We've got a new blog!

Yes, it's true. And you can find our new blog, called Things to do in Tuscany, right here...

http://patrignone.com/blog

There's loads of new recipes, news features, ideas of what to do in Tuscany and where to go when you plan your holiday in Tuscany.

The page is simply an archive of our older material, which you're still free to enjoy. It's just that our new blog is way more interesting and cool. Really.

Reunions and roses

It's been a hectic few days here, nothing new there but we have been thrilled to welcome back Simon & Kayleigh who were kind enough to involve us in their wedding two years ago.  The lovely couple had been here on holiday two years prior to their wedding and came back for a wedding rekkie a year later after they had become engaged and decided this was the place for them.  It was our biggest wedding to date with 54 guests for our 6 course banquet on the terrace with the Tuscan hills and a dramatic sunset for the perfect backdrop.  Weddings are always a hairy affair for us!  We stop sleeping about two weeks prior and start to panic that some unforseen event will ruin the bride and grooms most precious day......no pressure!  The larger the number, the hairier it becomes!  However, Kayleigh was a bride organised unlike any other and arranged the event with military precision.....oh if all brides and grooms had a Kayleigh!  It left very little for us to panic about and it was a huge success and lots of fun.  Spending an entire week with a couples friends and family makes us a part of the festivities and it is all very personal.  We have become friends with all of our brides and grooms and it is such a pleasure when they come back (apart from the hangovers!).  If you are looking to get married in Tuscany or at Patrignone have a look at our weddings section here http://www.patrignone.com/58/Patrignone_Weddings.html.
As a suitable send off for Simon and Kayels we had our weekly banquet last night as it was their last night with us.  Everyone staying came along and enjoyed the four course banquet and I made sure to do some of the dishes from the wedding including deep fried battered sage leaves with anchovy, crostini with gorgonzola dolce and caramelised pear and rosemary crusted chicken fillets with tomato, caper and olive salsa.  Dolce was dictated by the garden this week with pistacchio and rose cake.  We have three large pushes of these wonderful, dense pink roses that are very heavily perfumed.  Their flavour is heady enough to make a delicious licquor and the petals, when sugared are beautiful and yummy.

Local markets and good food

Tuesday is Poggibonsi market day.  Poggibonsi is our nearest large shopping town, about 20 minutes drive away.  There are a number of large supermarkets, a couple of big industrial estates and lots of ugly buildings.  Unfortunately Poggi, as it is called by us locals(!), was hit very badly in the Second World War and was not sympathetically restored.  It thrives as a community and holds, arguably, the best food market in Tuscany every Tuesday morning. Poggi market is the reason I tend to cook for our guests on a Wednesday.  I buy all of our Pecorino and parmesan from Andrea Frati who runs a small stall with his brother that they have taken over from their mother and grandfather.  They don't make the cheese but they do make their own salscicca (Italian sausages, 100% meat and delicious) and their own porchetta.  Porchetta is Tuscan barbeque!  Slow roasted over night with rosemary, sage and fennel, it is served in slices.  I find everyone elses very salty, too salty but Andrea's is delicately spiced and seasoned, the meat is tender and the crackling is delcious and crunchy.  In my opinion, this is the best porchetta in Tuscany!  I buy my fruit and veg from a lady and her daughter who grow their own produce and sell dried beans, homemade 6 year old Vin Santo (desert wine), homemade salsas and honey.  I know when I buy from them that the food is ripe and seasonal and therefore delicious and good for us.  When you come to Italy food is bound to be one of your reasons for coming so don't miss out on your nearest street market.  Don't be put off by the language, many market holders won't speak English but pointing is a universal language and they will automatically offer up cheeses and meats for you to try before you buy.  See our website for a list of markets closest to us (http://www.patrignone.com/57/markets.html) 

Pasta verde with ragu Bolognese

Life at Patrignone revolves around food, certainly for us, and for most of our visitors too. If you ask our guests their top 3 reasons for visiting Italy, I can guarantee, food will be in there. Italian culture and pride is centred on their local cuisines and it has gained them the justifiable reputation of being among the best cooks in the world. And when I look at all the local old timers around here bombing about and nosing in to everyone's affairs, I know it is their diet I want to live long and prosper!
Winter at Patrignone, when it's just our party of 5, affords me a bit more time in the kitchen. Everytime I venture outside to check the chickens or dig some parsnips I keep telling myself I need to spend more time in the garden, less in the kitchen! But it's too cold and muddy and I don't like it! I am a fair weather gardener.
Still, in the absence of Nonna Carla, Simon's Bolognese mum, in the winter, ragu making falls to Simon or me. This week me, as Simon continues his forth week of battling the 'flu. I have to confess that making ragu goes against all my usual culinary instincts. I am not a great recipe follower, a bit of a flourisher, and not terribly patient......ragu requires the exact opposite so you need to be feeling the ragu! Are you feeling it? If you are then step boldly forward and I will do my best to guide you to the perfect pasta sauce. Along with the perfect green pasta.
Firstly, you will need about an hour for the prep and then to be around for a good couple of hours while it simmers. If you want to eat it straight away then make your pasta dough first. This ragu will give plenty for the pasta (10-12 people) and then give you 5-6 bags of similar sized portions to freeze for rainy days.
Ragu Bolognese
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
400g minced pork
800g minced beef
3 salscicca (Italian sausage)
1 large glass of white wine
800g tinned tomatoes
1 litre tomato passata
2 heaped tbsp tomato puree
1/2 nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 bay leaves
200ml whole milk
Good Olive oil
Now, every Italian I know would tut, but for those of you without excess time on your hands, use a food processor to chop your onion, celery and carrot. Whilst you are doing this put a heavy bottomed stock pot on a low to medium heat. Put your onion in first WITHOUT oil to sweat out the liquid. Don't ask me why this makes such a difference but I promise it does and is a technique running back generations in the Govoni family! Whilst this is sweating, heat a large frying pan with 2tbsp olive oil. When this is hot, add your pork mince and mash with a wooden spoon or fork to break up in to small bits as it browns. Now, if you do have extra time on your hands you might want to consider further mincing or chopping your meat to make a very fine sauce. Keep cooking this meat until any liquid has evaporated and it is lightly browned. Pour in to a bowl, add more oil and do the same with half your beef. Keep an eye on those sweating onions and when they are dry enough to start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add 4 tbsp olive oil and your celery and carrot. Keep frying this until it is all soft and everything looks a similar colour (this is called a sofritto). Again, when your beef juice has evaporated and the meat has browned a little set it aside and do the second half of the beef. By the time this is done your sofritto should be ready. Tip in all the mince with the white wine and stir occasionally until the wine has evaporated. Whilst you are doing that, remove the skin from the salscicca and crumble them in to your frying pan. Mash this again until the meat is cooked and golden and as fine as you can get it. Add to the stock pot. Pour in all your tomatoes and spices and bay leaves and give a really good stir. I grind my nutmeg in a coffee/spice grinder to save time & fingers! Bring up to the boil and then lower the heat. Add the milk and continue to simmer. Add more liquid if necessary and if just right put a lid on. Check every now and then for a taste and to adjust the seasoning but it won't be ready for a couple of hours at least. I then think it always tastes better the next day. Like I say, this should be enough for one large meal serving 10-12 people as well as 5 - 6 bags for the freezer.

For the pasta verde (10-12 portions)
400g fresh spinach, blanched, cooled and finely chopped
400g 00 flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
Semola flour
Chuck all of the above in a food processor with a dough blade or mix and knead by hand. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy. Cut in to 6, roughly equal, pieces and knead each in to a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for about an hour. Set up your pasta rolling machine (Imperia make the best, I have a 30 year old one here that works as well as my newer ones and I have tried several others that have been pants. They're cheap enough on Amazon). Sprinkle a liberal coating of semola flour on a large surface. Set on your widest setting and put the dough through with a good coating of semola flour. Fold the dough in 3rds like an envelope, turn sideways and run through the machine again. Repeat this at least 3 times until your dough is smooth. Then begin working your way down the settings until the last but one. Although you can put this dough through on the skinniest setting it is quite a wet dough and can tear. Also I like to be able to taste the spinach and it lends itself to being a bit thicker. Repeat this with all the dough and sprinkle a bit more flour over. Weather will affect this bit no end but you now want to leave the pasta until it feels quite leathery and dryish without getting brittle. This is a technique you won't find in many recipe books but it changed my pasta making forever! Mother-in-laws have their uses! Waiting for the pasta to dry out a bit (takes about 10 minutes in the Summer, about an hour now!). This will make it much, much easier to cut in to whatever thickess you prefer and the pieces won't stick together. In fact, without this method, making spaghetti is a nightmare. I cut mine in to tagliatelle for pasta ragu and this little lot will make enough for 10-12 people, depending on how many teenage boys you are feeding. I set whatever I don't use aside on a covered tray and use within a week or two. This is a bit of an epic meal I know but you have several meals with the ragu and 2 -3 meals for a smaller bunch with the pasta and it is really delicious. And I reckon the spinach in the pasta as well as the veg in the ragu give you an excellent, healthy meal! Enjoy. V x

Pasta Fagoli for a wet and chilly winter's day

If the weather with you is damp and cold too then here is a lunch to sort you out! This is a Govoni family recipe that is a firm favourite with everyone at this time of year. It's quick, easy, healthy and delicious. Pasta fagioli (Pasta and bean soup) (Serves 4) 300g dried beans soaked in cold water overnight or 2 x 400g tins mixed beans (cannelini and borlotti are great) I onion, finely chopped 1 celery heart, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 small bunch of parsley, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped 1 litre boiled water 250g ditalini (or other small pasta, I use wholemeal) A large handful grated parmesan Patrignone Olive oil! If you are using dried beans, put these on to boil with plenty of lightly salted water until tender. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a heavy stock pan and add the onion, celery, garlic and parsley stalks. Fry until soft and lightly coloured. Now add the beans, with their juices from the tin and refill the tins with boiling water and add. If using dried, add the beans with 1 litre of the cooking water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour. Using a potato masher, mash some of the beans in to the soup, leaving plenty whole. Bring back up to the boil and add the pasta. Cook as per the packet instructions. Stir in the roughly chopped parsley leaves. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan and a generous glug of Patrignone olive oil. Some nice crusty bread on the side for dipping whilst you wait for the soup to cool is a good idea too.

In the news...the 2013 olive harvest, discover the Enchanted Forest, Billy goes MIA, and Patrignone saves the World, a bit more than last time. News from Tuscany More stories from deepest, darkest Chianti Yes, it’s hard to believe, but it has been a whole year since our last newsletter, and what a busy and exciting year here at Podere Patrignone. Well, it's been exciting for us. You may think otherwise... Podere Patrignone goes 'carbon positive'! Yay! You may remember that Simon was ever so slightly nervous about how we would get this 1000kg monster biomass boiler plus two 1500L tanks into our beautifully restored capanna (shed) through over a foot of wet, sticky mud?  Well, here’s how…… A big thank you to Ettore and his trusty tractor who managed the muddy bit!  Anyway, that was last February and all is now up and running smoothly.  What a treat it has been this winter to crank the heating up and not feel guilty about murdering the planet (and our bank account). What we hadn’t properly understood was the volume of wood the beast consumes and what that would equate to work-wise.  The trees must be felled, cut unto moveable chunks, transported, then cut again to fit the boiler, split, stacked, and allowed to dry for a year or so.  This led to some frenzied activity this summer to ensure we had enough wood for both this year and some of next.  An excellent way for Harvey to earn a few pennies and an excellent excuse for Simon to buy himself new toys (a bone-crunching wood splitter, and a scary circular saw, a saw so big, and so scary, it could do the old magicians trick in the blink of an eye). And this month will see Nicu and Simon doing very good impressions of lumberjacks, cutting enough wood to last until the end of 2015! That’s a lot of wood, but thereafter they’ll only need to cut enough for 1 year. Another unanticipated benefit has been our use of ‘biochar’. Simon can switch off the boiler at the end of the gasification stage (don’t ask me!) leaving him with a boiler full of lovely charcoal. We then grind this up and combine it with chicken poop and water for 48 hours before spreading it on to our veg beds. It’s a technique being used in the 3rd world in places with poor soil and little water, and Simon wanted to try it here. We ran a trial with our tomatoes, biochar at one end, and plain chicken poop at the other, with incredible results.  Not only were the biochar plants bigger, bushier and better producers, they were also more disease resistant.  Apparently the charcoal releases the nutrients more steadily or something clever like that…ask Simon! The important thing is it works brilliantly, and Simon has been ordered to keep me supplied with the charcoal I need for my veg beds. This was a big investment for us, and even with grants, the payback could be 10 years or more. But it means we have reached the goal we set when we started this adventure: to be carbon neutral within 5 years. OK, so we were 4 months late, but we can now say that Podere Patrignone is carbon positive. This means that when you add together the electricity we produce from the solar farm (and the surplus we pump into the grid), the energy our solar thermals produce, and the carbon-neutral energy we generate from the biomass boiler, we are effectively removing carbon from the atmosphere. So future guests can offset the carbon cost of their flights simply by staying with us. Not bad, eh? And we’ve not finished yet. Simon plans to add more solar panels later this year, and we’re looking at ways of storing winter rain so that we can use it in the gardens in the summer. We’ll let you know how we get on. These beauties are just about ready to be squished. Lovely.   Olives, olives, and more olives! Yes, this year has seen us pick more olives, and make more olive oil then ever before. After an unusually cool spring, it took a long time for this year’s olives to get going, and at the beginning of October, just a month before we’d usually start picking, I was starting to get a teeny bit worried. We had a team of local pickers ready to go, but the olives were just way too green and hard. You can still pick olives when they’re green, but the ideal time to pick is when they are just a little pink. Too green, and you make too little oil, and the oil is very bitter. Too black, and you make lots of oil, but it is very fatty and greasy, with less fruitiness and a lower polyphenol content (the antioxidants that make olive oil so good for you). It’s a fine balance, and those last weeks of October meant daily trips to the trees to see how the olives were maturing. And by the 7th November, they were ready, and so were we. And if I was expecting a routine harvest, I was going to be sorely disappointed. The weather was being horribly awkward, with regular downpours halting the harvest for the day; you can’t pick if the leaves are wet or you’ll damage the buds that produce next year’s harvest.And we nearly had a pickers revolt, as they got tired and frustrated by the lack of progress, blaming my 'bushy' trees and the awful weather for slow progress. (We sent Max in to show them how easily they could be replaced with child labour, and that straightened them out.)But in the end, we made it. And we have over 1000L of the most amazing oil I've tasted. I'm always impressed at how our oil can be so different from one year to the next. Last year’s oil was full of fire and spice, a nutty chilli-oil without the chilli, but this year’s oil is warm and mellow, like a good brandy, full of fruit, and possibly the most aromatic oil we've ever produced.And now that our trees are producing more olives, I’m hoping the oil-lovers amongst you are going to start spreading the word to your friends and relatives. We have a 24 hour turn-around on all orders (more or less) so as soon as you feel the need, drop us a line, or order your taste of Tuscany direct from our website.Simon has been busy on Facebook with posts on how almost all commercially available olive oil is tainted at best, 100% fake at worst, so go to the Podere Patrignone FB page if you want to learn more on the subject. Scary reading!  facebook.com/PoderePatrignone   Like some of our 100% organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - just press this button! Wedding bells  We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jeff & Andrea again on their marriage here at Patrignone in July.  Jeff & Andrea were returning for their third visit but bought along close friends and family to help them celebrate their marriage at Castellina’s medieval castle.  It is a beautiful and romantic spot.  The ceremony took place in the afternoon and then everyone came back here to enjoy prosecco and nibbles on the terrace followed by their banquet watching the sun set over the hills.  A lovely day and a lovely couple, we look forward to seeing you again soon! We have two weddings this year.  Olivia & Steve from the States are tying the knot here in May followed by Shereen & James (a British couple living in Oz) in August.  We are getting excited already and wish both couples all the very best. See you soon!   Certaldo's insanely fun festival  Jeff & Andrea, took our advice and visited the annual Certaldo street-theatre festival, Mercantia, just after their wedding.  In the third week of every July this colourful international event is a must-see, with performing artists from all over the world and delicious local food stands (loads of truffles).  If you are going to be in Tuscany over that week you must take the chance to spend a night up there. It really is a lot of fun, with music, and fire-eaters, trapeze-artists, and abseiling ballerinas galore. Jeff & Andrea are going to plan future visits to Patrignone around it, it’s that good.  This year the festival runs from 16th-20th  July. More info on www.mercantiacertaldo.it Monte Amiata & The Enchanted Forest Our greatest discovery last year was the spectacular Monte Amiata, south east of Siena and a couple of hours to reach the top of the mountain from our door. But, in my opinion, it’s a lovely drive and totally worth it.  A ski resort in the winter, the mountain has great hiking, cycling and tree top adventure park in warmer months.  Many local Italians disappear up there to cool down by a few degrees on hot summer days. Simon & I stumbled across it just by chance. We were having some ‘we’ time away from the kids, and Simon saw the mountain in the distance and said, “I wonder what the view is like from up there?”. But what we loved most were the spectacular forests and handy barbeque and picnic areas. In September we went back with the boys and played cricket on the big grassy areas (much to the amusement of the locals), had a go at the adventure tree thingy, (like Go Ape in the UK, and geared up for kids from 4 to 49) and then for a barbie in the woods. The boys foraged for firewood, while Simon got the barbie going and treated us to marinaded steaks and ribs. We hardly saw another soul the whole time we were there, giving the kids ample opportunity (taken with gusto) to practice their primal screaming and play hide and seek. It was magical, it really was. So if you want a quiet day away from the tourist bustle, and you fancy a change from the Chianti hills, then this is a great way to get away from it all. We’ll be back in the spring for sure. Another Italy: Reggio Calabria At the end of March we decided to take a quick break before the start of the season.  Not having much time to plan, we listened to some of our local friends and headed south to a part of Italy we'd never seen.  We broke our journey down with an overnight stay in Pompeii. Which was more impressive than we'd expected. Pompeii itself is a lovely town. Yes, it's touristy, but it's a pretty town, and kept well. We liked it. We will return when the two little boys are not so little and less easily bored. The next day we continued south to the tippie-toe of Italy, Reggio Calabria,  and in particular, to the lovely town of Scilla. If you are planning on including Calabria as part of a trip to Italy I cannot praise Scilla enough. It is a beautiful fishing town with views across to Sicily (a 20 minute ferry crossing away) and the food, mostly seafood (not surprisingly), was wonderful.  If this is a place that you’re interested in, please let me know, as I can highly recommend the lovely family run B&B where we stayed, with bedroom balconies reaching out over the water. And the same can be said for the amazing hotel that we stayed in just a couple of clicks from Amalfi, on the way home: the views were just breath-taking. Bye-bye Billy, bye-bye Last summer was not all fun and frolicks I am sad to say.  Billy, our pigeon whose gender had eluded us, began behaving more strangely than normal, when considering she was a wild bird who followed me everywhere – on foot – and wasn’t even afraid of the dogs. But she became even more needy and extremely vocal. And then she laid an egg.  A-ha! So Billy was a girl, and a lonely girl at that. She sat on her egg for many days, but I managed to coax her down with a snack, and we had a little chat about the birds and the bees.  Billy took all this in, packed her bags and moved out.  Well, moved out in the sense that a teenager moves out – just around the corner (or down the valley) so she could bring home her laundry.  She would be home by the time I went to let out the chickens, sweeping down as normal to follow me.  She would get fed and watered, have a chat with us and her other local friends, but come dusk, off she would go.  I was fine with this, as all mums are, glad to see one of my own making their way independently in the world, but returning home to check in at regular intervals.  But then she stopped checking in.  This may not have worried me quite so much (perhaps her mother-in-law had taken on her laundry?) if it had not coincided with the start of the hunting season and the arrival of a beautiful pair of sparrow hawks.  Wherever Billy may be, I am glad she was a part of my life for two lovely years, and I think of her every morning when I make my way to the chickens, imagining her following in my footsteps.  Just after Billy moved out (already an emotional time), Annouska (one of our white chickens) got sick.  She, like me, may have been mourning the loss of Billy, or perhaps she was just too hot to go on. So she didn’t. Sad times. However life goes on, and Simon kindly purchased 3 new hens for my birthday in October, and we are on to ‘B’ company now.  Barbara is our new white Livornese who keeps Adele company (chickens are surprisingly tribal), Bernie & Beatrice are our beautiful black and gold Livornese.   The story doesn't end here, of course. I am hatching plans (!) to give the girls a man to boss around so we have have lots more babies. And I'm also looking into the idea of getting a couple of piggies. And maybe a cow. And a goat. And maybe some sheep. And geese, I've always liked geese... STOP PRESS 25/1/14: Charlie was playing one of her usual games of chacing Nicu's car up the drive last night. Unfortunately, she slippin in some wet leaves when going around a corner and ended up in front of Nicu. He was going slowly, thank goodness, and manage to get his brakes on fast, but Charlie still got a hefty clout. She hobbled back home OK and we kept her warm inside last night. Lucky, xrays this morning showed she hasn't broken anything, but she can't walk at all and is clearly in a gread deal of pain...she's sleeping quietly behind me right now. We'll keep you updated through Facebook... Fancy a summer in Chianti? You may or may not know (if you follow us on Facebook you will have heard all about it) we were left without a housekeeper slap bang in the middle of last season: not an enviable situation but we were saved by the awesome Ramona, who has helped us out on a part time basis for years, and had a bit more spare time than usual last year.  If you have met Ramona you will know that she is a force of nature and a demon cleaner & ironer, as well as a great cook. She is also very clever, and she's finishing a nursing qualification which will keep her busy this year.  So, we are looking for an energetic someone who can help us out for approximately 8 months this season. It is hard work, but it is also 8 months living in the heart of Tuscany with your very own cottage, with a sunny porch and views over our olive groves, and two days a week off to go and explore.  If you, or anyone you can think of, may be interested, please get in touch with me. Are you following me? You don't have to wait for us to write another newsletter if you want to find out what's happening at Podere Patrignone. We have a Facebook page which we use quite a lot, and these posts also go to our Twitter feed. There's also a "Friends of Podere Patrignone" page where guests old and new plus other groupies can hang out and swap news, ideas, gnocco recipes. And there's a blog, where you'll find prettier copies of this newsletter, along with other interesting stuff. Feel free to join the cultural revolution and join us in cyberspace. Podere Patrignone Friends of Podere Patrignone Our Website Email us Twitter Google+ Recipe: Asparagus & prosciutto tart This was a very popular antipasti last season and is so quick and simple to make.  It shouldn’t be long until you can get your hands on some fresh asparagus so here it is. Torta di asparagi e prosciutto Serves 8 as an antipasti or 4 for a light lunch with salad: 1 round of ready rolled wholemeal pastry 1 large handful of basil leaves 1 dessert spoon pine nuts, lightly toasted 1 handful grated parmesan Juice of 1/2 lemon 10 or 12 asparagus spears (I prefer Sprue or wild, thin spears), tough ends snapped off 10-12 slices prosciutto Extra virgin olive oil Preheat your oven to 180C/360F. Lay out the round of pastry on to a 30cm/12" pizza tray, lined with parchment.  Score a circle 2cm/1" inside the edge. Put the basil, pine nuts and parmesan in a food processor with the lemon juice and switch on.  Pour in some olive oil through the spout until you have a green liquid the consistency of thick double cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread this in the inner circle of pastry, fairly thinly.  Save the rest of the paste in an airtight container in the fridge and serve on fresh pasta within the next week. Wrap each asparagus spear with a slice of prosciutto and place on the tart in an attractive fan or any other shape that takes your fancy.  Drizzle more oil over and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the base is crispy. Serve warm. More food news It is with great sadness that we have to tell you that our favourite restaurant, the ever popular Al Macereto, has closed down.  Fantastic food, personal and attentive service in a woodland setting, and only 10 minute drive…..it was the perfect, and we sent all our guests there.  Those of you lucky enough to eat there will remember Wynn, the charming Italian/ Welsh owner. He turned 50 last year (like someone else we know), and after many years of slaving away and working all hours, he decided that it was time to try something new.  I can’t say I blame him, but it is a great pity. Good luck Wynn... Simon & I made it back to Ristoro di Lamole with great mates Mick & Jackie (of Hedonistic Hiking) in October.  It was Simon’s first visit in over 4 years and we were left wondering why he had left it so long.  Lamole is an idyllic spot to while away a leisurely lunch, with excellent food and wine, and excellent multi-lingual staff.  The drive there is stunning if a little long, but well worth it (in day light!).  This is always a must for any food-lovers with a romantic streak. And that's all we have time for. We'll be back again soon, but not too soon. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, as that's where we'll put any breaking news. Thanks for listening! Verity And if you really, really love this, feel free to spread the word in one of these fiendeshly clever ways. Share Tweet Forward to Friend +1 Share Copyright © 2014 Podere Patrignone, All rights reserved.