Author: Stefano

Stefano is a native from Florence but with a quarter of Sienese blood in his DNA and many years living in Pisa is a true Tuscan. He is still learning that his homeland has many corners and hidden gems he has to discover, ones he particularly enjoys seeing from the saddle of his bike.

Off to Pisa! Seeing the Leaning Tower with Kids

October 23, 2023

A train ride to Pisa from Florence: a short day trip, perfect for little ones It’s been a while since we took off on a day trip, at least more than we would like. The arrival of our third child and the long pandemic restrictions have kept us home-bound (remember that behind DiscoverTuscany there is…

Read more

Flying in a Hot Air Balloon over Val d’Orcia

August 10, 2018

Our spectacular experience with BallooninginTuscany.com I had always considered a hot air balloon flight as something cool… done by others! After all, I didn’t get on an airplane until I “had to” to go visit my fiance (who is now wife…) since she lived on the other side of the Atlantic. Then we got an…

Read more

Trying out the E-MTB on Elba

May 29, 2015

I’ve had a dream of seeing Elba on bike ever since my first vacation on the island a few years ago when it became clear that it is cycler’s paradise. Sure that it required a little bit of training on my part, and a companion to share in the adventure, my “bike holiday on Elba”…

Read more

A View on a Teaching Farm

August 28, 2013

There are those who have an innate passion from the very start, then there are those who only discover it along the way; then there are those who need to go back to their roots and the land and those who just need to live with the rhythms of nature marked by the singing of…

Read more

Ceramics and Passion in Siena

August 24, 2012

We were taking a stroll near the Duomo of Siena on a warm evening this past July, trying to decide whether we had enough time to go visit the Opera del Duomo museum or rather to relax and enjoy an ice cream, when our attention was caught by a young ceramist painting a dish on…

Read more

From the Street: Fattoria dei Clochard alla Riscossa Gives New Hope

June 22, 2012

On June 17 the grand opening of a new agriturismo occurred near Serravalle Pistoiese in Tuscany. The fact is newsworthy because the farmhouse is the site of a very special social project where 12 homeless will have the opportunity over the next 12 months to work and pick up the necessary skills as well as…

Read more

The Medieval Market of Filetto

August 8, 2011

If you also find yourself in Lunigiana between the 11th and 15th of August, make your way to the Medieval fair in Filetto! The area of Lunigiana has so much to offer, as we had ourselves discovered a year ago when we first started exploring this area staying a few days in the countryside near…

Read more

The Renaissance of Colle di Val d’Elsa

July 12, 2011

The first edition of the Renaissance Fair at Colle Val d’Elsa! Our impressions Anyone who has read our blog for a while probably has already understood we love to go to medieval festivals and that we often return to the ones held in Monteriggioni, Volterra and Roccatederighi in Tuscany. When we found out there would…

Read more

Discovering Lunigiana

August 25, 2010

Even if we’ve been exploring Tuscany for years now, both for work and pleasure (overall for pleasure 😉 ), we still had never visited the area called Lunigiana at the very far northwestern edge of Tuscany. We set out to change this last week, taking a week’s vacation and staying near Aulla at the Convivium…

Read more

Our vacation at the Convivium Lunae Pow Wow Bean Farm

August 11, 2010

During our vacation in Lunigiana (details and pics coming soon), we selected a farmhouse near Aulla with a very original name: Convivium Lunae Pow Wow. We chose it mainly because of its central location in the Lunigiana area, perfect for moving around to visit the various villages during the week we were there. The farm…

Read more