Accommodations in Italy

A Luxury Week End in Tuscany to celebrate St. Valentines Day

Il Bottaccio, 5 star hotel in Tuscany, near Forte dei Marni, view of indoor pool

For those seeking a unique and exclusive place to plan a romantic getaway for St. Valentines day, Il bOttaccio may be just the place you are looking for…

In a quiet and secluded location just outside of Forte dei Marmi, Il bottaccio is one of the most exclusive 5 star luxury hotels in Tuscany, featuring a prestigious restaurant managed by hotel director and Chef Nino Mosca.

hotel relais chateaux il bottaccio, 5 star hotel in Tuscany near forte dei marmi

The hotel has been derived from a 17th century water powered olive mill after a careful restoration which returned the villa to its ancient splendor and toady one of the finest travel destinations for those seeking only the best Tuscany has to offer.

Hotel location is ideal for those were about privacy, yet keen on participating in the fast and exciting nightlife of Forte dei Marmi which is literally minutes away from the hotel premises.

For the upcoming St. Valentines week end, Il Bottaccio has proposed a romantic week end special offer

AMORE RUBATO

Which means literally “stolen love”. RUBATO is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo in music for maximum emotional impact. RUBATO is a term used in the kitchen as well to indicate cooking time and spiciness of dishes to enhance their taste. RUBATO is also the LOVE dedicated to Him…

For St. Valentines evening the Chef Nino Mosca has elaborated an original menu in the tradition of his ways and customs which have made Il Bottaccio a world class travel destination in Tuscany. A unique combination of fine dining and art.

The St. Valentines Day Menu

Field Mushroom Soup with crisp Red Mullet and Shallot herb Crème Fraîche
Cannelloni of Devon Crab with Olive Oil sauce
Steamed fillets of Sea Bass in green jackets with Leek Coulis, Saffron and Dill
Roasted Quail with Watermelon, Spring Onions, Hazelnuts and Quail Vinaigrette
Chocolate Bonet with Caramelized Raspberry and Pavlova filled with Coffee Sorbet

Price: Euro 75,00 per person, wines and drinks not included.

Romantic St. Valentine Week End in Tuscany

Junior Suite or Suite
Welcoming to Il Bottaccio (Champagne and fresh fruit)
Room Turndown with fresh rose petals and scented candles
Breakfast a la carte
Gourmet Dinner at Il Bottaccio restaurant
Hammam treatment and 2 massages in the Otzium Wellness facility (on site)

Price: Euro 1150,00 for 2 persons

Further information and bookings

http://bottaccio.com/en/san-valentines-day/
E-mail: bottaccio@bottaccio.com
Tel: +39 0585 340031

Skiing in Italy: opportunities and famous areas

If you are in Italy on vacation in Italy in winter time, you need to go skiing! Actually in all Italian mountains you hav got an opportunityto live the snow fully and to do your favourite winter sports: for amateurs, for beginners, and for professionals, Italy is waiting for you on holyday with its great gastronomic traditions.

For example, the Piemonte (Piedmont) Region has amazing skiing resorts and mountain sports. 53 ski resorts and 1300 km of runs in the villages in 2006 has hosted the winter Olympics!!!

Near the Swiss border you have to go and have a look to the village of Cervinia, pretty famous for being an hub for celebrities and VIP, at the base of the Monte Cervino. Less expensive of the close-by Zermatt, Cervinia has a casino, restaurants, swimming pool, ice skating, movie theatre, a run over 20km long, one of the longest in the world. Skiing is best here for intermediate skiers.

The Dolomites, bordering Austria, are a great locations because of the spectacular mountain sightseeing and the Italian skiing villages. The Dolomites are good for beginning to advanced skiiers and offer other winter sports as well with Ortisei, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val Gardena, world famous ski areas. In particular the ski area of Val Gardena is highest in the Dolomites and has already hosted the World Cup skiing in the past. Val Gardena is included in the big Sella Ronda circuit with 80 lifts and a ski range of 1563-2518 meters.

Plenty of snow and activities also in the resort village of Selva Gardena, at 1563 meters with a large number of restaurants, ice skating, and indoor sports events.

Skiing in the South? Of course. Italy’s Abruzzo region is just a few hours from Rome, with its 21 ski areas and 368 km of runs in the highest part of the Apennines. This area sometimes in winter boasts more snow than the Alps. The most developed ski resorts are in Roccaraso, but beautiful is the Gran Sasso, which is the highest point in Italy! Good skiing here including cross country skiing speciality. And going even more south, you need to visit Mt. Etna, Sicily’s best-known volcano and for sure the highest point in Sicily with its 3350 meters offers plenty of activities in winter season. Lot of snow, 1400 meters of vertical skiing. Two ski areas on Etna, too: the southern slope is called Rifugio Sapienza and the northern the resort of Linguaglossa.

Masserie: a old new way to visit Puglia

A masseria, or country house, is a good alternative lodging to stay on a vacation in Puglia. Masserie often are still working farms and they actually can produce olive oil, wine, vegetables.

Basically, it is a fortified farm house or country house on a country estate and in Italy you can find them only in the region of Puglia. The masseria was fortified, because originally these kind of mini-manor had to resist the attacks by Turks or pirates from the sea. The masserie were built from the 16th up to 19th centuries.

You can have a bed and breakfast or self-catering treatment: usually you can find also many services such as a swimming pool, a lovely garden, a restaurant which the typical dishes of Puglia. Check online for finding also the ones which offer cooking classes for guests.

Many masserie are along or close to the coast between Bari and Brindisi (the masseria coast) and they are a pretty good location to visit both the beaches, the trulli of Alberbello and other incredible little towns.

Alberobello is in southern Italy’s Puglia region, the capital of trulli country which are an unique architectural structures, with conical roofs made of limestone slabs. The trulli area of Alberobello (Zona Monumentale Trulli) shows more than 1500 trulli, and for this reason is well-known as one of southern Italy’s World Heritage Sites!!! Many trulli are still lived in, some are restaurants, shops, hotels and holiday houses.

You can’t miss here also the scenic and large archeological site of Egnazia. To go to the Salento Peninsula is also easy: check the masserie close to the seaside towns of Gallipoli and Otranto, and the city of Lecce.

Alternative way of lodging in Italy: discovering agriturismo and farm houses

Agriturismo, farm house and holiday accommodations are not rare as alternative way of lodging in many parts of Italy. Agriturismo in Tuscany or in Umbria were a fare-front of a large number that now is spread in all regions of Italy from north up to South Islands included! This is a great option for families or friends travelling by car and wanting to explore the countryside.

Which type of accommodations you can find? It can range from very rustic to 5 stars!

In general, most agriturismo and farm houses offer bed and breakfast, self-catering lodging. Some will provide also swimming pools, restaurants with cooking classes, horse-riding or bike for free.

Tuscany is one of the great regions to visit and have an agriturismo lodging experience, but also Umbria, as mentioned before, that is the central Italian region, has many options to offer. Italy’s Green Heart is well-known for its scenic countryside and a variety of lodging options, including villas and apartments besides beautiful agriturismo farm lodging. The close Lazio, the region surrounding Rome, an agriturismo in the countryside is a really good choice. Often agriturismo farm houses offer a range of local products to buy or to eat for a resonable price.

Agriturismo lodging is also present in the countryside of Sicily: surrounded by citrus, oranges, olives trees, and grapes.

Let’s talk now of another beautiful way of visiting and staying in the Southern regions: if you go and visit the mesmerising contryside of Puglia, the “heel of the boot” overlooking Africa and Croatia,you will sleep and dine in a masseria, a kind of country house accommodations on a working farm. Masserie are famous for producing their own wine or olive oil! So you can easily access this product and have a delicious meal there!

Hotel Licastelli near Siena

Just south of Siena lies Laticastelli, in the district known as the Crete Senesi, a wide area comprising some of the most charming villages Tuscany has to offer such as Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d’Arbia, Rapolano Terme and San Giovanni d’Asso.

Crete Senesi is a name derived from the colors of the land a unique coloration which is typical only here and has been often referred to as similar to the moon for it’s particular gray pigment.

Laticastelli is literally a few minutes away from Rapolano Terme, a renowned wellness and fitness thermal spa handed down to us over the centuries, dating back to ancient roman domination when this area was a stop off in travels and journeys from Rome to the north of Italy and onwards towards northern Europe.

Laticastelli is a living monument of centuries of dynamic and turbulent history with waves of extreme migration amidst plagues and wars between Siena and Florence.

Sitting on a hilltop and dominating the surroundings, Laticastelli was originally built as a fortress to protect Siena from the south – a stable defensive position securing the city’s boundaries. On ancient maps the main road from Siena was indicated as running along the Ombrone River.

The fortress Laticastelli was depleted and nearly completely destroyed when Siena was defeated by Florence – the entire defensive system Siena had put in place was taken down and Laticastlli was one of the first locations to take the punishment. Only centuries later this location was born to new life when settlers established themselves here: apparently Sicilian farmers who were able to establish sustainable cultivation of wheat. Activities flourished around Laticastelli which was rebuilt as a farm and became an extensive estate covering one thousand hectares and expanding economical interests into other cultivations such as vineyards, olive groves, mills and livestock. The intensity and importance of the Laticastelli transformed the location into an autonomous entity with a local government and was built up into a charming “borgo” or hamlet.

Over the decades owners sold off the lands and properties and laticastelli was once again abandoned.

Today Laticastelli is one of the most charming hotel relais in Toscana, after a long and detailed restoration process. Guests enjoy strolling through the the ancient footpaths with centuries of history to bare: a self contained village for a truly relaxing holiday in Tuscany, just minutes away form Siena an a comfortable drive to Florence.

Laticastelli offers a range of rooms and apartments all with their own individual character, featuring rustic rural wooden furniture, antique doors and windows. The main house welcomes Guests in a medieval kitchen close to a drawing room.

The ancient cellars of Laticastelli are now a fine restaurant offering the best of Tuscan cuisine and wines from a private collection made by the most prestigious local producers.

Laticastelli is the ideal location for those seeking unique locations for their holidays in Tuscany, not the usual hotel, rather a country relais offering the best of the countryside, within a short driving distance from Florence and Siena.

Laticastelli Hotel Relais in Toscana
53040 Rapolano Terme, Siena
Telefono: 0577.724419
Email: contact@laticastelli.com