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June 12, 2010 · 11:35 pm

What’s Cookin’ in Siena Italy?

: Image via Wikipedia

Siena’s yellowish-brown buildings are the embodiment of a gothic medieval city. Her golden age came to a screeching halt with the plague called the Black Death of 1348. Enlightened travelers will love this charming city in the heart of the Chianti Classico zone about 21 miles south of Florence.

Siena is the birthplace of Saint Catherine (1347), the patron saint of Italy. She received the stigmata at Pisa and the mortal remains of her head are housed in the Basilica of San Domenico.

The shell-shaped brick Piazza del Campo is one of Italy’s most triumphant piazzas, large enough to feature a medieval semi-annual 350-year-old summer bareback horse race called the “Palio delle Contrade.” The victor of the Palio celebrates with a massive town dinner (cena). Sometimes the horse wins without a jockey. The piazza’s surface is divided into nine segments by colored paving stones, symbolizing Siena’a original Council of Nine. Their members governed the city in her medieval heyday. The council met at the Palazzo Pubblico.

Throughout the centuries the residents preserved their city’s gothic appearance, acquired between the 12^th and 15^th centuries.

Recently, I took a cooking class at La Scuola di Cucina di Lella Cesare Ciampoi on Via Fonrebranda, 69.

Lella taught me how to make Cantucci cookies, a Tuscan biscuit that they dunk in Vin Santo. Here’s the recipe:

400 gr. Flour, 250 gr. Sugar, 150 gr. Shelled Almonds, 3 eggs, 3 yolks, Baking Powder, Orange Essence and salt.

Whip 2 eggs and 3 yolks with sugar. Add flour, baking powder, some drops of orange essence and some salt. Lightly roast the almonds and when they cool, add them to the pastry dough. Roll the dough into a log. Place them into a buttered cookie sheet with a light dusting of flour and brush with whipped egg. Bake for 15 minutes. Cut baked cookie log into biscoti and rebake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!! To learn more about Tuscany visit www.vino-con-vista.com and

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Filed under ebooks, Florence, Italy, Siena, Tuscany, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

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May 10, 2010 · 7:26 am

Romeo and Juliet’s Romantic City of Verona:A UNESCO Site near Venice Italy

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The historic city of Verona in Italy has charming pastel candy-colored buildings. It was founded in the first century B.C. and is located at the foot of Monte Lessini. Verona is the second most important art center in the Venato region outside of Venice.

Verona has developed progressively and uninterruptedly for over 2000 years. The top row of the Roman Amphitheatre offers a panoramic view over the town and on a clear day the Alps are visible. The amphitheatre continues to serve as an opera house and as a venue for an annual Shakespeare Festival. It was completed in 30 AD.

The Giardino Guisti is one of Italy’s most famous gardens and offers a beautiful view from the “monster balcony.” Verona flourished under the 124 year reign of the Scaliger family in the 13^th and 14^th centuries and as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15^th to 18^th centuries. Several seminal stages of European history have been preserved in this magical city. Tour the museums to view masterpieces from the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Think about Shakespeare embellishing Romeo and Juliet’s love story in this romantic city. Visit the old homestead and perhaps your romance will flourish as you gaze at Juliet’s famous balcony.

Consider enrolling in Villa Giona’s cooking school in Verona, associated with the Allegrini Winery. Verona has a long and strong history of wine production with high quality and high productivity. On the Veronese Riviera, Lake Garda is a great place for a Vino con Vista, this area is synonymous with the Bardolino red wine zone and winery tours can be arranged at the Enoteca del Bardolino and at the Wine Museum of the Zeni estate. The Valpolicella appellation was declared 2009’s winemaking region of the year by Wine Enthusiast. Amarone and Recioto wines were upgraded to DOCG status. In April of each year, Verona hosts “Vinitaly.” It is the country’s largest wine exhibition where you can taste thousands of wines from around the world www.vinitaly.com.

To learn more about Verona and Northern Italy visit www.vino-con-vista.com and

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