After a full week of sightseeing in Italy’s capital metropolis Rome and Vatican Metropolis ticking off all of the big-name points of interest for first-timers and biking alongside Rome’s historical Roman roads, we acquired a style of “La Dolce Vita” (the candy life) within the Tuscan countryside close to Florence on our approach to Venice.
Villa Il Leccio is an 18th-century villa within the Chianti wine district of Tuscany with a view of hectares of rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards from the backyard. This Tuscan villa was first constructed within the 1200s as a medieval tower home.
Not less than 9 generations of the Landi Household have lived at Villa Il Leccio for over 300 years, utilizing the property primarily as a rustic residence and for summer season gatherings.
The Landi household maintains the villa and a thriving agritourism enterprise, specializing in wine and olive oil. The household farms nearly 90 acres of the Tuscan countryside from their property.
Since farming such an enormous space and conserving previous villas in good situation takes plenty of assets, they determined to open up their dwelling to particular excursions with farm-to-table meals, which we acquired to expertise as a part of Trafalgar’s Be My Visitor tour, which connects vacationers to locals for an genuine Italian expertise.
The villa is open for in a single day stays with 11 rooms out there, initially belonging to relations and servants. The architectural construction of the manor stays the identical because it did centuries in the past, however rooms now include trendy comforts and furnishings for company.
The rooms mirror the historical past of the unique Tuscan Villa, with some overlooking the interior courtyard of the Medieval Nicely or surrounding oak timber. I believe it’s a fantastic alternative for honeymooners who need romantic getaways and seasoned vacationers who want to immerse in countryside comforts in Italy as an alternative of the standard vacationer routes.
Giada Landi, the pinnacle of the family, led our group by means of the primary dwelling space and into the backyard with a fountain surrounded by hedges, lavender flowers, and lemon timber for some white wine.
After the nice and cozy welcome, our group was given time to benefit from the gardens and grounds. Villa Il Leccio has a swimming pool constructed on a pure terrace, and luxurious gardens with seasonal greens, fruits and herbs that the household makes use of for contemporary meals.
Apart from being a fantastic place for nation stays and meals, it’s a beautiful venue for occasions, vacation spot weddings and receptions amongst European households.
Our lunch right here was a feast of conventional Tuscan fare utilizing produce grown within the villa’s backyard paired with their Chianti wines. The Landi household takes pleasure in handpicking olives for olive oil, harvesting the grapes used of their wines, and rising their very own vegatables and fruits. Even the herbs used within the dishes are plucked from property grounds.
Giada, who realized prepare dinner from her grandmother and mom, donned her chef’s hat and garments to organize the lunch meal whereas different relations helped with the service.
For starters, we had contemporary pasta created from scratch with a scrumptious home made pork and beef-based meat sauce. The principle dish was Tuscan rooster cooked in Chianti wine and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, which was wonderful. It was served with potatoes, home made bread and salad as sides.
For dessert, there was a slice of baked pie with a tart fruit sauce. I’m unsure what the fruit within the pie was, however I completed every thing on my plate and went again for seconds. My pictures don’t do the meals justice, however this lunch was one of the vital pleasant meals we had in Italy. Every little thing tasted so contemporary and comforting. I’m extra of a beer drinker myself, however who can say no to free-flowing wine on this setting?
For these keen on Italian delicacies, Villa Il Leccio additionally hosts cooking lessons for small teams. In accordance with their web site, company can be taught household recipes, “ranging from primary recipes akin to bread, pasta and pizza, to extra complicated conventional Tuscan menus, or medieval banquets.”
Whereas the meals was scrumptious and the villa and environment have been gorgeous, what made this meal extra particular was the real heat and hospitality of the Landi household and the care they put into the service. Villa Il Leccio was an surprising shock that allowed us to decelerate and get a breather earlier than heading off to Venice.
