself as a personal tour guide

- Cell phone (with free incoming calls)

- All taxes included

Contact us for pricing (our best ever!) and dates available at tours@utuscany.com

Became a fan of Undiscovered Tuscany, LLC on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook badge at the top of this page, also follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/utuscany

Ciao e a presto!

Gianni Vanni

September in Tuscany

The annual grape harvest in September is a very exciting time in Tuscany. As the weather cools off, the colors of autumn awaken, the grape leaves turn gold, then russet, and the countryside becomes a photographer’s dream.

Lots of food and wine festivals are held in the month of September throughout the region.

One of the best wine festival is held mid-September in Greve in Chianti, main center in the Chianti Classico wine-district. This is a showcase for the best Chianti Classico wines that takes place in Piazza Matteotti, the main square of this lovely little town nested on breathtaking rolling hills. For a small price you can buy a glass and then you are free to sample any wines offered at the many stands.

A great food festival is Cacio al Fuso held the first Sunday of September in the small town of Pienza located in the province of Siena. Pienza makes among the best Pecorino cheese (sheep's milk cheese) in Italy. the Cacio al Fuso is a cheese rolling competition. Cacio is the original Tuscan word for Pecorino cheese and the Fuso or spindle is the target of the game.

These are just few of the many events that are held in Tuscany during the month of September.

Come and join us to discover the real Tuscany left behind from other travel companies.

We offer small and customize tours on your requests.

Contact us with any questions or comments on our upcoming 2010 September in Tuscany Tours at tours@utuscany.com

Ciao e a presto!

The simple art of greatness

Perhaps because it was the birthplace of renaissance, our region is often associated with wealth and refinement. And so most of the people assume that everything in Tuscany will exhibit these characteristics. It is actually quite the opposite and that is what I love most about my region.

The food of Tuscany is a great example on how simple things in life are the most beautiful.

Our food is never elaborate and everyday meals are more likely to be dominated by the simplest yet freshest and seasonal ingredients. The entire Cucina Toscana revolves around bread and olive oil.

Tuscan bread Pane Toscano tastes like no other bread in Italy, mostly because it is made without salt. Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil is known among the world's best.

The most glorious way to serve these two simple ingredients is as Fettunta, a piece of toasted Pane Toscano swathed with just pressed, green, unfiltered Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil. The name Fettunta comes from Fetta, the name workers used to describe the hunk of bread intensely flavored by extra-virgin olive oil as it ran fresh from the press.

Join us and get to know the real food of Tuscany and how people make it everyday.

Discover the simple art of greatness.

Check out Tuscan Roberto Benigni speech at the 71st Academy Awards for "Life is beautiful" on Dante, love and his parents biggest gift...Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTR6fk8frs

San Galgano Abbey

About forty kilometers (25 miles) south-east of Siena towards Grosseto in the isolated valley of the river Merse (Val di Merse) among the Siena hills, are the ruins of the mediaeval Cistercian Abbey of San Galgano.

The community of Saint Galgano became the point of reference for all the territory and of interest of the Siennese Republic. The Abbey (Abbazia) of San Galgano was built along the classic gothic forms of all Cistercian constructions, as a daughter house of Saint Bernard's Clairvaux. It was Tuscany's first pure Gothic church, and later the model for Siena Cathedral. It has the typical Cistercian plan based on a latin cross with three aisles, rich in carved capitals and rose windows, with a cloister, halls, and, atypically, a bell tower. The richness of S. Galgano and its good relationship with Siena attracted the incursions of the Florentine armies which, together with other political events, resulted in the rapid decline of the abbey beginning in the first half of 15th century. By 1550, only five monks were in the abbey and they sold off any remaining treasures plus the lead roof, sealing the fate of the building. At the beginning of the 17 C only one old and poor monk still lived between its already ruined walls. On 6 January 1786, the 36 m bell tower collapsed, sweeping away a great part of the roof of the church and in 1789 the great Abbey was definitively abandoned and become an enormous quarry of stones and columns for the builders of the area. Fortunately, from the beginning of the last century, much restoration and maintenance have been undertaken. Today it hosts nightly musical shows and concerts... visit this undiscovered jewel with us!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany

This is the most important thing on a Tuscan table along with wine.

Tuscan extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil in the world. Tuscany produces extra virgin olive oil to such a high degree that its olive oil has been given its own label of origin, in the same way as renowned wines are defined by their regional origin.

Extra virgin olive oil is the premium of all the olive oils. To register as extra virgin, it must prove to be free of any defects. Extra virgin olive oil is officially defined as an oil "obtained from the fruit of the olive tree that has not undergone any treatment other than washing, decontamination, centrifugation and filtration and has a maximum acidity of 0.8%". Only four olive varietals are allowed: Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino.

Frantoio Sanminiatese is a small family-owned olive oil factory in the heart of Tuscany. They produce four types of extra virgin olive oil. The Oleum (the tallest bottle in the middle) is my favorite, it's an unfiltered extra virgin olive oil obtained from highly selected olives.

Visit the Annessi family with us and get to taste their labor of love and passion. Viva l' Olio Toscano!

We are Slow Food!

Slow Food is a non-profit

eco-gastronomic

member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions

and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

We want to protect our traditions and share them with you.

All the food and beverages that you will be served during your stay are personally selected by family and me.

All the restaurants, wineries, food, artistic factories, shopping outlets, museums etc. are also personally selected - giving you the best quality Tuscany has to offer.

Join us for this unique travel experience!!! www.utuscany.com

Tortelli alla mugellana

Here is to the food of Tuscany.

Tortelli alla mugellana from the Mugello area near Florence represent the culinary soul of this wonderful region.

Tortelli alla mugellana are home made potato tortelli made with the highest quality seasonal ingredients in a ragu' sauce and served following old local traditions.

This is what we support, this is what I want you to experience. Simply Heaven!