Many thanks to Julian for his i-phone photo; his family stayed at A Corte during the last two weeks of August.

Julian took this early morning snap, as his family woke early to catch their flight back to London

The city of Lucca marks their 500 year anniversary of its beautiful walls with a world record! The Tuscan town set up a 1km long table and invited 2,000 guests to dinner smashing the record for the longest row of tables! Lot’s of the local restaurants including Antica Locanda di Sesto helped out with the service for the diners.

Most high streets in Europe are now covered in plastic signs, which are not controlled by local councils, so it is always such a relief to see real quality, whether they’re lovely old signs with beautiful type, frescoes and sculptures. Most people appreciate great design, so it is such a shame most councils in the west think of the present and not the future. Thankfully, Italy is an exception and a wonderful example to us all.

A beautiful Mary and baby Jesus in one of the grand villa entrances in Capella. Italy is one of the few countries in the world that still is full of sculptures and art. Even the benches in Lucca are made of marble.

A beautiful entrance over the hill from Casa a Corte.

Hazel, photographing one of the many beautiful churches in Lucca. The quality of craftsmanship is truly amazing, especially on one of the smaller churches.

Small chapel in Pietrasanta

Italy is fortunately still covered in the most amazing frescoes.

Lucca was hit by a very heavy hail & thunderstorm last week.

The skies darkened and mature trees within the walls of Lucca were blown down and cars were dented by golf ball sized hail stones. The thermometers hit 37C and the recent dry spell has resulted in the grass changing from emerald green to brown. The fire flies in the valley have been amazing – I never tire of seeing them.

The swallows have arrived and are nesting in the barn, along with the redstart. The cuckoos are calling, hoopoes are marking out their territory and the wild boars are using their noses to feed on the new lush shoots.

The fields are looking beautiful. Organic farming methods result in so many beautiful flowers which proves that over farming in most of Europe is resulting in so many species disappearing.

Our palm tree is full of fruit, as are the fig and olive trees.

I never thought the expression ‘chips with everything’ would apply to Italy but it now does and in a big way.

Last week we ate at Antica Locanda di Sesto, a brilliant restaurant, which serves the best steaks (& grilled meats) and was pleasantly pleased that no one had chips, although I know that they serve the tastiest ones we’ve ever eaten.

Steaks grilling on the olive wood-fired grill at Antica Locanda

The following night, we decided to have a pizza at Da Pinzo and were seated next to a large table full of children celebrating a 14th birthday party. Soon hell was let loose with kids shouting from one end of the table to the other. Most shocking than the noise, was the food they ordered to feed the little monkeys.

Pizza with chips & frankfurters.

I never thought I would ever see chips on a pizza, especially in traditional Italy, but 3 days later we saw an 18 year old devouring the same pizza, so times are changing, but not necessarily for the better.

Wood fired pizza ovens create the perfect crust and my recommendation is the Bianca, which you can have with or without a tomato base, prosciutto (parma ham) with dollops of mascapone – pure indulgence

Pizza perfection from Da Pinza, Ponte a Moriano

Any dish containing eggs and bacon has got to be a winner for the British & American palette but how do you go about creating the perfect spaghetti carbonara?

As with so many Italian dishes, this one has a disputed history, although most people accept that carbonara probably originated in, or near Rome. The story goes that Umbrian coal men (carbonari) introduced it to the Romans when they came to sell charcoal to them. It has since become a global favourite – although one that has many variations!

Over time, the authentic Italian carbonara has been heavily tampered with by Brits and Americans alike. Ingredients such as cream, peas and mushrooms have crept in (much to the Italians dismay!). These additions have become so common in America and England that it’s now considered the norm to make carbonara this way. In Italy, it really isn’t (ask an Italian!) Whilst carbonara may be a simple dish, the devil is in the detail. Tossing the pasta to combine the ingredients is an art and factors such as the cut of the pancetta and amount of good quality Italian cheese (parmesan / pecorino) are significantly important. Pepper is a must!

Antonio Carluccio’s recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a must try. We recommend a glass (or two) of Gavi di Gavi as an accompaniment – just don’t pour it in the carbonara 😉

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara (with Eggs and Bacon)

I include a recipe for this well-known dish because most people I know get it completely wrong, either adding milk or cream or letting the eggs become scrambled.

Serves 6

500g (1 lb 2 oz) spaghetti or spaghettoni (the largest spaghetti)

25g (1 oz) lard
25g (1 oz) butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, slightly squashed
100g (4 oz) pancetta or guanciale, cut into small chunks
5 tbsp dry white wine
5 eggs
100g (4 oz) Parmesan cheese (or pecorino for the purists), freshly grated
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat the lard, butter and oil in a pan and fry the garlic pancetta or guanciale until crisp. Discard the garlic and add the white wine to the pan. Boil to evaporate it a little.

Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl with the grated cheese, parsley and some salt and pepper. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the egg mixture in the bowl, stirring to coat the pasta. Then add to the pancetta or guanciale in the pan. Stir a couple of times and then serve.

Modena is one of Italy’s most foodie towns and is only 2 hours drive from Casa a Corte. Not only is it the home of Balsamic Vinegar, Pavarotti & Ferrari but just as importantly it’s the home of Zampone.

Zampone con Lenticchie is a stuffed pigs trotter and is eaten, served on a bed of lentils on New Years Eve, so essential eating for all hard core Italian food lovers. The lentils represent the money and the sausage stuffing represents the purse.

The foot and shin are boned and stuffed with ground pork snout, herbs and spices. Pork is one of the pillars of Emilian cuisine and all kinds of porky products are made there. In the town of Zibello, culatello, a pork rump is made, while Bologna, the food capital of Italy, offers it’s mortadella and Langhirano makes a cured ham. Zampone is found in good Italian deli’s during winter months.

Antonio Carluccio’s recipe – Zampone / Salsicce Fatte A Mano Con Lenticchie (Zampone or Umbrian Lentil and Home-made Sausage Stew)
This dish is truly wonderful when using the fresh sausages made by the local Norcian master butchers, who are known as norcini. As they may be difficult to find, I suggest making the sausages from scratch instead – it’s not too complicated, and it is well worth it.  You can get hold of Castelluccio lentils, the Italian Puy lentils, in a good delicatessen.
Serves 4
2 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
50g sun-dried tomatoes cut into strips
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g Castelluccio lentils
450ml chicken stock
2 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper

Sausages:
500g minced pork
50ml strong red wine
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 mild chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped rosemary
Salt and pepper

For the lentils, fry the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes in 6 tbsp of the olive oil for a few minutes in a large pan. When the garlic starts to turn pale golden, add the lentils, stock and celery, and cook for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Cover and keep warm over a low heat.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, mix the sausage ingredients together well and season with salt and pepper. Take a handful of mince and roll it into a sausage shape, 8cm long and 3cm in diameter. Wrap tightly in a piece of foil, closing by turning the ends as you would a sweet.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Poach the sausages in the boiling water until they pop up to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool a little, then take of the foil. This poaching should ensure that the sausages hold together.
Moisten the sausages with the remaining olive oil, then fry or grill (or roast) until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Add the sausages to the warm lentils, allow to cook gently together for 5 minutes. Eat with bread or, if you like, with a few boiled potatoes.

As served at Antica Locanda di Sesto

Use up your left over your Christmas panettone and make a delicious Zuccotto for New Year; you wont regret it

http://goo.gl/Qhjd89

I love the Autumn in Tuscany. The days are usually clear with block blue skies, although chilly at night, because it is so clear. However, on 21st October 2013, the heavens opened and there was a massive electrical storm which caused landslides in the Garfagnana. The river Serchio rose 6 metres and flooded Ponte a Moriano. If the food market was able to open this morning I’m sure the locals will be even more vocal than they usually are. Our poor guests from the US are having a rather different Tuscan experience, than the one they must have hoped for, but have been wonderfully resourceful and positive.

For the last few years we have picked our olives in the first week of November in full sunshine at 26C, although coldish night’s give the restaurants and bars an excuse to light their first log fires of the year and Italians to dress up in their scarves and winter coats. Italians don’t like being cold!!

Millie wrapped up, Italian style in Abetone