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 For many years, we have rented out one of our apartments in Arezzo to a lovely family who come to Italy to visit the famous Arezzo Antique Fair.
They come here at this time of year (before it gets too cold!) to enjoy the amazing winter foods freshly in season, as well as to buy unusual Christmas gifts for their family and friends from Italy's oldest and biggest antique fair that spreads out through every street and piazza that comprises the charming town of Arezzo.
Since they have rented out apartments from us since our beginning, they have over the years become 'amici' (friends). Thus each year, we meet up with them and take pleasure in taking them somewhere fantastic and typically (wonderfully) Tuscan. Over the years, we have been to food fairs and markets, various stunning hill-top towns to sip fantastic wines, and dine on local specialities, we have even been truffle hunting.
 It was therefore with great surprise and delight this year, they decided to show US something! Arezzo. By now, they are locals in their own right, so they took us through the market, showing us the best stalls to buy various furniture items, children's toys still in original condition that date back to my grandmother's era, fabulous books long out of print, and jewels that were dangerously beautiful!
They took us for coffee in the bar where the owners greet our friends by name as they automatically start preparing their 'usual', the restaurant where we had lunch bought us free limoncelli - the divine lemon syrupy liquor, and we were led to the best gelato store in a hidden back street.
It was wonderful to be guided tourists in a town so close to our own home, to be shown to us through the eyes of people who know the place so well, but still have such excitement at being here.
 I equate the difference to that of our love for Tuscany being like the love one has for their parents - it is absolute and even an assumed love. You admire and respect your parents for all their past, you know them well, but still better with each passing year you are luckily enough to have them. You remember them as they were, and know them as they are. Instead, our friends have a love for Italy like the love of newly-weds. It is a chosen love, it is passionate and decided upon by a strong accordance with this place. They love the place for what it is now, despite of or because of all its past.
And who would not love Arezzo, let alone Tuscany? With its magical landscape that never ceases to take my breath away, with its food that changes with each season but is always delicious.
But I would like to warn anyone thinking of coming to Tuscany that there is one danger in visiting: you are likely to fall in love with the place, and just like our friends, be back here year after year!
 The Arezzo antique fair is held on the first weekend of the month.
Arezzo is a small town just 75 kilometres or 30 minutes drive from the Florence, heading south. It is also on the same train like that connects Florence to Rome so it is a main destination for train.
Via del Corso is the main street running through the town, lined with a great selection of shops with a run of market stalls down its middle.
Aside from Antiques, Arezzo also has an impressive range of fashion clothing stores, so you can look very modern whilst you shop antique!
 Even though Tuscan towns and villages can be quite geographically connected, they often have quite specific speciality dishes specific to each town. Arezzo is known for various dishes including Fagioli al fiasco (bean dish), Carciofi all'arentina (stuffed artichokes), Fegatello di Maiale (pork liver sauce). But our favourite at this time of year is Pappa al Pomodoro (a local tomato soup dish) which is also great to make on Sundays as a way to use day-old bread when the shops are closed.
Thick tomato and bread soup
- 300 g 2-day-old Tuscan-style bread, finely sliced
- 500 g ripe peeled tomatoes
- 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-2 dried chillies, crushed (optional)
- 10 basil leaves, ripped
- 1 L vegetable stock
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ground black pepper
Remove the core and cut a cross into the skin of both ends of the tomatoes then place the tomatoes in abundant boiling water for a couple of minutes. Strain them in very cold water and peel them. Sautè the garlic in 8 tbs of olive oil until it is lightly coloured (if you are going to use them, add the chillies too). Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Add the boiling stock and bread. Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring often. Cover and let the soup rest for twenty minutes. Add the basil and 100 ml of olive oil, stir well and serve. The soup should be very thick and warm, not hot.
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Cooking School in Tuscany
If you like to cook or just love
food , we support a cooking class close to Florence
due to the great quality, friendliness of the
chefs and the incredible response we have had
from the people who have attended the classes.
The cooking class is called “Good
Tastes of Tuscany “ and the classes are
held in the magnificent kitchen of a 14th century
castle . The classes involve hands on fresh pasta
making , the tricks to the tuscan cooking techniques
and a vast menu even for the basic classes from
antipasto to desert.
You'll cook together with the
Chef and you'll eat what you prepared all together
following the class. A full meal is served so
you can relax and savour your efforts making new
friends , having a laugh over a glass of wine
and experiencing the tuscan lifestyle of times
gone by.
The classes are run by 2 italian
english speaking chefs.
One of the chefs learnt by the most important
teachers ; her family. The traditional Italian
housewife that takes care of the house was the
center of everything in a home and also for entertaining.
The chef was taught by her grandmother and mother
the skill of true Tuscan cooking and later through
many courses and a catering business.
Another chef began as a restaurant
owner in Florence and then expanded his knowledge
through the most noted italian courses for professionals
. They also have a indepth knowledge on the history
of Tuscan cuisine, the variety of dishes from
each area and seasons.
They are both warm , passionate
and friendly people and very eager to please ,
when I have commented to them about the satisfaction
of the attendees they responed “ we just
love people and what we do so much that this obviously
transmits to the clients”.
You can obtain information about
the classes and also costs from the website:
www.tuscany-cooking-class.com
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