EssentialItaly

Sandcastles in Sardinia

Full marks to Xavier for this splendid sandcastle built on the secluded beach at Porto Rafael. The flags give it a great touch. Many thanks to Alex (Xavier’s Dad) for sending the photo direct from the beach.

Carnival in Sardinia

Sarah writes: It’s carnival time once again – how the Italians love to get dressed up and party! The sun shone in Palau (Sardinia) for everyone and a good time was had by all. Here are some of my favourite photos.

Spring in Puglia

Ian writes: I was invited down to Puglia by the local Chamber of Commerce who is promoting the area around Foggia. On the way down I passed through two beautiful regions of Italy I’d not visited before: Abruzzo and Molise. Spring was in definitely in the air and the olive groves looked stunning. 

On the last night of my stay there was a dinner, and as the ‘celebrity chef’ was introduced, I was sure I recognised him...

And it turned out I did. I mentioned to the organisers that I knew him, and I was ushered into the kitchens. Mino was in the middle of creating a wonderful meal for more than 300 people, but he still found the time to greet me with open arms (he also is the owner of one of our properties further to the south near Ostuni). They’re a friendly bunch down in Puglia.

Upon leaving Foggia I headed further down south to Ostuni to catch up with Chris and Martina and visit potential new properties – two of which will shortly be on the main site.

The hospitality I received in Foggia was as wonderful, so many thanks to the organisers and the friends I made there. I’ll be back soon...

Fit in with the locals in Italy

Ian writes: so we’ve had 5 things to avoid whilst staying in Italy; now for 5 tips to make you fit in like a local.

Football, or ‘Calcio’
Before setting off, brush up on the teams and form of the Serie A. If you can sip your cappuccino at the bar and pass yourself off as an expert on the finer points of the 4-4-2 over the 4-3-3 formation, you will be immediately accepted as a local; especially as it’s World Cup year.

Parking
At least once during your stay, ignore the traffic wardens and wave goodbye to parking etiquette. Pull up outside a bar and just get out without concern that you are blocking in several other cars. And don’t look back – just head to the bar and order your coffee[s]. Definitely a local’s move.

Grappa
At the end of a good meal, order up a shot of Grappa. Extra points for the rougher stuff, as only a local can stomach the stuff.

Dress sense
This one almost always gives away where you’re from, so leave your comfortable clothes and shoes at home (read sneakers/trainers and sportswear in general), and only pack oufits that fit perfectly together. Ladies ensure that handbags are the latest models, and gentlemen should sport wherever possible a pair of brightly coloured trousers (extra kudos for lime green); along with a suitably bright jumper to throw over the shoulders. Top it all off with the biggest pair on sunglasses you can find, and you’re half way there.

Pasta technique
No local will ever use anything other than a fork for eating the delicious plate of pasta in front of him/her. Any sign of knives (or heaven forbid a spoon) will be sneered at by servers and fellow dinners alike.

Photo credits: Lucam and Dave.

Carnival Sardinia 2010

Sarah writes: Carnival week has just come to an end here in Sardinia for 2010. This sadly marks the end of mid-afternoon glasses of wine, wild dancing along the sea-front, and wonderfully sugary doughnuts at all times of day and night.

This year’s Carnival had been hampered by bad weather, but on Sunday the sun was out everyone had a great time. We finished up in Cannigione outside the great Riva Azzurra apartments; now all I need do is convince them to open early next year so that our customers can join in this fantastic party week too. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you here next year!

Top ten places to visit in Italy

Ian writes: I was out and about in Tuscany yesterday visiting the owners of Casetta al Castello and Casa Tosca, and to keep myself amused whilst I was driving, I started making a list of my favourite places I have visited in Italy. Good job I was driving over 400km, as it took a while to narrow it down. Avoiding the obvious choices in Rome, Florence and Venice, here’s those that made it into the top ten (in no order of preference I hasten to add):

North-West Chianti Over the years I have spent a lot of time in this area of Tuscany and it never fails to impress: rolling hills, fantastic vistas, charming villages such as Certaldo, Montaione and the tiny hamlet of Marcialla dot the landscape, with the towers of nearby San Gimignano ever present on the horizon. A lunch stop at C’Era Una Volta in Lucardo is a must. Places to stay nearby: Tenuta Moriano and Casolare San Lorenzo.

Civitella-in-Valdichiana This small village over looks the valley below and was the site of a wartime tragedy. The small museum and memorial are touching and thought provoking. At present they are restoring the impressive castle. Dine at either of the great restaurants – Il Vicolo or Antico Borgo. Places to stay nearby include Villa San Martino and Le Terrazze.

Ostuni Towering over the Puglian coastline this town oozes charm and tradition. The whitewashed walls and tiny backstreets entice one in. Places to stay nearby: Lalpanzi and Trullo Lontano. Il Convento di Santa Maria di Constantinopoli is on the list simple because it is an incredible place to stay. ‘Tutto qui’, as they say in Italy.

Citerna This village is on the list of prettiest villages in Italy. ‘Compact and bijoux’ it offers a great base to visit Umbria and a great restaurant – Il Belvedere. Places to stay nearby: Casa Fontefaggio and Villa Anna in the village itself.

Civita di Bagnoreggio I visited this village for the first time a few years ago and it is truly spectacular – stuck out in the middle of the valley it floats like a ship on the early morning mist. Places to stay nearby: Il Falchetto and Borgo Bianchini.

Porto Rafael Here at Essential Italy we take our holidays here – a top recommendation indeed! Masterfully understated and chic with the best sea in the Med and beaches to match. The road ends at the village and so even in peak season the crowds don’t get here. Staying here makes one feel special. Places to stay in Porto Rafael: Rosetta, La Torretta and Casa Wasa.

Mount Etna This iconic symbol of Sicily is amazing. The black lava provides the most unusual backdrop for walks and from the summit the views are breathtaking. A great place nearby to stay is Scozilia.

Scopello This charming village is close to the great town of Palermo and offers typical Sicilian hospitality and great beaches. The nearby town of San Vito has a superb sandy beach. Places to stay in Scopello: Villa Orca and Villa Delfino.

Castiglion Fiorentino My home! Located between Arezzo and Cortona, the village of Castiglion Fiorentino often gets overlooked. Please stop and visit. Take my word for it; the views from the top of the tower (Il Cassero) are exceptional. Dine well in the restaurant Muzzicone. Places to stay nearby include Casa in Collina, La Senaia and Casa Ago.

And last but not least, with Valentines Day approaching, check out this truly romantic heaven: Nicolo in the village of Metato above the Versilia coastline.

Here’s hoping some of the above will make it onto your list too...

The perfect Italian holiday

Helen writes: I’m trying to keep focused and enter property information onto our new database which will drive our up-dated website (coming shortly). The problem is however, that with entering all this data, my mind wanders to how many fantastic properties we work with and makes me revisit all the thoughts I had when initially visiting them.

As many of you already know, our criteria for choosing a property is: ‘would we like to stay there ourselves?’ – if the answer to this question is ‘yes’, the property makes it onto the site. All told, we visit and reject far more than we accept each year.

So when making the initial visit to a property I always run through in my head who one might like to stay there with; girl friends for a weekend? husband? lover? (not that I’ve got one, but you’ve got to consider all options right?)...

So for every two properties I add, I find myself checking flights out for various occasions: for May half term for the family in Tuscany Ai Cedri is ideal; a weekend away with husband in June to La Mandranova in Sicily would be very romantic; for a girlie weekend in September we could go to Petra Segreta (the spa is wonderful); and perhaps a few days away for our very tired web designers, Fattoria La Loggia would be just the ticket (lovely steep climbs to cycle up and forget all about the hard graft involved to get the new site up and running); and of course not forgetting our annual summer getaway to Sardinia and the fabulous Casa Wasa.

So, the reason for this post is mainly to explain to our dedicated web designers why some of this information is taking a while to load up: I keep getting distracted by all the great properties we have!

Snow in Tuscany

Ian writes: On Saturday morning we woke up to a good foot of snow. Quite unusual for Arezzo and hence the whole region descended into chaos. Whilst most people travel to Tuscany in the warmer months the winter can be truly beautiful: the tops of the hills are covered with snow from December to February and there is a decent skiing resort in the mountains above Pistoia at Abetone. Our nearest villa to Abetone is Ripiano. Many thanks to fellow tennis player Patrizia for the photographs.

Christmas in Sardinia

Christmas in Sardinia is a great time of year, as many of the small villages inland celebrate with artisans opening up their houses to show off their home-made goods. These can vary from delicious pastries and fresh pastas to spectacular furniture made out of beautiful, perfumed juniper wood. The trick, I have learned over the years, is to go to the ‘Cortes Apertes’ with no time limits as in every house that you enter, you get given a glass of local wine, a piece of salami, or perhaps a special festive sweet made out of nuts and honey. It is considered rude not to accept so if you choose a village with a long main street, you can guarantee to come home with a car full of presents, stomach full of food, a bit of a headache, and a list of new friends as long as your arm.

On the coast and in the larger towns, lights and Christmas trees abound; often there are parties for the younger residents in the main squares with roast chestnuts, hot chocolate and Panettone . I have to admit to always being impressed by the organisation of festive parties here in Italy. I  had a great time on Saturday night at Porto Cervo’s annual Christmas bash; a huge gathering of guests ranging from 6 months to 80+ years with a splendid buffet and lots of wine to sample. A special play-room for the little ones was set up with staff to oversee them, the majority of the teenagers giggled and hoped not to be asked to dance whilst the adults let their hair down and waltzed, tangoed and twisted the night away. I am proud to admit to having danced with a 17 year old, a 3 year old and a 78 year old.

Sadly after a fantastic November, the weather has turned and we are experiencing rather wet, chilly, grey days that are forecast to stretch to the end of December. It seems hard to believe that the sea will instantly turn back to that magnificent bluey green colour as soon as the sun peeps out again. For those of you looking forward to your holidays in the spring, I can strongly recommend Su Gologone in the heart of Nuoro and Hotel Cala Luna on the spectacular coastline at Cala Gonone; both places that are on my list of visiting next week to check out the artisans handicrafts, to say nothing of the wine and cakes.

Buon Natale a tutti!

Essential AGM 2009

Ian writes: for our annual AGM, Helen, Sarah and I decided to head for the hills above the Tuscan coastline. We have several houses in the tiny hamlet of Metato (Cascatella, Nicolo, Federico, La Pergola, Martina) and having stayed there for three nights I can confidently say that the location is in my top ten favourites in all of Italy. The owner, Stefano, is an architect and has designed some really stylish and comfortable holiday houses and apartments.*

The views from the terraces are all amazing – Nicolo especially. Our days were mostly filled with talk of business, but we managed to squeeze in a couple of trips; Helen’s handbag hunt will one day have a blog all to itself. The evenings were ‘home cooked treats’ with wine and open fires.†

Metato is also a great place for a romantic getaway. Friends of mine stayed in Cascatella last year, and after 30 years of marriage said they felt like honeymooners – the evening lights twinkling below them and the waterfall pool to cool off in...

*A big thank you to Stefano for his hospitality. Anyone interested in visiting Berlin let us know as Stefano also has an apartment in the centre of the town; the pictures he showed looked pretty impressive.

†For opera lovers these houses would be the ideal location when visiting the world famous Puccini Festival.