At the end of March Vignamaggio planted its first potatoes, on 1000 square metres of sandy, stone-free land, close to the Greve River, irrigated by a drip system. The potato plants are fed with our own compost, made from wood chips, pomace and organic manure. WHAT VARIETY OF POTATO DID WE SELECT? Our decision was […]
THE GARDEN
Vignamaggio’s garden was created in the late ’20es by Elena and Bino Sanminiatelli. The couple wished to connect the villa to the forest, enclosing the building within a natural frame, according to the principles of a typical renaissance garden, which took the place of the fruit orchards and wheat that were there before. In 2014, […]
RECIPE: TUSCAN COCCOLI
Fried bread dough is found everywhere in Italy and each region has a different name for it: Coccoli, ficattole or zonzelle. This is the Florentine version of this national treat. WHAT WE NEED 200g flour Dry yeast Water EVO oil Seed oil Salt WHAT WE DO Empty the flour onto the work surface and make […]
THE BARRELS
“Botte grande vino piccolo. Botte piccola vino grande.” ‘Small barrels preserve the best wine’ – We asked ourselves if the best things do come in small packages after all. Is there any truth to this popular Italian proverb? We asked Francesco, caretaker of Vignamaggio’s vines and wines for the past 30 years. From barriques and […]
RECIPE: THE TUSCAN GRANDMA’S CAKE
Torta della Nonna (Grandma’s Cake), originally from Arezzo, is a tart of confectioners custard encased in a short-crust pastry and topped with pine nuts and icing sugar. Legend has it that the creation of the dish was the result of a challenge, to prove that Tuscan cuisine does have its share of desserts. WHAT YOU […]
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
As some of you already know, in 1992 Kenneth Branagh chose Vignamaggio as the setting for his adaptation of the theatrical comedy “Much ado about nothing”. The video shooting at Vignamaggio lasts for more than two months, a lively period of time for Greve: we can still imagine Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson or Keanu Reeves strolling […]
RECIPE: BAKED APPLES IN VINSANTO
Winter is the perfect season to warm up with a delicious homemade dessert and this time we thought we’d make a classic ‘Grandma’s recipe’: Our chef, Cristina’s delicious version of baked apples in Vinsanto. WHAT WE NEED 4 apples (4 people, one apple each) 125 ml Chianti Classico Vinsanto 4 table spoons raw cane sugar […]
WINTER SALADS
During the holidays there is always an onslaught of meat and fish, roasted and stuffed. We thought that the vegetables in our vegetable gardens also deserve a place on the dinner tables of special occasions. The base we started with is a simple radicchio and pomegranate salad: other than being delicious and in season, the […]
CHRISTMAS TABLE CENTREPIECE
Christmas is almost upon us, and just like every year, we find ourselves looking for ideas and inspiration to decorate our homes and ways to celebrate with those dear to us. For our Christmas table centrepiece, it was to Cristiano that we turned again. He created a simple centrepiece that is really easy to make. […]
THE ADVENT WREATH
Grdener Gilles taught us how to make some beautiful Christmas decorations using only a pair of secateurs, some string and a few things found on a stroll through the forest. Our Gardener Cristiano recreated a simple version of this Christmas wreath for us, that you can make yourself, and we have documented each step to share with you.