Food & Wine | Katharina's Italy

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The new Mulinum mill and bakery in Buonconvento

Tuscany’s unsalted bread is not for everybody – some love it, some don’t. A new mill and bakery south of Siena is making everybody happy. The Mulinum Buonconvento encourages farmers to organically grow ancient grain varieties. The flour is then ground and transformed by the local Mulinum.

You can order the Mulinum flour, bread, crackers, pasta and biscuits online or taste it in form of the locally produced bread or pizza at the mill near Buonconvento. I tried a pane di segale (rye bread) this summer. It tastes great and keeps fresh for a long time.

Stefano Caccavari opened the first crowd-funded mill in 2017 in Calabria. Thanks to the support of the owners of Villa Tancredi – a historical estate we work with – the young entrepreneur was able to open a Mulinum mill in Tuscany. His ambition is to have one Mulinum in each of Italy’s 20 regions.

More information about this exciting project on mulinum.it. The section about the mill in Buonconvento will be online soon. In the meantime, you can find its current opening times and exact location on Google Maps.

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Sneak Peak of our travel app Inside Italy

I am very excited about the launch of our Trust&Travel-Inside Italy app. The travel app takes our blog one step further and allows us to share all the Italy insight we have discovered over the years: the tiny vineyards, unknown artisans, quiet chapels, and family-run restaurants that make this country so special.

Inside Italy is currently available in beta for download from the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can use it on your phone or on your tablet while in Italy or as a resource while preparing your trip. Have a look, try it out and let us know what you think!

The illustrations in the app are by Paolo Fiumi, a dear friend in Florence. You might remember Paolo’s wonderful sketches and interior design from his collaboration with us at Palazzo Ca’nova’s Lipparini apartment.

To start with, the Inside Italy app will be in English only and focus on Venice, the Veneto and Tuscany.

We hope it will make a real difference to your travels in Italy.

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Cheese & Wine at the ‘Corzano e Paterno’ farm

Halfway between Siena and Florence, there is a little farm that seems to have been sitting on its hill forever. Fattoria Corzano e Paterno produces excellent wine and olive oil, and a variety of Tuscan sheep cheeses that I can never resist.

The history of the farm is interesting. It was founded by the Swiss architect turned farmer Wendel Gelpke in the early ‘70ies. Today Corzano e Paterno is run by two of his daughters, the sisters Sibilla and Arianna, his nephew Aljoscha and their respective families.

I usually stop at the farm shop for the delicious Buccia di Rospo, but never manage to leave without some fresh ricotta and a serving of Rocco, an excellent fresh goat cheese.

FATTORIA CORZANO e PATERNO

The shop is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, and Saturday 9am to 1pm in summer and from 9am to 1pm during the rest of the year. Book ahead for tours, wine and cheese tastings and light lunches.

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Venetian Cicchetti – the Cookbook

The first thing I do when I arrive in Venice? I head out for a glass of wine and a plate of sarde in saor. The sweet and sour preparation of sardines – often served on a slice of bread as a cicchetto – makes for a perfect introduction to the unique flavors of Venetian cooking.

Considering my love for bàcari, the backstreet bars where Venetians stop for ombre and cicchetti, I was overjoyed when Emiko Davies stayed at Palazzo Ca’nova while researching her latest cookbook.

Cinnamon and Salt: Cicchetti in Venice (Hardie Grant Books) is Emiko’s fifth Italian cookbook and her first about Venice. It is a great pleasure that some of the recipes in the book have been tested and photographed at the Lipparini apartment of Palazzo Ca’nova.

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A VENETIAN RESTAURANT WITH VEGETARIAN TREATS

Are you a pescatarian? Or do you travel with friends who are vegetarians but you’d still like to try the famous fegato alla Veneziana (calf’s liver Venetian style)?

Osteria La Zucca in Venice has a varied and excellent menu that will make everybody happy.

Located in the Santa Croce neighborhood, the restaurant has a porta d’acqua, an entrance door right onto a canal. Hence it is easy to arrive by water taxi or gondola. And La Zucca’s elegant interiors are reminiscent of the precious woodwork on sailboats.

WHERE: Osteria la Zucca, 1762 Santa Croce, Venezia.

WHEN: We recommend La Zucca in summer and in winter. It is open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Sundays. Make sure to check the current opening times and book several days ahead.

Phone +39 041 52 41 570 – www.lazucca.it

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YUMMY HUMMUS IN THE MAREMMA

What do Syria and Tuscany have in common? Well, probably several things, but for sure a passion for great food! A few weeks ago, I partook in a Tuscan-Syrian lunch at the Chimera d’Albegna, a small winery founded by a Florentine family and located a few cables’ length away from the Marsiliana estate, one of our long-established holiday rentals in the Maremma.

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THE CREAM OF ITALIAN FOOD BLOGGING

Take my word for it: most Italian food lovers own dozens of cookbooks, restaurant guides, treatises on the history of Italian cuisine, and what have you. And I’m no exception to the rule.

The problem with books, though – well, at least in my case – is that when I have the leisure and peace of mind to try out a new recipe, nine times out of ten I’m away from home and from my treasured “library”.

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THE BIG AOSTA SURPRISE

On our way back to Paris from Italy, in August, we decided to pull off the highway in Aosta, the capital city of the bel paese’s smallest and least populated region. The plan was to stretch our legs and have a quick snack before tackling the 11 km long Mont Blanc tunnel. But contrary to all expectations, we stumbled upon striking Roman ruins – city walls, bridges, aqueducts, old crypts, even the relics of a theatre! We were so impressed that instead of leaving Aosta, we got tickets and went on a tour of the main archaeological sites.

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Madonna della Salute Feast in Venice

People have often asked me: “What is the best time of year to visit Venice, Katharina?” And invariably my answer has been: “Off season, especially in wintertime. And if you want to see the Serenissima in its most vibrant and transcendent mode, you should set your heart on November 21^st.”

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TO BE SAVOURED WITHOUT MODERATION

If I say point-blank “Italian street food”, you’ll probably reply “pizza”, won’t you? Or, if you’re very Italian street smart, you might retaliate with “focaccia”, “piadina”, “tramezzino”… Good.

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The new Mulinum mill and bakery in Buonconvento

Sneak Peak of our travel app Inside Italy

Cheese & Wine at the ‘Corzano e Paterno’ farm

Venetian Cicchetti – the Cookbook

A VENETIAN RESTAURANT WITH VEGETARIAN TREATS

YUMMY HUMMUS IN THE MAREMMA

THE CREAM OF ITALIAN FOOD BLOGGING

THE BIG AOSTA SURPRISE

Madonna della Salute Feast in Venice

TO BE SAVOURED WITHOUT MODERATION

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