Tuscany

Feb 10, 2015
Florence’s Artisan Quarter

Like the Seine in Paris, the Thames in London and the Styx in the Underworld, an old dignified river flows across the city of Florence, dividing it, inevitably, into two river bank ...

Jan 12, 2015
A Voyage Back in Time

Cogito ergo sum… Fluctuat nec mergitur… Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant… How is your Latin these days? You don’t have, I guess, that many opportunities to practice ...

Dec 22, 2014
Tuscan Cuisine Gets One More Star

October 2014… One month which Roberto Rossi, chef and owner of Il Silene, will not easily forget about. “I’m the happiest man on Earth, Katharina! he carolled to me, waving h ...

Nov 19, 2014
Making “Pasta al Pesto” with the Kids

The reasons we, Northerners, love Italy are numerous. One of them, of course, is the sunshine and mild temperatures that reign all over the country when the rest of Europe is under ...

Sep 29, 2014
Another Exceptional Tailor

“If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.” You will never guess who said that… Albert Einstein. Here is the story of another great Italian tailor w ...

Sep 2, 2014
Italian state museums: a wind of change

I used to get a little confused with the thousands of museums and archaeological sites which Italy can boast, particularly with their policies concerning entrance fees, opening hou ...

Aug 18, 2014
Modern Italy’s Oldest Winery

“Katharina, this Casalferro wine is absolutely divine! whispered to me one of my neighbours at table. – Divine indeed, I replied, and coming from the oldest winery in Italy, be ...

Jul 15, 2014
Concert Night at the Castello di Potentino

  “As I sit at the piano, says Mark Springer, the feeling takes hold of me and I start to play a melody which is very direct. It shifts interestingly between major and minor ...

Jul 2, 2014
A Great Organic Farm in Tuscany

Every time my family and I go to La Foce for a short or long stay, buying una forma di Pecorino – an entire ewe’s milk cheese – is one of the first things I do on arrival. ...

Jun 3, 2014
Our Potentino Chefs are Back at the Château!

“A Taste of Italy and a Touch of France”… Some of you may remember this article which I posted in my blog last year at about the same time. I had invited Charlotte Horton and ...

May 28, 2014
Having a Fine Lunch in Grosseto

When travelling around Italy to visit the houses and villas featured in our Trust & Travel rental catalogue, I always try to see or do something new. This keeps my job interest ...

May 18, 2014
Lucca – One of Italy’s Great Antique Markets

Last week, I was tidying up a cupboard in my Parisian flat – it needed it badly – when I stumbled upon a small ceramic vase I had bought at Lucca’s antique market a few years ...

Apr 23, 2014
A Magic Underground World – The Antinori Winery

“Katharina, this wine is absolutely divine! –        Well, it’d better be, Jonathan. I have never paid that much for a bottle of wine! –        Oh! Is that so ...

Apr 22, 2014
Not a bad job after all!

Phew! I’m a little out of breath. I have just spent a week running around Italy! And now I am at the Venice airport waiting for my return flight to Paris and thinking: “Gee, it ...

Apr 2, 2014
Leaving no Scrub Unturned

This week, I am going to teach you how to pick the Asparagus acutifolius in the Italian fashion. How about that? Oh, by the way, the Asparagus acutifolius is more commonly known as ...

Mar 6, 2014
A Bad Day with a Happy Ending

There are days – like yesterday, for instance – when everything goes wrong. I’m sure that you experience such unpleasant days once in a while. I won’t tell you about yester ...

Feb 25, 2014
One of Siena’s Secret Gems

Off the beaten track… You want to be surprised and discover little gems when you travel? My one piece of advice: go off the beaten track. Take the back roads and back alleys. Ven ...

Jan 9, 2014
Tuscany’s Famous Marble Quarries

Victor Hugo once wrote: “Dear God, how beauty varies in nature and art! In a woman the flesh must be like marble, and in a statue the marble must be like flesh.” ...

Dec 19, 2013
Tuscan Bath in Women’s Bay

It was in June, last spring. My husband, daughter and I were in the Maremma, and friends of ours were visiting us with their two children. One morning, we decided to go to the town ...

Dec 5, 2013
Tuscany’s Olive Oil Celebrations

“Buona bruschetta, Katharina! –        Buona what? –        Buona bruschetta! You’ve never heard this before?!” No, I had never heard this greeting phrase b ...

Nov 28, 2013
Christmas shopping in Siena

“Mummy, are we going back to the Christmas market this year? You know the one where the houses are all yellow and orange?” Her bright eyes filled with hope and anticipation, my ...

Nov 13, 2013
A Seafood Heaven on the Tuscan Coast

“You don’t know Lo Zazzeri, a friend of mine asked me once, disconcerted? Luciano Zazzeri, owner and chef of  La Pineta ?! ...

Nov 3, 2013
Tuscany’s Liquid Gold

At about this time of year, every year, when the days are getting shorter and colder, Tuscany is busy extracting its highly prized “liquid gold”: the extra virgin olive oil. Th ...

Monte Amiata in Tuscany
Sep 23, 2013
Tuscany’s Rehabilitated Prophet

I have mentioned Tuscany’s highest mountain, Mount Amiata (1738m), several times in some of my previous articles. I have never told you, however, about its neighbouring Monte Lab ...

Saturnia hot spa
Sep 10, 2013
Saturnia

I have just returned to Paris from Italy, where I spent the end of the summer. I have discovered many new things that I would like to share with you in the upcoming weeks. As every ...

Tuscany NY Times
Jul 9, 2013
We are in the New York Times

Yes, Trust&Travel has recently been mentioned in a New York Times article entitled “Finding Gems on the Tuscan Coast”! ...

Marcus &Valentine Hansen form Courances, Charlotte and Alexander from Potentino
Jun 27, 2013
A Taste of Italy and a Touch of France

On June 15, I managed to bring my two lives together: the Italian and the French ones; and by the same token to indulge in one of my great passions: food & wine! I invited Char ...

Jun 10, 2013
An Appetizing Menu and Venue

As some of you, dear readers, might remember, I started last week’s article by quoting a few words by Benjamin Franklin. This week, allow me to cite the great Virginia Woolf: “ ...

Torre di Buranaccio
May 16, 2013
The Enchanting Lake of Burano

Being in the Garden of Eden… This is how I felt the first time I came here years ago, and this how I feel again today. A warm, bright, soothing day in the heart of the Maremma. A ...

Palio
May 3, 2013
The Highly Picturesque Palio of Siena

The sanguine enthusiast who was sitting next to me in the stands clapped his hands in a burst of joy and glanced at me briefly: “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the sa ...

Main Shop
Apr 18, 2013
Very Old Florentine Apothecaries

Pharmacies, drugstores, chemist’s shops, dispensaries– whatever you call them – are not exactly the kind of place most of us like to hang around. We go there to buy some medi ...

Concert in the Courtyard at la Foce
Apr 8, 2013
Music Magic in Tuscany

My father and I were simply mesmerized, like under a spell. We looked at each other with a funny smile, and then stood up to join the applauding audience. ...

The sumptuous Villa Corsini is usually closed to the public.
Mar 27, 2013
A Rare Occasion – The Private Gardens of Palazzo Corsini in Florence

If you happen to be in Florence in May, there is a special event you must make sure not to miss. This year again, from May 16th to May 19th (Thursday to Sunday), the 19th edition o ...

Winemaker Charlotte Horton at Castello di Potentino
Mar 21, 2013
A Pop-Up Restaurant from Tuscany

Contrary to my general practice, our “story” today will not exclusively focus on Italy. And it will have to do with two castles… In 2011, one of the owners of La Foce, Do ...

villa in tuscany with internet illustration
Feb 5, 2013
Emergency in Tuscany

Sunday morning. I’m having a lie-in and am sleeping like a log. Sheer bliss. My mobile phone, on my bedside table, rings. I wake up with a start and answer the call. “ Hello? ...

My guide & 2 English tourists
Jan 29, 2013
The Church of Santa Chiara

Off the beaten track… This is where I need to venture once in a while. And usually I don’t regret it: more often than not I get to run into something that makes a strong, p ...

Palazzo Gguadagni, Firenze
Jan 21, 2013
My Idea of a Lovely Hotel – The Hotel Palazzo Guadagni in Florence

A room with a view… This is what I would like to share with you this week: a room with a view which I had fantasized about for years before discovering it, at long last. ...

Hand sewing of a bag
Dec 7, 2012
My Favourite Leather Shops in Florence

One of my closest friends has been dreaming of that for years: a dark green belt made of the best Italian leather. She’s lucky because Christmas is around the corner, and I know ...

Dried spagetti
Nov 30, 2012
Tuscany, so sweet to your tastebuds… once again!

No, I did not know what good, real good pasta was until… Here is the story of one the great gastronomic discoveries of my life. I was dwelling in a Tuscan farmhouse near Merc ...

Nov 23, 2012
The Trust&Travel Guest Books

This week, for the half-term school holidays, my family and I are staying at one of the two houses of our Trust & Travel Il Fontanile  estate in Tuscany. We like to come here ...

Sant'Antimo in winter
Nov 16, 2012
A Moment of Respite for Anyone’s Soul – Sant’Antimo

    “I like the silence of a church, before the service begins, better than any preaching.” ...

Nov 12, 2012
Quote

“I love the signature of this blog; I find it a perfect combination between nostalgia and current times.” Amiek Krakers, Shanghai ...

1930-1940
Nov 2, 2012
The Design Genius of Ferragamo

The last time I ran into Mrs. Loiseau, one of my Paris neighbours – I introduced her to you in my very first article, – she was wearing flashy sling back shoes which she had j ...

Oct 26, 2012
A Flight of Fancy in Tuscany – Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden

It was a very special day indeed. Special evening, I should say. It was high summer. The Italian sky was slowly turning into gold and copper, as it so often does at the end of the ...

Montisi in autumn
Oct 3, 2012
Celebrating Autumn’s Bounty in Tuscany

Tuscans celebrate the rhythm of the seasons with an array of festivals and feasts adapted for each period of the year.  Autumn is particularly colorful as the leaves change and th ...

Vivo d’Orcia has kept a vivid image of Marcello II in its heart.
Sep 21, 2012
Trust & Travel and the Popes…

At a recent dinner party, a friend of mine introduced me to Cassius, her young lively nephew. “So tell me, young boy, I asked him, what would you like to be when you grow up? – ...

Arezzo flea market
Sep 14, 2012
The Flea Market of Arezzo

You are a stone broke student with three pennies in your pocket and an immoderate passion for antiques. Wandering up and down the alleys of a colourful flea market, you stumble upo ...

“I never laugh until I’ve had my coffee.” Clark Gable
Sep 7, 2012
Coffee the Italian Way: Simply the Best!

As American author Justina Chen Headley wrote in one of her novels: “Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee, even better.” ...

A century later: the Gioli brothers’ studio in the villa’s tower.
Aug 26, 2012
Italian Impressionism at the Villa Gioli

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” This beautiful phrase hasn’t just come right off the top of my head – even though I think it might have if I had been laz ...

Refugee children from Genoa and Turin, welcomed to La Foce during the war.
Jul 27, 2012
Love and War in Tuscany (part 3)

Here we are for the third and final episode of the Origo family epic. Historically, a dark and trying one for both the family and the country. From June 1943 to June 1944, Italy ke ...

Antonio Origo La Foce
Jul 20, 2012
Love and War in Tuscany (part 2)

In my last post, I undertook to tell you the story – well, to outline the story, I should say – of the Origo family. A family who has played a key part in my life, as I said. S ...

Antonio and Iris Origo
Jul 13, 2012
Love and War in Tuscany (part 1)

I was only 19. And already in love with Italy. Images and Shadows, an autobiography by Anglo-Irish author Iris Origo, kept me company during the long hours I spent on the Tuscan be ...

tuscany villa arrival dinner
Jul 5, 2012
Little Extras that Make the Difference!

“Phew! We got there, at last!” You left home early this morning and have been travelling all day. Now it’s the evening and you have just arrived at your Trust & Travel de ...

Teatrino di Vetriano
Jun 29, 2012
The Tiny Tuscan Theatre

“Oh, evil, cold-hearted woman, why hast thou betrayed me so ruthlessly? – Heaven forbid! I have not betrayed you, my sweet Lord… Not yet.” These are the first two l ...

divinamente italiano italian restaurant paris
Jun 22, 2012
The Essential Black Cabbage

Can you guess… When, in the middle of the day, at work in Paris, I suddenly long for Italy or feel a strong urge for anything Italian, what do I do most of the time? Well, ei ...

view from Capalbio towards the sea
Jun 7, 2012
Please, Maremma, Don’t Ever Change!

Each time he comes over to fix something, our plumber always says: “Heaven on earth is a pipe dream!” I’m not sure why he keeps repeating that – sometimes ten times in a ro ...

cooking course italy ravioli
May 23, 2012
Private Cooking Classes in Tuscany

You like Italian cuisine, don’t you? Of course you do. Wish you could cook some great Italian dishes yourself? ...

Procacci Florence
May 18, 2012
Great Light Lunches in Florence (part 2)

Because I usually keep my promises, here are – as promised – my two extra luncheon picks for anyone visiting beautiful Florence, Italy. Like the first two I gave you last week, ...

Fratellini Florence snack
May 11, 2012
Great Light Lunches in Florence (part 1)

As is often the case, it’s only 10 am and I already have a hungry eye trained on the upcoming lunch – even though I had a hearty breakfast just two hours ago! There’s somethi ...

Busatt Old proven tools are still used today to weave magnificent fabrics.
May 2, 2012
Rustic elegance at its best

If I have always had a passion – and, I think, some flair – for design and interior decoration, I most certainly owe it to my dear Mom, who was an accomplished expert in these ...

01-Gardens in Tuscany Ragnaia
Apr 25, 2012
A Mystery Garden in Tuscany

This week, I am taking you to a most unusual “mystery garden”.  It is nestled in the small Italian town of San Giovanni d’Asso, not far from one of the gems of Tusca ...

Apr 21, 2012
Curriculum Italiae

Last night, I managed to break into a cocktail party where I met a slightly eccentric English aristocrat: – Catharina ! Posh name ! With a C or with a K ? – With a K. Or wit ...

Katharinas Italien
Apr 11, 2012
A timely change

“I need a new look, I need a new look!” Every time I run into Madame Loiseau, one of my Paris neighbours, this is what I hear: “Don’t tell me I don’t, because I do! Il fa ...

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