Take a bowl and combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle ½ cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar into this mixture, season it with salt and pepper and toss it well. Take the bread and place it in a wide shallow bowl. In case the bread is very stale and dry, then a few tablespoons of water should be spooned over it and left to soak for a while. Then the stale bread should be squeezed and placed in a different bowl. But if it is not very stale, then it is not necessary to do this. Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top of this and pour the rest of the tomato mixture over it. Cover it and refrigerate for one hour or up till it is time to serve. Before serving, toss the salad well and check the seasoning. If the bread does not feel moist enough, then a little bit more olive oil should be added.

This is a precious recipe handed down with the rich legacy of Tuscan cuisine. Simple and easy to remember and make, the Panzanella opens the freshness of the earth and gives way to an innovative and versatile experience.

La Cantinetta Antinori

Florence draws you with an irresistible spell into a world where sights, sounds and sensations whirl with vibrant abandon. With traditional cuisine as a part of everyday life, every meal is celebrated with the aura of la dolce vita. Every road in Florence guides you into the ancient culinary secrets so you can experience the throbbing pulse of Florentine cooking and an adventure that you will never forget.

La Cantinetta Antinori has revived the art of indulging in taste that has spanned an experience of 20 years. We made our way to the top of Via Tornabuoni near Piazza Santa Trinita in Florence and found La Cantinetta Antinori located at Palazzo Antinori 3. As historical as the rest of Florence, Antinori was primarily known for its wines. With excellent service and old-world courtesy, the restaurant serves up a delectable liver pate on toast with a glass of dry Spumante. As one of the few restaurants evolving over a split level range, La Cantinetta Antinori showcases Florentine cuisine in elegant and hospitable interiors. Our appetizers came along and we shared an extremely delightful and unusual Insalata di Lenticchie made of lentil salad seasoned with curry, fennel and lemon. We tried out the Bruschetta con il cavolo nero made of thick slices of cabbage called kale on slices of bread drizzled perfectly with olive oil and seasoned with salt. The Ribollita was awesomely tasty as we wondered if we could take any more.

But our taste buds were clamoring for more and our second course arrived with Arista in Crosta. This was accompanied by Guado al Tasso that went along beautifully with our food. This lovely wine was a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend with a rich aromatic bouquet and was full-bodied, finishing off with a fruity aftertaste on the palate. The roast loin of pork had a crust that was moist and tender that came along with creamed spinach. We shared Fettucini all’anatra, a rare and enticing dish of noodles in duck sauce. We simply had to try out the Trippa alla Fiorentina made with the famous Florentine tripe. Then the impressive Gran Pezzo came along that was simply filling and mouth-watering as Formaggi misti followed with a selection of artisan cheese with pecorino and mozzarella that was fresh, being made just that morning. Our lovely dessert comprised of Crostata di mele, an apple pastry, accompanied by a memorable Muffato della Sala, a unique dessert wine made by Antinori in Umbria.

The interesting fact about the Antinori family is that the Antinori marchesi started their enterprise 26 years ago. Following the old vintner tradition, they created a wine bar in their 15th century palazzo 30 years back. La Cantinetta Antinori uses the fresh produce that is grown on the Antinori farms and the wine from their own vineyards.

Leon Battista Alberti Exhibition until next month in Palazzo Strozzi

At every turn, Florence surrounds you with art, architecture and Alberti. Now Florence invites you to witness an extraordinary event that reveals the genius behind the inspirations. The romance of the Renaissance has not only unearthed talents but has structured the gorgeous architecture of Florence with an aesthetic endowment. The city of Florence celebrates its awesome architecture and dedicates its innovative and grand display of buildings to its master architect, Leon Battista Alberti. Starting on March 11th ’06 to July 23rd ’06, the exhibition is held at the Palazzo Strozzi in the old city centre of Florence and is just a 10-minute walk from Santa Maria Novella Railway Station.

As a predecessor to Leonardo da Vinci, Battista was born in Genoa in 1404. With a sharp intellect and a penetrating focus, Batttista’s intellect formulated and defined new ideas infusing aesthetics into multi-faceted fields. Possessing a sharp and curious mind, Battista studied at the best universities, graduating in literature in Venice and Padua and Law and Greek in Bologna. He evinced interest at an early age in music, painting, sculpture, architecture, physics, mathematics. As a creative and prolific writer, he moved to Rome and was secretary to the Patriarch of Grado in 1432. Battista wrote his four famous Libri della Famiglia between 1433 and 1441. He also proposed the Certame coronario, a literary competition on the topic of friendship. He also wrote De Statua and De Re Aedificatoria as basic treatises on architecture and sculpture in which Alberti recommends the study of proportions. Alberti’s accolade as an architect and town planner can seen in the Palazzo Rucellai, the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre in the church of San Pancrazio, the completion of the facade of Santa Maria Novella and in the gallery of the Santissima Annunziata. His talent and foresightedness ranges over innumerable architectural structures even right into the countryside with the apse of the parish church of San Martino a Gangalandi and the Medici villas of Fiesole and Poggio a Caiano. Other important works of Alberti in Italy are the Malatesta Temple in Rimini and the churches of San Sebastiano and Sant'Andrea in Mantua.

The exhibition covers over 170 works and has been sculpted into an extensive itinerary celebrating one of Florence’s greatest genius who influenced the style, thoughts and tastes of his times. The works of other great artists influenced by Leon battista Alberti follow in a triuphant line with Donatello, Ghiberti, Andrea del Castagno, Giovanni di Ser Giovanni called Lo Scheggia, Filippo Lippi, Neri di Bicci, Rossellino, Filarete, Verrocchio, Botticelli and Fra' Carnevale amongst other talented and poipular artists.

Accolades to Alberti’s genius is also portrayed in fabrics, models, jewellery, medals, manuscripts, letters and printed books. Suppoting a massive itinerary, the exhibition showcases a unique multimedia presentation that displays Alberti’s influence on the Age of Humanism that has colored the creativity and the flow of thought into action. The renowned artists, Botticelli, Filippino, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raffaello are reputed to have read his treatises that has led to the blooming of the Renaissance.

The exhibition includes the Alberti intinerary that discovers and follows a route to the Palazzo Rucellai, the façade of the Church of Santa Maria Novella, the Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre in San Pancrazio and the Shrine of the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata. The 6th centenary of the famous Leon Battista Alberti is celebrated under the auspices of the Special Commission for the Florentine Polo Museale, other territorial Commissions, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the Florence City Council and the National Committee for the Alberti Celebrations.

The provinces of Florence have drawn the tourist, the gourmet and the intrepid traveler to experience and discover a host of awesome art, architecture and artistry. Displaying history and a scenic tapestry, Impruneta is found half an hour away from the south of Florence, located between the valleys of the streams of Greve and Ema. Impruneta can be reached from Florence in the direction of Certosa by following the indications.

Called after its pine forests that still exist, Impruneta was known in ancient times as "in prunetis" or "in pineta" that means ‘within the pine woods’. Surrounded by hills, Impruneta is encircled by lovely pine forests and silver green olive groves being inhabited since the Etruscan times.

Impruneta and its surrounding villages came under the fiefdom of the powerful Buondelmonti family during the medieval ages whose castle was structured in the village of Montebuoni. Bloodshed, a gory history and a macabre background marks the trail of the Buondelmonti. When Montebuoni was attacked by the Florentines, the head of the family, Ranieri and his four children fled to Florence where they had their own property. Driven from their castle in the 12th century by the Florentines, the Buondelmonti and the Fifani families were responsible for increasing the political enmity between the Guelf and Ghibelline factions. A family feud finally ensued from an alcohol induced brawl as to whose daughter would marry whom and this led to the murder of Buondelmonti di Buondelmonti on his wedding day during Easter in 1216, by Oddo Arrighi of Fifani. Many years of enmity followed this incident.

But the history of bloody feuds have been neutralized by miracles at the church of Impruneta. The sacred and legendary effigy of Madonna has drawn innumerable pilgrims besides the vibrant festival of the feast day of Saint Luke that takes place on October 18th of every year. The feast in olden times was marked by the sale of livestock, but today is celebrated with stalls, traditional cuisine and horse races. Impruneta, rich in its clayey soil, has been world famous for the manufacture of terracotta. The production of terracotta dates back to 1098 with terracotta tiles, pottery and bricks. But Impruneta gives you more than one reason to visit its scenic countryside. The treasures of the church and the famous pottery kilns hold the eye and entrance the mind. Located just a short walk away from the center of the town that houses the Piazza Buondelmonti, the pottery kilns have brought many an eager visitor to view and admire its artistic talents.

With its clayey soil yielding a rich production of terracotta, Impruneta has also made its ground hallowed with the Basilica of Sant Maria all’Impruneta and its museum, the Church of San Lorenzo a Colline, documented in 1156, which still has its original paneled ceiling, the Church of San Miniato a Quintale has a 14th century interior evolving with an elegant yet austere style. It contains a fragment of a 13th century fresco. The Church of San Lorenzo alle Rose has an Annunciation attributed to Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and a Madonna attributed to Taddeo Gaddi.

But the artistry in Impruneta is just not restricted to its fine terracotta and art. Impruneta displays an amazing repertoire of villas. Of special interest are the lovely structures of the Villa Il Prato, which is today the seat of Opera Pia L. Vanni, the 17th century Villa Carrega in Via Romam that is today a private house, and the Villa Citernesi in Via di Candegli. The vista continues with a range of the fine things in life with the beautiful Villa Corsini, at Mezzamonte with its gardens, which belonged to Lorenzo de'Medici. There are many more 16th century villas along the Via Imprunetana in the direction of Pozzolatico on the route to and from Florence, as well as La Capella Rossa in Quintole and La Torre Rossa in San Gersolè. On the Via Impruneta towards Tavarnuzze there are the 15th century Villa La Querce, the Istituto Suore Domenicane in a 16th century villa, and the lovely Villa Accursio.

With good trekking and bicycling trails, Impruneta also has a lot to offer by way of excursions with Tavenuzze that is nearby. The interesting sights to see are the Church of Saint Peter (Chiesa di San Pietro) at Montebuoni, the Chapel of the Buondelmontis (Cappella dei Buondelmonti) and the Hospital of St. Julian (lo Spedale di San Giuliano). All these sights weave a historical trail leading to the Buondelmonti family. Impruneta is close to Chianti, Greve and Panzano. Impruneta is 14 kilometers from Florence, 59 kilometers from Siena and 79 kilometers from Arezzo.

Wine review: Sangioveto 2001

Breaking away from the mundane etiquette, Enrico Fossi planted a spectrum of varietals against all odds. By defying the laws of tradition, Fossi has created an avant garde technique that he has infused into his cultivation. Just as one barely leaves Florence, the Montecastelli estate evolves facing the Carmignano hills having the unusual advantage of a hot microclimate for vine cultivars in Tuscany. Successfully combined varietals like Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling Renano, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Noir, Enrico Fossi’s estate can be found on Str. Pieve A Castello, 10, 53035 Monteriggioni, SI.

The Sangioveto 2001 is made of 50% young Sangiovese and 50% Nero d’Avola grapes with the wine being aged 100% in second and third use barriques. Reflecting age-old secrets, Enrico Fossi’s Sangioveto 2001 holds the qualities that have Fossi’s unique trademark that cannot be re-produced by anyone else. Having a medium calcareous soil mix, the altitude of the vineyard is 100 meters above sea level. Aged in barriques for a period of 10 months, 6,000 bottles are produced. With amazing climatic conditions, the delicate grapes that are used produce an outstanding wine with all the attributes of a Tuscan wine. The Sangioveto 2001 expresses a light-hearted balance of weight and a fruity flavor. Mature and full-bodied, the wine holds an alcohol content of 12.5%. With the appellation of Toscana Rosso IGT, the bottle size is 750 ml. Enrico Fossi holds the accolades of being a viticulturist and enologist, besides having the courage to tread where no other producer has dared to venture.

Sage(salvia Officinalis)

Sage is a variable evergreen perennial shrub, with strong taproot and square, woody branching stems up to 75cm/2ft6in tall. It is grey and woolly when young. It has grey-green coloured soft leaves, with a pebbly texture which are oblong or lanceolate, and finely toothed. Whorls of violet-blue flowers appear in spikes in summer. Sage is commonly found growing wild on hillsides and grassland on chalk in warm regions; it is widely cultivated as a pot herb in Mediterranean countries. Sage has become a popular herb garden shrub with numerous forms and decorative varieties, some gold or variegated. The best culinary sages are the plain narrow-leafed and non-flowering broad-leaved types.

Uses

An ancient herb, Sage is popular as a potent condiment for meat, fish, Mediterranean dishes, English Sage Derby Cheese, and as a basis for sage tea, taken to counteract sweating. Infusion of Sage can used to treat depression, nervous anxiety and liver disorders; homeopathic preparations can be given for circulation and menopausal problems. The leaves are also antiseptic, used in gargles for laryngitis and tonsillitis, and as a mouth freshener and tooth cleanser. It also provides an essential oil which can be used in perfumery.

Cultivation

Sage should be grown in well-drained, rich soil, in full sun and with shelter from cold winds. Cuttings should be taken in spring and summer, or by layering (mounding for older bushes). Nip off points of shoots to induce bushy growth, and renew every 4-5 years as shrubs become leggy.

Parts used

Freshly picked leaves, or leaves dried in shade, picked before flowering have various herbal uses. Alternatively, leaves picked when in flower can be used for oil distillation.

To bring out the best flavor from the leaves, dont use to a lot of it , as too much will produce an unpleasant taste. This is especially with the dried herb. , the flavor of the sage leaves became more intensive as they dry. Drying the herb can be a bit tricky, because its broad fleshy leaves have a tendency to mold. Hanging the herb in a dark, warm, arid place with good ventilation is an effective method for producing crisp, long lasting leaves.