Farm experiences

Acqua cotta dei logaioli, a spring time soup

A recipe that not everyone knows, traditional, easy and refreshing. It brings to the table the tastes of Montalcino and is well matched with the Doc Orcia and Chianti wines.

Agriturismo in Toscana - Fattoria del Colle- acqua cotta dei logaioli

The name comes from the small farms on the Montalcino hill, called “loghi” or “logaioli”. These were small holdings that permitted the survival of one family tank also to the presence of a source of water which enabled the inhabitants to irrigate their vegetable patch. The logaioli (inhabitants of the loghi) walked to the village with a basket full of celery, zucchini, parsley, carrots and eggs… and sole them under the old Town hall in the lodges. Up until 40 year ago they were there every day. Today they sell at the Friday market, in the “filiera corta” short supply chain stalls.

24 May 2012

Cantine aperte – Wine day at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino 20 wines for tasting

Cantine aperte 2012 - Brunello and other wines from Donatella Cinelli Colombini wineries

Twenty years have passed since the first edition of “Cantine aperte” and Donatella Cinelli Colombini continues personally welcoming guests and offering them something exceptional, out of the ordinary compared to what they can taste the rest of the year.

Donatella is practically a mother of this event. She organized the first edition of Cantine aperte on the 9th of May1993 in100 Tuscan wineries and during the next few years she transformed it into a National event with more than 1000 wineries and nearly a million tourists taking part. Today the president of this association is Chiara Lungarotti, a great friend of Donatella’s and someone with whom she still collaborates.

21 May 2012

Celebration for Shiseido’s 140 years

An experience of aromas, great wines, and traditional food at Fattoria del Colle following Gloria and Violante on a sensorial trail [caption id="attachment_6683" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Shiseido - Féminité du bois - Fattoria del Colle -Gloria and Violante"][/caption] Saturday May12th. A double birthday: 140 years of Shiseido and 40 years of the Profumeria Nella in Sinalunga, a myth for the women in southern Tuscany. The party, organized by Gloria, owner of the perfume shop and by Violante young export manager for Donatella Cinelli Colombini, is a mixture of transgression, sophistication and tradition. The guests were taken along a multisensory itinerary which began in the...

18 May 2012

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

First sunshine in Tuscany by the pool at Fattoria del Colle

[caption id="attachment_6674" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Fattoria del Colle-swimming pool"][/caption] The Spring time with its sunshine coming and going has arrived in Tuscany, but the swimming pool at Fattoria del Colle has been anticipated .The water is cold , but is however “scenographic” <<I’ll book only if the pool is open>> writes one of our guests from Germany. The park around the pool will also be the location of parties and for a wedding today. In other word the country inn at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda the pools have been opened 15 days earlier than usual. The request for an open pool in May,...

15 May 2012

Susanna and Cristina ceramists in Chianti

These are the novelty at Toscana Lovers, the shop where you find the best handicraft in the heart of Siena: tiles and bowls entirely hand made [caption id="attachment_6657" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Siena - Toscana Lovers - tiles by Ceramiche"][/caption] These are a couple of ceramist artists, who at the beginning of 2012 have opened a workshop in a small hamlet in Chianti near Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. The name is simple: Ceramiche and everything is done by hand, just like in medieval times refusing even to use the electric lathe. Tiles , bowls, glasses...

9 May 2012

My dog Felix walks on water

Let me introduce you to, the Golden Retriever at Fattoria del Colle. His true name is Valerio, but after a query posted on the web he was re-named Felix

Fattoria del Colle –entrance to the swimming pool park

Someone says that it is a name for cats, for cartoon characters, but in truth the name comes from the Latin word felix, which means lucky, and he really is a lucky and happy dog. He was born on the 24th September 2010 at the Antica Etruria kennel in Asciano and now weighs more than 40 kg. He is practically a fair-haired giant. His is sociable and welcomes all guests upon their arrival at Fattoria del Colle.

2 May 2012

San Clemente a dream house

Paola and Paolo, the “creative team” at Fattoria del Colle transform the San Clemente apartment into a romantic love net, it’s comfortable, young but with a sensation of a “Tuscan grandma”

Fattoria del Colle - San Clemente - living room

San Clemente is at the top of the hill behind Fattoria del Colle slightly above the swimming pools and the tennis court. It is surrounded by Sangiovese vineyards and olive groves, in the distance the Val d’Orcia and Crete Senesi hills as far as Montalcino and Siena. The silence is practically noisy, and there is a sensation as if one is in a film regarding Tuscany so beautiful is the panorama.

26 April 2012

For a love declaration use a pine cone

The pine cone, symbol of the Greek god Dionysus, continue to be a symbol of love, in the Tuscan tradition on the Albis Sunday

Santa Maria a Lamula -Arcidosso

The Sunday after Easter – in Albis – is the day when those who had been baptized took off their white garments used for the Easter ceremony and the day when the young gentlemen in love asked the young women to marry them in front of the Church and with their family’s consent.
Today this tradition continues in Pieve di Santa Maria a Lamula in the municipality of Arcidosso, on the Monte Amiata, 35 km from Montalcino and 50 km from Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. A nice occasion to experience an old tradition with some pleasing wines.

25 April 2012

Toscana –beginning of the extraordinary spring panoramas

[caption id="attachment_6599" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Val d'Orcia - view from San Giovanni d'Asso-April 20th 2012"][/caption] With the rain the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi are now of different colours, green, yellow, red…. an extraordinary show which we invite you to come and see with us The photographs included were taken yesterday along the road near San Giovanni d’Asso 10 km from Fattoria del Colle. This is the time to begin the Photography safari’s on the look out for beauty and harmony that are expressed, only in Tuscany, in [caption id="attachment_6598" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Val d'Orcia - panorama da SanGiovanni D'Asso - 20 Aprile 2012"][/caption] those...

19 April 2012

May 1st at Fattoria del Colle

Spring for senses:

art, great wines and traditional tastes

wisteria flowers on the italian garden - Fattoria del Colle

We advise you to come to spend the May 1st Bank holiday weekend at Fattoria del Colle, in Tuscany where Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia. You will taste wines made here and at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino, you will taste typical local dishes such as Pinci and the mixed grill with meat from the Valdichiana. The nearby small art cities will offer you pleasant surprises: Pienza ,renaissance city wanted by Pope Pio II, who for a bridge transforms the main square into an Italian style garden, and Montepulciano with its May 1st fair and the celebrations of the patron saint Sant’Agnese.

16 April 2012

April 25th 2012 at Fattoria del Colle dedicated to the Chiusure artichoke

"Chiusure artichoke" in a porchetta head

A festive day to spend immersed in the Crete Senesi and in its tastes, starting from Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda where, making the most of the Sagra del Carciofo di Chiusure, dedicates a special menu to the delicious “ carduccio” artichoke from our land. This is just a starting point to get to know our territory rich in history, in landscapes, and unique dishes, just like this artichoke. You will have the opportunity to taste our products, such as the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from Casato Prime Donne and the Cenerentola Orcia DOC from Fattoria del Colle. On April 25th from 11 am onwards in the medieval hamlet of Chiusure, on a hill just above the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, the festival will begin wish food stalls dedicated to the artichoke and much more, there will be music with the Asciano band too.

14 April 2012

In the bar Il Barrino di Montisi there’s party, and what a party!

Montisi -Il Barrino – Navel of the world

Montisi, this hamlet has only 400 inhabitants, but seems to be the centre of Tuscany. Its heart is represented by the bar called Il Barrino where broker’s from London, billionaires and farmers all have a coffee together

Il Barrino’s success come s from the fact that it authentic, people make friends purely through the pleasure of spending time together. This is a place where you are never alone, where you dress as you like and you can always find some interesting gossip. There’s a mixture of languages, habits, and lifestyles that is the real key to its charm.

Let’s go back a step so as to understand better. Here we are 10 km from Fattoria del Colle south-east Tuscany, in an area where mass tourism does not exist.

12 April 2012

He reminds you of a modern Geppetto but he is a master carpenter

Giorgio Romani: carpenter by profession, artist by vocation. His creations in wood can be found in Siena in the quality handicraft boutique called Toscana Lovers

seen for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Siena- Toscana Lovers – creations in wood by Giorgio Romani

The olive wood tells the centenary story of the tree from which it has come from. Hot years, cold periods, lightning, pruning … s series of curved lines which resemble rhythmic music that the artists indulges, turns, hollows until he finds a perfect harmony. This is how Giorgio Romani’s creations are born; he is a young and modern Geppetto who arrives in the Tuscan hills straight from Abruzzo to work with wood. His are pure essential shake, attended to in every detail. Shapes that hide the skill and I might say the virtuosity behind apparent simplicity. For example the bowl is so thin so as to let through the light, while the rim of the soup tureen is chiselled by hand so as to be pleasant to touch.….

11 April 2012