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.

 

Katharina's Italy

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.

 

Katharina's Italy

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.

 

Katharina's Italy

HOMO FABER VENICE

In April 2022, Venice will host Homo Faber, an international exhibition that champions artisanship from Europe, and this year also from Japan.

We’re especially excited about the opportunity Homo Faber provides to discover the workshops of Venetian artisans. To find a workshop (most are free) browse the ‘In Città’ section of the Homo Faber website, select a category (e.g., glassblowing or bookbinding) and book your spot early.

You can use the website as a resource even if you’re not in Venice this spring. It showcases some of the best artisans and workshops in town, and many of them offer visits and activities all-year round.

We found the workshop of Piero Dri like this. At Il Forcolaio Matto, the talented Venetian craftsman produces oars and forcolas, the crucial parts of any gondola.

HOMO FABER – from April 10 to May 1, 2022. Many of the 15 shows will take place in the beautiful spaces of the Giorgio Cini Foundation on Isola San Giorgio Maggiore.

 

Katharina's Italy

TENUTA LA FRATTA

At the junction of Umbria and Tuscany lies the Val di Chiana, a wide fertile valley boasting lovely medieval villages, beautiful rural landscapes and the eponymous Chianina cattle breed, from which the best bistecca Fiorentina is prepared.

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SHOPPING IN STYLE

In my unremitting quest, along the roads of Italy, for new properties to add to our Trust & Travel catalogue, I often give in to one of my guilty pleasures: retail therapy. But retail therapy, mind you, centered on genuine time-honoured artisan creations!

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A GREAT TRATTORIA TREAT

Why on earth did I think that Italy no longer held any secrets for me?… I came down with a bump when my beloved sister Victoria Trauttmansdorff made me discover a gem of a little Florentine restaurant situated within the lively Sant’Ambrogio market.

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CASATO PRIME DONNE

Years ago, during a dinner in Montalcino, I overheard winemaker Donatella Cinelli Colombini tell the story of her winery. When she started producing her own Brunello wine in 1998, she wanted to hire a young cellar master. So she got in touch with the University of Siena to ask whether there were any graduates looking for a job. And the answer was: No, unfortunately they Continue Reading →

FLORENCE AND YOUR… AUTOMOBILE

In large cities, one of the greatest challenges posed to car owners is, of course, parking one’s beloved motorcar.

This is one of the top five questions I hear from our clients visiting Florence: “Will I easily find a place to park?” Continue Reading →

IN DAYS OF OLD AND OF NEW

San Gimignano… A lovely Tuscan town famous for its 13 medieval “tower houses” – and which I invited you, in a previous article, to visit in the much quieter wintertime. But the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”, as it is nicknamed, is also one of the best places in Italy to see… contemporary art!

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