TOP DESTINATIONS

You already know about Tuscany’s famous beauty and the video below will reminded you. Who has not heard of the world renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa? Who does not think of Florence as a synonym for resplendent beauty? Lucca, Pisa, Florence and Siena are the most stunning cities in one of the most breathtaking regions on the planet. Collectively, they populate an area that no one should ever miss.

Slow Travel, the movement that is lazily revolutionizing the travel world, is alive in Tuscany. The intention behind slow travel is self-explanatory: take the time to get to know a place, its people, its customs, and accurately get your finger on the pulse of a location. Learn its roads like the lyrics to a favorite album, the menus of the sidewalk bistros like a friend’s face. Even a cursory look at all that Tuscany offers reveals why it is a perfect Slow Travel hot spot. With the amazing art collections, exquisite and exclusive cuisine, world-renowned scenery and Italian hospitality, no other place brings such a diversity of wonder within proximity.

Castiglione Del Lago

One destination that is perfect for a Slow Travel getaway is the city of Castiglione Del Lago. Castiglione spreads its medieval grandeur languidly along the shores of Lake Trasimeno, flaunting its great stone fortifications to the rising sun. These fortifications hide some stunning frescoes and whisper tales of war, of heroes and of villains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As You can tell from the photo above, Castiglione Del Lago has kept up to date with its roads but has lost very little history to the passage of time.

I mentioned war, I mentioned heroes.  Ascanio Della Corgna is the hero of Castiglione Del Lago.  Perhaps no

image of the warlike periods of the 16th century is more romantic than that of the master of the sword.  Add to this dashing figure of a courageous duelist the pedigree of engineer and architect and you have a regular figure of a renaissance man–Ascanio Della Corgna was one such man

One of the most famous men of his time, Ascanio attracted more than three thousand people to the duel in which he defeated an insubordinate subordinate.  A depiction of the final moment of that epic battle, pictured to the right, hangs in the palazzo among the other spectacular works of art.

Castiglione Del Lago is just one of the great cities to visit in Tuscany.  Interhome has rental homes, apartments and villas all over the region in all the best areas–check out Villa Vinci for a really unique time–but the cities are just one reason why Tuscany is such a mecca for globe travelers.

Another Reason? Genuine Italian Food.

 

Italian food–we all love it.  We might even all love it more than Italians do.  The reason for this passion isn’t just the legendary passionate temperament of Italian chefs.  Let’s face it: Italian food is really just American food done better.  The culinary attitude of our nation was shaped mainly by the people who settled here, and few ethnic groups have had as strong a gastronomic impact as the Italians.

“Do you like Italian food?” is such a popular pick up line because no one can honestly say no.  If the object of your affection should profess a distaste for it she’s just trying to tell you something.  Sorry, someone had to fill you in.  By and large Italian food is well seasoned meat, fish and vegetables with richly sauced pasta accompanied by fine wine and cheese.  American food is, as we all know, largely the same but without the flavorful twist that the best Italian dishes present.  America has also influenced Italian cuisine.  The tomato, which might as well be on the Italian flag, was not even introduced into Italian kitchens until the discovery of the new world.  The same can be said for the potato and maize.

Cooking is a huge point of pride for Italy, as anyone with Italian family or friends knows.  The personality of a cook is expressed in their cuisine to the point where one cook can taste a dish and identify who created it.  It is the most common dishes that bear the most subtle customization and one of those delicious dinners coming out of Tuscany is the deceptively simple Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the Florentine Steak.

You’ve probably made it but, unless you did so in Tuscany, you probably made it wrong.  Extra virgin olive oil native to Florence, fresh cracked black pepper and the essence of garlic are brushed over a tenderized T-Bone or Porterhouse steak from Chianina beef.   Some cook it immediately, some allow it to absorb a bit of the oil.  Some do not add the pepper or other spices until halfway through cooking–whatever you decide, it must be seared over wood–cedar gives a nice flavor, so does apple–or wood coals until the juices run clear.

That’s it.  Or is it?  Each Bistecca alla Fiorentina is different.  The spices, the wood, the thickness of the cut–the variations are endless.  Were I in Tuscany for the next month I might have a new one for dinner each night and never be disappointed.

Above I mentioned Chianina beef.  Chianina is a cow native to Tuscany, and it really makes the steak.   Chianina are known for high quality meat, tender and flavorful, and for being one of the largest breeds in the world.  This ancient breed therefore produces not only some of the best steaks in the world, but some of the largest.  A full cut T-bone from a Chianina steer might remind you of the beginning of The Flintsones.

The best way to experience Tuscany is to rent a vacation home for a few weeks and make yourself at home. Make your daily routine one of discovery, exploration, relaxation, enrichment and enjoyment. Nowhere but in Italy can have you activated your senses as well as your mind. Take the time to do it right and book with a reputable company.