Experience Category: Nature

Foraging

Rob Gould, aka the Cotswold Forager, has over twenty years of foraging experience under his belt, having harvested wild edibles across the Cotswolds and also much further afield in the UK, including from the amazing habitats within the New Forest, the beautiful Scottish Highlands and the wonderful coastlines of Cornwall and Pembrokeshire.

He has also tested his plant and foraging knowledge overseas in Greece, France and Scandinavia, amongst others, and is currently working with the team here at Toscana Holiday Village on putting together various bespoke itineraries to offer unique foraging experiences here in Tuscany.

As well as foraging, Rob is skilled in various food preservation techniques, but is particularly interested in those which can be used to enhance and manipulate flavour, including smoking, curing, pickling and lactofermentation. He also works alongside some amazing chefs in their own restaurants, helping inspire them to creatively utilise more wild food within their cooking.

We’re really looking forward to being able to invite Rob back to join us here at Toscana, and would love to see you all here too for what we hope will be some fantastic and inspirational experiences”

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Agrisole

The agricultural company Agrisole is open all year for anyone who wants to visit and taste our products. Mamma Concetta will be happy to take you on a guided tour that will allow you to live a delightful experience, starting from the discovery of the vineyards, which are witness of our history and our way of working. Then we’ll move into the cellar for an introduction on our main wine-making methods followed by a tasting.

The guided tour is the best way to get to know Agrisole through the voice of those who everyday work with passion and dedication.

Festa della Castagna

Located in the green hills of Valdera, the medieval village of Orciatico has been the scene for over 40 years of an event that traditionally takes place on the third Sunday of October.

During the day there are various attractions such as the craft markets in the streets of the village, musical entertainment and various shows.

Maximum importance is obviously given to the gastronomic aspect of the festival. In the food stands, open for lunch and dinner, people can taste some of the typical specialties of Tuscan cuisine. Throughout the day  it will also be possible to taste chestnuts, pancakes, migliacci and sweet wine.

Festa dell

For over half a century, the Grape and Wine Festival has been part of Terriciola’s history which has always been associated with wine thanks to the composition of the soil, rich with sand and fossil deposits, that have produced an ideal microclimate for the cultivation of grapes. The strong ties with wine making traditions (Terricciola is a Wine City) has characterised this event, that falls during the grape harvest season. Three days with the participation of the local and neighbouring wine producers.

Sagra della Ciliegia

While vineyard laden hills marked by the long, sinewy shadows of cypress trees in the late afternoon call to mind the Tuscany of most imaginations, orchards of succulently ripe cherries seem a distinct departure from the expected. The tiny burg of Lari, located in the Province of Pisa and just outside of Florence, is the setting for a unique festival entitled La Sagra delle Ciliegie (The Cherry Festival), dedicated to the ruby red fruit. Although not the number one cherry producing region in Italy, Lari is said to be the proud home of over 15 cherry varietals, which the locals showcase with joy at their annual festival. Set amongst rolling, orchard lined hills, Lari is a medieval stunner replete with an ancient castle, Il Castello dei Vicari or otherwise affectionately known by the locals as Il Castello, which serves as a lofty backdrop for the festival that takes place within the town’s historic quarter.

Processione delle Paniere

Typical religious procession with the famous basket of flowers in the streets of the village of Santa Maria a Monte. Santa Maria a Monte was the birthplace Galileo Galilei’s father Vincenzo, a distinguished composer and lute player. The family of the poet Giosuè Carducci lived in Santa Maria, where his father was a rural doctor. Every year on Easter Monday, the Processione delle Paniere (procession of the baskets) winds its way through the town. At this festival, girls carry a basket of flowers on their heads in honour of the Blessed Diana Giuntini, a wealthy fourteenth-century lady who gave up her belongings to live in poverty.

Camelie Lucchesia

Exhibitions, tastings, walks in the countryside, concerts and her, the undisputed queen of the event: the camellia. Secular camellia plants that recall the far east and thrill with their colors, their variety, with names that evoke characters and situations that know magic.A good opportunity to take advantage of it and visit the city of Lucca.