Tonino restaurant is an old, established and popular restaurant in Cortona. It is renowned for its authentic Tuscan and Umbrian cuisine. It is also popular as a venue to host receptions, conferences, meetings and public events.

Restaurant Tonino began its culinary journey in the early nineteen fifties when it was part of Hotel Garibaldi. It moved to its own premises in 1962 from where it still functions to cater to the delights of many locals and tourists.

Ristorante Tonino takes pride in being a blend of modernity and tradition. The best and authentic Tuscan dishes including specific Cortona dishes are served within the Cortona valley. It goes without saying that farm fresh local produce form the main ingredients of the dishes.

The menu is fairly extensive at Restaurant Tonino. There are a wide variety of starters or antipasti. They offer a wide range of cold as well as hot starters. The main dishes all have an unmistakable Tuscan and Umbrian flavours. Local as well as other popular Italian desserts round off the meal.

The food, the setting, the ambience and the service all add up to make a visit to Restaurant Tonino almost as important as a visit to the beautiful, romantic and historic town Cortona. The restaurant is among the high priced restaurants but offers a good meal and fantastic views of Val di Chiani. If you like fine dining, good food and a panoramic ambience visit Ristorante Tonino but do make a reservation in advance.

Excelsus is a Super Tuscan red wine which is produced only in limited quantities and certain outstanding vintage years. It is produced by the estates of Castello Banfi in Montalcino. Although Castello Banfi is considered as one of the most popular producers many Super Tuscans many wine lovers rate Excelsus as the best of its Super Tuscans.

Excelsus is a unique and non traditional blend of Merlot (40%) and premier quality Cabernet Sauvignon (60%). Each variety of grapes is harvested separately. It is then crushed and fermented separately for a period ranging between twenty and twenty five days. Each wine is aged separately for a year in French oak. It is then blended and aged once again for a period of six months in French oak. Then it is bottled and cellared for at least two years before being marketed.

Excelsus is a full bodied deep red rich wine. It is well structured with concentrated fruitiness and complexity. The enhanced ageing of the wine in the cellars helps to develop soft tannins. Its fruity bouquet has hints of black currant and plums.

The Excelsus is an excellent accompaniment for red meats, game, pecorino cheese and other cheeses.

As of now Excelsus is the most expensive wine from the Castello Banfi Estates. It is a highly prized international wine and you can enjoy it to celebrate any occasion. It is found on the wine lists of all the elegant and fine dining restaurants not only in Tuscany but in Italy and other parts of the world.

Montespertoli is a lovely and beautiful region in Tuscany with Etruscan origins. It also boasts of one good vegetarian restaurant nearby called La Fonte.

La Fonte provides you with some of the best vegetarian and macrobiotic food in Italy. They can prepare gluten free dishes and also cater to your different needs if you have food allergies. La Fonte has a fairly extensive menu with starters, main courses, second courses and desserts. They also organize parties, special events, theme parties etc.

La Fonte is generally open in the evenings. On Sunday it is open for lunch and dinner.
Many vegetarians highly recommend this restaurant for its food especially the desserts, its ambience and its fairly moderate pricing.

Please make sure you have a reservation before going out into the countryside of Montespertoli to dine to avoid disappointment.

Christmas in undoubtedly the biggest holiday celebrated not only in Tuscany but all over Italy. According to some it is the best season to explore the traditions and festivities of Tuscany. It is celebrated from Christmas Eve upto Epiphany in the Tuscan countryside as well as in all the major cities and towns.

This is a lovely time of the year to visit any part of Tuscany. Every where you go you will find the enactment of the Nativity in almost all the churches. Depicting the nativity scene is an age old Tuscan tradition dating back to the times of Saint Francis. Entire towns and cities adorn themselves with festive lights. There is joy and mirth in the air as both locals and tourists gather together to celebrate Christmas.

The Christmas season is also the time for the flourishing of local markets. Most of the towns, villages and cities gear up to welcome everyone to shop for gifts and to conduct sales. Statues of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, Joseph, sheep, oxen, the three wise men, shepherds etc are available since some houses also maintain the tradition of setting up a nativity scene. These private and public displays bring alive the spirit of the holiday season.

Christmas in Tuscany is renowned for the excellent food that gets cooked and enjoyed by everyone. After the religious ceremonies, food is also an important part of the celebrations. Christmas lunch is filled with many, many dishes as Tuscans feast to their heart’s content on pastas, game, vegetables, cheeses and definitely wine.

Desserts for Christmas are a class apart. Many traditional and exotic desserts like cantucci, panforte, panettone, torrone and many other regional sweets are relished. Of course what completes Christmas is definitely Vinsanto.

Come join us in Tuscany for Christmas. Together we can raise a toast to you coming back to the beautiful region of Tuscany.

Every year in the peak of the truffle season (late October -early November- through December) if you are lucky enough to visit Tuscany, you can enjoy the interesting White Truffle festival in Volterra. It is not as famous as that of San Miniato but it has its own charm.

Volterra is a beautiful and well preserved medieval town in Tuscany. It has a beautiful palace and town square. It is a popular tourist town all the year round. Volterra is famous for its pecorino cheeses, olives, boar meat, truffles etc but come Truffle season the highlight of the town is definitely the locally available White Truffle.

The Festival not only showcases White truffles but also is a gastronome’s delight featuring other delicious food products from the region.

Summus in Latin means “highest” and this wine has been very aptly named by the estate of Castello Banfi. Summus is one of the best ever Super Tuscan red wines produced by the estates of Castello Banfi.

It is a perfect blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Each grape gives its own unique characteristic to Summus. This results in us obtaining an extraordinary Super Tuscan. Summus gets its fruitiness and structure form the Cabernet grapes. Sangiovese, one of the best Tuscan grapes provides body to the wine. And last but not the least Syrah adds character and a fruity elegance to the bouquet.

Each variety of the grapes used is separately vinified in oak barrels. Then it is blended and aged for nine months in oak barrels. Finally it is aged for upto sixteen months in the bottle before being marketed.

Summus has a lovely deep red colour. The bouquet is predominately fruity with hints of oak and spices. It is a medium bodied wine with fine tannins. This wine has an appealing colour, a fragrant aroma and the bouquet becomes simply amazing with time. No wonder it is considered as a “masterpiece” by many.

It is a good accompaniment for a variety of dishes including stews, red meats, pastas and cheeses. It is a very popular wine with connoisseurs. Although it may be on the expensive side it is a wine of literally towering strength and can be part of your wine list atleast for special occasions.

Le Grance is an excellent white wine from the estates of Caparzo situated in the hills of Montalcino. Le Grance means ‘fortified farmhouses”. Farmhouses in Siena used to be called thus and Signora Angelini decided to name this white wine after them.

Le Grance is made mainly using Chardonnay (upto 75%), and small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and even some Traminer. The Gewurtztraminer grapes are added to improve the aroma of the Le Grance. This wine is fermented in oak barrels.

Le Grance has a lovely yellow colour. The bouquet is that of dried fruits with a hint of spice. It has DOC appellation. It can be accompanied by seafood, meats and even soups and vegetable dishes.

Tuscany is well known for its reds and unfortunately the white wines except perhaps for Vernaccia di San Gimignano, which is renowned, other white wines get left behind. So raise a toast to Le Grance a lesser known but very delicious white wine from Tuscany.

Cantuccini Biscotti are hard but very tasty almond biscuits from Tuscany. They trace their original recipe to the city of Prato. You can use other nuts including hazel nuts or pine nuts indigenous to Tuscany.

Cantuccini Biscotti are excellent as dunking biscuits preferably in a glass of dessert wine like Vin Santo or any other sweet wine. Alternatively you can dip them in a cup of coffee, a cappuccino, a cup of tea or even hot chocolate if you wish. You can try dipping them in a glass of warm milk or cold milk for an awesome flavour.

Cantuccini Biscotti are traditional Tuscan biscuits. Although you can find Cantuccini Biscotti in every bakery worth its biscuits in Tuscany it is also easy to make at home if you like baking. We recommend you pick up Cantuccini Biscotti from bakeries in Tuscany when you visit us or you bake them at home or as a last alternative these biscuits have become popular enough for you to pick up tins from supermarkets or even online.

Cantuccini Biscotti can be a perfect end to a divine Tuscan meal or any another meal as a matter of fact. We would be happy to have you join us someday for a traditional Tuscan meal and we will have definitely Cantuccini Biscotti on the menu.

Baci di Dama are delicious Italian cookies which can be translated to mean Lady’s Kisses. These bite sized morsels pack a heavy punch as far as taste is concerned.

Baci di Dama can be considered as two butter nut biscuits united together by a thin chocolate filling. Generally hazel nuts or almonds are the preferred nut. I love then with both nuts so a combination of both the nuts can also be used to make the biscuits. The chocolate filling is also either plain chocolate or dark chocolate as per your individual wish.

Baci di Dama or Lady’s Kisses are made with simple and wholesome ingredients including flour, sugar, butter, hazelnuts, almonds, chocolate and if you wish vanilla flavour or candied orange peel. Baci di Dama are light and add a sweet note to your day. If you keep them in an air tight jar they will stay fresh for a few days provided you can keep your hands of these delicious Lady’s Kisses. If you keep them in an air tight jar they will stay fresh for a few days provided you can keep your hands of these delicious Lady’s Kisses.

Cinghiale means hog or boar in Italian. Actually wild boar is more appropriate as wild boar is definitely one traditional food which is still available in plentiful in most parts especially the hills and forests of Tuscany.

Cinghiale or wild boars roam wildly in most of the vineyards in Tuscany. Hunting them and cooking them serves many purposes for the Tuscan farmers. They not only get to save their precious vineyards from a wanton vineyard predator but they also get to eat delicious dishes using its meat. The only sufferer is the Cinghiale who loses its life when it goes to feast on lovely grapes in the vineyards and is hunted down.

The Tuscans really know how to transform wild boar to umpteen numbers of dishes. Proscuitto di Toscana is made using the thigh meat of the Cinghiale. Many other hams and salamis are made using wild boar. The Tuscans stew it between flames, roast it and even drown it in a lovely sweet and sour sauce or ragu (Italian meat based or pasta sauce). They add delicious truffles, prunes, porcini mushrooms, lasagna and pasta to make different dishes with Cinghiale being the major ingredient. They even make it into a wild boar sauce.

Cinghiale is a very popular food with Tuscans especially in autumn or fall. One particular dish Pappardelle Cinghiale is so popular that it is unofficially the national Tuscan dish atleast according to many of its residents.