Minestra di Pane

Ingredients

• Red beans or Kidney beans 700 g
  
• Tomatoes (ripe) 350 g
  
• Potatoes 200g
  
• Black cabbage 1
  
• Celery stalks 2
  
• Carrots 2
  
• Onion 1
  
• Hot pepper (Capsicum) 1
  
• Garlic 1 clove
  
• Parsley a few leaves
  
• Stale Tuscan bread 350 g
  
• Extra virgin olive oil 5 tbsp
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Pepper to taste

Method

The Tuscan Sun Festival has been held annually from the past four years in the beautiful Tuscan town called Cortona. In 2006 that is this year it will be held between the fifth and twentieth of August.

It is a festival, which caters to music, the arts, literature, cuisine, wines and also wellness. The main focus is on music. However the other aspects of culture are also fairly well represented.

There are many excellent performances in classical music, chamber music and orchestral masterpieces featuring composers from Tchaikovsky to Vivaldi. These performances will be conducted in the historic places of the city including the Teatro Signorelli, the Fortezza Medicea and the medieval and interesting open-air ambience of the Piazza Signorelli.

There will be many excellent performances during the festival. The main attraction of the festival is no doubt the presence of the Antonio Pappono and the chamber orchestra of the Royal Opera House who will be the resident orchestra. The world’s most famous current soprano Renee Fleming will also perform. The New European Strings Chamber Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra will also participate.

Many local and internationally famous acclaimed and talented musicians are scheduled to perform. They include Joshua Bell the celebrated violinist, Evelyn Glennie who is considered as the first lady percussionist and the legendary songwriter and singer Bobby McFerrin. The famous conductor and violinist Dimitri Sitkovetsky will also perform.

Many new and upcoming talents from across the globe will also enthrall the residents and tourists and art aficionados who will throng the city of Cortona to enjoy the Sun Festival. They include Nina Kotova the rising star of the cello, Graham Chang the violinist prodigy and Anna Netrebko the singing sensation from Russia.

There will be exhibitions from famous sculptors. Ana Corbero and Antje Rejck will exhibit their talents and recent sculptors at the art exhibitions.

There will also be a series of lectures conducted by famous authors and writers. Monica Sarsini, Ranvei Eckhoff and Guiseppe Tornatore have accepted invitations to hold lectures during the festival. Francis Mayes the author of the famous book, which was made into a Hollywood movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”, will also grace the festival with her presence.

Master chefs from the region are preparing to exhibit their culinary expertise during the festival especially in post concert sessions. The best and most traditional of the Tuscan cuisine will also be a major part of the festival. There will also be wine tasting sessions.

Finally the festival is also catering to the well being of all its residents and guests with yoga and natural healing forming a part of the festival. Italy’s premier spa at Il Fonteverde will offer a rejuvenation program, which will include the healing waters of Roman baths.

Thus the Cortona Sun Festival has so much to offer so it is definitely worth planning a long trip to Tuscany and to spend a few days at Cortona in early August.

Cortona lies atop a Tuscan hill six hundred metres above sea level. It is about eighty kilometres from Florence and lies between Arrezo and Perugia. It is a delightful medieval town, which can be explored through leisurely walks in and around. It overlooks the lake of Perugia.

This city has ancient origins and parts of the walls build during Etruscan times are still visible and fairly well maintained. These stand majestically around the city bearing a silent testimony to the glory of this ancient settlement. There are also a few signs of the roman settlements in the area. After the roman conquest in the third century the damaged walls were reconstructed and four gateways were added.

The Fortress

In 1556 the first Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I had a fortress constructed which rose from structures, which had been fortifications in the Etruscan, Roman and Medieval times. It is trapezoidal in shape with four bastions. T is now a major centre for art exhibitions and some events in the upcoming festivaldelsole (Cortona Sun Festival) in Cortona will be held in this venue.

Museo Dell’ Accademia Etrusca

In 1727 three brothers Marcello, Ridolfino and Fillipo Venuti initiated the establishment of this academy, which remains to date an important legacy of the glory of the Etruscan past. They were gifted space in the Palazzo Cassali by Giangastone di Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The museum and library have important collections bequeathed by patrons through the ages. There are fabulous collections of idols, statues, urns, cut gems, lanterns and drinking dishes. The library has rare and ancient manuscripts.
Most of the material present is subdivided into the sections
The Archeological Collection
The Egyptian Collection
The Medieval and Modern Collection

One of the most important and significant pieces in the museum is the Etruscan Lamp. It forms part of the Archeological Collection as is placed in a separate hall- Hall 2 next to the entrance hall. It is a very beautiful and artistic lamp, which dates to around the fourth century before Christ. Although there are many other beautiful and distinctive pieces of antiquity in the museum the lamp is considered as the prized possession in the museum.

Diocesan Museum
The Museo Diosceano houses a great collection of magnificent art. It is the home of the famous painting “he Annunciation” an also the “Madonna and Saints” by Fra Angelico.

Churches
The most famous churches in the city include the church of San Domenico. Fra Angelico has painted a famous fresco above the entrance of the church.

Francisco di Giorgio Martini has designed the famous church of Santa Maria del Grazie.

Saint Margaret of Cortona is considered the patron saint of Cortona. She founded the hermetic monastery of “Le Celle” along with Saint Francis of Assisi.

Famous palaces
Palazzo Communale is found at the city center. It was built in 1214. It has majestic flight of steps, which leads to the entrance.
Palazzo Pretoria was built in 1268.

Art and Culture
The famous Tuscan Sun Festival has been held in the city of Cortona from the past four years. Frances Mayes the famous author based her famous novel “Under the Tuscan Sun” in Cortona and the Hollywood movie of the same name was shot here. Some scenes from the film “Life is beautiful” directed by Roger Bergini have also been shot here.

Many famous artists including Luca Signorelli, Pietro da Cortona and Gino Severini made Cortona their hometown. It has also been the birthplace for many ecclesial personalities.

There are also many famous restaurants including the Osteria del Teatro, which offer the best of Tuscan cooking. Many beautiful villas and farmhouses are also available. Thus you can make your stay a memorable one in Cortona.

Osteria del Teatro

It is an old and traditional Tuscan family owned and operated restaurant. It is situated just of Cortona’s large square the Piazza del Teatro on Via Maffei near the Piazza Signorelli. It has always been situated on the Via Maffei but in 2002 it moved to a more spacious and elegant building.

The restaurant offers authentic and traditional Tuscan dishes in an intimate atmosphere with opera or symphonic music playing in the background. It is lined with photographs depicting many theatrical productions spanning many years.

It is located in a beautiful building. Osteria del Teatro can be literally translated to mean Tavern of the theater. The owners have honoured this tradition by furnishing the interiors with lovely wooden tables recreating the ambience of an ancient Tuscan tavern nd yet have added enough of modern conveniences to make the modern tourist comfortable.

Emiliano Rossi has adapted many authentic and traditional dishes and has only added a few popular dishes to the extensive menu. He is the owner and the main chef in the restaurant. Every course right from the starters to the soups and the main courses have proved to be so popular that is indeed difficult to recommend dishes. The desert range is also wide and extensive.

They make an excellent presentation of the dishes at your table. The exclusive features of this charming restaurant are special and seasonal dishes they offer. These are indeed a highlight of the day as they vary daily and seasonally. So many dishes are popular with so many of the diners that indeed it is difficult to mention their signature dish. They also use home- made olive oil, which adds that extra dash, and taste to the dishes. They also produce a home made and innovative range of chocolate and chocolate-based delicacies.

This very popular restaurant also has an extensive wine list and it necessary to make dinner and even lunch reservations. The menu is available both in English and Italian. It is closed on Wednesdays. It is closed for fifteen days in November. It is a disabled friendly restaurant as it offers facilities for the disabled.

It is indeed highly recommended for fine Italian dining by both the tourists and the residents of Cortona.

Syrah is a specific grape, which thrives well in the soils of the hills surrounding Cortona. Hence Cortona Sirah or Syrah is a typical wine from the city of Cortona and its nearby environs.

The Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro is a one hundred and forty hectare property situated in the heart of Southern Tuscany not far from the lake Trasimeno. The estate was bought by Luigi d’Alessandro in 1967. From the seventeen hundreds o the nineteen sixties this estate had been the fiefdom of the noble family of Fattoria di Manzano.

In the late eighties Massimo and Francesco d’Alessandro began restructuring the estate. They took personal interest in the viticulture and thus have made it one of the finest wine producing estates in the region.

On April nineteenth two thousand and four Syrah Worldwide the international Syrah club was born in Rome. The Tuscan estate Tenementi d’Alessandro, which is the leading producer of Syrah in Italy, hosted the event. It featured the coming together of Syrah producers from different parts of the globe including France, California and Italy. It was a forum where experts from all over the world discussed the history, culture, soils and winemaking techniques of Syrah.

The day ended with tasting sessions of various Syrah wines mainly from Australia, Chile, Sicily and Italy including Il Bosco 2001 of the Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro.

In the ancient times the Etruscans used their intelligence to cultivate the vineyards to their maximum potential and produced many classical wines in the region. In the present times the management of Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro have employed a team of professionals including a technical director, an agronomist, technical workers and a consultancy firm to ensure that a very high standard is maintained in the vineyards. The owners also take personal interest in the entire management process in their pursuit of creating excellence.

In their pursuit for excellence they keep in mind the three major factors of ripeness, homogeneity and concentration. Each member of the team plays his or her part in maintaining these factors leading to a consistently good production year after year.

The wine cellar is modern with temperature control in the barrel cellar. The fermentation tanks are computer controlled to maintain temperatures and regulate pump-over.

Cortona Syrah D.O.C. is the main wine produced by the estate. It is made from the younger vines and other lots not selected for Il Bosco. The vines have been planted between 1998 and 2002. It is a fresh balanced wine, which expresses suppleness and dimension along with concentration. It is made exclusively using Syrah grapes. It is aged in French oak barrels for about eight months before being bottled.

The estate also produces the famous Il Bosco, Fontarca, Vin Santo, Grappa Fontarca, Grappa IL Bosco and olive oil.

Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro makes a sincere effort to bring about a suitable fusion between the Syrah, the salubrious climate of Cortona and modern technology and innovations in harmony with age-old technologies to bring you the best Cortona Syrah D.O.C.