I knew that sooner or later I’d have to talk about Carnival. As I have already mentioned, Carnival parades, more or less successful fancy dresses and colourful confetti that will sneak into your dresses worse than the sea sand into your swimming costumes, well, they are really not my cup of tea. The Carnival is the last obstacle [...]

Posted in Desserts, Family recipes, Tuscan Recipes, Winter 4 Comments »

For me, living on the border between the provinces of Siena and Florence, driving south in Tuscany means going through one of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet, the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi, declared by UNESCO, in 2004, World Heritage Site. The outlines of the hills are well known throughout the world, just [...]

Posted in Autumn, Baked Good, Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Tuscan Recipes, Winter 31 Comments »

“The blog is a part of who I am. It’s becoming like a limb. I have to feed it all the time. I think of it as an engine that propelled me forward. I look at the world through my blogger struggles. When I go anywhere I wonder if it’s blogger material. I experience things [...]

Posted in Autumn, Chocolate, Desserts, Family recipes, Spring, Summer, Winter 22 Comments »

I like San Gimignano in the early morning, when it is still not crowded with tourists, when you see the local people passing along the streets almost incredulous to have San Gimignano for themselves, yet still for just a few more minutes. I like it when the footsteps echo on the cobbled shady streets, resounding [...]

Posted in Autumn, Desserts, Pies and Tarts, Spring, Summer, Tuscan Recipes, Winter 22 Comments »

Mum has a sweet tooth for whipped cream. Sweet tooth may be simplistic to describe her relationship with whipped cream and the speed with which her spoon speeds under my eyes when I make a cake, returning to her full of whipped cream. This said, she loves simple and traditional desserts: tiramisu, mantovana, rose cake [...]

Posted in Baked Good, Cakes, Desserts, Winter 20 Comments »