For Christmas adopt a four-legged friend
Abandoned dogs, ill treated ones, puppies ...
Abandoned dogs, ill treated ones, puppies ...
In Italy December the 8th, day where the immaculate conception of Mary is celebrated is traditionally identified as the day for putting up the Christmas tree, laying out the nativity scene and hanging up the decorations. And traditionally all is removed after the Epiphany,(or on the actual day). Around here the saying goes “L’Epifania, tutte le feste se le porta via” “Epiphany , calls all the holidays away”
At Fattoria del Colle there are 4 ancient bread oven and two modern ones. The historic ones are enormous and very beautiful to look at , they are used only for monumental roasts....
Donatella Cinelli Colombini tells of how she has transformed the park in the centre of Fattoria del Colle using the left overs of the old olive mill as sculptures...
In the Fattoria del Colle country inn the most panoramic apartment is "Guardia". Once this was where the gamekeeper lived, it was built in the Eighteenth century...
At Fattoria del Colle, the cutting of two cypress trees killed by the “cancer” which has permittted us to discover their age:130 years...
Helle Poulsen Tesio presents her new healthy orange cake for the cookery school at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda...
Come and enjoy walking the trails of the Val d'Orcia, the Crete Senesi, and the countryside surrounding the farmhouse Fattoria del Colle among the warm colours of nature during Autumn...
[caption id="attachment_3177" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A table dressed with handmade tuscan tissues and dishes"][/caption] In the medieval heart of Siena "Toscana lovers" offers the best from Tuscan craftsmen, traditional and trendy items, all exclusive and individually designed and produced ‘ Toscana lovers’ is situated just a few metres from the Piazza del Campo in the Noble Contrada of the Oca; it is not far away from the house where St Catherine was born in 1347. We are obviously in the medieval heart of Siena where the three oldest parts of the city intersect. The building which currently houses the shop was originally a convent,...
As I was driving along the road, a few miles away from the Fattoria dalla Colle, I saw two children and a very tall man who were searching for pine nuts under a tree alongside the road. I said to myself “How strange! It is years since I have seen children searching for pine nuts like that”. Then I noticed that the car had a Swiss number plate and then I understood. In the Swiss Alps you cannot easily collect edible pine nuts from the trees so for this family searching for pine nuts is like the equivalent of us Tuscans being excited about being able to pick bananas straight from the trees in Egypt. It is a totally new experience.
I kept pondering and reflecting about this image and after a while it occurred to me how much growing up as a child in Tuscany has changed since I was young, even in the most simple little things such as this. Today there are so many video games and other distractions which encourage children to play insided, away from the Natural environment which surrounds them.
Before it wasn’t like that. In the Summer when I was a child I used to spent the entire afternoon with my friends collecting pine nuts and then crushing them on the wall. As a child I was almost addicted to the consumption of these pine nuts. My grandmother was so worried about how many I ate that she made someone cut down all the pine trees and made them take them away. Luckily after a few years I forgot all about them.
The Norwegian choir Fermate Vokal at the Fattoria del Colle. Beautiful singers and also wine lovers, the singers performed in Arezzo and Trequanda and rehearsed in the chapel of St. Clement at the farm...
In the new wellness centre of the Agriturismo Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda, which is owned by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the surrounding countryside itself creates part of the relaxing ambiance, the stunning vineyards, the vegetable gardens full of tasty produce, the themed guided tours and walks and the many festivals and celebrations which occur frequently through the year where you can meet new people and make new friends ...
Beautiful, friendly and an expert in wine, Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima of Holland and 17 of her friends from Argentina recently came to visit the Fattoria del Colle. Her Royal Highness tasted some wine from the barrel and then tasted some of our bottled wines. Her favourite of all the wines was the Brunello Prime Donne 1996 ...
The Via Francigena crossed the Tuscan countryside and probably passed in front of Il Casato Prime Donne. In Siena the major historical buildings and the important site for pilgrims. Here Donatella Cinelli Colombini, and Alessandro Mugnaioli welcome modern day adult scout pilgrims...
Patrizia Cenni, the pastry chef for the Fattoria dell Colle shares with us the recipe for one of her delicious cakes, a traditional dessert to which she has made some small important personal changes. It is Patrizia’s cakes and desserts - fresh fruit tartlets, traditional jam tarts and the vegetables from our own vegetable patch that transform breakfast every morning into a gourmet occasion and a true moment of joy...