Tuscan Villa Heaven - Part 1
I’m not quite sure where to begin. Firstly, this is the first villa that I have rented for a group. It was sitting in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, had panoramic views from every window of the rolling hills, rows of iconic cypress trees, the famous Crete Senesi (rock formations), and the ochre-coloured ploughed landscape. The villa was surrounded by grape covered pergolas, providing perfect spots to sit quietly or enjoy dinner together, while a vast lawn stretched out in front of us which was divided by an infinity pool. Each of the eight bedrooms were spacious and exquisitely decorated, as was the simple yet elegant Italian living room with its soft pink and grey couches.
Secondly, the well equipped kitchen was bought to life by my dear friend Alessandro. He immersed us in the flavours of Tuscany, spoiling us daily with delights like crispy crusted bread, divine pasta and exceptional meals. I first met Alessandro 10 years ago when he cooked for me and a group of New Zealand girls at Palazzo Loredan in Venice. He cooks throughout Italy and in fact all over the world for families and groups.
Alessandro not only has remarkable culinary skills but he is funny and even gave us cooking lessons, sharing his famous panna cotta recipe and many more. Plus, he tolerated my group’s enthusiastic presence in his kitchen, although they were super good at cleaning up.
Choosing to stay in a villa in the countryside for a week was a new experience for me. Fortunately, I had my dear friend Daniele, who has been our bus company since 2013. He is always relaxed and incredibly helpful, and in his free time, he could be found out on his bike. Our rooms were impeccably serviced by a team of girls, making our stay even more enjoyable. The swimming pool was lovely and the hot tub was a relaxing retreat, even though we spent most of our days exploring.
Arriving on the first day, there were squeals of delight as everyone discovered their beautiful bedroom, each different and decorated to perfection. It wasn’t long before Hannah lined up Aperol spritz on the breakfast bar before we were treated to our first meal of salads, 7 hour roasted chicken, and the best Tiramisu (wow this was so fabulous ), a perfect way to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.
As we began to immerse ourselves into the Tuscan lifestyle, our first morning was spent exploring the medieval village of San Quirico, followed by a visit to a local farm renowned for producing the region’s famous Pecorino cheese. Giuseppe, the charismatic farmer, provided us with a witty and humorous explanation of the cheese-making process, from the history to the sheep and everything in between.
These farmers had travelled from Sardinia after the second world war with their sheep, and four brothers managed the farm, cheese production, shops, and tourist visits. It was fascinating to learn that their 1,000 sheep produced enough milk to make 20 kg of Pecorino cheese and 10 kg of ricotta every day, totaling over 20,000 kg of cheese a year.
We had been watching the flocks of sheep roaming the nearby hills and were intrigued to discover that they were protected by six Maremmano dogs, who fiercely guarded them against wolves and boar. They are fiercely protective and barked incessantly as I walked along the road towards the flock of sheep one morning and yet when I went to buy some cheese later in the week one came up for a pat. Giuseppe provided cheese, dried meats, bread and wine for our cheese tasting lunch and had very strict rules about what to eat first.
A walk up and down Montepulciano, along with a wine-buying spree, completed the end of our first day in Tuscany. It was back to the sanctuary of the villa and an inticing smell of fresh tomato fettuccine. With a starter of fennel and orange salad, roasted cauliflower and stuffed courgettes, ladleful’s of pasta and second serving of Tiramisu. Dinner was good!
One of my favourite garden visits has always been to La Foce, created by Antonio and Iris Origo, along with their garden designer Cecil Pisent. The Origo’s were responsible for transforming the landscape of Val d’Orcia, encouraging their farmers to establish profitable farms, which they eventually passed on. Iris, was a renowned writer and wrote the book ‘War in the Valley of d’Orcia,’ which is a compelling read. The garden, in typical English formal style, harmoniously blended with the landscape and Iris’s famed Cypress-lined winding road remains one of Italy’s most photographed scenes in Italy. Before visiting the garden, we made a stop at Bagno Vignoni, famous for its spas and hot springs. Later, we enjoyed lunch and a leisurely walk in the beautiful hilltop town of Pienza, famous for its Pecorino cheese and the summer Palace of Pope Pius II.
By the time we returned, Alessandro had the Pizza oven heating up with a stack of wood – the temperature had to get to 400 degrees celsius. What a fun night tasting each delicious pizza as it came out of the oven, until we couldn’t put another piece in our mouths. Wine from Montepulciano proved to be a perfect match. But the famous panna cotta was sublime and some even had seconds!
