CIAO TOSCANA AUTUMN -WINTER 2017
AUTUMN AND WINTER IN TUSCANY
AUTUMN AND WINTER: A TIME FOR BEAUTY AND RELAXATION
FLORENCE PISA SIENA
There are a thousand different views of Tuscany, all of them different and magical. As the year and the seasons pass by, Tuscany and its nature change before your very eyes. If you want to discover its beauty in autumn and winter, then head to Fonteverde, Bagni di Pisa and Grotta Giusti. Three historic hotels on ancient natural hot springs in the most beautiful parts of Tuscany: in Val d’Orcia, the hills overlooking Pisa and Valdinievole. Here, autumn and winter are seasons for relaxing and taking time out to enjoy the regenerating power of spring water. This is the perfect time to discover the flavours of our land, in the restaurants, small bars and markets in the squares. The sunny days invite you to walks through nature or the many ancient hamlets, as beautiful as in a fairytale. The cool evenings will lead you into cosy little bars and restaurants, where time is best spent in company. Come and see the grape harvest with us, spend Christmas, New Year, and charming Valentine’s Day with us, and, heralding the arrival of springtime, watch the local carnival festivities. Open your heart to Tuscany. She’s waiting.
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POTS, PANS AND DELICIOUS FLAVOURS
POTATO TORTELLI WITH RABBIT SAUCE Umberto Toscano, Executive Chef at Bagni di Pisa, was born into the best Mediterranean culinary tradition. He hails from Cirò Marina, by the sea near Crotone, and learned to love good food with the help of his mother and grandmother. He is an expert at combining delicious flavours with healthy elements: when winter calls, this means rich, nourishing foods made with choice ingredients that are skilfully prepared. Here’s one of his filling and flavoursome recipes: potato tortelli with rabbit sauce - a dish that is both rustic and refined.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE For the pasta: 180 g egg yolk, 150 g "00" flour, 75 g double milled durum wheat semolina. For the filling 500 g boiled potatoes, parsley to taste, 1 garlic clove, nutmeg to taste, 20 g Parmesan, 50 g Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. For the rabbit sauce: 0.5 kg rabbit leg, 100 g celery, 100 g carrots, 100 g white onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of rosemary, 100 g of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 0.5 l vegetable stock.
HOW TO MAKE To make the pasta. Mix the flour and the semolina together well, tip onto a pastry board and make a well in the middle pouring in the beaten eggs, then knead until smooth and even. Cover with film and leave to rest in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes. To make the filling. Boil the potatoes, peel them and mash them adding the garlic and parsley fried in oil. Add the grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. To make the tortelli. Roll out the pasta thinly and make 24 round disks with a diameter of 5 cm using a ridged pasta cutter. Put 30 g of the filling in the middle of each one and seal the pasta by moistening it with a little water. For the sauce. Remove the bone from the rabbit leg. Make a sauce by browning the bones in a pan with celery, carrot and onion, adding a little white wine. Allow to evaporate, add the bay leaf, salt and pepper, pour in the vegetable stock and reduce by half. Mince the meat, brown in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, garlic and rosemary, allowing the meat to caramelise well, deglaze the pan with a little of the sauce and cook for 30 minutes, adding the rest of the sauce little by little.
HOW TO SERVE Cook the tortelli in salted boiling water, drain as soon as they rise to the surface, and add to the pan with the sauce, adding more if necessary, and mix with some olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste.
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SIGNOR APERITIVO
DOLCE ABBRACCIO Francesco Iglio is the Bar Manager at Grotta Giusti. His world is one of shakers and a thousand bottles, in a completely refurbished unique bar, where he creates delicious original cocktails every day. His skill and creativity have helped him take his place on the winners’ podium at several specialist competitive events. For the colder months he will warm you up with his "Dolce abbraccio" (Sweet embrace), a cocktail that really lives up to its name.
RECIPE 3 cl dark rum, 3 cl espresso coffee, 1 cl aurum, 1 cl homemade cinnamon syrup, 1 star anise and 2 cl cream. How to make: heat the coffee, rum, star anise, aurum and cinnamon syrup in a heatproof glass. When the glass is hot, take out the star anise and add the cream to the surface without mixing it in with the rest of the cocktail. Decorate with a dusting of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick and serve (hot!).
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SPA BLISS
It is with great honour that we announce Fonteverde was voted among the ‘Top 10 International Destination Spas’ in Travel + Leisure’s ‘WORLD’S BEST AWARDS’ 2017. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to all Fonteverde guests who voted for our hot-springs resort in this coveted award!
PERIODIC FASTING MIMICKING DIET PROGRAMMES To get back in perfect shape after the Summer holidays or the Festive Season Fonteverde proposes the new Periodic Fasting Mimicking Diet programme which comes from Equilibrium, our new wellness philosophy. This dietary programme leads to weight loss and health benefits. It reduces abdominal fat while maintaining lean body mass, boosts cell and tissue turnover, reduces inflammation, prevents metabolic and degenerative diseases and lengthens the healthy lifespan. It involves a period of 2 to 5 days of semi-fasting, which is repeated at different intervals depending on nutritional and health-related factors. The weekly programme consists of 5 days of semi-fasting and 2 days of a personalised diet plan. It is repeated at regular intervals, depending on the individual’s health. Relaxing and lymph-draining treatments enhance the effects and help overcome feelings of hunger. The entire programme is carried out under medical control, with daily check-ups.
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SPA BLISS
FONTEVERDE PERIODIC FASTING MIMICKING DIET PROGRAMME THE PROGRAMME INCLUDES •
7 nights with personalized dietary programme
PAMPERING AT THE NATURAL SPA • • • • •
Thermal pools at 38° C with natural hydro massage waterfall Thermal Bioaquam Circuit at 38°C with Bath of Light Etruscan circuit with sauna, hot plate and steam bath Guided daily morning hike (from Monday to Saturday) Fully-equipped fitness room
CONSULTATIONS, EXAMS AND TREATMENTS •
• • • • • • • •
1 Medical check-up, Dietology Consultation with Anthropometric Analysis 6 Medical check-ups 1 Cosmetologic consultation 2 Dipu Jet massages 2 Tokui do, 2 Reflexologies with Head massage 1 Thermal relaxing massagge 1 Vital stone massage, 6 Postural Yoga 6 Fitness walks with fitness trainer Blue Print Kit: detailed report with recommendations and preventive treatments plus full test results.
RATES START from € 2.879,00 per person per package in double room.
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TUSCAN EVENINGS
EVENTS IN OUR HOTELS The days are getting shorter and dusk turns the landscape into a fairytale dotted with lights and stars: in Tuscany autumn and winter evenings have a magic all of their own. We have organised lots of events to make all these moments special.
At Fonteverde In winter the Spa Nights parties by the pool continue: on the first Saturday of every month, from 8 p.m. to midnight. You can swim in the thermal pool, and revel in the Bioaquam and Etruscan circuits with sauna, stove and Turkish bath. For the end of year celebrations we organise a New Year’s Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch, a New Year’s Eve gala event and even traditional Italian bingo. All this and live music, tastings and presentations of the best Italian labels. And entertainment and surprises for children too.
At Bagni di Pisa To make your evenings special, we’ve organised Christmas Eve parties, a New Year’s Eve dinner, and a New Year party in the Shelley Bar. We want to make every moment special, with themed dinners, tastings and piano bar events. Every Thursday you can enjoy our magical Spa Nights: from 8 p.m. to midnight the spa will open for drinks, snacks and music, with the spa pools with jacuzzis, the sauna and the Turkish bath.
At Grotta Giusti We call our special evening events Saturday Night Spa: on one Saturday a month from 8 p.m. to midnight you can enjoy a dip in the thermal pools with underwater jets, buffet dinner with drinks and the wonderful thermal grotto. And don’t miss out on our unique spa events: we’ll be opening the spa specially for Christmas and for New Year on 31 December, with a special pool party with bath in the thermal pools at night, DJ Set and buffet dinner, it will be a totally original way to see in the New Year.
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LOCAL EVENTS
EVENTS NEAR OUR HOTELS Autumn and winter in Tuscany are when people start preparing for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, and each town and village has its own special history and traditions. They are the perfect seasons for visiting all the region’s museums, going for walks through the old town centres and for exploring all the culinary delights and artistic treasures.
Fonteverde
Bagni di Pisa
Grotta Giusti
Gold Italy, Arezzo 22 - 24 October The international fair that celebrates the best of Italian goldsmithery and jewellery, and Arezzo’s goldmaking tradition. www.gold-italy.it
The National White Truffle Market Exhibition San Miniato, 11-12 November; 18-19 November; 25-26 November In the old town centre of San Miniato, an open-air exhibition of the wonderful flavours of Tuscany, starring white truffles. www.truffleintuscany.it
Chestnut festival Pescia, 23 October; Piteglio, 29-30 October; Pescia 13, November. Three chances to try Tuscan specialities made with chestnuts: "frugiate", the local name for chestnuts, and delicious "necci", chestnut flour rolls stuffed with lots of sweet fillings. www.rionesanmichele.it
Toscana Gustando Montepulciano 11 and 12 November Two divine days sampling the wines and flavours of Tuscany in the wonderful medieval setting of Montepulciano. www.toscanagustando.it Father Christmas Land Chianciano Terme 4 November - 26 December From the fantastic Polar Express train to Father Christmas Land: a fantastic journey with penguins, sledges, toy factory, wishing well, elf village and Father Christmas’s bedroom. www.paesedibabbonatale.it
Puccini World Festival 2017 Lucca 6-8 October Four concerts celebrating the grand Maestro at the Teatro del Giglio in his birthplace of Lucca, with the Lucca philharmonic orchestra and great soloists from around the world. . www.fondazionearpa.it Viareggio Carnival 2018 Viareggio, 27 January - 17 February Nineteen incredible days of parades with allegorical floats and papiermaché giants, pyrotechnic displays, parties and lots of delicious food. www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com
Lucca Comics & Games Lucca, 1 - 5 November The most famous festival in Italy for comics, animation, illustration and games. www.luccacomicsandgames.com Father Christmas’s House Montecatini Terme 11 November 2017 - 6 January 2018 Father Christmas’s House just as you imagined it to be: with an elf village, a post office for letters, a factory for wooden toys, and an area for listening to fairytales. www.lacasadibabbonatale.it
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THE ICING ON THE CAKE
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THERMAL MUD Thermal water is a genuine gift from nature for our wellbeing. Its regenerating power and its relaxing and curative ability have been appreciated since ancient times. One of the most intriguing ways to enhance and boost its benefits is to combine it with earth, in a procedure that has practically become a ritual. Thermal water is mixed with selected clays. This mixture is left to rest for at least six months and it turns into mature thermal mud. It is applied hot, at approximately 47° C, and it instantly provides an intense feeling of warmth, relaxing the muscles. It relieves diffuse and localised pain caused by rheumatism and arthritis and muscular contractures, and it helps the body recover after injuries and accidents. Mature thermal mud and spa water bathing stimulate the body’s adaptive capacity: their warmth encourages it to produce endogenous elements that boost cell repair and are anti-inflammatory. Water, earth and heat come together to create a unique, beneficial and regenerating mix.
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CHIA LAGUNA
THE PROMISE OF A DREAM SUMMER If you’re already dreaming about next summer, then you should come to Chia Laguna. Chia’s coastline has been nominated "Italy’s most beautiful beach" for two consecutive years by the Touring Club and Legambiente’s Guida Blu, a result that is quite simply extraordinary. Chia Laguna offers everything you need for you to enjoy your beautiful surroundings: relaxation and wellness in the natural spa, the new Hotel Baia with its bright large rooms and suites designed to reflect the Mediterranean nature all around you, fashionable new and very elegant restaurants, and outdoor swimming pools where you can relax or play sport, in our new half Olympic size pool, for example. For kids and teens we offer the unique chance to learn and have fun in our football academies in collaboration with Juventus FC and the English Premier League, and for our youngest guests - and the young at heart - our friends Masha and the Bear are on hand to liven things up.
For more information and reservations, please contact: +39 070 92393431 – travel@chialagunaresort.com
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CHIA LAGUNA
AN UNMISSABLE WEEK OF SPORT From 21st to 29th April 2018 Chia Sport Week is a brand new event for 2018: a week of international sport for the whole family, whatever your age. From 21st to 29th April at Chia Laguna, you can join in the cycling Gran Fondo, the Chia Sardinia Triathlon 70,3 and the Chia Laguna Half Marathon. It’s a week of sport for everyone with lots of non-competitive running, swimming and cycling races and events, including ones for our youngest guests.
For more information and reservations, please contact: +39 070 92393431 – travel@chialagunaresort.com
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COMING SOON
LE MASSIF: A FANTASTIC NEW HOTEL ON THE SLOPES OF MONT BLANC. Le Massif is our prestigious new hotel in Courmayeur, in the heart of the Alps on the slopes of Mont Blanc. It will open in December 2018 close to the big names in fashion along the town’s shopping streets, right in front of the ski lifts that take you to the Roof of Europe. Our guests will be welcomed in sophisticated surroundings where local wood and stone sit alongside large bright windows, with vertical lines that lead the eyes upwards towards the sky and the mountains. Its spa is a delightful place to take care of your wellbeing before some shopping or a day of sport.
LE MASSIF RESTAURANT & LOUNGE For the end of year 2017 festivities, we will be opening something truly special for mountain lovers: a Restaurant & Lounge that looks out over the ski slopes of Courmayeur. Its design is sober and elegant, with wood and stone shades, allowing it to fit in seamlessly with its surroundings. It is a place to meet up and take a break before heading down the slopes, or for lunch or a special evening. From the terrace the view stretches out over the slopes and it’s the perfect place to enjoy the sun on clear days. It’s like a club, a refuge, where time slows down and everything is welcoming.
HOTEL LE MASSIF
RESTAURANT & LOUNGE For more information and reservations, please contact: +39 070 92393431 – travel@chialagunaresort.com
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CON TUTTA LA NOSTRA PASSIONE
Booking Office Mail: travel@ihchotels.it Tel: +39 0578 572333 italianhospitalitycollection.com