If you’re looking for an ideal Tuscan destination for a summer holiday then look no further than the ancient thermal spa-town of Montecatini Terme, Italy. Nestled between the seaside tourist destination of Pisa and the equally tourist heavy romantic city of Florence – an easy commute by car, train or bus (approx 50 kms to …
Tag: italy
Ristorante Ora d’Aria, Florence, Italy
On a recent trip to Florence we booked our final nights dinner at the 1 Michelin star restaurant, Ora d’Aria. Ora d’Aria (meaning ‘hour of air’) first took its name from when the restaurant opened, at a previous location, opposite a prison. Guests dined whilst the inmates took advantage of their daily exercise hour. New …
Spaghetti Ubriachi (Italian drunken spaghetti)
On a recent Tuscan break we discovered on a menu, Spaghetti Ubriachi, literally translated as “drunken spaghetti” but actually being spaghetti cooked in red wine. We came across it in a wonderful Italian family run trattoria high on the hills of Montecatini Alto, where, in broken English, the waiter promised us it was made by …
Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita Hotel, Matera
TERRIFIC TROGLODYTE TRIP! Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita – it’s a hotel in a 9,000 year old cave in the ancient city of Matera. That pretty much sums up the hotel but it doesn’t really do it justice…it’s a little bit more than just a cave hotel as it’s also a project in ecology and …
Mystical Matera, Italy
We first came across Matera, in Puglia, southern Italy (near the boot heel) when we learnt of the Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita hotel (a stunning cave hotel which we quickly added to our bucket list and just as quickly planned a visit to). I had mentioned to my Italian hairdresser (from Naples) that Elldrew …