Villa Rentals In Tuscany

There is a new site on the web in the crowded “Direct Rent” market – but this is one we like. TuscanyRentDirect specializes in – you guessed it – Tuscany. Instead on millions of rentals all over the world, this site features a hand picked selection of only the finest villas and apartments from one of the most famous regions in all the world, Tuscany. Check them out if you are looking for a villa rental in Tuscany.

Casa In Toscana

If you are looking to buy a home, vineyard, or investment property in Tuscany and especially in the Chianti region, than Casa In Toscana is the first place you should visit. Located in Castellina, they have many exclusive listings in the area and all the expertise you will need for buying property in Italy. Visit their website for more information.

Orsanmichele

If you are looking for information, photos, links and most anything else about the Church and Museum of Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy then you need to head over to Orsanmichele.net

Orsanmichele

This new site is dedicated to nothing but Orsanmichele and is a great resource for students, scholars, and tourists alike. They have some really nice photographs and they say they will be adding new and unique images for all of the Orsanmichele sculptures eventually.

Cooking School in Florence

If you are coming to Florence and want to take a cooking course as a tourist, or looking for a cooking school in Florence for a serious cooking education, or maybe something in between, the The Scuola di Arte Culinaria Cordon Bleu of Florence is a good place to start. This is a real cooking school with a proven track record, professional teachers, and a recently remodeled and updated facility. It is run by Gabriella Mari and Cristina Blasi, both accomplished chefs and the co-authors of several Italian cook books.

Cooking School Florence

You won’t find a more authentic, professional and quality cooking experience anywhere in this amazing city.

Chianti Reviews

We have written about many Chiantis (and other predominantly Sangiovese based wines) over the last 18 months on Florence-Journal.com. Generally I only end up posting about a wine if it is worth it – if we drink something that is not memorable, I am not going to take the time to write about, so most of these wines are recommended. I am especially looking for value, wine that is affordable (€8-13 a bottle) and really “worth” the money. Also, small producers are much more interesting to us that large international brands – I am not going to be reviewing Ruffino Riserva Ducale or anything similar. There is an explosion of quality happening in the hills of Chianti and these wines need to be discovered. Here is a listing of the individual wines we have covered so far.

Wines reviewed so far:

• Fattoria di Rignana Chianti Classico 2004
• Castello La Leccia Chianti Classico 2004
• Casale dello Sparviero Riserva 2003
• Castello di Ama Chianti Classico 2003
• Le Cupole 2003 IGT
• La Banditaccia Aquilaia Montecucco Rosso D.O.C. 2004
• Poggio Rosso Riserva 2000
• Querciavalle Chianti Classico Riserva 1999
• Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva 2000

Ara Pacis Museum

We are taking a break from Tuscany and heading down to Rome for our newest website, the Ara Pacis Museum. On a recent visit to Rome to see some family this new museum was our main stop, and it was inspirational. A truly amazing piece of antiquity, housed in a brand new modern building by Richard Meier.

Florence Flood of 1966

Our newest site is for the Florence Flood of 1966 – FlorenceFlood.com. This is a site set up to document the flood of 1966 and to point out the best reference materials on the web. This year is the 40th anniversary of the flood and we hope to generate some interest in this site and to be adding a lot of content in the next couple of weeks.

Florence Journal

The first site in the Tuscany Project is Florence-Journal.com. This is basically a travel, relocation, and living in Florence blog. We cover a range of topics, from where to eat and shop, how to live here legally, exhibits and events, local news, reviews and more. I also try to write as much as I can about Italian wine. This blog is over a year old already, but we are still trying to get the word out about it.

The Tuscany Project

This is a brand new venture – an attempt to make the world’s finest set of websites for Tuscany. More soon…

Well – soon has come. It is now March 2009, and now that we have spent a few years exploring and documenting Florence, Tuscany, and the best the web has to offer for these destinations, we plan to keep posting this information here on a more regular basis. If you know of a website that you think should be included in these pages drop me a line.

Thanks –