April 15, 2020
About the authors: Corso and Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel are the current owners of Villa le Barone. The villa hotel is close to the lovely village of Panzano in Chianti, which is ideally situated about halfway between Florence and Siena in central Tuscany. Corso and Jacqueline (respectively born Tuscan and French)…
September 16, 2019
About the Author: Betty Zacharias is a friend of Adagio Travel who graciously offered to share her story about her family’s custom tour to Tuscany, Italy in June 2019. We are a family of ten: five adults and five teenagers. Our ages range from 12 to 70. This was a…
November 9, 2016
On June 24, Florence celebrates the feast day for its patron saint, St. John the Baptist, considered the “symbol of moral rectitude and political correctness.” Medieval Florence aspired to build its economic fortune and good government of the Republic based (at least in part) upon these values. All well and…
September 14, 2016
European white truffles may well be the most expensive food in the world. With prices upward of $3600/pound in a slim year (supply and demand truly rule this market), white truffles top even Russian caviar ounce per ounce. Focusing solely on Italian truffles (tartufo sing. or tartufi plural), the most…
August 24, 2016
This point in the summer finds me searching for good TV entertainment. I ran across Da Vinci’s Demons, a very engaging if fantastical look at the genius as a young man struggling against multiple obstacles in 15th century Florence. You might love or hate the 3-season TV series, but it…
September 19, 2015
This time of year is always hectic for our family. The kids are adjusting to new challenges at school. The volunteering for all kinds of things begins. And I always head to Italy. Next week, in fact. Here are some of the experiences awaiting me during the 15 days I’ll…
August 15, 2015
My birthday is Ferragosto, August 15 — Italy’s biggest summer holiday. The country practically shuts down, and everyone heads to the beach, the mountains, or the countryside. I think of what I might be eating today, were I sitting in the rolling hills of Tuscany, for example. The meal would…
June 15, 2015
Just back from western Tuscany, where I had the chance once again to taste some delicious, if lesser known, Italian white wines. The hardest to find here in the US is Vermentino, known in France as “rolle”. The grape is widely planted in Italy’s Piedmont region, where it’s known as…
April 21, 2015
Final days of my stay in Florence I decided to travel a piedi (by foot) to meet Chef Marcella on my last day in town. This is the best way to make your own discoveries in Florence, especially as you put a little distance between yourself and the Duomo. After…
April 10, 2015
Wine and Chocolate Pairing in Florence Okay, you’re all waiting for my review of the wine and chocolate pairing lesson, right? First, even if you don’t partake in this amazing experience, make the Ballerini Chocolate Shop a stop on your next trip to Florence. It’s only a block from the…
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