Ingredients:150 grams of butter – 100 grams of sugar, 200 grams of dry biscuits – 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder – 2 tablespoons of coffee.

Preparation:
Roughly break the biscuits in a bowl. In another bowl beat the egg yolks and mix well with the sugar, then add the melted butter, coffee, cocoa and finally the broken up biscuits. Pour the mix on tinfoil. Shape the mixture into a salami, wrapping it in the tinfoil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cut into thick slices, just like salame.

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The artists have gone beyond the use of traditional materials, choosing the most diverse expressive media. Glass was used for two works. “The Blue Bridge” by the Danish artist Ursula Christiansen Reuteh, which introduces the exhibition space, is a bright blue bridge contrasting with the monochrome maquis.
“Pure Energy“, by the Greek artist Costas Varotsos, is a structure similar in force to Chianti’s cypresses, expressing energy in the almost vortex-like overlapping of green glass fragments.
The English artist William Furlong used stainless steel for his “Off the Beaten Track“, sixteen cubes arranged in couples from which emerge the sounds of Siena’s streets and squares.
A dramatic iron sculpture by the Indonesian artist Dolorosa Sinaga, “Faith and lllusion“, is a human figure between two elements made of iron rods. The artist alludes to the plight of poorer populations, crushed by economic progress.
According to the poetics of Kitsch, Vincent Leow protests against the artificial manipulation of animals with his herd of multicolored fiber-optics cows, “The Milk Factory“.
The Zimbabwe born artist Dominic Benhura, unites the children of all nations in the universal game, “Leap Frog“: with this work, the artist, exponent of the art of the African Shona tribe, establishes a link with the Western world.
The curator has chosen to stress the international character of contemporary art, choosing artists from all over the world, many of whom are women and young artists. The twenty-four artists collaborated with local artisans for the creation of their works, which coexist harmoniously with the natural environment. The old brick kiln has been transformed into an art gallery, where smaller works are exhibited, many by the artists whose works are in the park.
Opening:
The park gates open from April to October, every day until sunset; from November to March it is advisable to book. Find the park at Locality La Fornace, SP 9 Pievasciata Phone: +39 0577 357151 email: info@chiantisculpturepark.it Website: www.chiantisculpturepark.it

Finding the Sculpture Park of Chianti:

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Start in Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral’s Square. Enter inside the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, a 1289 project by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio, while the facade is from the 19th century by De Fabris. The feeling of stark majesty pervading the interior is enhanced by the oversize pillars Each chapel includes famous paintings by Quattrocento and Renaissance artists like Paolo Uccello and Vasari. The remarkable dome was projected by Brunelleschi, while the crypt of the cathedral can be visited to discover the remains of the antique Florentine cathedral, catacombs, and the tomb of Brunelleschi.
Exit the Duomo and observe the splendid Campanile di Giotto, Giotto’s Belltower. The artist worked on the project from 1334 until his death, and although the statues were completed by Andrea Pisano, they are a project of Giotto. The belfry can be climbed up to the top at 85 meters from the soil, a wonderful view over Florence.
The Baptistery is rarely open to admire its splendid frescoed interiors and ceiling. It was built around the 5th century, and all its sculpted doors are famous works of art by Pisano and Ghiberti. The latter, with his son, created the magnificent Porta del Paradiso, as Michelangelo called it, or Gates of Paradise. The golden door represents biblical scenes from the old testament, and the two artists can be seen self represented towards the center. If you want to know some curiosity about the baptistery, read this article.
Before leaving the Duomo square, enter the Cathedral Museum, where a collection of all the operas that used to be in the cathedral, the belfry and the baptistery. Here you will find the originals of the belfry, teh unfinished and touching Pietà by Michelangelo, and Donatello’s Mary Magdalene, among many others.

Now walk on Via Calzaioli to get to the Orsanmichele Church, where you will find the celebrated tabernacle of the Madonna delle Grazie, by Orcagna.

Continue along Via Calzaioli to get to Piazza della Signoria. Admire the impressive statues of Neptune in its fountain by Ammannati, Giambologna’s equestrian statue of Cosimo de’ Medici, and the Loggia dei Medici, where is the Perseus by Cellini, and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women, among others.
The interiors of the Palazzo Vecchio, are best described here.

One step away, walking past the Loggia, you will be in front of the Uffizi Gallery, a complex of thematic rooms that will take most of your time during this itinerary. The museum includes seven hundred years of Italian and international art. It is divided into 45 rooms that group paintings and sculptures sprouting from the same artistic movement. Just to name a few “blockbusters”, here you will find Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and the Allegory of Spring, The Doni Tondo, Lippi’s Virgin and Child, annunciations by Giotto and Leonardo, and Maestas by Duccio and Raffaello.

Here the Florence Tour Map:

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The road to the Castle of Ama Chianti Farm in Tuscany:

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Your base in Tuscany will be located depending on the sights you want to visit (categorize, prioritize, then choose). A guide book, or an online travel guide will help you decide your focus area. Think about how many daytrips you will take according to your length of stay. Take a look at these destinations, then pick a central area convenient to all your trips.

You should also consider your means of transportation. Are you going to be visiting countryside places? Then you will need to rent a car. However, if driving is not your treat you can hire a private driver service.
Some prefer to go with public transportation, however that bears natural limits. Bus transportation in Tuscany is unevenly capillary, with large rural areas being poorly serviced, while others are very serviced. Do a web search for your destinations and the bus services in those places. Is there a local company? Call them or write to them, they will be helpful.
Train transportation in Italy and Tuscany is quite good, with many small towns being serviced. However, in most cases you will find that the train station is located at the foot of the hill, and the actual station name has the word “scalo” attached to the town name. As a rule of thumb “scalo” is the station area. Take Castelnuovo Berardenga, for example. The station is located several miles away and is called “Castelnuovo Berardenga Scalo” but is considered part of the main town. Fucecchio, on the other side, has its train station “downtown”. Take that into consideration.
Lastly, if you will focus on large urban areas (as Siena, Florence, Pisa), simply pick a place in its vicinities, it will have good public transportation.

What type of accommodation do you want? Country villas and farmhouse apartments are placed in beautiful scenic places, but they are not convenient to shops. While some houses are walking distance to town, a car may be useful for your daily errands (grocery, post office, pharmacy, etc.) as rural houses in Tuscany are just that, rural! In some cases it may take a several miles walk just to get to the outskirts of a town, and the naturally hilly territory can present challenging uphills to climb with your grocery bags. In most cases, though, you will find it impossible to walk anywhere, and a car becomes vital for your holiday in Tuscany.
You may also decide to stay in a village, city, or a town. If your goal is to relax and take few or no daytrips, then a village or town house is perfect and you will not need a car, which becomes a necessity if you plan daily excursions.
A city accommodation, on the other side, is best lived without a car, as you will have restaurants, shops, museums and events a step away without parking hassles. Many decide to hit Florence as their first Tuscan approach. The city is definitely best experienced without a car. Expensive and inconvenient parking coupled with difficult circulation and resident-only areas make the city perfect for walking and biking tours. Now with bike sharing you can even have a bike for free! All major areas of interest are in pedestrian areas, and bus transportation perfectly serves Florence outskirts, such as the highly popular Fiesole.

Where is the Tuscan scenery? The smooth rolling hills are located in the valleys. Asciano Valley, Valdichiana, Valdorcia, and the territories declining to the sea all present an open and sparsely wooded character. The northern and easternmost part of Tuscany are closer to the Apennines. Here you will find more woodlands and defined altitudes, with some rocky scenery. The Chianti region, somewhat in the middle, presents a mix of the two sceneries, with large vineyards and olive tree covered hills. The coast is a splendid portion of Tuscany, which combines the beauty of hillside and seaside landscapes with a higher average of fair days. The Maremma region offers splendid panoramas.

Your budget also comes into play. The natural choice would be to go with direct booking rentals by owner as they are less expensive, although some prefer an established company to warrant against bad surprises. A cross web search and some customer review will usually be more than enough to clear all doubts. If you are undecided between a private villa and a farmhouse agriturismo you should consider how important privacy, space sharing, and pricing are to you. Hotels and B&Bs are usually the most expensive choice. In some cases famhouses can be noisy due to the farm work being daily carried out, although many provide country apartments in a quite environment and lower prices.

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750 years ago, almost to date, one of the most cruel battles between Siena and Florence was fought in Montaperti, near Siena. Dante in the Divine Comedy describes the battle of Montaperti as “The havoc and the great slaughter, which dyed the Arbia red” (see quote). It was the bloodiest defeat suffered by the Florentines in the wars against Siena.
Celebrated in Sienese historiography as the worst humiliation inflicted upon Florence, then one of the richest and most powerful cities in Italy, today it is no longer considered by historians a true battle, but rather an ambush on the Florentine army marching towards Montalcino.

After an initial victory in the spring of 1260 over the German knights in the service of Siena, the Florentines planned an expedition to help Montalcino with troops and provisions: the town was being besieged by Siena because of its strategic position, controlling the via Francigena. All men between the ages of 15 and 70 from the city and from the countryside, were summoned to arms. These men, together with militias sent by the allied cities of Prato, Volterra, Colle, San Gimignano and Bologna, formed an army of 30,000.
Each “popolo”, the territory belonging to a church, had to give the army a quantity of grain in proportion to its population and to the area’s production. The Road Archives of the Florentine army, a document unique in its kind, is a direct report of what happened in August 1260. The documents, drawn up by the army’s one hundred notaries who punctually recorded all events, are collected in the “Libro di Montaperti“, which is kept in the Florence State Archives. The soldiers’ journey took in the whole of Chianti.
The army set off from Florence on the 21 or 22 of August through Porta Romana, passing Galluzzo and Tavarnuzze; after Montebuoni it crossed the river Greve over a precarious bridge, probably made of wood. After passing the town of Sant’Andrea in Percussina, it stopped in San Casciano, where it found new conscripts and provisions. From here, following the course of the Pesa, which it crossed at Sambuca, the army reached the second stop, San Donato in Poggio, where it set up camp.
On the 29th of August the soldiers were at Ricavo, less than a day’s walk from San Donato, and then reached Fonterutoli, where they set up camp in a place then called Monsanese, along the road to Vagliagli. Instead of heading towards Siena, the Florentine militias moved towards Pievasciata. From here a diplomatic mission was sent to intimidate the Sienese into unconditional surrender; according to Sienese historians the terms were so humiliating as to be unacceptable. Once the news of the mission’s failure came back, the army set off again towards Montalcino, passing by Pianella.
On September 4 at Montaperti, it was probably preparing to set up camp when the enemy struck its surprise attack. The Sienese, far fewer in number, gathered their army at Porta San Viene, today’s Porta Pispini, and sent forth the German knights, engaged by Manfred of Swabia, King of Sicily. These experienced mercenaries, who had been promised double pay, attacked the Florentines both from the vanguard and the left flank. The huge army hardly had time to react: the rudimentary arms of their foot-soldiers, pitchforks, hatchets and axes, and the bulk of the supplies they were carrying to Montaicino hindered their maneuvers.
According to Giovanni Villani, the 14th century historian, Florentine casualties were more than 2500 and the prisoners more than 1500. Thus modern historians consider Montaperti an ambush rather than a battle fought according to military rules.

This year in the town of Monteaperti will be celebrated a grand revival of the battle starting on August 26 and ending September 5, 2010.

The site of the Battle of Montaperti, in Monteaperti near Siena:

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However fear not, as in the great majority of Tuscan restaurants you will find satisfactory alternatives for your meals. Some restaurants are becoming more and more aware that they need to keep a small stack of gluten-free products (as pasta, bread, flour) for celiacs, while many others are very willing to accommodate your necessities.
You will find that Tuscan cheese is mainly from sheep milk (pecorino cheese) which, unlike cow milk, lactose intolerant people tend to tolerate. Cow milk is used in pasta sauces (small to none in quantity), bechamel (white sauce for lasagnas and similar), and of course in sweets, cakes and pastry preparations, ice creams, and chocolate products. Second courses are usually gluten and lactose free, with some exceptions like the Milanese veal cutlet, the ossobuco (not always), and saltimbocca to name the most popular. Side dishes are a quite safe alternative, being mainly vegetable based mostly seasoned with olive oil, vinegar and herbs. There is no creamy sauce in salads in Italy, especially in Tuscany, nor bread crumbs (whoever invented the Caesar salad must have visited another country!). In addition all side dishes are never brought on the same serving plate as the second course, so if you make a mistake and are suspicious you can still eat your entry and send back the side dish.
As far as sweets you do not have to forgo them entirely. Ice cream shops will serve delicious sorbettos (egg white, water, sugar and fruit), and pastry shops have spumoni, made with egg white and sugar, or the famous amarettos, with almond, egg white and sugar.

“Ok, but how do I make sure I make myself understood?”

The solution is pretty straight forward, and entails simply asking the restaurant what food alternatives they have, telling them about your food intolerance. They know exactly what to do and will help you if you make them aware. They feel and are responsible for your health after you made it clear to them. Ultimately, their goal is to make you happy and be happy, therefore if they can keep the customer they will show you all the alternatives, otherwise they will politely tell you that they cannot satisfy you. So do not be afraid, ask. Most places in Tuscany speak English nowadays, especially in Florence, Siena and other tourist cities.

However, here is the basic Italian sentences you will need if no English is spoken.

The best thing to practice the pronunciation is listening to it. Google translate does a great job at pronouncing few words at a pinch for you. Here the link.

If you find it hard to learn and remember the words, just write the sentences above on cards and bring them along when you go out to eat in a Tuscan restaurant.
And do not be afraid of speaking Italian. You will make the day of almost any Italian that hears you just trying to speak his language!

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This is the basic preparation for egg pasta dough.

Ingredients:
500 grams of flour, 3 eggs, water, salt

Preparation:
Place the flour in a heap on a flat surface, make a well in the center and crack the eggs into it, adding water and salt. Pour very little water at the beginning, and add more only if the dough needs more moisture while you are kneading it. Mix together and knead with energy until all the ingredients have blended into a smooth and silky dough. Make a ball with the dough, wrap it in a tea clot and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Roll out as thinly as possible into sheets, using a rolling pin. If you have a hand pasta machine, this is the time to pull it out, as you will have a hell of a time rolling it out even and flat by hand. If you want to do it the original way, use a rolling pin.

The sheets of pasta should be left to dry for about 40 minutes, flat on the kneading table. Then roll each sheet into a 7 to 8 centimeters (3 inches) long roll. Keep the rolls small, about 2 centimeters and a half (an inch) in diameter. Now with a sharp even-blade knife cut each roll in stripes.

Depending on the size of the pasta you want to make, you will need to make cuts of different sizes. Follow these measurements:
Taglierini: very close cuts of 2 to 4 millimeters
Tagliatelle: 6 millimeter slices
Pappardelle: slices of over one centimeter (half inch)

Now open up the little sliced rolls and lay the resulting pasta ribbons on a cloth to dry before cooking.
To cook, fill a large pot with water and bring to boiling point over a high flame, then add salt and throw in the pasta. As soon as the pasta comes up to the surface, drain it and add the sauce.

This rolled out dough is also the base for all types of pastas with a filling (ravioli, tortellini, etc.).

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Find Orentano and its Events Tuscany in the map:

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