OperaWine - 11/05/2012
interviews Giovannella Stianti - Castello di Volpaia
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di Charlie Arturaola
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Slow Travel Italy - 04/04/2012
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Postcard - The Road to Volpaia, and Beyond
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di Nancy L
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gonews.it - 27/03/2012
Jupiter: nasce il primo orologio planetario in grado di misurare i movimenti di Giove.
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The Daily Telegraph - 14/01/2012
Italy 2012; YOUR FIVE–PAGE HOLIDAY GUIDE Our Italy expert, Lee Marshall, introduces a special guide to the country with his pick of things to do and see in Tuscany
Why is Tuscany so eternally popular? After travelling the length and breadth of Italy for close on 30 years, I think I'm getting close to an answer.
In so many other parts of the world, culture is an optional extra, something you do in your spare time. In Tuscany, it's at the root of everything – though not in an elitist way. A Piero della Francesca fresco exudes the spirit of a region that has long spent its money on beauty and quality. But so does a bowl of ribollita soup, made with seasonal cavolo nero and served with a spiral of just–pressed olive oil. Cultured Tuscan perfection can be found in a £50 bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva; but it can equally well be found in one of the region's many free pleasures, from its painterly landscapes to a soak in an ancient stone basin fed by a hot spring beneath a walled hill town.
Such things are not absent in the rest of Italy, but Tuscany has a unique concentration of them. It also combines fierce pride and care for detail (olive groves that are kept looking spruce even though there's little money in the crop these days; the strict building regulations that infuriate second–home owners but help to keep Tuscany looking Tuscan) with unpretentious, downto–earth manners.
It has a collection of handsome, art–filled, historic towns with more than enough to see, do, eat and drink to fill a long weekend, from Siena to Arezzo, Lucca, Pisa and Cortona. Between villa rentals, grand country house hotels, rural b&bs and boutique town–house hotels, it has more great places to stay than porcini mushrooms.
"Tuscany" is a brand that carries a cachet. This is inevitably reflected in prices: the landscape may not change just across the border into Lazio or Umbria, but hotel and rental rates are perceptibly lower, because that magic word is absent.
Within the region, the Val d'Orcia and the area around Siena carry the highest cachet and prices, together with a few coastal enclaves – the Monte Argentario promontory, or chichi Forte dei Marmi and Pietrasanta. Good areas to hunt for bargains include Arezzo, Livorno, Pisa and Pistoia provinces, though even Chianti (where demand is high, but so is supply) can be surprisingly affordable.
Tuscan highlights
Tempted by the thought of Tuscany this year? Here is my guide to the key towns and areas. A fuller version is online at telegraph.co.uk/tuscanyguide and you can find my guide to Florence at telegraph.co. uk/florenceguide.
Siena
Some would say that Siena is more of a must–visit than Florence. Though it may not have quite the overabundance of artistic riches of its historic rival, this proud medieval city–state is unique in the way its layout enacts a kind of symbolic theatre of the Tuscan civitas, with a series of tight and winding lanes converging on the shell–shaped open space of Piazza del Campo. Long the centre of civic life, dominated by the Sienese Gothic Palazzo Pubblico with its frescoed halls and the lofty Torre del Mangia tower, the Campo is the stage for the bi–annual drama of Il Palio (July 2 and August 16), when horses and riders representing 10 of the town's 17 contradas compete in a breakneck bareback race. See terresiena.it for information on everything from museum opening times to wine tours.
Pisa
Don't let the fame of the Leaning Tower distract you from the beauty of the rest of the Campo dei Miracoli, a planned precinct of sacred architecture that's unique in Italy. Built in the home–grown style known as Pisan Gothic, the Duomo, Baptistery and Camposanto (cemetery) make light with marble, deriving delicacy and grace from solidity and weight. The Leaning Tower calls the bluff of this illusion: just too heavy for the weak subsoil, it began to tilt after only three of its eight storeys were finished. Stabilised in a delicate surgical engineering operation between 1990 and 2001, the tower has retained just enough of its lean to keep the souvenir sellers and local hoteliers happy. Visiting times (tower) 8.30am–8pm April–September (see opapisa.it for other months and Campo dei Miracoli monuments); full admission €15/£12.60.
Lucca and around
Lovely, laid–back, cultured Lucca (luccaturismo.it) is a great place to unwind for a few days. The town's sturdy defensive walls give the place a fierce military air on the outside, but inside, all is graceful piazzas, Pisan Romanesque churches and alfresco restaurants. Perhaps the one essential sight is Piazza Anfiteatro, a former Roman amphitheatre which is today a cute civic oval lined with shops and bars.
But you should also make time for at least a couple of the town's churches: standouts are the Duomo di San Martino, its atrium decorated with exquisite Lombard bassorelievo, and 12th–century artistic treasure house San Frediano.
North of Lucca, the green Garfagnana Valley (ingarfagnana. com) is a trekkers' paradise, while the immediate surroundings of the city are dotted with aristocratic Renaissance villas and gardens, the most spectacular of which is Villa Reale at Marlia (garden open March 1 to November 30, 10am–1pm and 2pm–6pm, closed Mon, full admission €7/£6, parcovillareale.it).
Arezzo and the Piero della Francesca trail
Once you pass the gauntlet of light industry and nondescript suburbs, the main town of eastern Tuscany turns on all its centro storico charm. It has some fine restaurants and wine bars, and what is arguably the single most essential artistic draw in the whole of Tuscany – Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle, Legend of the True Cross, in the church of San Francesco (open Mon–Fri 9am– 6.30pm, Sat 9am–5.30pm, Sun 1pm– 5.30pm, full price entrance €6/£5).
The Piero trail can be continued by making the 50–mile round trip to the artist's birthplace of Sansepolcro, east of Arezzo, where the centrally located Museo Civico has no less than four of the maestro's works. Stop off on the way there or back in the nearby village of Monterchi, which houses the delightful, moving Madonna del Parto – a fresco of the pregnant Virgin Mary, a rare subject in Western art.
The tourist board has a useful leaflet about the route, opening times and entrance fees, which can be downloaded at turismo.provincia. arezzo.it (click on Publications and scroll down to "Piero della Francesca in the Land of Arezzo").
Chianti and San Gimignano
Chianti Classico, the area between Florence and Siena, is a perennial summer favourite, as much for its amiable cypress, olive, oak–wood and vineyard–strewn landscape and its shamelessly picturesque castles and villages as for the fine red wine it produces. The main towns – Greve, Radda, Castellina – can be a little anonymous. Here it's the tiny walled villages, such as Volpaia, that stand out, together with fortified medieval abbeys such as Badia a Passignano. At castle estates such as Ama and Brolio, wine–tasting opportunities abound.
East of Chianti, beyond the Pesa and the Elsa valleys, San Gimignano, the city of the belle torri (beautiful towers), rises imperiously above the vineyards of its own winegrowing area – one of the few Tuscan denominazione to focus on white grapes. It's famous as Italy's "Medieval Manhattan", and the town's 13th and 14th–century glory days have bequeathed us remarkable monuments like the frescoed Collegiata, or Sant'Agostino. But it's very much on the tourist map of Tuscany – so come well out of season to see San Gimignano at its best. For northern Chianti tourist information, see firenzeturismo.it, for the south of the area terresiena.com, and for San Gimignano, sangimignano.com.
The Val d'Orcia and Montalcino
Home to some of the region's most perfect landscapes, the Val d'Orcia stretches languidly across an unspoilt and still under–visited swathe of southern Tuscany.
Only the towns on the northern edge of the valley have much in the way of tourism: lofty, handsome Montepulciano (prolocomonte pulciano.it) and its cutesy near neighbour Pienza (prolocopienza.it), which had five years of political and architectural fame in the mid–15th century, then went back to sleep.
South of here, the pretty hamlet of Monticchiello has a couple of worthwhile trattorias, while La Foce (lafoce.com), around five miles south, is a private estate that harbours one of Tuscany's most seductive formal gardens – open for visits on Wednesdays and Saturdays. One of Tuscany's highest towns, Montalcino (prolocomontalcino.it), to the north–west, is at the centre of the highly regarded Brunello wine region. It's an austere town with a regional enoteca (wine shop and tasting centre, enotecalafortezza.
com) in the castle and some decent restaurants, but the real draw is the ravishing 12th–century abbey of Sant'Antimo (antimo.it, open daily 6am–9pm), seven miles south, in a timeless rural landscape.
Best beaches
Associated mostly with country pleasures, Tuscany is not usually thought of as a beach destination. But it does have around 250 miles of coastline, and while some of this (especially around Viareggio and the other Versilia resorts to the north) is given over to the kind of deckchair–to–deckchair beach scene that somehow doesn't seem worth travelling a thousand miles for, there are notable exceptions.
Dropping down from the north, the vast umbrella–pine woods and extensive dunes of the Migliarino– San Rossore nature reserve (parcosanrossore.it), east of Pisa, provide the first relief from beachtennis Babylon, but it's the southern Tuscan coastal region of the Maremma that offers the best mix of uncrowded beaches, relatively unspoilt scenery and good places to eat and drink. The fishing port turned small–scale resort of Castiglione della Pescaia strikes a nice balance between chic and unpretentious, while a little further south, the beach that stretches south from Marina di Alberese, in the Monti dell'Uccellina nature reserve (parco–maremma.it) is one of the wildest and emptiest on the Italian mainland.
But it is Monte Argentario, a rocky island that in prehistorical times became linked to the mainland by two sandy isthmuses, which offers the Tuscan mainland's only real stab at Sardinian–style marine paradise. Don't expect much in the way of beaches – it's too rocky for that – but the coves between the yachtie hang–outs of Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole are fine places to work on that tan, and the blue–green sea is the cleanest and most translucent you'll find in Tuscany outside of true islands such as Elba, Giglio or Pianosa.
Favourite hotels
These hotels and my other recommendations of where to stay in Florence can be booked at telegraph.co.uk/tuscanyhotels, which offers a best–price guarantee. You will also find a full review and more details of each hotel on the site. Prices are a guide for room only.
1 Grand Hotel Continental, Siena
If it's the luxe touch you want, then it has to be the Continental – Siena's only centro storico fivestar, which opened in 2002. The décor is an odd mix of conventionally antique and strikingly contemporary, but there's no faulting the service or the comfort level – and of course the ultra–central location. Doubles from £170.
2 Campo Regio Relais, Siena
Easily Siena's most charming Room With A View guesthouse, this sixroom upmarket b&b looks across a tumble of Tuscan rooftops towards the Duomo. The rooms are lovely, the breakfast generous, there's a library and well–stocked honesty bar: really, you feel like moving in. Doubles from £145.
3 Borgo Santo Pietro, near Siena
My candidate for Tuscany's most desirable country–house hotel. In extensive, verdantly planted grounds near the famous roofless church of San Galgano, this is an exquisitely stylish antique–modern retreat. Open from the end of March to the end of October. Doubles from £325.
4 Relais dell'Orologio, Pisa
An air of aristocratic calm and elegance reigns at the Bignardi family's refined 21–room five–star in Pisa's historic centre, based in a converted medieval town house and tower that has always been in the family. Doubles from £107.
5 Alla Corte degli Angeli, Lucca
Value and charm go hand in hand at this 10–room boutique b&b in the peaceful pedestrianised zone inside the ancient city walls of Lucca. Super–attentive staff and bedrooms with trompe l'oeil murals lend a homely, personalised air. Doubles from £102.
6 Badia di Pomaio, Arezzo
Enjoy the Tuscan country hotel experience on the cheap in this sensitively restored old abbey with 17 comfortably antique rooms in the hills above Arezzo. Doubles from £81.
Enjoy the Tuscan country hotel experience on the cheap in this sensitively restored old abbey with 17 comfortably antique rooms in the hills above Arezzo. Doubles from £81.
7 Villa Bordoni, Chianti
The Florence–based Scottish hotelier and restaurateur David Gardner pulled out all the stops when he created this delicious shabby–chic mini–resort in a powder–blue villa amid Chianti vineyards. It is sheer perfection – and the restaurant is so good you won't want to eat out. Open from March to the first week of January. Double rooms from £162.
8 La Locanda in Chianti, Chianti
Who was it that said simplicity is the ultimate luxury? Me, probably – in which case this stunningly located rural retreat in one of Chianti's wilder corners proves my point. No distractions: just authentic, classy Tuscan style and hospitality. Open from April to October. Doubles from £188.
9 Guardastelle, San Gimignano
This lovely restored borgo (farming hamlet) surrounded by vineyards is proof that you can have it all for (in low season) less than £100 a night. That includes not only a pretty bedroom and a fine country breakfast but a panoramic pool and a genuine Tuscan family welcome. Doubles from £90.
10 La Bandita, Val d'Orcia
A dynamic New York couple have brought a touch of international class to this restored farmhouse in the Val d'Orcia, making it among the most desirable of Tuscany's new crop of designer boutique hotels. Open from March to December. Suites from £200.
11 Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino
The village at the centre of this 4,500–acre Brunello wine estate owned by Massimo Ferragamo has been turned into the non plus ultra of Tuscan country–luxe hotels. Open from early April to the first week of January. Suites from £330.
12 L'Andana, Tuscan Coast
Effortlessly chic, thanks to the sapient interior design of AD Italy editor Ettore Mochetti, this huge luxury resort–hotel set just back from the coast is co–owned by Alain Ducasse. Open from late March to late November. Doubles from £295.
Favourite restaurants
There are countless good restaurants across Tuscany – these are six of my favourites. The dialling code from outside Italy is +39, then keep the first zero.
1 Buca di Sant'Antonio, Lucca
Traditional specialities such as spelt and vegetable soup vie with more creative dishes at this old–fashioned but ever–reliable centro storico restaurant. Don't miss caramelised fruit and chestnut gelato. Average £35 a head without wine. Closed Sunday evening, all day Monday. Via della Cervia 3, 55100 Lucca (058 355881; bucadisantantonio.com).
2 Il Falconiere, Cortona
A romantic garden setting and gourmet Italian food (with, unusually for inland Tuscany, several seafood dishes) make the restaurant of this Relais & Châteaux hotel a good splash–out option. Average £85 a head without wine. Open daily; from November to March closed all day Monday and Tuesday lunchtime. Località San Martino, 52044 Cortona (0575 612679; ilfalconiere.it).
3 La Pineta, Marina di Bibbona
It looks like an unassuming beach bar. It's not. The domain of chef Luciano Zazzeri (who is the spitting image of the architect Renzo Piano), La Pineta is a Michelinstarred seafood restaurant with a delightful mix of informal seaside ambience and serious food, service and wine. Average £55 a head without wine. Closed all day Monday and Tuesday lunch. Via dei Cavalleggeri Nord 27, 57020 Marina di Bibbona (0586 600016).
4 La Torre Di Gnicche, Arezzo
A friendly, great–value, rustic wine bar and osteria off Piazza Grande, which does tasty soups and pasta dishes, salami and cheese platters, meaty main courses and lighter summer dishes such as spelt salad. The wine selection is encyclopaedic. Average £22 a head without wine. Closed Wednesday. Piaggia di San Martino 8, 52100 Arezzo (0575 352035; latorredignicche.it).
5 Osteria La Porta, Monticchiello di Pienza
If there were a prize for most iconic Tuscan country trattoria, cute La Porta would breeze it. Built into the walls of the impossibly pretty hamlet of Monticchiello, south of Pienza, it does hearty local food such as pici (hand–rolled spaghetti) in duck sauce, and has a cellar of more than 250 Tuscan wines. Average £30 a head without wine. Closed Thursday. Via del Piano 1, 53026 Monticchiello di Pienza (0578 755 163, osterialaporta.it).
6 Osteria Le Logge, Siena
Don't be fooled by the down–home trattoria décor: just a stone's throw from Piazza del Campo, this is a serious restaurant, militantly local and seasonal in its ingredients and inspiration but persuasively gourmet in technique and presentation. Average £45 a head without wine. Closed Sunday. Via del Porrione 33, 53100 Siena (057 748013; giannibrunelli.it).
Telegraph Travel experts
The travel writer Lee Marshall has lived in Italy for 27 years, first in Rome and more recently just across the Tuscan border in Umbria. He loves Tuscany for its seriousness about life; for the way it distils the essence of civilisation in its landscapes, food, wine and art. For more guides by Lee go to telegraph.co.uk/ travelitaly.
Good–value Italy
Howtosavemoneyon your travels fromRome toRavenna Pages 12–13
What's on in 2012?
Stay in a castle
The big new Tuscan luxury country hotel opening for 2012 is Castello di Casole (castellodicasole.com), a gorgeous 41– suite castle hotel at the centre of a 4,200– acre estate, which makes its debut in April.
Hot ticket
Outside Florence, the hot Tuscan art ticket is currently the Picasso retrospective at Palazzo Blu (palazzoblu. it) in Pisa – with more than 200 works by the artist, including a complete set of linocuts taken from the Picasso Museum in Barcelona (running until January 29). Open–air concerts
Over the past few years, Lucca's Summer Festival (summer–festival. com) has become one of Tuscany's major open–air popular music events. Around 10 concerts are staged in July in the atmospheric surroundings of Piazza Napoleone; Elton John, Liza Minnelli and James Blunt were among the 2011 headliners.
Classical highlight
One of the highlights of the summer season for Tuscan classical music fans is the Incontri in Terra di Siena (itslafoce.
org), a series of chamber concerts organised in the grounds of the historic estate La Foce, which attract performers of the calibre of Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Tallis Scholars.
The 2012 season opens on July 20 with a recital by the tenor Ian Bostridge, and runs until July 29.
La dolce vita
Panning out between the end of July and the first week of August, Cortona's Tuscan Sun Festival (tuscansunfestival. com) mixes culture and la dolce vita with wine tastings, opera recitals, yoga workouts led by Trudie Styler and theatrical events (the 2011 event featured Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack, among others).
More classical treats
Other high–quality classical music seasons worth watching out for are Siena's Micat in Vertice, from November to April, and its summer Estate Chigiana chamber music seasons (for both, see chigiana.it).
The Puccini Festival (puccinifestival.it) takes place in Torre del Lago, the lakeside village where the composer lived and worked.
In 2012, three Puccini operas (Tosca, La Bohème, Madame Butterfly) and Verdi's La Traviata will unroll from July 20 to August 25.
In 2012, three Puccini operas (Tosca, La Bohème, Madame Butterfly) and Verdi's La Traviata will unroll from July 20 to August 25.
Antique haven
Curious shoppers should not miss Arezzo's Antique Fair (arezzofiera antiquaria.org): on the first Sunday of each month and the Saturday that precedes it, the streets and piazzas of the old town are lined with hundreds of stalls.
TRAVEL ONLINE
The ultimate guide to Tuscany Reviews of the best hotels for every budget Interactive guides to what to do and see Where to eat, drink and shop How to get around and save money Book rooms at the lowest rate, guaranteed telegraph. co.uk/tuscany The real draw is the ravishing 12th–century abbey of Sant' Antimo
di Lee Marshall
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Luciano Pignataro Wine Blog - 24/02/2011
GARANTITO IGP. Radda in Chianti, basta la parola: cosa bere e cosa mangiare
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di Carlo Macchi
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Snooth - 01/12/2009
Tasting Wines in Chianti Classico
Volpaia is a fantastically preserved and renovated Italian village of medieval origins. The Stianti family, owners of Castello di Volpaia, have painstakingly restored much of the village and converted it to their winery while preserving all the architectural details and appearances that takes one back to a simpler way of life.
continue:
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di Gregory Dal Piaz
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Worldnomads.com - 23/09/2009
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Vineyard Tour of Volpaia
Had a very lazy day today, grabbed a coffee from our local, walked around our property and had lunch. Were hanging around waiting for our tour at 4pm in Volpaia. Arrived in Volpaia, met up with Roberta who took us on our tour. She gave us a bit of a history blurb on the origins of the hamlet, and took us to the olive oil pressing room first. Was so interesting to see how it's all done. Then we set of the the winery side of things, she took us through the entire process from crushing to fermenting, to aging, to bottling to drinking. We tried 1 white, which was crisp and fresh, and 3 reds. We liked the Classico Reserve the best. She showed us how the dry the sweet white grapes to make the dessert wine, what a sight! Wish we had of tasted that one, bit x'y to buy. All in all a very interesting experience, Volpaia was gorgeous, so old, yet behind the big ancient doors lies the most modern wine making equipment known to Italy!
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di almost_italian
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Sydsvenskan - 06/09/2009
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Sol, vin och hav
Man behöver inte vara vinnörd för att besöka Toscanas västkust. Här finns milslånga stränder, etruskiska sevärdheter och gourmetrestauranger.
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di Anders Fagerström
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Le blog de Serge Kaganski - 30/08/2009
Ou encore le sublime Volpaia, son château, ses ruelles, son auberge centenaire (tenue par la maîtresse femme Carla Barucci)surplombant les collines où l’on peut déguster une assiette de pâtes aux truffes pour 10 €. Ajouter un lapin aux truffes, un ou deux verres de chianti riserva, le crépuscule tombant sur cette terre bénie, et pour 20 €, vous atteignez le nirvana.
di Serge Kaganski
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Jesus Creed - 29/07/2009
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Italian Building Walls
I like the walls of building in Italian villages and cities. The walls tells stories of age and repair and design. So, when Kris and I are sipping a latte at an outdoor cafe, my eyes often wander to the exteriors of buildings I can see. Here are three, one from Monteriggioni, Assisi, and Volpaia ...
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di Scot McKnight
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Il Giornale della Toscana - 19/07/2009
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Linari Classic - Incroci musicali
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HLN - 15/07/2009
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Van castello naar palazzo
Tussen Firenze en Siena ligt het hart van Toscane. De Chianti is hét uithangbord van de streek. De olijfbomen, wijngaarden, cipressen, versterkte dorpen ('castello'), boerderijen en kastelen zorgen voor een landschap dat nergens ter wereld zijn gelijke kent. Er is de klassieke Chiantiroute. Maar wij stippelden een route uit die ook langs minder bekende plekjes voert.
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Fodor's Travel Guides - 14/07/2009
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Volpaia
Fodor's Review:
Perched atop a hill 10 km (6 mi) north of Radda is Volpaia, a fairy-tale hamlet that was a military outpost from the 10th to the 16th century and once a shelter for religious pilgrims. Every August, for the Festa di San Lorenzo, people come to Volpaia to watch for falling stars and a traditional fireworks display put on by the family that owns the adjacent wine estate and agriturismo lodging, Castello di Volpaia (Piazza della Cisterna 1, 53017. 0577/738066).
Read full review
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QN - La Nazione - 06/07/2009
Linari Classic Voci e strumenti in pievi, borghi e ville antiche
La musica dei Grandi accende il Chianti
Musiche di Boccherini, Beethoven e Strauss il 28 al Castello di Volpaia (Radda in Chianti)
di Emanuela Olivi
Allegati:
 Allegato 1
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Case & Country - 01/07/2009
Maestri d'etichetta
Castello di Volpaia
di Daniele Cernilli
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allegato 1
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Wine Enthusiast - 01/06/2009
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Touring Tuscany for less
Castello di Volpaia
di Monica Larner
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allegato 1
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North Shore Magazine - 03/05/2009
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Dungeons and Trebbianos - If you want to find the best wine bargains in Italy, you're best advised to get a little medieval.
F ifty-two people, four churches, no priests. And the niftiest winery you've ever seen. Welcome to Volpaia. Nifty? OK, medieval nifty, as in a winery that's cleverly built into, around, among, and through a tiny Tuscan hill town (a hamlet, really) that dates from the 11th century. It's spitting distance to Radda in Chianti, 25 miles from Siena and 35 from Florence, and its historic purpose was to fend off attacks from the Florentines. Its purpose today is to demonstrate how much better it is than where you live.
Castello di Volpaia harvests Sangiovese, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay (this is not your grandfather's Chianti) from vineyards surrounding Volpaia, vinifies them in buildings hundreds of years old around the Piazza 23 Novembre, and ages them in labyrinthine cellars underneath a couple of those priestless churches - which is also the Lord's work. For you authenticity fans, you can finally climb up the steep stairs to a vin santaia, an attic where Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes hang on long chains from the rafters, like hams, drying out for months at a time before being turned into the most sacred sweet wine, vin santo.
And then you can go make lunch. The other nifty part about the winery (and olive oil producer) is that it's also a cooking school run by owner Giovannella ("call me Jo" ) Stianti Mascheroni. It's a very small cooking school, and yes, you can sign on for just one meal. I didn't enroll for class, but I did stay to eat Jo's Pasta Norma and her veal braised in milk and carrots. And drank her bright Chianti Classico, a food-affectionate, acid-rich sweetheart. For dessert, I nominated her for sainthood.
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di Terry Sullivan
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AT Casa - Corriere della Sera - 20/04/2009
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A pranzo nel Chianti
Il “Virgilio della bistecca” ci apre le porte di “Solociccia” e della sua mitica macelleria a Panzano.
L'aceto di Volpaia sulla tavola di Dario Cecchini
leggi tutto - read more
di Rinaldo Rocco
Allegati:
Scarica la foto
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AGI - 03/04/2009
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RAIUNO: Easy Driver a Volpaia
Si rinnova l'appuntamento con "Easy Driver", il programma di Raiuno in onda sabato 4 aprile alle ore 14, dedicato al mondo dei motori e condotto da Ilaria Moscato e Marcellino Mariucci. Ed ancora una volta i due saranno in Toscana per visitare i luoghi che gli inglesi chiamano "Chiantishire" una terra di vini, borghi e morbide colline. Ilaria e Marcellino partiranno da Greve, a pochi chilometri da Firenze, esattamente da Piazza Verrazzano, datata 500, ai cui lati scorrono i portici usati anticamente per stoccare le merci. In questa puntata Ilaria sara` alla guida della nuova Volkswagen Scirocco, mentre Marcellino Mariucci guidera` la Toyota Avensis Wagon. Ilaria visitera` il castello di Meleto, con le sue torri circolari, le mura quattrocentesche, i saloni affrescati, le logge e i cortili. Marcellino, invece, visitera' Volpaia, un delizioso borgo antico nel bel mezzo delle colline del Chianti dove il tempo sembra essersi fermato all'anno Mille.
Ilaria e Marcellino si ritroveranno, per i saluti finali, al castello d'Albola, in provincia di Siena, una villa del 500 appartenuta a celebri famiglie fiorentine che hanno fatto la storia della Toscana. E da qui i due conduttori dopo essersi scambiati le reciproche impressioni sulle due vetture passeranno la parola ai nostri esperti di "Quattroruote" per la consueta scheda tecnica. Le rubriche di Sergio Spanu e le sue moto, "Car Style" di Susanna Baccetti, e "Un agente per amico" di Susanna Checconi completeranno la puntata.
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Winnipeg Sun - 29/03/2009
Under our Tuscan sun
"... On our last full day in Tuscany we venture out to discover Volpaia, a tiny hamlet up in the hills behind Radda. After thinking we've taken the wrong turn we end up on the correct route -- yet another narrow, winding road to the village. Volpaia is like most towns in Tuscany, you will see your destination long before you reach it. Most towns are perched high on hills. This was done in order to protect them from rival neighbouring towns centuries ago.
Volpaia proves to be a most interesting stop. We enjoy a cappuccino in the small town square before venturing out to walk the narrow cobblestone streets. We pick up some locally made wine and vinegars before stopping for lunch at one of the two restaurants. Our view is again spectacular and the food equally good.
Most restaurants offer indoor and outdoor dining and we choose outdoor as often as we can. The food in Tuscany is everything I thought it would be. Every restaurant offers a wide selection of fresh pasta plus different meats. Pork, wild boar and rabbit appear quite often on the menus, roasted or in stews. The wine menus are extensive, highlighting the Classico Chianti, for which the region is famous. We take every opportunity to sample the local favourites either on our plates or in our glasses. ..."
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di SANDY EHRICH
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guardian.co.uk - The Observer - 29/03/2009
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A slow travellers' guide to Italy
"Most guests arrive in a state of shock, admit Guido and Martina. The postal address suggests this place is on the Tuscan tourist trail; the reality is glorious isolation. But the Bevilacquas' skills as hosts soothe the most ruffled feathers, and the astonishing panorama of Chianti and the medieval village of Volpaia does the rest. "We give guests an 'unplugged' experience without letting them feel abandoned," says Martina. "We look after them, make them drinks, cook for them, help them make plans. We know when to leave people alone and when to join in."
Guido and Martina found the old farm 12 years ago after it had been abandoned for 40 years. "It was a classic story: farmhouse left to rot, trees growing inside, land overgrown," says Martina.
The couple are supporters of the Slow Food Movement. Says Guido: "We are surrounded by 300 hectares of some of the best organic vineyards, olive groves and honey. We take a lot of care choosing our suppliers and, thank God, here it is still possible to find small artisan producers."
Martina, who does most of the cooking, prepares what is seasonal and good. "I prepare only one thing each night, just as you would at home. Sometimes we eat beautifully but simply; sometimes dinner is elaborate. I imagined when we moved here that we would find a local lady from the village to cook for us. She never materialised and now I do it all and I love it."
They are a dynamic pair, full of vigour and life, and they have created a memorable place to stay. The beautiful pool vies for attention with the heart- stopping view, there are a library/bar, fine antiques, lovely art, whitewashed rafters soaring over pretty beds and terraces upon which Guido alights with glasses of wine, maybe a grappa, or a restorative coffee. They are vigilant guardians of the landscape and of local traditions. They richly deserve all the good company that is lured to La Locanda.
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Vita Pelle - Blog - 02/03/2009
Adventures in Chianti and tales of a European car rental
The highlight of the wonderful week I spent with my mom was our journey into Chianti. We rented a car in the center, and upon the advice of my friends we drove towards Volpaia.
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di Leather Girl
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Gourmet Station - Fine Dine Delivered - 01/03/2009
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The Heart Of Chianti
"... The other side of the valley from Spaltenna and a short drive through the winding country roads of Chianti is Volpaia, a small village perched atop the mountain. Dating back to circa 1172, Volpaia is home to some of the finest Chianti Classico. After a stroll through this beautiful medieval village a relaxing lunch on the terrace of the Osteria di Volpaia is in order. Our suggestion would be that you enjoy a frittata with a glass of Bianco di Volpaia. ..."
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di Dave, Edie & Simonetta
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ricksteves.com - 04/02/2009
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Unique Ideas for Tuscany Trip?
Just being in the Chianti area is fabulous. We were last there in fall 2007. We too were looking for something a little different. We arranged ahead of time to have a private tour and wine tasting in Volpaia. Volpaia is a very small hill town between Panzano and Greve right off of the Chianti Road (S222). The whole village is the winery. Just google it and you will find it. The village and its history are charming. The wines are excellent (the Balifico super tuscan is out of this world). Our host and guide Marja (a Finnish ex-pat who wanted to be in Chianti) made the experience so wonderful for the six of us. The tour and tasting was also combined with a delightful dinner. The price was very reasonable and left us with smiling faces and happy memories. Have fun.
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di Jon, Portland, Oregon
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Frankfurter Rundschau - 09/01/2009
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Die Resonanz des Cellokörpers im Raum
Es kommt vor, dass der Cellist Ernst Reijseger andere Cellisten erschreckt. Cellisten sind oft zart besaitet, und es geht ihnen durch Mark und Bein, wenn Reijseger etwa bei einer Live-Performance mit dem Stachel seines Instruments über Sandsteinboden schrabt und fiese Geräusche erzeugt, als setze er die Gesundheit seines schönen Instruments aufs Spiel. Was er nie tun würde.
Manchmal unterhält er auch mit ungewöhnlichen Spieltechniken, die Cellisten an keinem Konservatorium lernen: eigenwilligen Pizzicato-Techniken, akkordischem Spiel wie auf einer Wandergitarre, merkwürdigen Arco-Techniken, bei denen beispielsweise nicht der Bogen, sondern das Instrument bewegt (nämlich am Bogen entlang gedreht) wird. All das sieht oft nach erheiternden Einsprengseln aus, hat aber immer auch beabsichtigte klangliche und keineswegs nur theatrale Effekte.
ANZEIGE
Auf seinem neuen Album zeigt Reijseger sich gleichwohl als ausgesprochen konzentrierter, spielerisch überaus disziplinierter und unauffällig-virtuoser, also keinesfalls exaltierter Instrumentalist. "Tell me Everything" besteht aus zehn eigene Stücken, zwei Stücken des japanischen Pianisten Fumio Yasuda und einem des Cellistenkollegen Tristan Honsiger, und es atmet den Geist eines buddistischen Minimalismus.
Omnipräsent wie Umgebungstemperatur ist eine überaus ernste und in keinem Augenblick gefallsüchtige Harmonie, und die Musik ist von großem aus der Stille entwickelten akustisch-organischen Farbenreichtum. In ihrem Verhältnis zur Welt offenbart sie einen Zugang, den man mystisch nennen könnte, weil er sich nicht darauf beschränkt, Zeit mit Tönen zu füllen, sondern dem Raum gerecht zu werden.
Morgendliche Singvögel, aus deren Musik heraus das Eröffnungsstück "Bidderosa" sich kraftvoll und in starken Linien entwickelt, um dann wieder zurück zu treten in die Naturgeräusche, verweisen auf eine Art ontologischer musikalischer Demut.
Aufgenommen hat Reijseger das Album in der Toskana im Keller eines Weingutes und in der Kirche La Commenda di San Eufronsio in Volpaia. Wer genau hinhören mag, vernimmt manchmal die Resonanz des kleinen Cellokörper-Innenraumes in diesen größeren Gewölben und eine sanfte, unausweichliche Dramatik, die Reijseger bei solchen Begegnungen im Raum mit seinen zurückhaltenden Kompositionen in die Welt setzt, ohne dass die Musik dadurch etweas Sakrales bekäme.
weiter lesen
di Ernst Reijseger
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Interhome Magazine Italien - 07/01/2009
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Klöster und Kulinarisches an der Via Cassia - Durch das Land des schwarzen Hahns
3 km nach Panzano biegt man links Richtung Radda in Chianti ab, um das nächste Gut zu erreichen. Durch Weinberge und Wälder geht es entlang dem Flüsschen Pesa, bis sich nach etwa 10 km an einer Haarnadelkurve links die Straße zum Castello di Volpaia (Tel. 05 77 73 80 66, www.volpaia.com) emporschlängelt. Aus dem verlassenen Dorf haben seine Besitzer eines der renommiertesten Weingüter und ein kleines Mekka für moderne Kunst gemacht. Die Weine (rot: »Chianti Classico«, »Balifico« und vor allem der »Coltassala«; weiß: »Torniello«) und vorzügliches Olivenöl können Sie das ganze Jahr hindurch am winzigen Dorfplatz kaufen.
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Firenze Straordinaria - 01/01/2009
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Castello di Volpaia: nell'incanto di un intatto borgo medioevale
Castello di Volpaia: nell'incanto di un intatto borgo medioevale
di edizioni dell'ambrosio
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www.vinit.net - 29/12/2008
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Castello di Volpaia
Il castello di Volpaia e' un borgo fortificato nei pressi di Siena dove Giovannella Stianti Mascheroni produce Chianti Classico anche in versione Riserva in una splendida fattoria. Visite al Castello su appuntamento.
continua
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Decanter - 17/11/2008
The heights of Chianti Classico
read more
di Steven Spurrier
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Bell'Italia - 01/11/2008
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www.tripadvisor.com - 29/05/2008
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Trip Advisor on Volpaia
Read some of the best and independent comments about Castello di Volpaia Agriturismo and more:
“Terrific Villa in Chianti: Casavecchia at Castello di Volpaia”
“Peaceful Tuscan Evenings in Volpaia”
“Real ChiantiShire”
read more
di Multiple authors
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La Repubblica - 15/05/2008
Quando il sapere era potere La scienza al tempo dei Medici
Al Museo degli Argenti una raffinata mostra con strumenti e codici
Trasferiti qui materiali dell´Istituto di piazza dei Giudici ora chiuso
Allegati:
Repubblica
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The Sunday Times - 04/05/2008
Tuscany on TWO wheels
The Renaissance splendour of Tuscany and Siena is all very well, but what about some exercise in between? Anthony Sattin and family combine paintings and pedalling on an Italian art adventure with a difference
di Anthony Sattin
Allegati:
The Sunday Times
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Luna - 01/05/2008
Cook in progress
Per chi vuole imparare i sapori della cucina toscana può approfittare dei corsi creati ad hoc da Giovannella Stianti Mascheroni al Castello di Volpaia
di Gualtiero Spotti
Allegati:
allegato 4
allegato 3
allegato 2
allegato 1
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Maku - 02/04/2008
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Cuisine et Vins - 01/04/2008
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Le Chianti coeur del la Toscane viticole
Castello di Volpaia – Le village del Volpaia est presque entiérement dédié au domaine viticole. Deux des trois églises sont devenues lieu de stockage ou de conference. Giovannella, fille d’un imprimeur de Florence qui avait acquis le domaine, n a fait un haut lieu du turisme agricole italien. Avec ses enfants, Federica, Carlo et Nicolo, elle gére le domaine, le restaurant,l’école de cuisine, la boutique, les locations.
di Karine Valentin
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allegato 1
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Anywhere - 01/12/2007
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Wine & Spirit - 01/10/2007
Best agriturismi in Chianti Classico
Best agriturismi in Chianti Classico: Castello di Volpaia
di Eric J. Lyman
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Le guide di Case & Country - Class - 02/02/2007
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Agriturismo di Charme – 500 indirizzi in tutta Italia
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image jpeg
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Cucina & Vini - 12/07/2006
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The West Australian - 27/06/2006
Renaissance all over Chianti
Volpaia is not simply a beautiful old village for tourists to admire, it is a bustling centre.
di Alan Hill
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articolo
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articolo svedese - 27/06/2006
Toscana Val Vart en Vinresa
di Catarina Hiort Af Ornas
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articolo
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Amnesty International - 27/06/2006
una buona ragione per peccare di gola
mercato enogastronomico, i Vini Dolci
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pag 1
pag 2
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Il Giornale - 25/04/2006
Volpaia, il borgo delle meravigle
"Il Castello di Volpaia è uno degli esempi meglio conservati e più affascinanti...Un luogo straordinario, dove trovano posto anche una scuola di cucina, un’osteria e un paradisiaco agriturismo. "
di Andrea Cuomo - Il Bicchierino
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articolo
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A Tavola - 01/01/2006
Gli Agriturismi Gourmand / Toscana
Superbi Vini e una varietà di prodotti straordinari, da gustare nell'incanto di paesaggi da cartolina e di borghi medievali, castelli e antiche case nobiliari oggi trasformati in superaccoglienti strutture. Ecco una selezione di indirizzi all'insegna del gusto e nel rispetto del più autentico spirito agrituristico
di Guido Stecchi a cura di Chiara Mojana
Allegati:
pag 1
pag 2
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Il Giornale - 25/04/2005
Il Castello di Volpaia è uno straordinario borgo rurale.
Il Castello di Volpaia è uno degli esempi meglio conservati e più affascinanti di borgo rurale, eredità di quello che fu un avamposto fortificato tra Firenze e Siena.
Allegati:
Il Giornale
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Decanter - 25/02/2005
Great Wine Route: Tuscany
read more
di Michèle Shah
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Decanter - 01/05/2003
Chianti Travel Guide
read more
di Stephen Brook
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Il Giornale
Gli stranieri bocciano la solita Italia
"Rimini e Porto Cervo fuori moda all'estero: la stampa mondiale elegge le nuove mete alternative della penisola"
Allegati:
articolo
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Compagnia di Volpaia srl
Loc. Volpaia-Coltassala
53017 Radda in Chianti (SI)
P.IVA e Cod. Fisc. 00364860528
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Fattoria Castello di Volpaia
di Giovanna Stianti - Loc. Volpaia
53017 Radda in Chianti (SI)
P.IVA 00551100522
Cod. Fisc. STN GNN 47P57 D612 Z
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E-mail: info@volpaia.com
Tel. +39 0577 738066
Fax +39 0577 738619
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