Welcome to Savoring Italy's go-to Siena guide, the essence of Tuscany. Siena mixes history, tradition, and Italian country flavors. It's medieval and unspoiled. We'll dive into a place where Piazza del Campo beats with life, cobblestone paths surprise, and every corner dishes out Siena's culinary history. Gothic buildings, lively markets, and hills...

Michelangelo’s David is recognised as one of the most sublime works in the history of sculpture, but according to the director of Florence’s Accademia Gallery, dusting it is much like cleaning a bathroom. “You know when you clean a bathroom, you clean and clean and think you’ve done a great job but then you spot some dust and wonder ‘where did that...

Italians are adamant about recognizing and protecting their heritage. There are consortiums that protect regional products like Parmigiano Reggiano, organizations that preserve the country’s artistic and architectural treasures, and even official designations for the country’s most beautiful villages. I Borghi più belli d’Italia is an association f...

In all its territorial variety, Italy boasts a large number of beautiful and evocative mountain localities, ideal for visiting any time of year, whether summer or winter. From north to south, the Italian mountain scene offers tourists a range of landscapes: lakes at high altitutude, incredible forests, enchanting villages and borgoes rich in histor...

This recipe from my Italian Diabetes Cookbook is said to be the ancestor of San Francisco’s famous Cioppino stew. My version comes from the western Tuscan town of Livorno, located on the sparkling Tuscan Sea. During the Gold Rush Era and later in the 19th century, many Italians immigrated to California. Some of them replicated Italian fishing boats...

This month, I’m highlighting the Maremma wine region, often overshadowed by its neighboring wine regions to the north. Located in southern Tuscany, the Maremma is a stretch of territory between Pisa and Livorno from the north down to the northern part of the Lazio region. Let's learn all about the Maremma including some wines from a cooperative, Ca...

Trash to Beauty: A Case Study of how Peccioli, a small Tuscan hillside town, turned a landfill into an engine of social, economic, ecological, political and cultural change. Curated by Brett Littman. Exhibition opening February 19, 2024 | 6PM. On view from February 19 to May 3, 2024. Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, NY, from 10AM to 4PM...

Maremma is a lesser-known Tuscany on the border with Lazio. Together we will discover Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana, small villages of Etruscan origin carved into the tuff, a thousand-year-old rock of volcanic origin that makes these places so unique. On our journey through the ancient 'Città del Tufo' (tuff towns) we will discover the history of t...

For centuries, farmers and peasants had to learn how to utilize minimal ingredients and food scraps to create dishes that provided sustenance throughout all seasons of the year. This culinary tradition is known as cucina povera, or poor cooking. Cucina povera dishes have survived in Italy due to their simplicity, nutritiousness, and waste-free natu...

San Gimignano, Siena, the Val d'Orcia, and the Chianti hills are all well-trodden areas of Tuscany — and rightly so. They form the iconic scenery of one of Italy's most famous and romanticized regions, with medieval cities, rolling fields, ancient hill towns, and acres of vineyards. For wine, food, history, and stunning views, why go anywhere else?...