Al Ritrovo Bibbiena

The restaurant is not a large place - and the main portions is in a tented area right infront of the kitchen - but this is also a good point, because you can sit outside catch the light breezes in the summer time and live the small town life on the streets in a quaint little town like Bibbiena.

Though the menu also contains several standard Italian dishes - the cook oftens adds a twist such as the potato filled pasta with butter and truffles, very inviting! The menu also included some basics, which for those of you who are looking for something just a little lighter than normal might enjoy the vegetable soup - just like my mother-in-law makes!

Pizza is served at dinner time only and is well made with a good tastey thin crust. I tasted the Peppery steak stew - and it was worth cleaning the bowl out. Wine can be purchased by the bottle or you can get smaller portions in a carafe - great alternative for those of you traveling in small groups. The house wine is good - you don`t have to order from the list to get a good hearty flavour to accompany your meal.

I know they say their specialty is fish - but I really can`t comment on that because I only tasted the turf menu but if they do the fish like the do the plates I did taste, you can go secure that it will be down with a unique home style flare.

Parking is tough in Bibbiena - you should really look for a place outside of town and walk in. The town is not that big and actually there are lots of cute little shops and beautifully restored historic building to view. To find the restaurant - just walk all the way up to the main square (there is only one) and look up facing the clock. Turn to your left in the far corner and you will find a restaurant with a large white tent in front.


Specialty is Fish

Piazzetta Mario Pierazzuoli, 4

Bibbiena Arezzo

Phone +39 0575 536209

Closed on Thursday

How to make Panzanella

Origins of this dish go back to the sheep herders who while moving the sheep long distances had very little food - and that which was to be had was normally stale bread and the local vegetables found along their trails. This dish makes the best of both ingredients.

Ingredients:

Weights are approximate, this will make enough as a pasta dish for about 3-4 persons.

approx. 2 cups - hard bread - best to use bread with as few base ingredients as possible - flour, yeast, water is the best.
tomato - cut into cubes and take out excess juice and seeds
cucumber - peel and cut into little cubes
iceberg lettus - cleaned and cut into mouth size pieces
onion - cut into small pieces. Though many would want to leave this out, it was probably one of the few veggies that the herders were sure to find along the trail
basil in abundance, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt
Mix salad ingredients and basil together and dress lightly with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and salt. There is no right or wrong way to dress the salad, it is all done to taste. For example the Italians prefer more oil than vinegar - yet most others go a little heavier on the vinegar. By mixing the salad first with the dressing you don't risk the bread getting too dressed and thus a heavy flavour out of proportion with the rest of the salad.

Cut the bread in 2 - 3 inch cubes and soak the bread until it has absorbed the water (hint: don't let it absorb too much water - just enough that it is damp) - squeeze excess water out and crumb lightly into a bowl. Mix well with salad.

Some variations include adding tuna fish and or white navy beans - however the traditional recipe is very simple.

Serve immediately.

Tuscan Lighting

The sober look that represents Tuscan lighting has nothing to do with what is usually meant as Tuscan lighting.


The Rococo look of some over-worked, over-embellished crystal lamps that you see at some shop bare the style that is much more proper to those parts of Italy that have been exposed to Byzantine culture, such as the North East of Italy, with Venice being the capital of Byzantine art in Italy.

So if you are looking for real Tuscan lighting, look no further than those humble looking lamps that truly represent the traditional character of Tuscany and of Tuscan people in general.

That is not to say that there in anything esthetically wrong with much more elaborated lighting; however if you are looking forward to having a truly Tuscan feeling in your home, set your mind to letting go all the cliches that are usually thought of as truly Tuscan.


In the case of a table or floor lamp, Tuscan lighting is mainly composed of a wooden body and a no-frills shade, or no shade at all. The body of the lamp may be painted with pastel colors, or antique gold or silver paints.

In the case of a ceiling Tuscan lighting, you will be surprised how little you can find to be truly originally Tuscan, since up until the 1960s Tuscan economy was mainly supported by agriculture, and the living conditions in the Tuscan countryside were far from worrying anyone about carving out a great looking ceiling lamp. Most likely, if you were to enter one of those poor houses, you would have seen hanging from the ceiling an anchovy or sardine used to give taste to cornmeal by rubbing it on top of the hung fish. That way it would last much longer.

This is just to give you an idea of what is behind traditional Tuscan lighting. Some richer people surely did have much more elaborated lighting. Some exaples are those of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopoldo, which are characterized by a wooden body with curved movable arms and decorated with achantus leaves. This is as elaborated as it gets.


Of course, contemporary Tuscan lighting has a completely different character.
It is hard to distinguish it from any other contemporary style as everything nowadays is very linear and functional. However, some artisans still create wrung iron lamps and hand carved wooden lamps that remind of the antique Tuscan lighting.

Restaurants in Arezzo:La Torre di Gnicche

It`s a small little place just right for friends who want to laze about and drink some wine and try some tasty finger foods - or an easy paced lunch / dinner or even mid afternoon snack. The menu is particular and changes every week depending on what the cook feels like creating.

This restaurant does NOT do pasta of any type - but in compensation they do some fantastic bruschettas: toasted bread with varies delicious toppings. One of my favorites is a soft Italian cheese, raddico rosso and lardo di colonata. Two hefty size sliced of bread - you choose the topping and you have a good substitue for a plate of spaghetti - and the possibiity to taste the wide selection of Italian cheeses and cold cuts.


Order bit by bit - because the portions are a good size and your eyes may definitely see more things than your stomach can hold. You can order your wine by the glass - which allows you the freedom to select many types. I have personally tasted the Polpetone - the American meatloaf probably came out of this prototype. You can taste that it is home cooked, with a nice brown gravy. I have also tasted the mixed cheese plate - very abundant - and the cheeses where definitely out of the ordinary.


Don`t skip the desserts - they are all made in house and merit a taste with a good glass of Moscato or Vin Santo. They can help you choose, just let them know if you like it sweet or dry.

La Torre di Gnicche means the Tower of Gnicche, and Gnicche was the name of a modern day Robin Hood who lived in the Casentinoo area. He existed around the mid 1800`s and a a reputation from stealing only from those who could afford it. He would keep his share (of course) and distribute the left-overs. In fact many young Italian boys from that area earned the nickname Gnicche (pronounced Nick-eh) when they were found to be just a little more active than others!


If you are in Arezzo and have had enough of everyday typical meals - then I suggest you search this place out. Its cozy atmosphere, and rather laid back look to it makes it easy to settle down order a glass of wine and watch the locals filter in and out. Though in the summer it can attract some tourist you will find the mainstay of this place are Italians and the quality of food and the moderate prices are proof of that.

Please find Below more information about this restaurant

La Torre di Gnicche

Piaggia S. Martino 8

52100 Arezzo

Phone Number: +39 0575 35 20 35

Closed on Wednesday

The Lure of Tuscany, Part 2

By August, after months of blood sweat and tears we’d settled on our itinerary and had booked nearly everything. The trip’s length had blossomed from a week initially, to 10 days, to two weeks and finally, to three weeks. It involved a combination of hotels and a villa, a rental car, lots of places to visit from the famous to the obscure and the freedom (or the illusion of freedom) to do whatever.

According to plan, we spent the first ten days of our vacation on a road trip throughout the north of the country, which was, to be honest, exhausting. I was enjoying myself as best I could, but going from hotel to hotel took its toll and one by one, we all wound up getting very sick. My immune system was first to crumble and by the time we hit Venice on the fourth day, the run-down feeling I’d been fighting off had won out. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. All I wanted to do is crawl back in bed but, of course I didn’t want to waste the opportunity… so I downed some nice drugs and spent the two days we were there weaving through massive crowds and getting lost (very easy to do) while my heart beat as furiously as a panicked rabbit’s (my body doesn’t handle cold medication very well!)

But before it sounds like I’m complaining, I will say that Venice was absolutely lovely and I recommend it to everyone. Basically, I want to juxtapose the frantic pace we’d set for ourselves between driving to Florence, Venice and Ravenna (also lovely and worth a look!) and the stress of hotels with the complete calm of settling into a villa, which is what we did for the latter ten days of the trip. The plan we’d envisioned before we left was to “wagon-wheel” from our Tuscan villa (going out each day to a new, far-flung destination) but we were so sick and tired that we had to somewhat scale back our ambitious plans. Ordinarily this would have been a catastrophe for someone like myself, who likes to go go go (waste not, want not!) when on vacation. However, the more relaxed pace was ultimately the best thing that could have happened, and we enjoyed our stay all the more for it.

I simply cannot recommend more the renting of a villa. Hotels are fine, but nothing compares to waking up each day and, for example, not having to throw on your clothes and venture out in search for a cup of coffee. We like to get up fairly early and being able to sit in a warm kitchen in our jammies with half-lidded eyes, sipping a proper cup of Arabica was priceless. Or sitting up at night playing cards at the same table when a gelato craving hits and in less than two minutes having bowls piled high. Or walking out into a quiet garden in the late afternoon sunshine and just reading with no one around you-- all is silent but for the birds rustling in the trees. Villas offer the chance for peace and quiet, a home away from home, but with the option of going somewhere more “exciting” if you choose.

They are also far more affordable than hotels, especially given the fact that you can cook your own food. And having to cook for yourself means that you get to go grocery shopping, which is both exhilarating and intimidating in a foreign country whose language you can’t speak, let alone read. Fortunately, because a lot Italian food is already familiar to Americans, it’s not a hopeless situation. Spaghetti is still spaghetti, though trying to communicate your needs at the butcher counter can get complicated and requires gesturing while you yourself become the butcher-- of the language, that is. And don’t, whatever you do--whether a fruit stand, produce market or grocery store--touch the fruits and vegetables without putting on the little plastic gloves first! You’ll either get a disapproving frown or be yelled at like I was. Unlike the States, they don’t want everyone’s grimy little paws all over their produce, and you know what? Their fruits and vegetables are generally gorgeous, with little bruising in sight. You know, they might be onto something there…

Our Trip in Tuscany

My family and I have just returned from our tour to Italy. Each of our drivers (in Florence, Rome and Amalfi Coast) was fabulous and with a first rate vehicle. Everything was great. Each driver was knowledgeable, spoke excellent English and was very personable. Each provided us with an outstanding tour, tailored to our specific interests, with just the right blend of “tourist spots” and “getting off the beaten path.” On our two full day tours in Tuscany and along the Amalfi Coast, the drivers each arranged a wonderful lunch for us, and on our half day tour in Rome our driver arranged for a stop for snacks and gelato at a “non-tourist” spot. We can’t say enough about the service and the people provided us with. Also our departure transfer from our hotel in Florence to the Rome Airport was perfect, and especially the driver suggestion to stop in Orvieto for a short sightseeing en route, was great.

The company that organized our trip was Prestige Rent.

By Micky Chicago October 2006

How to make Tuscan Ravioli Nudi (or Gnoochi gnudi)

Ravioli Nudi (or Gnoochi gnudi)
Perhaps one of the more classical and antique dishes in all of Italy, first mentioned in a cookbook from the 1300's written in the old Tuscan language. These small shaped dumplings are traditionally from cheese and flour and have changed over the years to include potatoes or as in this case spinach and ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:

Weights are approximate, you can vary according to the density of the final mix. This will make enough as a pasta dish for about 3-4 persons.

approx. 2 cups - Spinach and Swiss chard, boiled and pressed so that no excess water remains, they should be finely chopped and mixed well together.
approx. 1 cup - soft and creamy - but not to liquid - ricotta cheese
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
flour (enough to thicken the mix but not more than 3/4 of a cup)
salt, pepper, nutmeg (to taste)
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. You will find that the final consistency should be firm not mushy.

Use a soup spoon to divide out little pieces of the mix to make small meatball shape gnoochi. Roll the balls lightly in flour so that it is not too sticky. Don't make the balls too large, it you will have a greater chance of them coming apart.

Normally the balls are placed in boiling water until they float to the top and served with your favorite sauce. Meat sauce is a classic however in Italy many like to use simple butter and sage so that the true flavour of the "pasta" comes out.

For those of you who are having problems keeping the pasta together - or if the consistensy just doesn't look promising, many Italians will spoon the gnoochi into a baking dish, a little bit like cookie dough. Then they lightly cover the balls with a besciamela sauce (either white or with meat sauce) and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top - 30 minutes in the oven at about 300°F and you have a great dish--with a little less work.

Where to eat in Pienza

Pienza is a lovely town in the south of Tuscany where art and nature live in perfect harmony. If you have the chance to visit this wonderful place I would like to suggest same places that you should not miss at all. The first one is the The Restaurant Il Chiostro an incredible place inside an old convent just in the center of the little Village. You can acces to the restaurant from an incredible garden overviewing the Orcia Vally. You should go to this restaurant in summer or spring because the best of the restaurant is the terrace from where it is possible to enjoy a superb landscape of Tuscany countryside. The food is also good and Maurizio the owner will do the rest to make your dinner or lunch unforgotable. Anonther place that you should not miss at all is "Latte di Luna" a very nice restaurant just at the end of the village. This place is famouse for serving the best "maialino di latte" (pork) in the area. More information about Pienza can be found at the officialweb site of Pienza

The Lure of Tuscany, Part One

Part One:
Italy is the only country I have ever traveled to where I’ve said to myself, “You know, I think I could actually live here.” And that’s saying a lot. I’m as American as they come: I love cheeseburgers off the grill, fly a flag on the Fourth of July, and believe that football is a game where oversized men in padded jerseys crush one another executing intricately devised plays. All this being said, however, the friendliness of the Italian people, the beauty of the countryside (especially Tuscany), and the food (naturally!) made me wonder how hard it would be to pack up all my Earthly belongings, quit my job, and just settle there. Seeing “Under the Tuscan Sun” shortly before going didn’t help, I suppose. Either way, it wasn't at all surprising to learn that Italy is the most visited and re-visited country in the world.

Mind you, how I ended up there, imagining an alternate life among the olive groves, cobbled, medieval streets and vibrant hillsides is not the stuff of romantic adventure and it’s not going to be made into a movie any time soon. But that’s ok. That’s just the way I like it.

In fact, the whole thing started with my stepmother, who had never been to Europe and it can be said with no amount of exaggeration, hates to spend money. My father, on the other hand, was born with a wanderlust that knows no bounds and had been moping around for years longing for an adventure. After sharing my photos from a recent trip to England, she got to wistfully talking about the places she's like to visit before she died. Of course we knew she would talk until she turned blue, but if left to her own devices, it would never happen. She mentioned Italy a few times and so my dad and I pounced. After with some clever cajoling and plenty of reminders that we only live once, we managed to convince her that taking a trip could be good for the soul. Of course, at the time this could have been an indulgent gesture on her part to shut us up!

That night we hopped around online looking at villas (knowing absolutely nothing, I might add!) as my dad reminisced about meeting my own mother there and the time he spent with her in Florence. Though I had no plans of joining them, I took notes and helped them weigh their options. Did they want to go the next fall (it was March at the time) or the following spring? Did they want to fly into Rome or Florence? Did they want to train it or rent a car? Did they want a villa only or stay at some hotels, too? My stepmother, still a tad non-committal, promised to go to the library and check out some books or videos, while I volunteered to research more into villas on the internet the next day. When I left that night, my father was smiling broadly. His engines had been started.

Initially, the only thing they could agree on was when they wanted to go: October, harvest season. But over the following months, and after viewing several videos, reading many books, and visiting countless websites, they managed to solidify a plan. To save money (at least that’s what I think!) they also invited me along. Sure, I’d rather be there with someone I was madly in love with, but with such an adventure dangling in front of me, how could I resist? ;)

We decided that while we wanted to see Rome and Venice, from the outset we wanted to spend the bulk of our time in the Tuscany region. Our decision was made mostly because it has long been popular with Americans and many of the things it offered were already familiar to us: its history, museums, wine, quaint hill towns, rolling countryside and cypress-lined roads. For myself, I wanted to visit Florence because I’d read “A Room with a View” in high school and had spent my childhood thumbing through the art books my mother had gotten there. I also read a newspaper article about Siena a few years ago and the race it holds in the town square. I remember thinking at the time, “These people are mad! Sign me up!” It just felt like the right place.

Needless to say, it was the right choice for us. Because it has become such a popular destination, there is a wide array of agriturismos to choose from, and I found that the infrastructure for finding the right one on the internet was surprisingly robust. And the number of Tuscan villas available is just staggering. Searching for just the right one can be time-consuming and eye-strain inducing, but for me, the hunt is half the fun!

More later...