Villa Ferraia II

If you have any interest in learning to cook authentic Tuscan cuisine, you must make a trip to Villa Ferraia.   Ferraia’s chefs will share their knowledge of the land, local produce and timeless recipes.   Torta della Nonna (Grandmother’s cake, above) is a classic dessert from the region with a creamy filling and pine nuts on the top.

Stefano heads up the culinary program 

and shows us how to make pizza dough the traditional way.

The pizzas are roasted in a wood-fired oven pictured at the bottom of this page.

Several acres of the property are dedicated to a spectacular organic garden and greenhouse.

Zucchini blossoms and artichokes are abundant during the summer months.

And you will meet interesting people from all over of the world.

I highly recommend a visit!

Villa Ferraia

A little south of Siena and off the beaten path, you will find Villa Ferraia.  Near the village of Tocchi, Ferraia was once a tiny hamlet surrounded by a dense forest.  Wild boar and deer thrive in the area.

Owners Vittorio and Patrizia Cambria bought the abandoned structure and used the surviving brick walls for the foundation for their beautiful new lodge . 

Villa Ferraia is a peaceful retreat with many pleasing features such as an infinity edge pool and spa.

An organic garden provides fresh vegetables

and luscious fruit with every meal.

Dining alfresco on the patio is always a special event.

Led by Vittoria himself, you can ride through quaint surrounding villages

and enjoy a picnic along the way.

Villa Ferraia is this photographer’s dream!

More on Ferraia to come…

On assignment in Tuscany

Rolling hills near Montalcino

One of the many historic piazzas in Siena

 

The Gallo Nero (black rooster) seal of approval at Colle Bereto in the Chianti Classico region

 

Alley in the picturesque hill town of San Gimignano 

 

Hauntingly beautiful San Galgano, below, is an abandoned Cistercian Abbey.   Impressive in its day, the abbey’s roof collapsed because the leading was removed and sold by a local lord.   A beautiful meadow now thrives in the nave.  The walls, true to Gothic design, soar upward to the sky. 

Legend has it that a wayward knight named Galgano Guidotti renounced worldly goods and became a hermit on Monte Siepi.  Spurred on by a vision and determined to prove that renouncing violence and worldly goods would be as difficult as splitting rocks, Galgano impulsively pointed his sword at a stone and miraculously drove it in to it’s hilt!  He never left the hill again and was canonized in 1185.  And there you have the Italian version of the ‘Sword in the Stone’!

 

Corner of a stairwell in Florence

 

Wine bottles in a display case shot during a wine tasting at the Enoteca la Fortezza di Montalcino.  Located inside the main tower of the medieval fortress, the enoteca specializes in wines from the Brunello di Montalcino appellation.

Salute!