Showing posts with label tuscany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuscany. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Cinque Terre, Italy
During our only full day in Tuscany, we decided to leave.
Tuscany that is. We drove northwest to Liguria. The weather was supposed to be amazing and we wanted to take advantage of it the only way we knew how - by hiking. Before we left on our trip I did a quick Google maps search and found out that the famous Cinque Terre was only an hours drive from our hotel. So, after a leisurely breakfast at Locanda al Colle we were on our way.
At the recommendation of Riccardo we drove to the town of Portovenere and took the ferry to "the five lands". I had visited Cinque Terre with my friend Kelly during the semester abroad that I spent in Florence. I remember it being one of the most beautiful places I had seen that spring. The hiking was amazing, the towns were picturesque and the spaghetti we had for lunch was, for serious, out of this world.
Sadly, that was over eight years ago.
EIGHT.
...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday Favorites...Anniversary Edition
Happy Anniversary!!
Three years ago this week we packed our bags and moved across the pond. Can you believe that?! Where does the time go...
I thought it would be fun to do a special anniversary edition of Friday Favorites in honor of the last three years - three action packed years at that. Our primary reason for moving was to take advantage of a new continent at our door step, and I think we've been doing a pretty good job...
Here are some of our favorite trips from the last three years -
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Labels:
beach,
canada,
england,
france,
friday favorites,
go here - now,
halong bay,
hiking,
hoi an,
Italy,
life,
love,
paris,
photography,
road trip,
travel,
trvlngcupcake,
tuscany,
vietnam
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Locanda Al Colle
To be perfectly honest, I didn't do much planning for our trip to Tuscany last weekend. A friend had already booked the trip and invited us along with them, so my flights and hotel were already chosen for me. Bonus. All I needed to do was show up.
Things that I can do in life:
1. Show up for a trip to Tuscany
2. Eat cookies
Sadly, our friends had to cancel their trip. We figured we might as well still go, heck the trip was already booked. But now...now I had to do some actual planning.
What airport were we flying in to?
Where the heck is Camaiore??
What kind of pasta am I going to eat?!
See? Things were getting scary, real fast.
Luckily, one thing I didn't have to worry about was where we were staying.
Enter Locanda al Colle.
aka - a little piece of heaven in the Tuscan country side.
My friend found this hotel through Mr and Mrs Smith (seriously, check them out ASAP if you think I am talking about a movie rather than an awesome boutique hotel website) - and let me tell you, the Smiths did not steer us wrong. Neither did the awesome reviewers on TripAdvisor - every.single. reviewer for this boutique hotel on TripAdvisor gave it an "Excellent" rating and wrote a glowing review.
So, did this place live up to all the hype?
You bet your boots it did.
It was more than what we could have imagined or hoped for from a place to rest our feet at night.
Upon arrival the first thing I noticed (besides all of the cute and welcoming nooks on the front patio that just screamed COME HERE AND DRINK A GLASS OF WINE! and all of the amazing flowers blooming around the entire property) was that there wasn't a check-in desk. There was no formal computer system or line of other guests waiting anxiously to get to their room. Instead, I was greeted by softly playing music as I stepped in to the hotels living room. Arianna appeared from nowhere and welcomed me right in. Within moments of telling her my name she had our room keys in hand and was showing me the way to our room.
Immediately upon entering the room I felt at home. I was hard for me not to kick off my shoes right then and there. After a quick tour of the room she was off again, and I was left to my own devices. As I usually do when I first get to a new hotel room, I went through every nook and cranny in the place. No drawer was left unopened, no door was spared from being opened. I read all the welcome pack information as well as had a peak at all the bath goodies and the rain shower in the bathroom. And then, I sat down and took it all in.
The room was impeccably decorated with vintage furniture, interesting mismatched pieces that perfectly fit together in a way that I could never replicate in my own home. The room was a calming mixture of taupe and sage green, eggshell and muted gold with pops of orange and wood furniture. The bathroom was divine. Bath products made from local olive oil, plush over sized towels and the biggest rain shower I have ever seen in my whole life nearly made me want to move right into the bathroom itself.
Of course if I had done that I would have missed sleeping in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on in Italy. Not only was the bed comfortable and the bedding luxurious - but the pillows! These were the biggest, fluffiest, squishiest pillows I have ever slept on in probably all of Europe. Typically in European hotels (apart from all the big chains, obvi) the pillows are some sort of an after thought. Or maybe, Europeans don't really care about the quality of their pillows too much. All I know is that they usually leave us with a sore neck the next morning. But no...not these....
And the view....
Oh, the view....
If you look hard enough you can just see the coast and Mediterranean in the distance. I was surprised at first but then realized that we were only 5km away from the sea. Amazing, considering it felt like we were a million miles away from everything.
Locanda al Colle is nestled in the Northern Tuscan hills, about thirty minutes drive north of Pisa. Lucca is close by as well as many charming small towns, and the ritzy summer seaside town of Forte dei Marme is a mere ten minute drive away. Normally we stay in Southern Tuscany, so I was a little apprehensive about how we would like this area. I should never have feared (duh, we were in Italy after all). There are more than enough things to do here, I wish we could have stayed for a week rather than just the weekend.
In addition to our perfect room (next time I want to check out one of the Deluxe or Suite rooms which come with private outdoors space) the entire hotel (not that it's that big, there are only nine guest room in total) is decorated impeccably. Much of the furniture was picked up by Riccardo on his travels around the world and many pieces are vintage, perfectly preserved or restored. There is an odd mix of old and new, contemporary and vintage, but somehow it all just works.
The hotel also features artwork by local artists, from paintings to sculptures, displayed inside and out. Find a piece you really fancy? Just ask Riccardo for the price list and he is happy to indulge.
Speaking of indulgence - I haven't even started telling you about the food. Included in the rate was daily breakfast - served only from 9am to 11am (my kind of place - you don't have to worry about getting there early before all the good stuff is gone!) - and is a casual affair served in the communal kitchen. There are fresh breads with jam, cereals and yogurts, usually one sweet and one savory baked item and fresh fruit. Fancy some eggs? No problem! Place your order and Arianna or Riccardo will fix them right up for you, often times sitting down to join the guests for breakfast.
And if you are lucky enough to stay at Locanda al Colle on a Wednesday or Saturday night, you MUST take advantage of the home cooked dinner that is served. The chef (who used to work in a two star Michelin restaurant I might add) cooked us, and the other hotel guests, a delicious four course dinner. The evening starts with a glass of prosecco and canapes in the living room while you mingle with other guests or admire the artwork. Moving into the dining room you have your choice of wine (or more prosecco if that's how you want the night to go down) and then the courses start flowing.
While we were there we had a delicious polenta starter, followed by an artichoke and spec risotto and ended by pan fried sea bass with seasonal vegetables. Each bite was divine. And then, we had dessert. Arianna made an orange tiramisu that was out of the world. The orange flavor was so delicate and it was such an interesting and inventive twist on a traditional Italian dessert. We had an excellent time chatting with the other guests and learning more about Riccardo and his amazing hotel.
Oh yeah...I almost forgot to mention!
Don't forget to bring your bathing suit (like I did). There is a heated pool that is open year round.
Overall I have to give Locanda al Colle is glowing five star review (As if you couldn't tell that already). Not only is the hotel beautifully decorated and as comfortable as your own home (if not more!) but the hosts Arianna and Riccardo really do make this place special. They were both so helpful in recommending local restaurants and things to do, and were more than happy to print out ferry schedules and add their two cents on how to make our stay even more enjoyable. It is amazing to know that this place has only been open for a year and a half - when it seems like they have been doing this all their lives.
The value for money here is outstanding - but you better hurry up and go...this place won't stay a secret for long!
Locanda al Colle
Via della Stretta, 102
loc. Capezzano Pianore
55041 Camaiore (LU)
Phone +39 0584 915 195
http://www.locandaalcolle.com/
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Labels:
go here - now,
interiors,
Italy,
love,
pasta,
photography,
travel,
trvlngcupcake,
tuscany
Labels:
go here - now,
interiors,
Italy,
love,
pasta,
photography,
travel,
trvlngcupcake,
tuscany
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Bone Marrow
Yeahhh...me too....that was nice...
Anywho
When we were in Tuscany the first vineyard that we visited was one of the best Brunello producers in Montalcino - Biondi Santi. When we were there we were very fortunate to meet Mr. Franco Biondi Santi. Not only did we get a chance to meet him but when he found out that we were newlyweds (through a very broken Italian conversation) he gifts us with a bottle of 1983 Brunello. Score one for playing the newlyweds card!
We decided to pop open this vintage over the weekend with some friends. What would go best with this excellent wine? Steak you say? Alrighty then, steak it is!
Before we moved on to the main course though, our friends made some amazing appetizers.
 |
| Tucker trying to get his hands on some proscuitto wrapped cheese stuffed dates! |
Sean ordered steaks from our FAVORITE butcher in London...a website. Yes, we order our meat from the internet. No we are not ashamed. Because the meat that we get from East London Steak Co is some of the best meat that we have had...EVER. Tony Beef (the guy from ELSC who delivers your order - at 5AM!) deserves his own post, I could go on for years about how much we love this place. But I won't. I have something more exciting to tell you about.
When Sean ordered steaks he decided to be bone marrow as well. Bone marrow? Bone Marrow?!
The first time I ever really read, or heard about people eating bone marrow was when I read Anthony Bourdains book, Kitchen Confidential, last year. He sited roasted bone marrow (specifically from St. JOHN Bar and Restaurant in London) as what he would have as his last meal. Once you get past the part of what bone marrow actually is (I won't go into the deets, if you want a science lesson check it out here) you might actually like it.
Scratch that.
First - don't actually think about what you're eating. It's not going to help you at all.
Second - you aren't going to like it, you're going to LOVE it.
All you have to do to enjoy this beauty? Roast in the oven and toast up some bread. Serve with truffle salt if you want to jazz it up a little, and voila.
Sure, the texture is a little weird...but really only if you eat it with a spoon (which I did not...although...)
Just trust me - you need to try it. Talk to you butcher next time you pay him (or her) a visit.
Good wine, good food, good company.
Sounds like a pretty good Saturday night if you ask me.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Poggio Piglia
A few months ago I was cleaning out my afternoon flood of flash-sale emails when I decided to take a look at what Jetsetter had to offer. Out of all of the flash-sale emails I get (and that seems to be a lot lately), Jetsetter is always the most intriguing. Slashed rates at fabulous hotels all over the world?
Yeah, that usually peaks my interest.
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