C O U N T R Y
VALDORCIA
The smaller the better. This could be the motto for a special territory, that I love so much: The Clay Hills. In a moon landscape, that changes its colours in every season, everything is so small (except for Medieval abbeys): hamlets, farms, museums, restaurants, but so gracious and cosy and rich of masterpieces! These old houses now are a kind of buen retiro for stressed city people, in their holidays or retirements, it depends. And they care about this place a lot! That’s why villages are so well maintained and there are a lot of concerts, exhibitions and festivals all year long. They produce olive oil, wine and terracotta pottery, they live at the border of the wi-fi line, and you can discover with me a different reality, theirs. Open your mind!
CLAY HILLS
CHIANTI
The old volcano, the Amiata, signs the watershed and the horizon line too of this valley, so peculiar, closed between mountains and sea, so hard to live in since ancient times. Now it seems to us as a miracle, a piece of Heaven: not too steep slopes, not too hot weather, not too crowded towns. But Nature here has been more a stepmother than a mother, and men and women had to work so hard to survive as farmers and shepherds. I know, now everything seems so sweet, and I’ll make you see beyond appearances to real life, through the story of this territory and its tough people, until present days of tourism, food&wine excellences (pecorino cheese, Brunello red wine) in family-run farms, and a lot more. Valdorcia, World Unesco heritage, is waiting for you!
A landscape that is famous worldwide - its nickname is Chiantishire. A wine that is more famous than the country itself - produced since Etruscan and Roman times. A castle that is both defensive and gracious - you can find dozens. A hamlet that seems blocked one century ago - hills are dotted by them. Shake all these ingredients and you would have an unforgettable day in the countryside, visiting Etruscan and Medieval sites, tasting fabulous wines, discovering little towns like Castellina, Radda, Vertine, Pievasciata...and if you like contemporary art, I’ll show you a lot of site-specific installations, galleries, exhibitions. Every palate would be satisfied!