About Tuscany | PlanningaTour.com

Itineraries Italy

Villa Cenami

Itineraries Italy: Villa Cenami at Saltocchio – Lucca
Built during the second half of the 16th century, the villa is situated at the end of a long avenue which was once lined with poplars.
The villa and its gate provide the scenic back drop to the road tht leads up to it.
The rational composition of the opening in the facade is enhanced by a roof with balustrades and pyramid shaped stones, vases and animals which date back to before the first half of the 1800s.
The temple in the centre of a balustrade, a belvedere over the surrounding countryside, also dates back to this period.
Near the villa, there used to be a farm, a large lemon house with a cross-vault roof, storerooms for the wine and oil, and an olive mill, which was also mentioned by Georg Cristoph Martini who helped to press the olives for the first time.

Poggio Cappiano farmhouse

The Azienda Agricola Poggio Cappiano is a family-run farm in Ponte a Cappiano, just a few kilometres from Florence in the Tuscan countryside.
For many years now, our main efforts have concentrated on the production of extra-virgin olive oil from typical Tuscan olives from our own estate, particularly from the cultivar Madremignola, cultivar Mignola, and Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo varieties blend.

Our olive oil is sold directly on company premises and by shipping, in 0.1 litre, 0.25 litre, 0.5 litre and 0.75 litre bottles.
From harvest to packaging, every detail receives extreme care.

More information can be found in our web site, however please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information or for a quote, via e-mail: info@poggiocappiano.it

Web site: www.poggiocappiano.it

Tuscan villages

San Martino in Colle
Tradition has it that this high hill which looks out over the district of pescia and part of the plain of Lucca, was the site of a fortress built by Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli, Lord of Lucca, to keep a lookout for threats from the Guelphs of Florence.
This small rural settlement and the little church of San Martino were built on the ruins of that foretification.
The church of San martino in Colle was founded in the 11th century and in the 19th century it was enlarged and renovated. In 1810 two altars were placed in the new transept; these and the very fine Natività della Vergine on one of the altars came from the church of San Pietro Maggiore, which was demolished to make way for piazza Napoleone in the old-town centre of Lucca.

Tuscany winery tour

Colline Lucchesi wines
The Denominazione di Origine Controllata “Colline Lucchesi” white and red wines also boast an ancient history and a tradition of quality; their protection was one of the first to be guaranteed by a presidential decree daated 1968 and, with some subsequent modifications, the regulations governing the production of wines were brought into force by the ministerial decree of 8 July 1997.
The area of production extends from the municipalities of Lucca, Capannori and Porcari and it includes various areas and entire communities sucha as Castagnori, Forci, Pieve Santo Stefano, Mutigliano, Cappella, the area west of the Morianese, San Pancrazio, Matraia, Valgiano, San Colombano, Segromigno in Monte, Camigliano, Tofori, San Pietro a marcigliano, San Gennaro and Gragnano.
The Collin e Lucchesi red and white wines enjoy a particularly excellent climate and habitat, a variety of composition and an enological tradition that is based on the history and culture of the great Lucchese families. A significant example of this civilisation is the large fresco in the Buonvisi villa at Forci depicting the “Triumph of Bacchus” with the villa itself in the background, recognisable by the large portico facin g the valley.
But already in 1382 a contemporary of Dante’s, Antonio di Pace degli Orsi, described it as being a “tasty wine” and added: “the more I drink it, the more I want to drink it”.

Don’t forget the appointment with event “Vini della costa Toscana” on 8th and 9th may.

Informations on: www.grandicru.it

Tuscan landscapes

The olive and the hills
The Tuscan landscape, and the hills around Lucca In particular, is identified to a large extent by the presence of the olive tree.
Thousands of the years olde, these dignified trees with their generous foliage of silvery leaves that flutter in the slightest breeze, provide a pleasant contrast with the briallant greens of the mown terraces in the springtime, or with the dry, yellowish grass in the summer.
The characteristic contortions and irregularities given by yearly pruning the “topponature” and cleaning, give their grey trunks unpredictable shapes and forms.
The various operations that are regularly carried out, change, imperceptibly renew and perpetuate the value of human intervetion and at times the tree is given a form and appearance that is statuesque.
The olive has always been a symbol of peace and the fertility of the earth; it is an axample of the deep bond between man and the natural world, it is a sign of vitality and renewal. Its cultivation represents on of the major resources of the tuscan country and, together with the typical terraced slopes, it is a characteristic of the entire hill area.
It is said that the Greeks brought the olive to these slopes with their scant coverage of “humus”, but its wide diffusion is mainly linked to the hillside’s considerable transformation at the hands of Lucchese merchants. Investiments and the spread of cultivations continued until the beginning of the 20th century, but there has been a recovery in recent years and, as mentioned above, new interests.