Production, consumption and the culture of “Lardo di Colonnata” have always been linked to the work and life of quarrymen. In order to produce “Lardo di Colonnata” cuts from the fatty tissue from the animal’s back stretching from the occipital region to the rump and laterally to the belly are used. The principal characteristics of [...]

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“Pecorino Toscano” PDO is made from whole sheep’s milk and veal rennet. The paste is subjected to cooking and breaking until curd granules form that vary in size from that of a kernel of corn for “semi-hard” paste to the size of a hazelnut for “soft”. Then it is pressed and salted before being matured [...]

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Mr. Giorgio Gori leads his antiques activity since he stopped to work as a bank employée. The reason why he shows us his little precious antiques shop called “Doccia” is his true passion for ceramics, majolics and porcelains wares. His love for these handcrafts comes from the place where he lives, Colonnata in the Sesto [...]

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Over time, the term ‘Vitellone Bianco dell’Appennino Centrale’ has come to indicate a single “type” of animal belonging to the Chinina, Marchigiana and Romagnola breeds and which is characterized by similarities with regard to morphology and productive performance. Initially used for working the fields, these animals were later selected as specialized, quality meat-producing breeds. Typicity [...]

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In Tuscany a rather unique sort of pork breeding has evolved over time: the raising of largely grazed sows to give birth to piglets for fattening elsewhere. Also the original organoleptic characteristics of the hams and cured meats typical of rural production have become famous, giving rise to numerous small, artisan operations where the quality [...]

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Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) is the oldest grain to reach our times. Due to dietary changes and the consequential elimination of so-called “poor” foods from the diet, emmer began to disappear toward the end of the 19th century, but in Garfagnana it continued to be produced (also in notable quantities) as it was a product of [...]

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There are numerous historical references to the origin of Miele della Lunigiana PGI and its close ties to the territory, for example the considerable importance and specialization of beekeeping in Lunigiana, the centuries-old tradition of using honey in the local gastronomy, the use of products (such as medicines) derived from beekeeping, and the local tradition [...]

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With this video TP.tv begins to publish a series of videos about typical tuscan agricultural products realized for ARSIA.TV, official podcasts of tuscan agricultural agency. The ecotype for this bean, which over the centuries has been selected in the small valley of the Pescia river (in the province of Pistoia), is milky white or wine red [...]

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The restoration of the facade of the Duomo in Siena, concluded 30 November 2006 showcases the latest innovations regarding the history of facade restoration in Italy. Beginning in the Spring of 2004, initially as a conservational intervention to limit the decay of the marble statues on the facade, the restoration transformed into a project to [...]

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“Sky drops” is an installation in the Courtyard of Palazzo Pubblico inspired to Klee. Traditional Christmas installation of the Special Tree by Bambimus, Art Museum for children, which, as from 1998, presents the city with a Christmas tree dedicated to children. quicktime – 13,6 mb wmv – 16,3 mb Siena official website

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They say that this winter in Italy is the hottest since more than one hundred years. As you can see in this new video the sun shines on also in La Verna Sanctuary, in the middle of Casentino woods, where Saint Francis of Assisi established in 1200 century living here with his companions in [...]

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For Christmas Eve dinner, as every year, Anna Grazia prepares the Tortellini, a typical recipe from Modena, the city where she was born The preparation is difficult but is a moment where all the family is involved and this dish is crucial in Christmas dinner Grazia choose all first class ingredients, from fresh eggs to local meat. Home [...]

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The “panello con l’uva” (grapes cake) is a tuscan country traditional dessert that is prepared during grapes gather time. Each family has its own recipe and keep a secret about ingredients and baking methods they use. But what is really important for a good outcome is the choice of the grapes. Simone loves to use [...]

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Ten days after grape gathering the must in the tubs slackens thw boiling. Beppe press the remaining grapes and, with Cesare and Felice, decants wine in other tubs or other little recipients depending on the particular wine he wants to get. This is the first step to produce a good Chianti wine. It is in [...]

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Within the end of September and the beginning of October Beppe gathers the grapes of his little vineyard of Chianti DOC wine in Laterina, that he grows from years after the manner of old tuscan country-folk. The harvest, that produces about one ton of grapes, is made with simple means and with the helping hands [...]

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Anghiari is a lovely medieval town lying between two rivers, the Tiber and the Arno. The powerful thirteenth century walls made the town an invincible fortress which constituted an important reference point and kept the Tuscan flag flying during the many historical events that occurred in this delicately balanced border area. On the 29th [...]

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It’s harvest time in Lilia’s little rural paradise. In the first week of September, when we filmed this video, I was stunned by the incredible quantity of peaches in the trees, white and yellow pulp varieties. Visiting the garden in this seasons means to live an olfactory experience. We are talking about biodiversity scents: Lilia’s [...]

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Castiglione della Pescaia is a tourist place with a stunning medieval castle just above the sea side. It is one of the most visited places in Maremma due to the quality of the clean water. From June to September Castiglione is a bathing center with tourists from all over Italy and Europe. The [...]

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I arrived in Fosdinovo coming from Fivizzano: suddenly the castle of Fosdinovo stands in front of me as if it were emerging from a sea of green and blue, covered by the sunny fog of early summer afternoon. The castle is still a private property of Malaspina power family that since XIII century builded [...]

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Mulazzo is a village in high Lunigiana, a territory of hills and mountains that is maybe the wildest in all Tuscany region. Lunigiana is a valley at the borders with Emilia Romagna and Liguria along the course of the river Magra. Mulazzo is encircled from the Appennines and the Apuane Alps and, despite its [...]

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The secret of Lilia’s garden is Lilia herself and the way she loves it. I walked for the first time to her little rural paradise last january. By that time the garden was sleeping and other visits followed since then because I was so interested in showing in our videos the season cycle of [...]

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A hot sunny afternoon in the wild Maremma leads me to Capalbio, a litlle XII century village sited on low hills approaching to the Costa d’Argento seaside. This village is well known in the italian gossip newspapers because it is often visited by many famous italian politicians, tycoons, showmen and tv personalities. quicktime – 19,2 mb wmv [...]

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Summer in Tuscany is ideal for archeological tourism. The area of Grosseto is rich of roman and etruscan ruins: among them Cosa, near Ansedonia, is a must to see. The town of Cosa stands on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea on a rocky headland (114 m above sea level), that in past ages had [...]

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Ponte a Buriano is the Romanesque bridge along the Setteponti Road represented on the background of Mona Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci. Somone says this is a legend but here everyone you speak with is quite sure: that’s it. The background of the Mona Lisa is a landscape that in effect is very similar to [...]

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Sonic garden is an in progress electroacoustical botanical installation by the environmental design team Giardino Sonoro based in Florence at the Limonaia dell’Imperalino. The team leaders are Lorenzo Brusci, musician and sound designer, and Stefano Passerotti, garden designer. Lorenzo is a long time friend and when I met him a few months ago he invited [...]

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Here I’m am again in Lilia’s Rural Paradise: a guardian of old time agricultural traditions of Tuscany. You can’t understand our culture without meeting people like her. May and June are the months of the year in wich Lilia enjoys the most her garden with the fruit trees and the vegetables that, after the flowering, start [...]

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Panzanella Ingredients 500 gr. of day old Tuscan-style bread, 2 pieces of celery, 2 onions, one tomato, some fresh basil leaves, 200 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Preparation Slice 1/2 kg. of old day Tuscan-style bread. Submerge the slices in a bowl of water for about ten minutes then [...]

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Pinetum Park is located at an altitude of 536 mts above the see along the road between Moncioni and Ucerano. It was created as an experimental wood in 1850 by the lawyer G. Gaeta, who subsequently in 1893 wrote a monograph on the subject, under the title “Conifers”. Since 1998 it Pinetum was listed under protected [...]

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Another windy day with overcast sky in Chianti. The dirt road this time leads us to San Sano, an ancient an distant rural village close to Cassia Vetus road. This village was abandoned after the last war and has been recently rediscovered by English and French. Here we met 80 years old Giuseppe: 40 years ago, [...]

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Andrea Semplici run the “Semplici Confectionery” in San Giovanni Valdarno with his son and his wife. Andrea inherited this activity from his father keeping on a long time tradion of Sienese artisan confectionery. Besides to seasonal preparations or for special events (i.e. Panettone and Panforte for Christmas Eve, Colomba for Easter) Andrea prepare every day fresh [...]

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