portico

portico is italian for porch, or covered terrace. we are fortunate to have an expansive portico off many rooms of the tuscany house. in the summer it serves as the principal living room. we eat, play and drink there on a daily basis. when building the house spending time outside was a top priority so we wanted to make sure we created an area that could facilitate those moments even when the temperatures dropped. enter outdoor fireplace stage left. 

surprisingly this took a lot of persuading to get permission from the commune of siena, where we had to apply for all approvals during construction. while pizza ovens are a norm, outdoor fireplaces are not. i think the authorities that be were concern it was our way of setting up an area which we would later close up and do what they call an abuso, or an illegal addition to the house. we were eventually able to technically call this a bbq and it passed. here she is in all her glory, our favorite spot on an autumn evening, by the fire on the portico. rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves in the distance. i had dreams of roasting marshmallows with the kids, but so far we've only gotten as far as red wine and the occasional dinner. 

here was the same are after a little rearranging. we moved around the couches and some nearby table to create a fireside dining spot when a couple of friends joined us for dinner. 

and yes, we are still missing the second hanging light on the right. it a saying that everyone knows and for good reason, whatever you haven't completed by move in, will most likely take another ten years to complete! 

take a load off

there is a small bar i go to for coffee on the weekend in the town near our weekend home. when weather permits it's always nice to sit outside and i find it especially endearing considering how industrious they had to be with their seating arrangements due to the steep incline of the street where they are located. 

did you notice the wooden planks under the benches? and how they had to cut off the legs of the tables?  love it. just love it. 

Autumn in Tuscany

saturday morning coffee with a view and crisp fall air.

spontaneous blossoms still popping up in unexpected places :-)

the vegetable garden is slowing down, but we still managed to pick a few end of summer goodies.

i must admit to missing the states in the fall. pumpkin lattes, colorful foliage, decorative holiday touches all around! autumn in italy is more about wild boar, mushrooms, truffles and artichokes, so at least soon i'll be gastronomically finding ways to comfort myself! this coming weekend i'm going to try and hunt down some pumpkins to spice up the entrance. 

terra etrusca

yesterday my husband and i found ourselves in the car with no kids and an hour to kill before lunch at tullio in capalbio. we decided to drop by an organic market, restaurant, b&b place called terra etrusca. it opened a few years ago and specializes in farm to table produce. 

entering from the road there is ample parking, nice views and lush gardens

inside you find whatever they have in production, depending on season and avaliabilty. when we walked in they had just received a big, gorgeous box of little strawberries fresh from the fields. we served them for desert with a sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice. divine. 

they also have a small but valid selection of homemade sauces and canned veggies, jams, oils and local wines. all 100% bio and produced within a stones throw of the shop.

Terra Etrusca S.a.r.l.

Via Piemonte, 6

58011 Capalbio Stazione (GR)

tel. +39 0564 898699

fax +39 0564 1882001

info@terraetrusca.it

saucy

not much to elaborate on, just a few shots of our end of the season tomatoes going from garden to stove.  we literally just popped them, washed, into a pot with a garlic clove, some water, salt and pinch of sugar. let it simmer down to a nice pulp. add water if needed. toss in fresh basil leaves to taste. i like to add dried hot peppers to a few batched that will not be used for the kids. can be canned, frozen or bottled and put in fridge to consume quickly. 

from the orto to the kitchen. yum.

our last hoorah

on the last day of summer we managed to squeeze in one last swim. it was cool but pleasant. it also got me all sorts of melancholic about the end of my favorite season. 

ripe pomegranates hanging from bushes. 

we also dabbled in the art of staging. here is baby c on her first modeling gig, in our dinning room. a magazine came and shot our house for an editorial about living with kids. we cruelly sat baby girl at the table with a big fat plate of cookies which she couldn't eat, just before her lunch time, and expected her to look angelic. she did, for the most part. what can i say, she's a natural ;-)

life in our house with kids looks like this, but usually with a little more mess.

good bye summer you fickle friend you. i love you so much but you always leave me too soon. 

Tullio

in the hilltop town of capalbio you'll find one of the maremma regions best restaurants. tullio is a family run joint, they also own the adjoining trattoria. tullio, being the more 'upscale' of the two, consistently serves up some of the yummiest and most refined rustic tuscan fare. you cannot go wrong with their namesake soup. i can't tell you whats inside, a little bit of everything i imagine. it literally melts in your mouth. 

in the warmer and transitional seasons they usually serve on this covered terrace which looks over a winding road, rooftops and beyond to where the rolling hills meet the sea. 

the soup. order it. 

it's one of those places that is hard to get a bad meal, but we repeatedly order the stinco di miale and have never ever been disappointed. as the saying goes, it's like butta.

the covered terrace as seen from the road.

in the winter they serve inside in a typically intimate and dim country room. 

a view over the city walls. not hard to see why romans escape the city and flock en mass to this corner of tuscany every chance they get!  

tullio

via nuova, 27, Capalbio, Italia

0564/896196

old but good

check out this link to an older article in the new york times about the tuscan coast. a few years old, but still very informative. the tuscan coast is my favorite area of italy. from the southern most tip of the capalbio to forte dei marmi and everything in between. it spans the gamut from rustic chic to high end to over the top. something for everyone. 

a small island off the argentario coast

the whitewashed restaurant and beach club ultima spiaggia in capalbio. only an hour and change north of rome. the beaches are wild and miraculously undeveloped. 

the port town of porto ercole. great for people watching, cocktails and ice cream.

driving along the panoramic road from porto ercole town towards the famed hotel il pelicano 

looking down into the blue green waters and private beach at il pelicano. the height of luxury. 

a typical bay along the peninsula  of monte argentario. you can find public beaches like this one, or pay for a couple of beds and an umbrella. the services here are less fancy than those of the northern tuscan coast like forte dei marmi, but the waters are stunning. 

the manicured loveliness of forte dei marmi. this beach in particular is my favorite, l'orsa maggiore.