We typically end out tour season in southern Italy. Once done one would think a quick departure and a long nap would top the priority list. However, I have often ended my tour season with another month of eating my way across Italy before storing our equipment in our Swiss warehouse for the winter. I like to slowly drive northward to our Swiss warehouse and enjoy a final meal at some our favorite places on tour. Sicily is often our last tour for the year; so after crossing the Straits of Messina by ferry we make our way across Calabria, and even though we haven’t driven too far we would be foolish to pass up the chance to dine at the Hyle Restaurant within the Biafora Resort and Spa. in San Giovani in Fiore. The chance to experience either of the 7 or11 course menus are simply unforgettable. We use this hotel on our Calabria bike tour and the artistry of Antonio Biafora & his staff are world class; a real hidden gem within the Sila. This truly amazing dining experience is a work of art created with a sincere heart and pride associated with being Calabrese. He transforms simple and traditional products with cutting-edge techniques and one never questions his unconditional passion for his mountain. Anotnio pairs each course with a beverage the chef feels most compliments his creation. The presentation is as worthy as the meal itself.
There are two tasting routes, with as many pairings with the glass, and then the a-carte menu. The first is seven-course Pùzaly, while the second is Chjùbica, consist of eleven courses. Calabria is present at every taste of Pipi arrustutu, a reinterpretation of roasted peppers, and stroncatura, talli and sardella. Silane mushrooms arrive with their intense aroma in goat rice, juniper and porcini powder.
After leaving this table completely sated we need to make some distance the next morning if we ever hope to leave Italy before the snow starts to cover the Alps. After 20+years of touring in Italy; Tuscany still never gets old and is a must stop. As many times that we have toured in this popular region of Italy we still look forward to our visits here. First, because of the many great friends we have made. Then of course one can never tire of the classic Tuscan landscapes. As if this weren’t reason enough to return, the most alluring reason is the memory of sitting down for a meal. The grapes have just been picked and the smell of fermenting Sangiovese fills the air. The temp is significantly cooler and everyone is preparing for a well deserved rest and the coming winter. Spirits are typically high and mealtime is more of a celebration than usual. One never knows when one of the villages are in festival mode to celebrate a city patron saint or a local product like truffles or chestnuts. This year it is time to stop by our favorite farmstay/Villa winery in the heart of the Chianti Classico region; Fattoria Rignana. They produce with the exclusive use of our grapes: Sangiovese, in a predominant percentage, Canaiolo, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Respect for the tradition of the Chianti lands is their main objective and this has prompted them to modify the careful work carried out in the vineyards to obtain the production of organic viticulture. They give value to the territory of Panzano with the typicality of our Chianti Classico and its Riserva, IGT and Rosato,. Also available is their production of estate made extra virgin olive oil.
After a long drive nothing feels better than to laze around their beautiful infinity pool with a crisp cold glass of their outstanding rose. Today the original accommodations have been expertly restored by the owners Cosimo Gericke and Sveva Rocco di Torrepadula who have created an elegant and welcoming Agriturismo, surrounded by 13 hectares of vineyards, an olive grove of 1000 trees and a wooded and hilly land of about 110 hectares. Cosimo is the proprietor of the fattoria & wine maker while Sveva manages the recently restored villa.
Originally the Rignana estate was part of the castles of the Lega della Val di Greve and the first historical documents testify its importance and its strategic position as early as the 11th century. century. In later times it was inhabited by families who cultivated the limestone soils, obtaining wheat for bread and hay for livestock, in particular sheep and goats from which they obtained milk and produced cheese.
The current restaurant on the property “La Cantinetta di Rignana” was originally the local oil mill, with its large stone wheels used to cold press the olives, whose footprints are still visible on the floor of the interior rooms.
The first evidence of vine cultivation dates back to 1700: Sangiovese and Canaiolo, but also Trebbiano and Malvasia were used for the production of a wine already so typical of these areas! From the century XVII the importance of the place is linked to prominent personalities of the noble Dè Ricci family, who became the owner. To remember the character of Scipio, born in Florence in 1741 and descendant of Santa Caterina dè Ricci (1500-1541) to whom the private chapel of the estate is dedicated. Scipio was bishop of Prato and Pistoia from 1780 to 1791, but as he was inclined to the Jansenist doctrine he found himself in contrast with the Catholic Church and was disowned by the College of Bishops. He therefore retired to Rignana where he died in 1810. His body is still in the noble chapel.
The Fattoria di Rignana has eight double rooms, spacious and welcoming, which offer guests a B&B service from April to November with the possibility of short stays. Each room has a private bathroom, furnished with personality and an extreme refinement of details that give it style and atmosphere. The large garden and the infinity pool are the ideal places to enjoy complete relaxation and evocative views over the Chianti hills. The recent restoration of the Villa aoffers two large apartments, Riccio and Stella, with lounges, equipped and functional kitchens, elegant bedrooms, furnished in style. The types of stay are varied and customizable: as they offer double rooms with B&B service, independent apartments with two to four bedrooms or the entire Villa, with the possibility of hosting up to 16 people.
I could stay a month post tour season and have, but this time around i am only here for a couple days to eat and drink. First meal is at the Cantinetta, which is located stumbling distance to the farmstay. This rustic establishment was long ago our first taste of the Italian dining experience you hear about or see in movies, but rarely are lucky enough to find; where the food & laughter never seems to stop with each plate impossibly more delicious than the last and the outstanding wine never seems to run out. They have built a reputation for their open fire grill of the Florentine T-bone. A piece of meat that would challenge the heartiest of eaters. The location offers world class views of the vineyards spilling down from Chianti Hills.. Almost everyone arrives with the question of “how did you ever find this place?”
One year while here we sat across from the queen of the Netherlands and last year the buzz was George Clooney made an appearance. As much as we love the Cantinetta, our favorite is in the nearby village of Badia Passignano, at the Scuderia. This trattoria was stated by the daughter and son-in-law of the Cantinetta’s owner. Stefano and Maria bring their own style and creativity to Tuscan fare as well as offer a first class selection of wine. Legend has it that the knights stopped here before resuming along the roads located at the intersection of the Florentine capital and the medieval Via Francigena that connected Rome with the Alps. Today this quiet village still retains an air of the medieval where you can enjoy you can enjoy the tranquility of a garden surrounded by the greenery of tall cypresses, and beautiful vineyards spilling from the hillside.
We leave Rignana for the nearby San Gimignano and its romantic medieval skyscrapers.